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Dell Inspiron Mini 9 Netbook Computer
Note: You may want to check out our guide to choosing the right netbook in addition to this article for even more information.
Introduction Netbooks are the new and hip category in mobile computing. Other than the "toy" aspect of the device - they aren't for your computer-gearhead, the overclocker, or the enthusiast in general - it might be tough to figure out where you would use it. But to simply write off the device is a major mistake, as sales continue to increase. The idea behind the netbook is that it provides internet connectivity (Internet, e-mail, YouTube, flash games, etc), productivity (office applications) and recreational use (viewing pictures, minor photo retouching) in a small, portable package. Flanked by good battery life (better than the 2 hours from the battery in the standard cheap laptop) and a small screen (9"-12"), you get the basics in a simple, lightweight package. The market is currently being flooded - if you want a good overview of what the market has to offer, check out our Netbook Guide. Once you've read up on your choices, you can start to dive into what Dell has to offer with the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 netbook.  The default Windows XP configuration comes in at $399, and has 512MB of RAM and an 8GB solid state drive (SSD, they're flash-based, like your iPod nano or iPhone). For $50 more you can upgrade to a 16GB SSD and 1GB of RAM. Its more expensive than the comparable netbooks from Asus or Acer, though the lack of Windows XP configurations that closely match the Dell make a direct price comparison difficult since both Asus and Acer netbooks that come with Windows XP come with 120GB or 160GB hard disk drives, compared to the SSD in the Dell Mini 9.
Common Features
 After my upgrades, I spent approximately $400 before tax and shipping - $300 for the Mini 9 (Black Friday sale FTW), $25 for 2GB of RAM and $70 for the 16GB Runcore SSD. To buy the same thing today would be roughly $50 more.
Page 1: Introduction, Specifications & Upgradability
Page 2: Usage & The Forbidden Fruit Page 3: Performance, Power Consumption & Battery Life Page 4: Conclusion 
Related Reviews Add Comment
2 User Comments 1 - Posted by
aireiq
on January 27, 2009 - 3:25 pm Suggestion. Link this: "check out our Netbook Guide" to your actual netbook guide. Thanks 2 - Posted by
Kurtis
on January 27, 2009 - 3:47 pm Good point, Eric. Added. :)
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