This is a netbook, just like any other netbook with its type of calibre. It has a 9 inch screen like a typical netbook; it has an Atom 1.6 GHz processor and 1 GB of RAM like any other netbook. But what makes this one so special isn’t because it is made by Dell. It is because you can install Mac OS X on it and everything will work. Video, audio, wireless, Ethernet, the whole shebang comes to life with Mac OS X, rather than on other machines with audio missing or graphics looking like a Salvador Dali paintings, although that may not always be a bad thing. This is the reason why so many of these machines were purchased, and it still stands strong in the netbook hall of fame. Do you remember Asus EeePC 900? Not many want to, as that just brings up too many memories of slowness, misery and pain. This on the other hand brings back joyful memories and – gasp – it is still being used!
Of course the method of installing Mac OS X on this machine is not entirely legal and Apple are very, very upset that some nerd from some American state managed to find a way of patching the various releases of Mac OS X for use on non-Apple certified hardware. This can only be blamed on Apple’s move to Intel processing chips as they were cheaper than the ‘G’ chips they originally used, made by IBM. Some purchase a legit copy of Mac OS X to help elevate the guilty emotions of running a patched copy downloaded off the internet, but in the end those individuals are required to patch the legit versions to install them on PC hardware anyway, which is still just as not-so-legal as the first method.
That’s enough about Mac OS X; this machine I purchased comes with Windows XP SP3 Mobile Edition which is basically Windows XP with the words ‘Mobile Edition’ tacked on at the end to make it look special. The fact is, it is Home Edition with some
Dell software and utilities installed on it. Performance is what you would expect from netbooks with an Atom CPU, i.e. it is pretty nippy, and the best part of all is that the 1 GB of RAM is very easy to upgrade since it is located under a massive plastic plate that allows access to most of the internal, upgradable components.
Speaking of upgrade, if there is one place you would want to upgrade it would be the hard drive because it is such a stunted, ingrown toenail of a hard drive that you might as well have a thimble as a storage device. The machine I purchased comes with an 8 GB ssd hard drive, just 8 GB. Ssd is a good type of hard drive since it is quiet and power saving as well as pretty quick (for this version at least), but the capacity is just woefully bad, especially when considering that Windows XP + Dell software takes up nearly half of the storage. The problem with upgrading the hard drive is that you have to purchase the correct sized mini pci-e storage card. A standard one that can be used in an Asus EeePC, for example, is too long, and the ones that fit are very expensive (£150 for a 64 GB upgrade? £255 for a 128 GB upgrade? Madness!) Some would say “Buy a SDHC 16GB card and install Windows XP on that then!”, but that doesn’t work without hours of troubleshooting and tweaking and frankly a man has better things to do, like beer and football (or possibly football and then beer). To further complicate the hard drive upgrade, if you decide to upgrade and want to purchase the right sized mini pci-e card, you have to worry if it is a Vodafone netbook. Why? Because Vodafone includes a 3G/GPRS card with their Dell Mini 9 netbooks, which is great for mobile internet, but not so great for the upgrade ssd card since it gets in the way of the upgrade. What is that about? You would have to buy a non-Vodafone model in order to have the upgrade possible but then you can’t install the 3G/GPRS card because the non-Vodafone models have the mini pci-e slot for the card removed. And they call this a capitalist company!
On the other hand, the RAM and the wireless card are easy to upgrade. The RAM can be upgraded by simply buying a high street so-dimm DDR2 2 GB RAM module, and replacing the old one. That’s it, mission accomplished, you have double RAM. The only issue here is that it only supports 2 GB max, but then so does every other netbook. The wireless card is more or less the same, just find a wireless card that supports n as well as b/g for the mini pci-e slot and you’re golden.
The screen is very nice with a reflective quality that rivals Sony’s x-black. When the machine is on the colours are vibrant and the sharpness and contrast excel. When the machine is off or the screen is asleep, I can use the reflective qualities to preen, although the screen isn’t good enough to check my teeth in.
This laptop doesn’t look visually stunning, it is a so-so looking machine, like Uma Thurman VS Cameron Diaz, Uma Thurman is so-so (note: personal opinion, please do not flame me Uma fans). But what it lacks in looks it makes up for in build and structural quality because it is reinforced with a magnesium frame. A magnesium frame - not a pathetic, limp wristed plastic frame or a ‘not-trying-hard-enough’ aluminium frame - but a toughened, hardcore magnesium frame. This makes it stronger than most netbooks and it feels sturdier as well, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it would survive a drop on a concrete floor from 12 feet up, although I would recommend against testing that out. You know what? That’s like Uma Thurman as well, in Kill Bill, tough as nails. She was shot in the head and survived.
The webcam is rubbish. 1.3 megapixels of crap. You would be better taking a photo through some tracing paper. I wouldn'tbother about gaming with the built-in graphics either, although it is good enough to handle 720p HD movies and supports high resolutions with an external monitor via VGA port.
The keyboard and mouse touchpad are pretty good for a 9” netbook. The keys are responsive and easy to press, but some would say that touch typing would take getting used to for those with larger hands. The touchpad on the other hand is of a good size and works great. The mouse buttons are also good with a nice, satisfying click every time you press on them.
The wireless had a good range despite the signal going through 4 walls, but the wireless only supports b/g frequencies and not the n ones. That’s fine though because it is easy to upgrade, but it would have been great to have that as well with the system. If WiFi ever fails, there is always Bluetooth for those smaller files to transfer.
Battery life is pretty ok compared to other Atom based netbooks, although it does not compare to the newer Samsung and Sony models. This Dell Mini 9 with WiFi on and backlight at 25% lasts just over 4 hours of continuous use. This sounds good, but you get similar results from other netbooks, such as the Acer Aspire One. The Acer’s battery only has 3 cells whereas the Dell battery has 4 cells. This just makes me wonder... shouldn’t the Dell 4 cell battery have taken it further than that? Then again, Samsung’s NC100 has a 6 cell battery that lasts just over 6 hours, so it's not just the Dell doing a '1 cell = 1 hour' thing.
Overall, I heart this netbook over the others. I am a bit of a geek, so I did manage to run Mac OS X on this machine and I can report that it is speedy and zippy and all sorts of goodness wrapped into one. This machine does have its flaws, and the specs are pretty average and are basically what you would find on any other 9 inch netbook, but what sets this above all others – beside the Mac OS X thing – is the magnesium chassis. Any bloke would appreciate if, for example, titanium was used instead of steel for a chair frame, purely because it sounds cooler therefore it is more desirable (as well as the manly fact that it is stronger per gram than steel), so that alone would have won me over. The Mac thing was just a convenient bonus. Be a man, do the right thing. After a 9” netbook? Buy this machine!
A sensible thing to do if you are considering this is to buy the really basic version with Linux, 512 MB RAM and 4GB ssd for about £150, maybe less, and then buy the upgrades for the RAM and purchase a 32GB mini pci-e ssd hard drive upgrade. All that would set you back around £200-£250, around the same price as a 1 GB RAM, 8 GB hard drive model. Just same useful consumer advice there. If you can get the Vodafone model without a contract, go for it. Take out the 3G/GPRS module if you don’t need it, put in a larger hard drive and sell the 3G/GPRS module on eBay. You would make quite a lot back from it.
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Sep 27th, 2009
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