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Dell Inspiron iM1012-687OBK Mini 1012 10.1-Inch Obsidian Black Netbook – Up to 8 Hours 8 Minutes of Battery Life

laptopcarmount — Wed, 12 May 2010 02:03:08 +0000

The most helpful favorable review

Truly the Best Netbook on the Market

This review is from: Dell Inspiron iM1012-687OBK Mini 1012 10.1-Inch Obsidian Black Netbook – Up to 8 Hours 8 Minutes of Battery Life (Personal Computers)

I’ve not been a fan of that many netbooks out there, but this little guy really blew me away. I got to compare this netbook up against netbooks from ASUS, Acer, Samsung, Sony, Toshiba and Gateway (a pretty exhaustive line-up). There was a sharp contrast between Dell’s Mini 10 series and netbooks made by the other companies. To me, the buying decision (after compare prices) really came down to comfort and ingenuity of its design. I find others choosing this model mostly for the same reasons.

===== It’s Comfortable =====
This thing is a dream to use. Most netbooks are unusable to me. What stings me most with netbooks is the keyboard. I’m used to the low-profile, “chiclet-style” scissor-switch keyboards that are (or at least used to be) most common in laptops, and in fact I love them. I’m referring to the type of keys that are flat and flush with the palm rest, and have a little flange or lip on the edges (where the space is between the keys). To see exactly what I mean, check out the close ups here on the right (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00361G10S?tag=a52-20&ie=UTF8#productDescription). These types of keyboards make typing a breeze, as they won’t inflict wrist strain due to tall keys or keys that require more force to press.

===== It’s Innovative =====
The touch pad is small, yet clever, allowing you to press down on the bottom-left/bottom-right corners of the pad to left-click/right-click (respectively), rather than wasting space by implementing separate buttons. The touch pad is also very touchable, as its texture and finish is matte, rather than glossy, making it much more conducive to swiping your fingers across than most of the other netbooks I laid fingers on. Most netbooks’ touch pads were glossy, making your skin shear and resist the dragging gestures. I find such a feeling to be nearly as annoying as fingernails on a chalkboard! The other netbooks were also noticeably covered in oily smudges and finger grease, both inside the track pad and also on the wrist rest. Instant turn off for me on anything but the Dell! The Mini 10 on the other hand was smudge free, thanks to their use of an oil-resistant softly-textured palm-rest.

===== It’s Brilliant =====
The display is crisp and bright, and it isn’t too shabby outside either, though I recommend using full brightness when being used outdoors. My only complaint about the screen is its native resolution is a bit low for my tastes, which I hope isn’t just a personal preference. I’d rather see more on the screen than to see things big and close up. However, this is par for netbooks anyway. You should look into this Sony (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001PII4HW?tag=a52-20&ie=UTF8) if you absolutely must have a higher definition display while maintaining the small form factor of a netbook.

===== It’s Media Friendly =====
The built in HD media excellerator and the 9:16 ratio widescreen 10.1″ display is great for watching hi-def movies on the go, with one very important exception: you must have an external DVD (or Blu-Ray) drive. I recommend this Samsung (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002C1BBU8?tag=a52-20&ie=UTF8) which sports a sexy look, on par with the Dell ‘s own appeal, without sacrificing functionality. Video playback is generally smooth and very few hiccups in playback have been experienced.

===== It’s Stylish =====
You wont mind being seen with one of these, especially given the choice of colors, you can’t go wrong in customizing. Dell really puts their feet forward in coming through on their philosophy of customization. Some people buy netbooks for the look. If you’re one of these vain PC users, you’ll rest easy knowing you’ve got one sexy looking netbook! I chose the white, personally.

===== It’s Capable =====
The Dell Mini isn’t exactly your run of the mill netbook. Sure, it can do what the others do, and I’ve typically used it for writing and surfing the Web (after all, surfing was the original presmise of the netbook, hense the name). Just be sure to keep your browser tabs to a minimum and not install too many Firefox extensions, and you’ll be fine. But it plays media, including Web videos, Flash sites and Flash games, at a decent pace. As long as you aren’t trying to multi-task by running several other programs at once, you should be just fine.

Windows 7 starters is an ideal OS for the netbook, and it even outperforms XP in several areas, so you can’t go wrong in using it. The memory card reader is an added bonus. I didn’t think it would be all that useful, but it is a life-saver when traveling.

===== Processor and Battery =====
The Dell Mini 1012 features the Intel Atom N450, a 64-bit-capable single-core processor supporting 2GB max ram. It supports Hyper Threading, so mild (but not wild) multi-tasking is possible, within reason. Try not to run more than two apps simultaneously for best performance and battery life. Intel Speedstep Technology is also built in, helping you save battery life. We averaged about 7-8 hours compared to the boasted 9.5 using the 60WHr 6 cell battery.

===== What I Loved =====
* Keyboard design – 92% full-size!
* Touch pad design – genius usability features
* Wrist rest – comfortable, remains clean/streak-free
* 3 USB ports – 2-left/1-right is dandy for using a USB mouse
* Windows 7 – Vista isn’t optimized for netbooks, 7 is
* 9:16 ratio display – great for movies (see above for DVD solution)
* Keyboard + Touch pad design – seriously! It hits the mark spot-on!

===== Dissapointments =====
The things we would have liked to see were:
* 802.11n support – the future is here!
* 1024×600 resolution – would have preferred at least 1280×720
* 5400 RPM hard drive -would have liked a faster SSD (even if smaller)

I hope you’ve found this review to be helpful!

The most helpful critical review

Problem with touch screen click button, April 2, 2010

Just purchased this computer after compare prices. I thought the touchscreen left and right click buttons would be helpful, but after using it, I found it to be a hindrance. The main problem is that you cannot use two hands to navigate as you can on a regular laptop mouse set-up. I often left click with my left index finger, and sweep with my right. This is particularly evident when you try to highlight text. When you press down on the left click button, and also finger over the touch pad to color the text, the mouse wants to navigate in both directions (for each finger) and makes it very difficult to try to get the pointer to hover over one spot.
Very frustrating, and a deal breaker in my case.

On a positive, I can say I absolutely love the keyboard. Quality wise, It is OK, and I do like how the ac plug comes straight out the back which helps prevent side pressures on the plug. It is also a beefy plug, unlike the Esus which has the small adapter pin. The ac adapter itself is as compact as it could be.

Review: Dell Inspiron i1464-4382OBK 1464 14-Inch Laptop (Obsidian Black)

laptopcarmount — Wed, 12 May 2010 01:43:09 +0000

Decent for the Price, March 25, 2010

By : B. McLoughlin (Maryland, USA)

Pros:
- The laptop is considerably light for its monitor size.
- It’s very attractive and glossy.
- The keyboard has a good tactile response.
- Excellent heat dispersion (so far; it hasn’t had time to build up dust or anything)

Cons:
- The glossy finish makes this a fingerprint magnet. Be careful if you’re anal about these things!
- Intel HD graphics are adequate for productivity, but don’t expect cutting-edge gaming.
- Computer ships with OS on separate partition, making file management tedious unless you reinstall yourself.

Detail:
I bought this computer after compare prices about a week ago as a “mobile hub” for my college career (computer science). In terms of size, this strikes a good chord between functionality and portability. It’s considerably lighter than it looks in the pictures, but nothing has a cheap feel to it. The track pad has a nice grain feel to it, and the edges are tapered to give a smooth feel at the corners; it’s responsiveness is a little questionable, though. Finally, the computer has a very attractive and clean layout, but its high-gloss design is a real fingerprint magnet. Watch out if you’re a neat freak, as you’ll be spending a lot of time wiping off smudges.

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