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Dell’s entry into the netbook market came with few surprises, the early rumors were pretty much spot on with the official announcement, of course that has not stopped Dell from making quite a splash so far. Overall it seems there are some good points and some bad points with the Mini 9, but that could be said with just about any tech item out.

The Mini 9 features a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, either 512MB or 1GB of RAM, either a 4, 8 or 16GB SSD, a 4-cell battery, and the 8.9-inch display with a 1024 x 600 resolution. Additionally the Mini 9 comes in either Obsidian Black or Alpine White, but sadly the white costs an extra $25. Finally users will have the option of either running a Dell customized Ubuntu 8.04 or Windows XP as their operating system of choice.

Like I mentioned, most of the specs were pretty much expected, one surprise however did come with the after announcement acknowledgment of the already integrated 3G support, of which we are still hoping to see some US based carrier announcements soon, currently only Vodafone has announced the availability.

A nice part about these reviews is they seem to offer quite a bit of comparison between other netbook models. Of course, what one may consider a drawback, may be not a big deal for others. Just take the storage options as an example, for some the 4GB, 8GB or 16GB may be small or way to low, but for me the 16GB is more than enough as the netbook for me is a secondary computer and I can always use an SD, flash drive or even the cloud for extra storage. But enough with the specs, let’s see what the early reviews have to say…

PC Magazine: Rating was a 3-out-of-5

“The Dell Inspiron Mini 9 falls well short of the MSI Wind and the HP 2133 Mini-Note because it doesn’t offer an extended battery and large-enough storage options.”

“For the average person who doesn’t want to lug a 5-to-6 pound laptop (with its case and AC adapter) through airport security just to check e-mail, surf, and do some light Office tasks, a UMPC is a very viable solution. For now, that solution is the MSI Wind, but as prices come down, I’m expecting Dell to make this a close race.”

Notebook Review

“Dell wants you to believe the Inspiron Mini 9 is “your new best friend.” Well, kiddies, the Mini 9 is a fantastic mobile companion that helps you stay connected and makes your life easier without breaking the bank. However, I can’t shake the feeling that the Mini 9 is more like “the kid you’re friendly with at the lunch table, but isn’t your BFF.”

Laptop: Rating was a 4.5-out-of-5

“Dell’s entrance into the mini-notebook market is bound to make the competition take notice. The Linux version of the Inspiron Mini 9 boasts the most consumer-friendly interface we have seen, its footprint is tiny but sturdy, and it gets more than three hours of battery life. “

I myself have been on a never ending search for my perfect netbook, having gone through an Asus Eee PC 701, Everex Cloudbook (running Windows XP) to the current HP Mini-Note 2133 (running Windows Vista). So far I have been very happy with the Mini-Note and really like the keyboard size along with build quality, but I am likely to purchase the Ubuntu based Mini 9 in a few weeks. The built-in 3G, which I will hopefully be able to take advantage of here in the US soon will be nice, of course as the decision is pretty personal, its likely to come down to a hands on experience for me.

Product [Dell Inspiron Mini 9]