Dell Inspiron Mini IM10
Posted in Dell Netbook on October 22nd, 2009 by admin – Be the first to commentSince Dell is pretty much the standard in personal computing it should be no shock that they have decided to make their own netbook and call it a...mini. Yup, that's right...Dell calls their little 10 inch netbook a mini. Mini, netbook...it's all the same thing. A little laptop that basically allows you to get on the internet and work on a few documents. Let go ahead and talk about the IM10 specs.
Per Dell ~ this netbook is ideal for those who are on the go and need access to everything on the internet without compromising anything. So whether you need to get on FaceBook, MySpace, a video chat or Twitter in a hurry the Dell IM10 can do it to ya (err.. for ya). Of course it has built-in wireless and a wired 10/100 ethernet connection for access to the internet (great for the house, dorm or coffee shop). If you want to go extremely mobile then pop in a cellular internet card and connect anywhere you have a cell signal (it's the future man 
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The IM10 comes with a 92% keyboard which basically means the keyboard is slightly compressed to fit the 10.1 inch screen. It's not that big of a deal, however be prepared to type slower since your fingers will need to get used to the key layout.
As far as processor goes it's got the intel Atom Z520 - a power slipping processor which is capable of run 64-bit hardware and software...can you say wow! I dare you to find another netbook at this price that can run a 64-bit OS...it just doesn't exist!
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Dell Inspiron Mini IM10-2863 10.1-Inch Obsidian Black Netbook List Price: $399.99 Used From: $320.00 Average Rating:   |
Reviews
First off, I paid $225 for mine, refurb from Dell. It has the upgraded graphics and the 1.33GHz CPU, but everything else is the same as listed here. I love it. As with any computer, you have to decide what you need it for and bend it to your will. In my case, that was word processing, net access, and watching videos. Of the three, videos require the most from the machine. With the first round of drivers available from Dell, high-quality, hi-def movies were choppy. There were work-arounds, but the latest drivers seem to be much better, playing the movies smoothly. I have read many complaints about the lack of a memory upgrade (the 1GB of RAM is soldered in) and the quirky touch pad. The memory has never been too little for me, despite my worst expectations. XP and Windows 7 both work fine on the machine in 1GB so don't fret that one. The touch pad turns out to be great. I hated it at first, until I realized it was a double touch pad. It reacts differently to 1 finger than it does to 2. Once you grok that, you'll have far fewer issues with it (although, I still prefer a mouse.) Battery life it good. I can watch an entire hi-def movie on a charge. It lasts much longer if just typing or browsing. It runs simple games and all office apps I've tried on it. With the upgraded graphics, the images are sharp and very impressive. If I could change it, I'd up the CPU to the 1.6GHz model (although I can actually overclock this one to 1.6Hz and higher) and I'd have gotten the wireless N. But for the price I paid, I'm very happy with it.
Bought the IM 10 with TV tuner. The touchpad makes me want to scream. The only time the mouse will follow my fingers (for 5-10 seconds) is if I spit on them. Dell owes a fix and an explanation to consumers. The TV Tuner does a poor job of picking up video signals. Out of 5, 4 were local religious stations. I was surprized by the weight of the battery. Certainly not a laptop to hold in one hand. Still exploring for the pros and hope I have discovered all the cons.
I bought this for my youngest daughter who needed a laptop for High School Debate. What a world huh? Laptops have become an indispensable and back saving tool for getting and storing debate evidence and arguments. Her coach is not thrilled about Netbooks, but my oldest son recently bought one (as it is easier for his daily train commute), and had very high praises, so after looking and thinking about it I decided to get the Dell Mini. What I figured was the big down side was the lack of an optical drive, but I figured well, it has USB ports so I'll just hook up my external DVD writer, and she'll be in business. Unfortunately, Dell in a smart business move but bad consumer relations idea, put no DVD encoder in the unit, and directs you to pay for an encoder. Or, one assumes, if you get the add on DVD unit for the Mini, from Dell (for about $100) one assumes that will take care of that. But here's my deal on that, for the extra money I could have just got her what the coach wanted her to have in the first place. All in all, it has been working all right for her, and the light weight is a big plus. Several software companies, have accommodating downloads just use the license key on the software disk to activate (for example MS Office 2007), and Kapersky even makes an internet security suite specifically for "Ultra-Portables". The Netbook has a very good wireless pick-up, it works at any location in the house, which is more than I can say about some of my other devices that were a lot more expensive. So here's the deal, I'm sold (at least for now) , but not overjoyed (yet).
These netbooks are great. performance is perfect for everyday computing... web browsing, word processing, simple spreadsheets. i use it every day around the house to look up recipes, check my facebook page, google whatever comes to mind without running upstairs to the big desktop. The keyboard is a great size. the touchpad takes a bit to get used to, but i have never used one like this before. Afrer a day, its no problem. i would definitely recommend this product.
Don't buy a Dell unless you want to talk to an Indian customer service call center where all they are trained to do is say is: "No! No! No!", they are rude and talk over you, and finally disconnect the call. Don't buy Dell! I will never make that mistake again. This company will not survive- sell the stock if you have any!