Save Dell Inspiron Mini IM10-2863 10.1-Inch Obsidian Black Netbook

First off, I paid $225 for mine, refurb from Dell. It has the upgraded graphics and the 1.33GHz CPU, but everything else is the same as listed here.

I love it.

As with any computer, you have to decide what you need it for and bend it to your will. In my case, that was word processing, net access, and watching videos. Of the three, videos require the most from the machine. With the first round of drivers available from Dell, high-quality, hi-def movies were choppy. There were work-arounds, but the latest drivers seem to be much better, playing the movies smoothly.

I have read many complaints about the lack of a memory upgrade (the 1GB of RAM is soldered in) and the quirky touch pad. The memory has never been too little for me, despite my worst expectations. XP and Windows 7 both work fine on the machine in 1GB so don't fret that one. The touch pad turns out to be great. I hated it at first, until I realized it was a double touch pad. It reacts differently to 1 finger than it does to 2. Once you grok that, you'll have far fewer issues with it (although, I still prefer a mouse.)

Battery life it good. I can watch an entire hi-def movie on a charge. It lasts much longer if just typing or browsing. It runs simple games and all office apps I've tried on it. With the upgraded graphics, the images are sharp and very impressive.

If I could change it, I'd up the CPU to the 1.6GHz model (although I can actually overclock this one to 1.6Hz and higher) and I'd have gotten the wireless N. But for the price I paid, I'm very happy with it.Get more detail about Dell Inspiron Mini IM10-2863 10.1-Inch Obsidian Black Netbook.