After releasing its first Atom-powered, low-cost sub-notebook, the highly anticipated Inspiron Mini 9, Round Rock, Texas-based Dell has decided to expand its ultraportable lineup with the addition of a 12-inch, Atom powered PC that falls somewhere between the lines of a netbook system and a low-power, low-cost notebook. The Inspiron Mini 12 has first been launched in Asia, but it now appears that Dell has finally seen it fit to launch the system on the US market.

 

The Inspiron Mini 12, has already been reviewed by Laptop Mag and, as it turns out, this hybrid between a netbook and a low-power notebook has its pros and cons. If you are looking for a low-cost portable system that can deliver a larger display over that of netbooks, a spacious keyboard and better battery life, then Dell's latest addition to its Inspiron Mini family is probably going to satisfy your needs. However, if you are looking for performance, even compared to its smaller Inspiron Mini 9 model, then the Mini 12 isn't the best choice in this regard.

 

The price you'll have to pay for what is essentially a 12-inch netbook, is set at $549, for the basic model, which will provide you with a 1.33GH Atom processor, 1GB of memory and a 40GB hard drive. The PC obviously runs on a Windows Vista Home Basic operating system, which, according to Laptop Mag's review, you may have to avoid. That is because this configuration won't provide you with a proper Window Vista experience, despite Dell's attempts to make Vista easier by implementing a dock application.

 

Users can also go for a faster configuration, priced at $599, which will provide them with a faster Atom processor, running at 1.6GHz, bigger storage, with the 60GB hard drive, and a six-cell battery. The top of the line configuration is priced at $649 and will provide the same 1.6GHz Atom with 1GB of RAM memory, 6-cell battery, but higher storage capacity with the 80GB hard drive.