DELL Mini10 / Mini10v?

[KingV2k3]

My GF is thinking about getting one of these:

http://www.dell.com/us/en/home/notebooks/laptop-inspiron-10/pd.aspx?refid=laptop-inspiron-10&s=dhs&cs=19&~oid=us~en~29~as_laptop-inspiron-mini-10v~~

It seems like a great price, and she only needs something for basic internet / email, etc...

It's also very portable, because of it's size...

Here's the comparison specs:

http://www.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/mini10-vs-mini10v?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~lt=popup

Seems like the only difference is the type of screen, right?

I'm not very computer savvy, so I'll ask you guys...

Does this seem like a good product (for her) at a good price?

If so, which one should I steer her twords?

The 10 or the (even cheaper) 10v?

Thanks!!!

[KingV2k3]

Re: DELL Mini10 / Mini10v?

Apologies for bumping my own thread back to the first page, but I'm really hoping to get some feedback on this...

Thanks!

[Scott]

Re: DELL Mini10 / Mini10v?

I have the mini 10. Don't buy it, mainly because it has 1 GB of fixed ram.

[KingV2k3]

Re: DELL Mini10 / Mini10v?

I have the mini 10. Don't buy it, mainly because it has 1 GB of fixed ram.

I think that's sufficient for what she'd be suing it for (email and internet), isn't it?

Are there other downsides to this product, in your opinion?

Any suggestions for something better in that price range (slightly under $300.00)?

Thanks!

[Pared]

Re: DELL Mini10 / Mini10v?

It's a real piece of junk if you're looking for more than just email.

Even if you want to use Office with it, you're pushing it.

But if it's SOLELY for 'net access and very minor stuff otherwise, you'd be fine.

[KingV2k3]

Re: DELL Mini10 / Mini10v?

It's a real piece of junk if you're looking for more than just email.

Even if you want to use Office with it, you're pushing it.

But if it's SOLELY for 'net access and very minor stuff otherwise, you'd be fine.

Oh boy...she'd probably be better off putting the money into a smart phone then...

Thanks, guys!

[Pared]

Re: DELL Mini10 / Mini10v?

Absolutely that would make more sense.

[KingV2k3]

Re: DELL Mini10 / Mini10v?

Any suggestions on affordable laptops that would be a better choice?

[Pared]

Re: DELL Mini10 / Mini10v?

You can get laptops for $500-$600 but they will really be junk. IMO not worth spending the money.

[KingV2k3]

Re: DELL Mini10 / Mini10v?

You can get laptops for $500-$600 but they will really be junk. IMO not worth spending the money.

What's the lowest price range for something reasonable?

[Pared]

Re: DELL Mini10 / Mini10v?

I would say $800.

It really depends on what you're looking to do. I don't think it's worth spending $600 on something that won't last you a while, give you good performance and doesn't really add convenience to your life.

If she just wants email and internet access, just get her that netbook. The problem is, once she has that mini-laptop, she'll wish she had a real laptop.

Actually, here, this isn't a bad deal AT ALL.

[KingV2k3]

Re: DELL Mini10 / Mini10v?

I would say $800.

It really depends on what you're looking to do. I don't think it's worth spending $600 on something that won't last you a while, give you good performance and doesn't really add convenience to your life.

If she just wants email and internet access, just get her that netbook. The problem is, once she has that mini-laptop, she'll wish she had a real laptop.

Actually, here, this isn't a bad deal AT ALL.

I paid around $800.00 for my DELL Inspiron and it's been great for me for over 5 years!

I think the thing that's attracting her to the mini is the price ($279.00), the bundled printer (79.00) and the fact that it would fit in her bigazz handbag (portable)...

She's got acess to a real PC (tower w/ monitor) at work and this would just be for internet and email away form the office...

I like the laptop on the link, I'll have her take a look and try to get a better idea of what she really wants / needs it to do...

Continued thanks for you input!

Very much appreciated...

[Pared]

Re: DELL Mini10 / Mini10v?

N/P Man. Good luck!

[ODogg]

Re: DELL Mini10 / Mini10v?

The Mini is sLoooOoWwwwWw....i have one. You really need to do some work on disabling programs and stuff to get it to work decently. Even then it's not very fast.

I'd say a better investment would be an ipod touch. I bought my mini to use for basic browsing/email when I'm on the road and ended up using my ipod touch for this. The ipod touch is fantastic for what she's looking for but if not i'd recommend she go with the cheapest 15" laptop she can find over the Dell Mini.

[SimBaller]

Re: DELL Mini10 / Mini10v?

I have both a Mini 9 (gave it to the wife, keypad too small for me) and a Mini 10 (not the 10v).

If her use is strictly for email, Facebook and whatnot, this will be a fantastic system. If she is going to want to do anything more graphically intensive than say, FarmVille, I would look elsewhere. It can't handle it. Keep in mind the Mini doesn't come with an optical drive if you need to use programs that require a CD/DVD in the drive to run.

I would recommend getting the screen with the larger resolution. The 1024x600 screen on our Mini 9 is too small for my uses. On my 10, I upgraded to the 1366x768 screen, which is much more realistic. You'll regret it if you don't.

On the topic of battery life, I have a 6-cell (which protrudes from the bottom a fair amount, but gives it a nice tilt when typing) which nets me about 5.5-6 hours of use (internet, email, VPN into work when I should be relaxing...) with wifi enabled.

There is an enthusiast website/forum at mydellmini.com that might be worth checking out. Keep in mind everyone there is going to be very pro-Mini.

Lastly, Dell used to have a ton of these pre-built in their Outlet for very good prices (when you use one of their 15-20% off coupons that they seem to continously run). That might be worth looking at.

Good luck with whatever you end up with.