Dell Mini 1012 Netbook

Dell Mini 1012 – a good entry-level netbook

So I am in the market for a netbook for traveling and am slightly overwhelmed with all the choices out there. I am almost wishing I had bought one a few years ago when there were much fewer choices. I want to get a netbook because I am sick of worrying about my costly MacBook Pro whenever I travel. I am interested in finding a small computer that pretty much just does word processing and e-mail and I am not totally sold on the iPad idea just yet.

Truth is I am attracted to the Del Mini simply because of all the fun colors it is available in. Aesthetics are probably not the reason to choose one netbook over another, so looking a little closer I do see that I like the Del Mini’s nearly normal size keyboard, crazy long battery life (around 9 hours), and not so frightening price tag.

The Dell Mini has three USB ports for hooking up your computer, iPod or external hard drive and a VGA socket for hooking up the netbook with an external monitor. You can choose between a 160G or 250G hard drive and have plenty of space to store your photos and music, plus a built-in webcam can help keep you connected while you’re on the road.

The quick & dirty:
Where you can find on:
Amazon: $349.99

Why they rock:

Display: 10.1″ Widescreen Display
Processor: Intel® Atom® Processor N450 (1.66GHz, 512K L2 Cache)
Battery: 56WHr Lithium-Ion Battery (6-cell)
Keyboard: 92% of Standard Size
Pointing Device: Touchpad with Integrated Scroll Bars
Webcam: Built-in 1.3MP
Power: 6-Cell Lithium Ion Battery (56Whr)
I/O Ports: USB (3), RJ45 Ethernet, Microphone, Headphone
Width: 10.5″
Depth: 7.8″
Height: 1.0″ Front–1.3″ Back
Starting Weight: 3.1 lbs. with 6-Cell Battery
Warranty: 1-Year Limited Hardware Warranty and 24/7 Phone Support

Seat-of-the-pants rating: 7 out of 10
Sounds like the Dell Mini 1012 is a pretty average netbook and has a higher-resolution screen and a beefier processor than the Dell Mini 9. The Dell Mini’s processor is less powerful than a regular laptop but it is pretty comparable to the other netbooks out there. I think if you are looking for a basic netbook that is small, light, and pretty straightforward, the Dell Mini 1012 might be a good choice for you.

Looking to buy? Here’s where you can get one:
Amazon: $349.99