Natwerk Designs

Is the bell deal with a $399 dell inspiron mni 9 a good deal?

i was gonna buy a laptop myself but then my parents got this email and asked me if i wanted this laptop instead is it a good deal? but i think ill change it to vista if i can. this is what the info needed says: Introducing Your New Friend -connect with advanced wireless options -light and compact for an on-the-go lifestyle -dynamic &customizable user interface -4 hours battery life System Details: Processor: Intel Atom N270 (1.6GHz) Screen: 8.9" WSVGA TrueLife LCD Operating System: Windows XP Home Edition Memory: 1GB Hard Drive: 8GB Solid State Hard Drive Camera: Intergrated 1.3MP Camera Battery: 4 Cell Stay Informed: The Inspiron Mini 9 is equipped with simple user-friendly appllications that allo you to easily keep up with what's going on in the world around you. Moblie Entertainment: The Inspiron Mini 9 is designed to keep you connected to your favourite entertainment. When you are on the go, you can still have acess to email, shopping, and the web.

Public Comments

1. no, not if you want to upgrade to Vista. a netbook with 1GB memory and a 8GB solid state hard drive is simply not able to be upgraded. furthermore a screen of 8.9" is extremely tiny. for your purpose, you should get a laptop with 14.1" or 15.4" screen that has a conventional hard drive of 160GB or larger and a minimum of 2GB memory. btw, all new laptops have Vista already installed, so you don't have to upgrade.
2. This is not a laptop. It is a netbook. Netbooks are designed for ultra-portable things that require the basic computer functionality. There is no disc-drive so you can't insert discs onto this computer. The only way to install programs is by flash drive or wirelessly. If you want a laptop get a laptop since this will not do everything a laptop would do. The hard drive is very small but it is good if you unplug hard drives like a flash drive. ( i don't think you need this feature). If you would like this kind of computer (netbook) then this is a good deal but try to find 1 with a Hard Drive not a Solid State Drive as the 1 here. Hard drives are usually way bigger. DONT EVEN BOTHER installing Vista onto a netbook. Vista needs at least 2gb of RAM to run smoothly and a more powerful processor. Netbook features are very basic so stick with the XP. If you ignore my warnings and decide to install Vista onto it you will regret it.
3. I think it is an OK deal if it is for what you need. ie, going to coffee shops and quickly surfing the internet, checking email, etc.. Keep in mind that it is only $20 cheaper than the price on the Dell site. If you get it, you are not paying too much, but if you look further, you may find a greater deal 'out there'... if i was gonna buy it, i'd get the "non-windows" mini 9 and upgrade the solid state hard drive, add bluetooth and a webcam. for ram i would upgrade my self cuz dell is charging too much for 2 gig. then i would instal xp myself and add all the drivers. don't know if that is available through the bell deal, but a few customizations and i'd have a slick easy to carry computer.