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Samadhi1138 said:
Review by Samadhi1138 for Dell Latitude D610 Notebook PC (Intel Pentium M 1.86GHz, Windows XP Professional, 512MB DDR2, 40GB HDD, DVD/CDRW Combo) Rating: I couldn’t agree more with the other reviews regarding the deceptiveness of some outfits – in this case Tiger – in selling refurbished items as new. I felt that it was important, however, to review the product and not the vendor. I’ve used the D610 professionally with great success for several years. I was so pleased with its performance that I bought one for my personal use as well as two more for my in-laws. I bought all three as refurbs but I knew what I was getting and the price was unbeatable at approximately $250.00 each. If you’re a wannabe geek such as I am, you can easily find all of the service literature necessary to service the D610 yourself. I’ve never had to service any of the three that I bought, but I did expand the memory in all of them. I was pleased with how easy the upgrade was, how well engineered the product is, and how clear the service literature is as well. I bought a hard drive caddy and an additional 80GB HD to fit in the CD port, so now I have 2 bootable HDs and a ton of storage. If forced to search for a negative, the only thing I can come up with is the click action of the pointing device. The feel is a bit stiff and the sound is somewhat irritating. That said, if the pointing device ever became bothersome enough a USB mouse could be purchased for a couple of bucks. I was looking for another D610 to buy for my wife when I stumbled upon these reviews so I felt compelled to put in my two cents worth. Good luck with whatever product you choose!


# 23 May 2010 at 11:47 pm

R said:
Review by R for Dell Latitude D610 Notebook PC (Intel Pentium M 1.86GHz, Windows XP Professional, 512MB DDR2, 40GB HDD, DVD/CDRW Combo) Rating: I bought one of these laptops two months ago. It has been working just fine. Today Microsoft told me that the license is not valid. It has a valid certificate of authenticity on the back but does not have a second “refurbished” CoA. When I look at the internal System Properties/General tab it says “XP Corporate” which means it was covered under a mass/site license which can not be transferred or sold. I will probably have to buy a fresh copy of XP ($100) and re-install.
Before I made the order I checked to see that the advertisement specified “Genuine Windows XP”. I also checked the CoA when it arrived. When the Microsoft updater offered to run “Genuine Advantage” to check the authenticity I confidently thought “sure, go right ahead.”
BEWARE!
# 24 May 2010 at 12:40 am

jay robert del rosario said:
Review by jay robert del rosario for Dell Latitude D610 Notebook PC (Intel Pentium M 1.86GHz, Windows XP Professional, 512MB DDR2, 40GB HDD, DVD/CDRW Combo) Rating: do not buy this laptop….or …dont buy laptop from tiger direct/MawishInc ..they are selling rubbish items…waste of money
# 24 May 2010 at 12:48 am

Nanci Gross said:
Review by Nanci Gross for Dell Latitude D610 Notebook PC (Intel Pentium M 1.86GHz, Windows XP Professional, 512MB DDR2, 40GB HDD, DVD/CDRW Combo) Rating: Was careful to shop for brand new. Purchased this for a client. Although the refurb is factory, that is NOT what I purchased. Tiger Direct via Amazon, would not use again.
# 24 May 2010 at 1:45 am

Sandy Bunker said:
Review by Sandy Bunker for Dell Latitude D610 Notebook PC (Intel Pentium M 1.86GHz, Windows XP Professional, 512MB DDR2, 40GB HDD, DVD/CDRW Combo) Rating: My wife’s computer is upstairs; mine is in the man cave. For Christmas I had got this laptop so she could surf in the man cave while I watched TV or was on my computer. She fell and broke her ankle Dec. 17 and could not climb the stairs. Got her present early. Keeps her quiet while I try to do all the other things to care for her. The value and quaily are completely as advertised. She could not be happier and if she is happy, I am happy. WIFI forever.
# 24 May 2010 at 2:17 am

J. Lee said:
Review by J. Lee for Dell Inspiron Mini IM12-2870 12.1-Inch Red Netbook Rating: PROS: big, vivid screen; nearly full-sized keyboard AND trackpad; very slim and light despite the 12.1″ screen; works great with XP
CONS: glossy case is print-prone; some shrunken buttons on keyboard; 3-cell battery life is low, need the 6-cell; RAM not upgradeable

—————-
Are you looking for a light, slim laptop that mimics the Macbook Air at a fraction of the price? Then the Dell Mini 12 would be a great choice for you!
I wanted the readable/usable screen size of 12.1 (10 might be the sweet spot for some people, but not for me — see for yourself firsthand) with a good keyboard, large trackpad, and light weight. Another important consideration was battery life of at least 5+ hrs (more on that later).
The Dell Mini 12 hits all of those points. The 12.1″ screen causes some debate about its classification as a “netbook,” but its Atom processor and low price definitely puts it in netbook territory. The screen is lovely, with true colors, no blotches or dead pixels, and decent viewing angles. The Atom processor (mine is 1.6 GHZ) is more than capable for basic web surfing, light typing, and reading PDFs in a Windows XP environment. And the price (I got it for under $400 at the brand name’s Outlet store) is superb, if you shop around.
The one featured on Amazon is decent, though it has the slightly slower chip; however, most online reviews downplay the effect of this clock speed decrease. Realize that it has 1GB of RAM, which is suitable for basic netbook applications on XP. But no expandability exists with this current setup — that may be a downer for those looking to soup up their netbook into performance ranges of a normal laptop or desktop.
Another knock against the Amazon one — it comes with only the 3-cell battery. That’s good for 2-3 hrs with some serious power conservation (Bluetooth off, screen brightness at maximum low), but the 6-cell gives you 5-6hrs easy. It adds a little bulk to the rear end, but this baby’s back is still appealing and makes it easier to hold, if you know what I mean…
Another unexpected but appealing feature to the Dell Mini 12: it is completely fanless. Somehow it manages to stay cool to the touch! Over time, I have found the silence and relative coolness to be big pluses.
In the end, the key thing for me is usability. I found the 12.1″ screen to be kind to my eyes and the trackpad/keyboard combo to be virtually normal-sized. The engineers at Dell were still able to package the Mini 12 into a ridiculously slim, light case. The closest competitor here would be the Samsung NC20, which is chunkier, louder, warmer, and more expensive, albeit with a much bigger hard drive and RAM expandability. For my purposes, the Dell Mini 12 is perfect. It just might be the same for you.
# 24 May 2010 at 2:30 am

T. Underhill said:
Review by T. Underhill for Dell Inspiron Mini IM12-2870 12.1-Inch Red Netbook Rating: I purchased my cherry red Dell mini 12 a few weeks back directly from Dell. (it was a “scratch and dent” model) I was looking for a inexpensive, small, light and quiet laptop to surf the web/ watch some online videos and on occasion travel with. I also wanted to try out the Linux OS. The Dell Mini 12 fit those requirements. It is easy to set up and I have had no issues with the Linux OS or the software that came with it. There was a sizable amount of “upgrades” that I downloaded (over 250mb!) when I first connected online, but if you have a broadband connection it’s no big deal. I’ve watched videos on Hulu and Youtube and they work fine. I’ve opened MS office files with the open office package and that works good too. The big plus here is the 12″ screen with the 1280 X 800 resolution. You can see an entire web page with that resolution without scrolling (something you can’t have with the smaller 9″ and 10″ models). I also have the 6 cell battery which I can use for 4-5 hours on a charge. However, it does add some extra depth to the unit which is important when buying a slip cover or bag. I purchased a Mini 12 sleeve for my dell mini and it is a tight fit with the 6 cell battery.

Now there are some issues you should be aware of before you purchase the Dell Mini 12. First off if your into the Linux stuff this unit has “custom” hardware and “closed” software that only work with the dell mini 12 version of Umbuntu so if your thinking “I’ll just upgrade to the latest greatest” you will be sorely disappointed (check out conical’s support pages). If Dell/Intel/conical plan on updating these custom closed drivers so you can upgrade to Umbuntu 9.04 they have not made any official announcement to that effect that I can find. You also should not expect Dell to give you much help with the Linux OS. They will send you to online web support sites. This unit has no fan so in order for it not to get overheated you have things like a slow hardrive and no memory expansion. The speaker output is really poor so plan on using it with head phones. The keyboard not being full size takes a litle getting used to and If I was a fast touch typist a big issue, but I’m not so it works for me. In short, what you have with the Mini 12 is an appliance like your stove or fridge. Buy it, turn it on, configure the settings, it works (hopefully!) but don’t go looking to MacGyver this thing into your next video editor! Just plan on buying the next model when it comes out in a year of so.


# 24 May 2010 at 2:47 am

Mark J. Evereklian said:
Review by Mark J. Evereklian for Dell Inspiron Mini IM12-2870 12.1-Inch Red Netbook Rating: I spent about 35 hours a week trying to find the right Netbook. It is SO hard, since there are so many and they are so very similar. I did try an HP Netbook, which had a good keyboard and good speakers, but the screen was just too small.
After talking to the guys at a Laptop Repair Carlsbad they told me about the Dell Mini 12, and they said that I can get it for less than Dell sells it for, if I buy it from Amazon.com
The Mini 12 came in the mail a few days later, and I was very happy with it, once I disabled most of the startup items using msconfig
It was easy to connect to my wireless network, and I love the large screen. The speakers are the only low point for this device, so I usually in some external speakers. This Netbook is VERY Lightweight, runs most applications fast, and runs cool and very quite, with is no fan. It does have video output, but does not run every resolution, just a few of the more common ones.
Highs

– Very Light

– Large LCD for a Netbook

– Runs cool and quite

– Fast Enough for me
Lows

– Speakers are not LOUD
The Verdict

– Why live with a smaller screen if you don’t have to?
Mark
SPECIAL NOTE ON THE ADDITIONAL DELL MINI 12s THAT I BOUGHT AFTER THE FIRST ONE … SOME OF THESE ARE FACTORY REFURBS BEING SOLD AS NEW. THEY HAVE SCRATCHES ON THE BOTTOM. I DO NOT KNOW IF THIS IS THE FAULT OF DELL OR AMAZON, BUT IT IS A BIT TACKY.
# 24 May 2010 at 3:46 am

Beatriz S. Wronski said:
Review by Beatriz S. Wronski for Dell Inspiron Mini IM12-2870 12.1-Inch Red Netbook Rating: I just got this mini 12 and must say is very good looking. Now, since I only use it for music-photos-e-mail and internet I cannot make an ïn-depth”review. But when it comes to pictures, the quality and sharpness are not there. I have an old Gateway 15.4″ XP that beats the pants off this one. But is and old, heavy, taking too much space on my desk.

so I will keep it as photo & music processor and storage, and use this one for internet and e-mail only. I would love to have the lightness of this one, with the excellent sharpness and detail of my old one. Any suggestions?
# 24 May 2010 at 3:58 am

Jodi said:
Review by Jodi for Dell Inspiron Mini IM12-2870 12.1-Inch Red Netbook Rating: I ordered this notebook because I thought it would be the perfect solution to fulfull my basic needs such as surfing the web, downloading song, etc. When it first arrived I was surprised by how compact it was and also how cool it looked. When I turned it on, I noticed that the programs seemed quite old… microsoft works, etc. I don’t think I’ve used Works for almost 15 years. But, “oh well” I thought since I’d use my desktop for word processing needs.
At first it worked pretty well, but I found it to be very slow and froze a lot. One thing that irked me is that it didn’t even have enough power to run my Yahoo! mail upgrade. So, I had to convert back to the “old” mail view because the computer couldn’t handle it. Then, an icon appeared asking me if I wanted to upgrade my IE since it appeared the version I was using was old. I thought, ‘why not’, however, big mistake! The computer was even slower after that and froze constantly.
So, I ended up having to return this and I’m real disappointed about that! Was it just me being too impatient? I asked myself that a couple of times, but I really thing the notebook was just a dog. I’ve been hesitant to purchase another one since I fear they all might be this slow. I did read good reviews about ASUS, so I may give that a try.
Hope this was helpful!
# 24 May 2010 at 4:52 am

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