80GB Hard Drive (capacity without operating system)
Windows XP Home, 3 Hour Lithium Ion Battery
12.1-Inch Glossy LED Display (1280x800), 1.3mp Web Cam
Description
The Inspiron Mini 12 allows you to stay connected to your world virtually wherever you go. Inspiron Mini 12’s small, incredibly light design lets you travel light while keeping up with your blog, video chat, instant messenger and email so that you never lose touch with your family and friends. The Dell Inspiron Mini 12 was developed from the ground up to be the perfect companion, keeping you connected while on-the-go. The Inspiron Mini 12 allows you to find, use and share your digital world, even while away from home. Whether you use a mobile phone with a web browser, a computer outside your home, or share files and folders with a friend; you will have the ability to access files and devices in your home from anywhere with Internet access. The Inspiron Mini 12 is designed to keep you connected to your favorite entertainment. When you are on the go, you can still have access to email, shopping and more. A bright 12.1 inch glossy display is designed to be able to present web sites without a lot of left-right scrolling, and the keyboard is large and easy to navigate.
Average Customer Review: ( 22 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
62 of 63 found the following review helpful:
Dell Mini 12 defies "netbook" classification and emerges as a star May 05, 2009
By J. Lee PROS: big, vivid screen; nearly full-sized keyboard AND trackpad; very slim and light despite the 12.1" screen; works great with XP
CONS: glossy case is print-prone; some shrunken buttons on keyboard; 3-cell battery life is low, need the 6-cell; RAM not upgradeable
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Are you looking for a light, slim laptop that mimics the Macbook Air at a fraction of the price? Then the Dell Mini 12 would be a great choice for you!
I wanted the readable/usable screen size of 12.1 (10 might be the sweet spot for some people, but not for me -- see for yourself firsthand) with a good keyboard, large trackpad, and light weight. Another important consideration was battery life of at least 5+ hrs (more on that later).
The Dell Mini 12 hits all of those points. The 12.1" screen causes some debate about its classification as a "netbook," but its Atom processor and low price definitely puts it in netbook territory. The screen is lovely, with true colors, no blotches or dead pixels, and decent viewing angles. The Atom processor (mine is 1.6 GHZ) is more than capable for basic web surfing, light typing, and reading PDFs in a Windows XP environment. And the price (I got it for under $400 at the brand name's Outlet store) is superb, if you shop around.
The one featured on Amazon is decent, though it has the slightly slower chip; however, most online reviews downplay the effect of this clock speed decrease. Realize that it has 1GB of RAM, which is suitable for basic netbook applications on XP. But no expandability exists with this current setup -- that may be a downer for those looking to soup up their netbook into performance ranges of a normal laptop or desktop.
Another knock against the Amazon one -- it comes with only the 3-cell battery. That's good for 2-3 hrs with some serious power conservation (Bluetooth off, screen brightness at maximum low), but the 6-cell gives you 5-6hrs easy. It adds a little bulk to the rear end, but this baby's back is still appealing and makes it easier to hold, if you know what I mean...
Another unexpected but appealing feature to the Dell Mini 12: it is completely fanless. Somehow it manages to stay cool to the touch! Over time, I have found the silence and relative coolness to be big pluses.
In the end, the key thing for me is usability. I found the 12.1" screen to be kind to my eyes and the trackpad/keyboard combo to be virtually normal-sized. The engineers at Dell were still able to package the Mini 12 into a ridiculously slim, light case. The closest competitor here would be the Samsung NC20, which is chunkier, louder, warmer, and more expensive, albeit with a much bigger hard drive and RAM expandability. For my purposes, the Dell Mini 12 is perfect. It just might be the same for you.
20 of 21 found the following review helpful:
A good netbook appliance May 15, 2009
By T. Underhill I purchased my cherry red Dell mini 12 a few weeks back directly from Dell. (it was a "scratch and dent" model) I was looking for a inexpensive, small, light and quiet laptop to surf the web/ watch some online videos and on occasion travel with. I also wanted to try out the Linux OS. The Dell Mini 12 fit those requirements. It is easy to set up and I have had no issues with the Linux OS or the software that came with it. There was a sizable amount of "upgrades" that I downloaded (over 250mb!) when I first connected online, but if you have a broadband connection it's no big deal. I've watched videos on Hulu and Youtube and they work fine. I've opened MS office files with the open office package and that works good too. The big plus here is the 12" screen with the 1280 X 800 resolution. You can see an entire web page with that resolution without scrolling (something you can't have with the smaller 9" and 10" models). I also have the 6 cell battery which I can use for 4-5 hours on a charge. However, it does add some extra depth to the unit which is important when buying a slip cover or bag. I purchased a Mini 12 sleeve for my dell mini and it is a tight fit with the 6 cell battery.
Now there are some issues you should be aware of before you purchase the Dell Mini 12. First off if your into the Linux stuff this unit has "custom" hardware and "closed" software that only work with the dell mini 12 version of Umbuntu so if your thinking "I'll just upgrade to the latest greatest" you will be sorely disappointed (check out conical's support pages). If Dell/Intel/conical plan on updating these custom closed drivers so you can upgrade to Umbuntu 9.04 they have not made any official announcement to that effect that I can find. You also should not expect Dell to give you much help with the Linux OS. They will send you to online web support sites. This unit has no fan so in order for it not to get overheated you have things like a slow hardrive and no memory expansion. The speaker output is really poor so plan on using it with head phones. The keyboard not being full size takes a litle getting used to and If I was a fast touch typist a big issue, but I'm not so it works for me. In short, what you have with the Mini 12 is an appliance like your stove or fridge. Buy it, turn it on, configure the settings, it works (hopefully!) but don't go looking to MacGyver this thing into your next video editor! Just plan on buying the next model when it comes out in a year of so.
14 of 14 found the following review helpful:
Dell Mini 12 is the Best Netbook as of this writing. Aug 10, 2009
By Mark J. Evereklian
"mark e mark 37"
I spent about 35 hours a week trying to find the right Netbook. It is SO hard, since there are so many and they are so very similar. I did try an HP Netbook, which had a good keyboard and good speakers, but the screen was just too small.
After talking to the guys at a Laptop Repair Carlsbad they told me about the Dell Mini 12, and they said that I can get it for less than Dell sells it for, if I buy it from Amazon.com
The Mini 12 came in the mail a few days later, and I was very happy with it, once I disabled most of the startup items using msconfig
It was easy to connect to my wireless network, and I love the large screen. The speakers are the only low point for this device, so I usually in some external speakers. This Netbook is VERY Lightweight, runs most applications fast, and runs cool and very quite, with is no fan. It does have video output, but does not run every resolution, just a few of the more common ones.
Highs
- Very Light
- Large LCD for a Netbook
- Runs cool and quite
- Fast Enough for me
Lows
- Speakers are not LOUD
The Verdict
- Why live with a smaller screen if you don't have to?
Mark
SPECIAL NOTE ON THE ADDITIONAL DELL MINI 12s THAT I BOUGHT AFTER THE FIRST ONE ... SOME OF THESE ARE FACTORY REFURBS BEING SOLD AS NEW. THEY HAVE SCRATCHES ON THE BOTTOM. I DO NOT KNOW IF THIS IS THE FAULT OF DELL OR AMAZON, BUT IT IS A BIT TACKY.
16 of 17 found the following review helpful:
very light and easy May 17, 2009
By Beatriz S. Wronski I just got this mini 12 and must say is very good looking. Now, since I only use it for music-photos-e-mail and internet I cannot make an ïn-depth"review. But when it comes to pictures, the quality and sharpness are not there. I have an old Gateway 15.4" XP that beats the pants off this one. But is and old, heavy, taking too much space on my desk.
so I will keep it as photo & music processor and storage, and use this one for internet and e-mail only. I would love to have the lightness of this one, with the excellent sharpness and detail of my old one. Any suggestions?
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
Small, sleek, compact, but slooooooooow...... Sep 12, 2009
By Jodi
"Jodi"
I ordered this notebook because I thought it would be the perfect solution to fulfull my basic needs such as surfing the web, downloading song, etc. When it first arrived I was surprised by how compact it was and also how cool it looked. When I turned it on, I noticed that the programs seemed quite old... microsoft works, etc. I don't think I've used Works for almost 15 years. But, "oh well" I thought since I'd use my desktop for word processing needs.
At first it worked pretty well, but I found it to be very slow and froze a lot. One thing that irked me is that it didn't even have enough power to run my Yahoo! mail upgrade. So, I had to convert back to the "old" mail view because the computer couldn't handle it. Then, an icon appeared asking me if I wanted to upgrade my IE since it appeared the version I was using was old. I thought, 'why not', however, big mistake! The computer was even slower after that and froze constantly.
So, I ended up having to return this and I'm real disappointed about that! Was it just me being too impatient? I asked myself that a couple of times, but I really thing the notebook was just a dog. I've been hesitant to purchase another one since I fear they all might be this slow. I did read good reviews about ASUS, so I may give that a try.
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based on 22 reviews
Dell Mini 12 defies "netbook" classification and emerges as a star May 05, 2009
By J. Lee
A good netbook appliance May 15, 2009
By T. Underhill
very light and easy May 17, 2009
By Beatriz S. Wronski
Small, sleek, compact, but slooooooooow...... Sep 12, 2009
By Jodi
"Jodi"
