September 4th, 2008 | |
Posted in Tech News by Justin Flood
Dell, what happened to you? Where have the days where I could make fun of your terrible design and bad quality control gone? First the XPS M1330, then the Studio series laptops, then the Studio Hybrid desktop, and now the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 netbook. These are all really great looking products! Hell if someone showed me a white or aluminum Studio Hybrid with an Apple logo, I wouldn’t have even doubted that it was an Apple product! Have you people really been learning? I’m so proud of you!
In all seriousness though, I’ve become really impressed with the new hardware coming out of the Dell camp. It seems they’ve finally tired of building the same desktops and laptops that they’ve been building for years, that while functional, were mind-numbingly boring. I’m glad to see it too. As of the past couple of years, in my personal experience, I’ve seen a marked decline in the number of Dell products I’ve seen in the wild, and a sharp increase in the number of HP and Apple products. As computer products have gone from simply being functional devices to fashion statements and status symbols, design has become far more important.
Speaking of really good design, my new favorite little item in Dell’s new lineup is absolutely the Dell Inspiron Mini 9. Though it was officially announced today for sale, it’s been pretty well known in tech circles for months. The Inspiron Mini is a netbook in the vein of the Asus Eee Pc, a stripped down, barebones, inexpensive notebook for on-the-go use. So far in my opinion, the Inspiron mini is the best of the bunch, especially in that really nice candy apple red. If there was a mini notebook that I’d take on vacation with me, the Inspiron Mini 9 is it.
Dell’s Inspiron Mini 9 in Red
For a measly $349, you can pick up an Ubuntu Linux based Inspiron Mini, with a 1.6ghz Intel Atom processor, 512 megs of RAM, 4GB solid state hard drive, built in 802.11b/g wifi, and a tiny little webcam. The display is a 8.9″ widescreen that is apparently LED backlit, and runs at a resolution of 1024×600.
Surely this will not be a PC you will want to do a lot of photo or video editing on , but for checking email, surfing the web, or writing your latest book, whether your on vacation or at your local coffee shop, this should get the job done nicely.
It’s funny to think of a netbook like “the computer you take on vacation with you”. Considering that just a few years ago, many people just had one computer on a desk in the corner of the living room. Much like television though, computing and the internet have become something that comes with you wherever you go. I wouldn’t be surprised to see things like these netbooks becoming popular to take around with you. They aren’t obscenely expensive, and they do the job of what you need to get done on the road. If you happen to have your netbook lost or stolen, it’s not the end of the world as your main hardware is safe at home.
Here’s something I never thought I’d say. I might just buy a Dell.
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Tags:
Dell,
design,
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