DELL Inspiron Mini 1012
This stylish netbook has a stunning screen, but is let down by flawed usability…
Dell’s consumer Inspiron range includes the Mini series of netbooks – eye-catchingly designed. slimmed-down versions of its full-priced laptops. The Inspiron Mini 1012 (£368 inc. VAT) is a great machine with arguably the best screen in this group test, but is let down very slightly by its poorly designed touchpad.
The 10.1-inch screen features a 1366x 768-pixel resolution, making it the sharpest in this group. It is most noticeable when viewing complex programs or images, as a lot more detail is made visible on the screen. Photos are also bright, crisp and colorful, with the glossy Super-TFT coating adding vibrancy to photographs, although it is. of course, highly reflective.
Features are standard net book fare and almost identical to those found on the other machines in this group. Built-in Bluetooth lets you pair with other Bluetooth-enabled devices and 10/100Ethernet is available for wired networking. Wireless networking lags behind the other netbooks here, however, with older and slower 802.11g Wi-Fi technology available instead of faster 8o2.11n, although this will more than suffice for most users.
The solid chassis is well put together and suitable for regular travel use. The textured plastics used on the interior of the chassis keeps dust at bay, compared to the glossy surfaces of other netbooks here, while the garishly designed image on the lid is sure to appeal to school-age kids.
Large Battery
Battery life is excellent at 496 minutes and bettered only by the MSI in this group. The battery is rather large and the chassis sticks out behind the screen as a result, but this doesn’t add to the netbook’s thickness as it does on the MSI. Slipping this machine into a bag is simple thanks to the slim design, and the 1.4kg weight is only marginally heavier than the other three netbooks in this group test.
The firm keyboard stretches the width of the chassis and is just as good as the isolation-style boards of the Asus and MSI for touch-typing. All keys are well-sized and firmly mounted. The touchpad proves awkward to use. however, as the mouse buttons have been integrated into the pad. Pressing them often jerks the cursor on the screen. This quickly becomes annoying and greatly hampers usability.
This is the priciest netbook here by some margin, but this specially designed version has been developed in partnership with charity brand (Product) Red. For each unit sold, Dell will contribute to the GlobalFund to fight the spread of AIDS in Africa.
The Inspiron Mini 1012 has some great features, such as the sharp screen and firm keyboard, but the frustrating touchpad means usability isn’t as strong as the other netbooks here.
Price £368
This stylish netbook has a stunning screen, but is let down by flawed usability…
Dell’s consumer Inspiron range includes the Mini series of netbooks – eye-catchingly designed. slimmed-down versions of its full-priced laptops. The Inspiron Mini 1012 (£368 inc. VAT) is a great machine with arguably the best screen in this group test, but is let down very slightly by its poorly designed touchpad.
The 10.1-inch screen features a 1366x 768-pixel resolution, making it the sharpest in this group. It is most noticeable when viewing complex programs or images, as a lot more detail is made visible on the screen. Photos are also bright, crisp and colorful, with the glossy Super-TFT coating adding vibrancy to photographs, although it is. of course, highly reflective.
Features are standard net book fare and almost identical to those found on the other machines in this group. Built-in Bluetooth lets you pair with other Bluetooth-enabled devices and 10/100Ethernet is available for wired networking. Wireless networking lags behind the other netbooks here, however, with older and slower 802.11g Wi-Fi technology available instead of faster 8o2.11n, although this will more than suffice for most users.
The solid chassis is well put together and suitable for regular travel use. The textured plastics used on the interior of the chassis keeps dust at bay, compared to the glossy surfaces of other netbooks here, while the garishly designed image on the lid is sure to appeal to school-age kids.
Large Battery
Battery life is excellent at 496 minutes and bettered only by the MSI in this group. The battery is rather large and the chassis sticks out behind the screen as a result, but this doesn’t add to the netbook’s thickness as it does on the MSI. Slipping this machine into a bag is simple thanks to the slim design, and the 1.4kg weight is only marginally heavier than the other three netbooks in this group test.
The firm keyboard stretches the width of the chassis and is just as good as the isolation-style boards of the Asus and MSI for touch-typing. All keys are well-sized and firmly mounted. The touchpad proves awkward to use. however, as the mouse buttons have been integrated into the pad. Pressing them often jerks the cursor on the screen. This quickly becomes annoying and greatly hampers usability.
This is the priciest netbook here by some margin, but this specially designed version has been developed in partnership with charity brand (Product) Red. For each unit sold, Dell will contribute to the GlobalFund to fight the spread of AIDS in Africa.
The Inspiron Mini 1012 has some great features, such as the sharp screen and firm keyboard, but the frustrating touchpad means usability isn’t as strong as the other netbooks here.
Price £368
