DELL Mini 9 Netbook

[macca_779]

Hey guys I'm contemplating picking up one of these as soon as they are available again. Has anyone got one already that can share their experiences.
For Tuning I think its a brilliant concept. Nice and small, solid state and apparently quite well built.. Think I might go white for a change too.

[joecar]

Is the SS drive big enough...?

Have you seen the MSi Wind...?

[macca_779]

Is the SS drive big enough...?

Have you seen the MSi Wind...?

16GB I reckon is plenty as a tuning only Laptop. The thing I like most is its completley solid state and is said to have the best build quality of all the other netbooks in the segment.
I haven't really looked at the MSi as yet but I may consider it as well as the ASUS eeePC

[Tre-Cool]

i've purchased 2 asus eepc's at work for our sales staff.

They have really good battery life, but i dont know how you'd go with using it for efilive. they only have a 10" screen.

[macca_779]

i've purchased 2 asus eepc's at work for our sales staff.

They have really good battery life, but i dont know how you'd go with using it for efilive. they only have a 10" screen.

Thats exactly why I want a Netbook. So much easier to cart around and plus the 2 batterys for my Dell 6400 are shagged making it pretty much useless for street tuning.

Today I ended up buying a Mini 9. They are mentioned as sold out on the Dell Website but I rang through and got one. The specs of it are more than enough to run XP Pro and EFI LIVE. The battery life is apparantly quite good and it only weighs a kilo.. I got it for $569AU with my Defence EPP Discount.

I did look at the eeePC 901. The specs and price a similar enough, but I like the design of the Dell better.

[joecar]

Macca,

Let us know how it goes, performance-wise and usability-wise... I like the compactness!!

Does the Dell Mini use the Atom N270...?

[redhardsupra]

not a laptop, but it's actually smaller, check it out: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article867-page1.html

[macca_779]

Macca,

Let us know how it goes, performance-wise and usability-wise... I like the compactness!!

Does the Dell Mini use the Atom N270...?
I think its an N270 as its the same specs as the eeepc one. The Dell Spec Sheet indicates it like this.

Intel® AtomTM Processor (1.6GHz, 512KB L2 Cache, 533MHz FSB)

[macca_779]

Well I got my Mini 9 a few days ago and from playing with it and setting it up how I want it to operate, so far I'm pleasantly impressed.

For Joe. Yes it has got an Atom N270 processor.. The same as the eePC's do.

So far I've found that with it running XP home, performance is more than adequate. I may buy a 2gb DIMM of RAM for it, pending on how far I bloat it with software. Because of the RAM shortage (1gb) I'm really trying to restrain myself from putting to much crap on it.

The LCD Monitor is a key highlight. I don't think any netbook on the market could hold a bar to this thing as its really that good. Viewing angle is incredible and I can see details on the screen up to about 80 degrees.

Expansion is good too. The unit has 3 USB 2.0 slots and a multi card reader which is compatible with SD HC cards. I've bought a 16gb SD HC card for a bit of extra expansion as the standard 16GB may restrain me further down the track.

The WiFi and Bluetooth performs well and is comparable with my Dell Laptops regarding range and performance.

The TouchPad is very clean in design. There is no seam to it at all. Just a small step that flows with the rest of the chassis to let you know its there.

The Keyboard has been the biggest thing to get used to. The size of the keys is fine but the way they are set out is not quite what my touch typing style is used to. Its not really a fault as the keys have to go somewhere on such a small chassis. But it is something to get used to. The quality of the keyboard is top notch though.. The keys feel better than my bigger Dell's.

Battery Performance thus far has been very good. I haven't done a min performance test yet with just the V2 plugged in. But with screen at full brightness and Telstra Next G wireless connection turned on downloading XP updates, I managed to get 4 hours of battery life out of it. I have a feeling with Wi-Fi off and the screen set a bit dimmer it may go 5 hours.

Now I bought this Netbook for Tuning first and foremost. I may use it on flights and what not but Tuning is its primary job.

So far its been great. The small size makes life so much easier to lug everything around. The screen is small but its sharp enough to see the B Scan page with ease.

So anyway it gets a big thumbs up from me and I can see a real market in these cheap Netbooks for Tuners alike. The flexibility of them is just great and it sure as hell beats the hell out of lugging a 17inch Laptop around.. I should have got one years ago.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i39/macca_779/100_0434.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i39/macca_779/100_0432.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i39/macca_779/100_0435.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i39/macca_779/100_0433.jpg

[joecar]

Macca, thanks for the pics... it looks about 2x the size of V2... :cheers:

[nonnieselman]

Hey man, your steering wheel is on the wrong side... :doh2:
JK!

Im planning on getting one of these laptops, my friend just got one and it is nice!! Goin to have to get use to the keys and stuff, but its well worth it than carring around this huge 20# Dell Latitude D820 with a 15" screen..

[macca_779]

Macca, thanks for the pics... it looks about 2x the size of V2... :cheers:

Yeah I thought I'd put the V2 with it so everyone could get an idea of how small it actually is.

[macca_779]

Hey man, your steering wheel is on the wrong side... :doh2:
JK!

Im planning on getting one of these laptops, my friend just got one and it is nice!! Goin to have to get use to the keys and stuff, but its well worth it than carring around this huge 20# Dell Latitude D820 with a 15" screen..

LOL mate.. Your wheel is on the wrong side.. Its quite obvious that my wheel is literally on the RIGHT side.

[nonnieselman]

LOL mate.. Your wheel is on the wrong side.. Its quite obvious that my wheel is literally on the RIGHT side.

OK OK OK... you got me... :(

can you get more RAM from Dell when you order it? I have several jump drives up in the 10-18gb size so HD space isn't a problem..

I'm itchin to get one tom... :)

Thanks for the pics 'mate'.

[Aloicious]

Okay, this is an old thread I know, but I just got one of these for tuning/light wordprocessing/schoolwork, and its awesome.

I upgraded the RAM to 2 GB 800mhz. and it runs great, the HDD is pretty small, only 8GB on mine, but I've got an 8GB SD card that I'll keep in it to save everything too, and its got 3 USB ports so I'll just keep my 200GB external hard drive for the serious programs I may need to install. and like Macca said, its easier than lugging my 17" widescreen "desktop replacement" laptop around for tuning and at school.

I have to agree with everything Macca said, its a well built product. the only thing that is hard so far is getting used to the small keyboard.

if anyone is looking to get one of these netbooks, I'd recommend it.

[joecar]

When logging, does the dash chart keep up in real time...?

[Aloicious]

When logging, does the dash chart keep up in real time...?

haven't got that far yet, just got it like 2 hours ago so I'm de-crapping it to get some more space. also, for anyone looking at them, you CAN upgrade the SSD HD with one by Runcore for anywhere up to 64GB. thats more than my normal tuning laptop has (it has like 40 I think). the runcore HD's have a few reviews saying that the replacement SSD drives are actually faster than the dell ones. so thats a plus. I'll let you know about the scanning when I can, I just loaded IE7 on it and now I'm down to 700 MB of HD Space left :shock:, so I may upgrade the HD before I go out to do any tuning.

[macca_779]

Joe I haven't had any problems with the scan tool keeping up on my mini 9.
Some things I've done with mine is not use my usual Trend Micro Virus software as it crippled the netbooks speed. Im just using AVG now and its fine. Also as a Browser I'm using google chrome. Its very power efficient and its simple layout is suited to small net book screens.

[redhardsupra]

if you're running out of space that badly, why not just plug in one of these 16 or 32gb USB thumb drives and log to that?

[macca_779]

if you're running out of space that badly, why not just plug in one of these 16 or 32gb USB thumb drives and log to that?

I've got a 16gb sdhc card for backup purposes, but yes u can do this.

[Bruce Melton]

I am using one of the Aspire One 1570s which is a cheapo $349 US. It runs Atom 270, XP has a 120 G HD. Small, lite and hope I don't drop it.

[Aloicious]

if you're running out of space that badly, why not just plug in one of these 16 or 32gb USB thumb drives and log to that?

yeah mines only a 8GB HD, I have an extra 8GB SD card in it for extra space, but I was running out of room simply from windows updates, not extra software. although I've managed to clean enough crap off it to get ~2.5GB of free space on the main HD now, Though I'm still going to upgrade the HD, so it won't be a problem in the future.

[8100 Power]

I just got a Acer Aspire one. 160GB hard drive, 6 cell battery. So far I love it.

Getting EFI Live setup on it right now, then off to tuning to see how she does.

[Bruce Melton]

It will run EFILive fine but you may go blind.:grin:

[8100 Power]

It will run EFILive fine but you may go blind.:grin:


True..

I got everything hooked up, I must say the size of the computer is really handy for the truck.

But, the screen is a little small.

But, I still think it's perfect to keep in the truck to flash tunes and make small changes while at the track, etc...

[CoryF]

I've been using my mini computer for a few weeks now, the main reason I bought it was for tuning and school (note the order :D ) Here is some more info about it and the specs.

It is a Asus eeePC 901 it has a 16GB SSD, 1GB RAM, WindowsXP, Built in wireless, and bluetooth (for those of you with RoadRunner w/ BT) AND the best part is that if I turn off the wireless and turn down/off the screen the battery will last 7+ HOURS! :D Guys I'm telling you that this $400 mini computer is as the girlfriend says "cute". Truly a great thing to have when you go out to the track or go out for an AutoVE, it is just too much fun!

Now for all of you who are dieing for a picture here it is:
4587

I am in love, it is a true eye catcher! People love it, the keyboard is a little small, but it just takes a little time to get used to.
-CoryF

[ScarabEpic22]

One of my friends bought an Asus eeePC and loves it, only had about 30mins to play with it so far. Just yesterday I helped a friend buy an Acer Aspire One with the 16GB SSD and he loves it so far. I just got my 17" HP laptop finally after water got spilled on my old 17" HP one but I might have to pull the trigger on an Acer. Lugging my 17" bad boy around is too big of a pain as it weighs about 8lbs (and I get ~2.75-3.25hrs of battery with screen at med brightness and wifi off...not too shabby) but for taking notes in class a netbook would be great!

[mr.prick]

Here is what i am using.
Sony Vaio VGN-UX280P - V2 - RoadRunner (bluetooth)
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee259/whitespar/BBL.jpg
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee259/whitespar/DSC00255.gif

[8100 Power]

Awesome setup!

[joecar]

That is pretty cool...:cheers:

[nevinsb]

I don't know how you guys can read stuff that small. I need one of those 19" notebooks.

[ScarabEpic22]

I don't know how you guys can read stuff that small. I need one of those 19" notebooks.

I hear ya man, my 17" HP dv7 is hard to read sometimes, cant imagine a 9" screen. But its another gadget which you can never have enough of, so who knows...:angel_innocent: