Dell Inspiron Mini 10v

The vivid 10in screen and light travelling weight are both attractive features in this well-priced netbook, but there are some annoying flaws too.

The Dell Inspiron Mini 10v won't win any awards for style; it won't win any awards for features; but it's certainly challenging all netbook comers when it comes to value.

You can buy the hardware for £199, including VAT and delivery, if you choose Ubuntu as the operating system, while a Windows XP version is on offer for £249 inc VAT and delivery - and often for less courtesy of the numerous special offers on Dell's website (generally you can expect £10 or £20 to be knocked off the price).

But even without the odd £10 or £20 off, the Mini 10v looks compelling. You get the typical netbook ingredients of a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270, 1GB of RAM, 160GB hard disk, and a 10.1in screen with a 1,024 x 600 resolution.

The good, the bad, the touchpad
What's more, compared to other budget netbooks such as the Asus 1005HA, this is an excellent screen. There's no hint of the grain that affects the Asus, with a bright, sharp and glossy screen that makes films and photos look great. The drawback is reflectivity, which is fine in the home but awful under fluorescent lights.

Some of this good work is undone by the keyboard, which is rattly and lacks the tactile feel of the better netbooks, most notably the PC Pro A-Listed Samsung N110. However, it isn't terrible: the keys are large and the only obvious sacrifices to the limited space on offer are reduced-height function and cursor keys.

What is terrible, and one of the main reasons the Dell Mini 10v doesn't gain a Recommended award, is the touchpad. It's wide and reasonably responsive, but for some reason known only to this laptop's designers the mouse buttons are integrated into its bottom left and right corners.
This means that, unless you're absolutely precise, when you left-click on the screen the cursor jumps to the left as well. It can be very, very frustrating.

Battery life
There are other annoyances too. Chief is battery life, which is less than mediocre: 3hrs 28mins under light use might be a reasonable return for a conventional laptop, but is disappointing for a netbook. Bear in mind the Samsung N110 lasts for over nine hours.

The main reason for the Dell Mini 10v's minimal battery life is the minimal battery. In return for a tiny chassis - and the Mini 10v is one of the smallest netbooks we've seen, at 261 x 183 x 30mm - it opts for a 2,100mAh battery.

You can buy an extended battery for £99 inc VAT, but note this will materially affect the Mini 10v's shape. The battery is cylindrical and slots into the rear of the chassis. An extended battery can't just stick out the end, because the lid curves around the cylinder, and instead it adds a centimetre or so to the bottom of the laptop.

One factor that does go in the Mini 10v's favour, though, is its tiny power supply - it's more akin to the adapters that come with old mobile phones than modern laptops. The Mini 10v weighs 1.15kg on its own, and 1.36kg with the supply, which is an incredibly low travelling weight.

Software bundle
If there are signs that the chassis isn't the most thought-out, take some consolation in the software packages. Dell doesn't just stick with the ageing Windows XP interface, but adds its own Apple-style dock - or, to be more precise, a customised version of Stardock.

This sits at the top of the screen and allows you to jump more quickly to your chosen tasks. For example, it automatically detects when Microsoft Office is installed and will add a shortcut to it from the Office graphic.

Microsoft Works 9 (which includes a basic word processor, spreadsheet, database and calendar application) comes as standard with all Windows XP-based versions of the Mini 10v, but you can choose what else to include.

In fact, as ever, customisation is one of Dell's biggest strengths. You can change pretty much every aspect of the Mini 10v, from the lid colour to the warranty package to the battery provided to which wireless standards supported (upgrading to 802.11n adds £14.99 inc VAT).

If you want quick delivery, however, your choice is much more limited: a black lid, Windows XP, a 15-month subscription to McAfee Internet Security, the normal core specifications (1.6GHz Atom, 160GB hard disk) plus Bluetooth. Wireless is the standard 802.11bg affair.

You also get a handy 2GB of online backup for free, for a year, courtesy of Dell's SataSafe Online service. Dell makes this easy to set up, with a shortcut again sitting in the dock, but note that services such as Mozy offer a similar amount of online backup for free as well - and your subscription won't run out after a year.

Conclusion
Nevertheless, we can't fault Dell for the value it packs in. If you opt for the quick delivery version, you're getting a lot of hardware for the money, and one of the best screens we've seen in a sub-£300 netbook.

But we also can't conclude without reiterating those frustrations: the Mini 10v's below-par battery life and terrible trackpad are unnecessary in a modern netbook, and if you're willing to spend another £20 inc VAT on the N110 then we urge you to do so.

Price when reviewed: £243 (£279 inc VAT)

Buy it now for: £229.00