Dell Inspiron Mini 1012

by Hope
(Pennsylvania)

When purchasing my laptop, I was deciding between Dell, Acer, and HP laptops. The main reason for my choices were the fact that I have previously owned HP laptops and have family who have owned Dell or Acer laptops for their businesses. I was also using price as a factor.

My main uses for a laptop are using the Internet for selling purposes and for my photographs. As an avid photographer, I upload at least 100 photographs per week sometimes more. I need a laptop that can hold thousands of photographs in its memory.

I also use an external hard drive as well as a computer back-up system so I don't store all of my photographs on my laptop, but need it to store a large amount. When researching the Inspiron, it stated that it could hold 70,000 photographs which is way more than I would ever need!

Because I need to be able to upload the pictures from my digital camera (SD card) to my laptop, I was interested in having at least 2 USB ports as well as a 3-in-1 media card reader. The Inspiron Mini 1012 has 3 USB ports and the media card reader.

I was also interested in getting the upgraded version of Windows which is currently Windows 7. I wanted a netbook so that I could easily take it with me when traveling. It was important for it to have a wireless card as well.

Another factor was the shipping. Because I was purchasing online, I wanted free shipping as well as fast shipping. I was able to obtain free UPS shipping and received my Dell laptop within 2 days! Very impressive!

The specs for my laptop are as follows:
Intel Atom 1.7 GHz processor, 1 GB Ram, 250 GB hard drive capacity, screen size 10.1 inches, Windows 7, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950, Dell wireless 1397 802.11b/g mini card, Kensington lock slot, AC power-in, 3-in-1 media card reader, Integrated network connector, VGA connector, 3 UBS ports, Audio jacks (1 line out, 1 mic in), spill resistant keyboard, 10.1 widescreen display.

When I first opened the box, I read over the instructions very briefly. I plugged in the laptop & let it charge for about 2 hours. After that, I pushed the power button. The instructions came up on the screen one by one and it was very very simple to set-up. I was using the laptop within 5 minutes, very speedy set-up process!

I only have 2 cons so far with this laptop. The first is just my personal preference. It was hard to use & get used to the little mouse touchpad. I solved this by purchasing an external wireless mouse for $14.99 at Target. It has a small card that plugs into one of the USB ports of my Inspiron. This has solved my problem & makes the laptop much more functional.

The second con I found was getting my current Internet settings onto the laptop. I have a CD that I need to install my router and obviously cannot do this because the Inspiron Mini does not have a CD drive. You can purchase an external CD drive for it or upload your network settings for your router onto a USB card & then install it to the laptop. Both of these problems I found with the Inspiron were easily solved within a few minutes. They were not expensive fixes & were basically my personal preferences to make it easier to use.

The keyboard is very easy to use. I was worried about adjusting to its size because I have always used 17" or larger laptops in the past.

However, the smaller size was a great new feature for me! I had no issues adjusting & actually prefer the smaller keyboard. Comparing it to my larger HP laptop, the keys on the Dell Inspiron are actually a little larger than my HP keyboard! Its very functional & easy to use.

The speakers are built-in but you can purchase external speakers if this is an issue for you. I find the sound to be of great quality & its actually louder than I imagined it would be. This will be great for travel. There is also an earphone port which I will definitely be using when traveling on a plane as to not disturb other passengers. I can't wait to take my Inspiron with me on trips!

I really liked how Windows 7 was set up on the desktop. Its very easy to access various documents, pictures, videos, etc. Each has a previously set-up folder. I also purchased a Belkin cable to transfer my documents from my HP to my Dell. This process took less than an hour (and I transferred thousands of documents!) and was extremely simple. I simply plugged in the Belkin cable to each laptop via a USB cable. I then followed the instruction on the screen of each laptop & within 45 minutes, my documents were located on my Dell Mini! I was able to open them all & access them without any issues.

The Dell is very functional and easy to use. Its great for beginners or for professionals. I would definitely say the many benefits outweigh the few cons of this product! I give it 5 stars!

I would definitely purchase from Dell again and would recommend to family & friends!