Dell Inspiron Mini 10v

I don't go much in for technology but when I decided I needed a more portable computer for working out of the house I was quickly swayed to the purchase of a Dell as it's is a brand I am familiar with. The Inspiron Mini 10, being at the time the only one in the range which fit the bill size wise was thus what I decided I'd be ordering.

I like that Dell allow you to customise your order on site before you purchase, while if you order from other suppliers you have to stick with a standard model. I wanted bluetooth and a long battery life so ordering direct from Dell was a must (everywhere else had one or the other but not both). I toyed with the idea of buying it with a different colour lid but stuck to the simple black because I couldn't see how a bit of plastic could cost £20 to change! I also got mine with Windows 7 starter, at the time there was an option to go down to Vista but given issues with my main laptop I decided to try 7.

On delivery I was understandably excited to open up my new toy and get going.

Th netbook is pretty much a scaled down verson of my main laptop style wise, although I was dubious about the shiney plastic cover as I was expecting a matt black, but other than this minor surprise it was exactly as I expected appearance wise.

Lifting the screen reveals the keyboard, this is actually bigger than I expected due to it being built from edge to edge of the base, with the touch pad filling the gap between the space bar and the lower edge of the base.

Being satisifed that all the bits were there and assembled I was pleased to find that the set up procedure was idiot proof (if not I'd still not be using it). Also that I much prefer the layout and functionality of 7 starter over Vista so was pleased I'd plumped for it.

The addition of the longer life battery meant that it does not sit flat, this I find actually aids air flow and keeping both it and my legs cool when I am working.

The screen feels larger than its actual 10 inches due to it being clear and bright. The built in webcam is better quality than that of the one in my laptop. The only real annoyance is that some websites aren't configured for use with a small screen and I occasionally need to scroll left and right to read text or view images fully.

The bluetooth is nice and simple to use, and when I use it to play the music stored on my phone through the netbook speakers it sounds good, not fantastic but again better than the sound on my laptop or cheap hifi.

I find that typically the battery reports useage time of up to 8 hours, but I've never pushed it to the limit so remain uncertain of exactly how long it would last if I didn't get chance to plug it in.

One of the main things I have used it for lately has been to store photos and video files on diving trips, I find that transferring the files from SD card to netbook is a fairly quick and painless process, an attempt to transfer the same files on to a friends 4 year old laptop resulted in us both getting quite drunk before it was complete - ie at least 2 hours as they were high res files, the netbook completed the same task in alittle under 25 mins, and simultaneously copied them to an external hard drive.

I find that the netbook is highly portable, it fits snugly in to a large handbag, or small rucksack, the weight is pretty negligable given the amount of rubbish I'd usually end up carrying in the same bags (amazing how I fill the space rather than just carry what I require). So far in the 10 months I've had the netbook it's been pretty well battered by the fact it's been carried in this way but other than a few superficial scratches it has suffered no ill effects.

As standard the Mini 10 comes with SD card slot, and three USB ports, I've never needed to use all three ports at once but the layout means that I cannot see that I'd have any trouble plugging multiple devices in at the same time.

I seem to recall that I paid a little over £300 for my Mini 10, including the add ons I selected which I reckon was pretty good value at the time, and with my general satisfaction with Dell customer services (issues with the laptop) I was happy to stick with the brand for the sake of spending a few pounds more than another brand for the exact hardware I required.