Dell Inspiron iM1018-2628OBK 10.1-Inch Netbook (Clear Black)
Dell Inspiron iM1018-2628OBK 10.1-Inch Netbook (Clear Black)
- 1.66GHz Intel Atom N455 Processor
- 1GB RAM; Wireless-N Mini-Card; 6-Cell Battery
- 250GB Hard Drive; Media Card Reader; Integrated Ethernet
- 10.1” 1024 x 600 pixels Widescreen; Integrated Intel NM10 Express Graphics
- Genuine Windows 7 Starter; Microsoft Office Starter 2010
The newly designed Inspiron Mini 10 is a lightweight mobile netbook that goes anywhere with you, so it’s always easy to check your email or connect to the Internet. It’s everything you need to stay in touch and entertained on the road. The Dell Inspiron Mini 1018 makes it easy to stay connected to your world almost anywhere you go. The Mini 1012′s small, virtually weightless design lets you travel light while keeping up with your blog, video chat, instant messenger, and e-mail so you never l
List Price: $ 309.99
Price: $ 328.87
Good Netbook for students,
I have a primary laptop that I use at home but needed something that was lighter to carry around school, do basic internet browsing and word processing. After searching for months, despite the mediocre reviews on Amazon I decided to settle for the Dell Mini 1018. Note, I paid much less from the Microsoft store (new & not refurbished) when it was on sale for less than $220 (including tax).
Pros:
-Lightweight
-Battery Life is about 6-6.5 hours in lower screen lighting(though some other netbook have a longer battery life this is enough for me). Even on the lowest screen light setting is usually good enough for me to see well.
-Keyboard is nice and I am able to comfortably use it.
-The build quality seems great.
-I can browse Youtube, CNN videos and other videos usually without the image being choppy or distorted (unless I’m running several programs).
-Considering the small size, the speakers are surprisingly great. Even much better than my Gateway T-6836 laptop though I won’t raise the volume above 80 in fear of blowing them.
-This netbook doesn’t get very hot like my laptop does after several hours of use. Thus not having an internal fan doesn’t seem to be an issue.
-The built-in camera and mic does allow me to use Skype and AOL instant messenger video chat with no problems.
Cons:
-The netbook is slow but adequate. This isn’t so much as a con as a fact of all netbooks’ performance.
-Comes with Window 7 starter (though I’ve upgraded to Window 7 Enterprise and I am happy).
-The mouse pad is a bit wider than needed but a bit shorter than I would like).
-No plug for external microphone though that wasn’t a function I cared for. It does have one built into the computer.
-No HDMI. However, that wasn’t a deal killer for me.
-Two USB ports. Again, not a deal killer for me.
-Also you have to disassemble the laptop (almost everything but the screen)if you choose to upgrade to the 2GB DDR3 RAM which may be a daunting task for many.
Other comments:
This is a netbook with 1024×600 resolution and you might be able to play videos in 480P but it may be choppy. If you expect to play 720P you’ll want to look elsewhere because the screen resolution/video card will not allow you to watch it without the video/audio being choppy to the point where you won’t be able to stand it.
I’ve read in other reviews that the laptop goes into sleep mode when you plug in the charging adapter. This is true, however you can change settings to resolve the problem. I found the solution to be as follows: Go to Start, Control Panel, System and Security, System, Advanced System Settings, Hardware, Device Manager, Network Adapters, Wireless LAN, Power Management, and then uncheck “Allow computer to turn off this device to save power” and finally click “OK.” Since doing that my netbook has not shut off when the charging adapter is plugged into the netbook.
Also the netbook doesn’t come with recovery disc to restore your netbook should it crash. I would recommend that to avoid paying for the software from Dell should it crash, owners’ should hook up an external cd burner and with a cd copying program (NERO) and then they can create a recovery disk (in my case it took two cds).
I’ve installed Avast anti-virus, Adobe Reader, Microsoft Office, CCleaner, Nero, Microsoft Words, Instant Messenger and various other programs and so far they’ve all work as expected.
Conclusion:
Bottom line this netbook is a great to bring to school. It met my requirements of portability, affordability and performing basic computer and web browsing needs. I bought this knowing it wouldn’t replace my laptop, however, I have found myself using it far more than I had originally intended it for. I would recommend this to family and friends.
Was this review helpful to you?
|From an IT professional….,
For the folks that complain about the slowness, please stop comparing this to a notebook, unfair comparison. of course my lenovo ideapad will be quicker than this, it’s bigger has the power to back up the size! this is just a netbook, compare it to other netbooks.
While yes it is slow, but only because its running the Dell bloatware and the godforsaken McAffee anti-virus. Ok to address this do the following after the purchase:
1.) Uninstall McAffee anti-virus! (this software is junk and takes up too much mem) In its place dl avast or any of the other freeware.
2.) Unistall all other unused s/w (i.e. Dell Support center, Dell online backup support). Windows comes with built-in support already, sys restore functionality, etc.
Pros:
-lightweight (great at travelling companion or utilized on a train while commuting to work)
-quick for a netbook, 1g, and 250gb hd is plenty
-efficient and quite inexpensive (i bought this from Sam’s for $298)
-win7 is great, reliable, and the MS Suite is the usual
-comes with a webcam, perfect while out of the country and need to stay in contact with love ones
Cons:
-comes loaded with the Dell bloatware and McAffee.
Was this review helpful to you?
|Great little Netbook,
Works great. It’s a netbook, so know what you are buying if you purchase one. Netbook does NOT mean small laptop folks. The reviews where people complain it is slow are usually because they don’t understand what a netbook is.
Only complaints really were the description on Amazon was not 100% accurate regarding the OS and display resolution.
Also, if you have a nice wireless router, and have your “N” network running on 5Ghz only, this won’t pick it up I don’t believe. The built in wireless N card doesn’t seem to be able to see the 5Ghz range.
Was this review helpful to you?
|