First Look: Dell's Mini 12

 

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Posted on 27 Jan 2009 at 16:30

Dell's latest entry into the netbook market is the Mini 12, also known as the Inspiron 1210. It's the biggest netbook yet, with a large 12.1in screen ??" the same size as those used on many fully-fledged ultra-portable laptops. It's the first netbook we've seen with Windows Vista Home Basic installed, installed on its 80GB hard disk. It has an Intel Atom processor running at 1.6GHz, and only 1GB of RAM. There's a Linux version available for £329, but this has a slower 1.3GHz Atom processor and a 40GB hard disk.

We wouldn't have thought Vista on a netbook would be a good idea, but we were pleasantly surprised to find that it worked reasonably well. Load times were slower than we're used to, but programs responded reasonably quickly. You won't be able to load as many applications at once as you might be used to on a PC, and the Mini 12 will struggle with basic image editing, let alone video processing, but for web browsing and email it will suffice.

With no optical drive and little hard disk space, it's not ideal as a multimedia device, which is a shame given the large display. It has a resolution of 1,280x800, the same as many laptops. Colours are natural but muted, and it has a glossy finish so bright lights will cause reflections onscreen. The backlighting is generally even, apart from a bright strip at the very bottom of the screen.

Build quality is generally good. The lid has a glossy black cover and feels rigid, while the underside has a highly tactile matt black finish that's easy to grip. The lid opens to reveal a glossy grey surround that extends all the way around the keyboard and screen. It's a clean design which looks simple but classy.

The exception is the keyboard, which looks cheap and flexes heavily even when typing lightly. The keys are flat and closely spaced, and some are half-width. Feedback is poor and only those with small fingers will find touch-typing comfortable. It's a shame Dell hasn't used the full width of the case, even if that meant breaking up the grey surround. The touch pad is large but feels jittery and slightly inaccurate, and the large buttons have a light action and good travel.

Although performance under Vista was adequate, we were a little disappointed at the Mini 12's light-usage battery score of three hours and ten minutes. Samsung's excellent NC10 managed to last for over eight hours, setting the bar very high for its rivals.

Though it has an excellent, large screen, the Mini 12 doesn't have the performance to make the most of it. It may be light and thin, but the average battery life means there are better options for extended use away from a power socket. It has a great design, but it's let down by the poor keyboard and touch pad that make touch-typing and fine control uncomfortable. Many 10in netbooks, including the Samsung NC10, offer much better value.

Author: Barry de la Rosa