I have not been a big fan of laptops because they are always so expensive and heavy.  I ride a bicycle a lot and the 6 to 8 pounds of most laptops is just more baggage than I want.  The under 4 pound laptops have always been expensive–over a thousand dollars. When I saw the Mini Nine Nettop at 2.2 pounds and under $500 I was really interested. I ordered one.

I went with the Bluetooth, 1 gig ram and the larger flash drive and the Timbuk2 bag. It came to a bit under $500. I would have ordered it with the camera but when I was ordering it that was not an option.

Dell Mini 9 Nettop The logo is upside down until I open it

I don’t like the bag. It is too small to carry anything besides the computer and power supply. If that is what you want great. There isn’t room to carry my camera, a notebook or almost anything else.  I use my Bag to carry my laptop and also for other necessities of daily life.  Anyway the bag does fit the computer well just not my usage.

First off I like it.
I like it.  I have trouble with the built in mouse pad but that has been true of all the laptops I have played with.  I carry just a basic plug in mouse with me all the time.  I don’t do a wireless mouse because that is just something else to get broken.  I am right handed and I plug the mouse into one of the ports on the left side and wrap the cord around the computer.

Dell Mini Nine Nettop

I mainly use my computer to access the internet, write articles and fool around online.  I am not a heavy processor and I store very little on my computer.  I store everything online at websites I own or use.

Speed to turn on

Wow I don’t have to wait for three minutes for windows to load.  Why can’t they do this with my desktops?  I havent timed it but it takes less than a minute to turn it on.  I just shut the screen to turn it off.

How slow is it?
I am not a speed fanatic. My internet connection is just a basic DSL connection from Quest. For my desktop I am running a year old dual core with a couple of 20″ dell monitors.

The speed of the Mini9 is fine for me.
What do I use it for? I access the internet, write myself notes, watch some youtube,I use it for my home base.

Updating my WordPress Blogs. The WordPress interface is small and fits in the screen of the Mini 9 really well.

I keep all my passwords in it. It picks up wireless networks fine and while it isn’t blazing by any means it works well for my purposes.  The time it doesn’t take to get started may be lost back while doing some other work but it is fast enough not to be annoying at all.

Traveling with the Mini 9
While traveling with the Mini 9 I take a plug in Keyboard, an old USB Dell keyboard and a Mouse.  I can type on the mini keyboard but I prefer to use a regular keyboard.  I put the keyboard in my regular luggage while flying and only pack the Mini-nine, power supply and mouse in my bag.

The battery seems to last well.  I take the battery off when it is charged.  The battery slips off really easy and if I am using it plugged in I do not leave the battery on it.  Most of the time I use it plugged in.

Traveling with the Mini 9 is a real joy.  This is where the ultimate light weight laptop is excellent.  I write a lot of articles and to be able to pull it up and start writing is nice.  I haven’t forgotten why I opened it up by the time windows is loaded like with a regular computer.

Lightweight AC adapter
I really like the fact that the adapter is small an d lightweight.  One of the adapters on one of my old laptops weighed a couple of pounds all by itself.

Heat
I have not had a problem with my Mini 9 getting hot.  It gets a little warm but I haven’t yet had a problem at all with heat.

Toothless Grin
With the battery out of my Mini 9 it looks like a kid that just lost its two front teeth.

What I would like improved
The sound is not loud enough.  I like to play some music off youtube sometimes and I listen to articles sometimes.  I am going to call Dell right now.