Dell Inspiron Mini 9 ultra portable laptop

Laptop | Tuesday 16th Sept 2008

Reflecting how seriously large manufacturers are now taking the mini laptop market, Dell have introduced their 8.9in Dell Inspiron Mini 9.

Designed to compete head on with the likes of the Eee Pc range from Asus, the Dell mini 9 is equipped with a 1.6 GHz version of Intel's Atom CPU. Elsewhere there is 1GB of RAM, a 16GB solid-state hard drive and Windows XP.

Interestingly (in an attempt to maximize keyboard space) the entire F-key row has been removed. F1 to F10 now appear as alternate keys of the A-L row.

The 8.9in, 1,024 x 600px screen shares accommodates a 1.3mp webcam. There are three USB ports, headphone and mic jacks, a VGA out, SD card slot and an Ethernet.

The 4-cell 32WHr Li-Ion Battery should be good for around 4 hours of light use. The whole package weighs in at just over 1kg and will set you back £299.