# Dell Inspiron Mini 9 or Acer Aspire One 8.9-inch Mini?



## PoliticalChic (Nov 12, 2008)

My husband (being the generous man that he is) has offered to buy me one of these gadgets for Christmas.

They both look great and very similar in weight and size.  

Some of the differences are:

Dell has smaller keys, but better touchpad

Acer has longer batterylife, nearly 7 hours vs. 4 hours on Dell

I'm a loyal Dell customer, but this is a tough choice.  

Anybody has one of these or looking to buy one?


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## random3434 (Nov 12, 2008)

I honestly have NO IDEA what you are talking about lol!


But you didn't have any reply's, so I thought I'd chime in!


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## PoliticalChic (Nov 12, 2008)

Echo Zulu said:


> I honestly have NO IDEA what you are talking about lol!
> 
> 
> But you didn't have any reply's, so I thought I'd chime in!



You are way sweet!  You brought a smile to my tired face


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## random3434 (Nov 12, 2008)

PoliticalChic said:


> You are way sweet!  You brought a smile to my tired face



Glad to make you smile! 

Now, are you going to tell me what you're talking about!


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## Dis (Nov 12, 2008)

PoliticalChic said:


> My husband (being the generous man that he is) has offered to buy me one of these gadgets for Christmas.
> 
> They both look great and very similar in weight and size.
> 
> ...



Get an EEE-PC!! They rule.


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## xsited1 (Nov 12, 2008)

I've played with them, but don't own one because I need a bit more power in a portable computer.  They're both nice and too close to call.  If you like Dell, you should probably go with that.  The battery life, though, is a big consideration.  Here are a couple reviews.  In the end, it'll probably be a coin toss.  Good luck.

Dell Inspiron Mini 9 Review

Acer Aspire One Review


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## PoliticalChic (Nov 13, 2008)

Dis said:


> Get an EEE-PC!! They rule.



I want the newer model.  These have bigger screens.


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## PoliticalChic (Nov 13, 2008)

Echo Zulu said:


> Glad to make you smile!
> 
> Now, are you going to tell me what you're talking about!



Yes, sorry for the delay...






This is the Dell Inspiron Mini 9





This is the Acer Aspire One 8.9 inch Mini

They are referred to as netbooks as opposed to notebooks.  They are not as powerful as laptops, but they are petite and only 2.3 lbs which means I can take it everywhere!

Hope I answered your question.  This would be great for spontaneous writing too like while waiting in the doctor's office or riding on the train.


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## PoliticalChic (Nov 13, 2008)

xsited1 said:


> I've played with them, but don't own one because I need a bit more power in a portable computer.  They're both nice and too close to call.  If you like Dell, you should probably go with that.  The battery life, though, is a big consideration.  Here are a couple reviews.  In the end, it'll probably be a coin toss.  Good luck.
> 
> Dell Inspiron Mini 9 Review
> 
> Acer Aspire One Review



Thank you for your links.  I will be doing my homework.  I will also be getting the best deal possible.


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## xsited1 (Nov 13, 2008)

PoliticalChic said:


> Thank you for your links.  I will be doing my homework.  I will also be getting the best deal possible.



Hmmm.  They are rather cute and they are easy to carry around....  I might get one after all.  

Let me know what you find out.


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## PoliticalChic (Nov 13, 2008)

xsited1 said:


> Hmmm.  They are rather cute and they are easy to carry around....  I might get one after all.
> 
> Let me know what you find out.



Sure thing!


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## PoliticalChic (Nov 13, 2008)

xsited1 said:


> Hmmm.  They are rather cute and they are easy to carry around....  I might get one after all.
> 
> Let me know what you find out.



Xsited1, are you looking at them too, now?

I just got off the phone with Dell.  The guy wasn't too helpful.  He couldn't tell me why I should get the Dell version instead of the Acer.

First, he tells me that Dell Mini 9 that would be comparable to the Acer would be $449 approximately, $50 more than what the Acer is going for.  He didn't deny that you get more battery power with the Acer either.

The reviews for Dell and the Acer are similar. 

Pros & Cons for Dell

1. Pro - Name
2. Pro - Reliable Customer Service and Tech Support
3. Pro - Better Touchpad
4. Con - Price
5. Con - Shorter Battery Life
6. Con - Smaller keys

Pros & Cons for Acer

1. Pro - Price
2. Pro - Much better battery life
3. Pro - Keys are bigger
4. Con - I've never owned an Acer
5. Con - Don't know how reliable customer and tech support will be 
6. Con - Touchpad not as good

This is a tough one, so I'll be consulting with some other folks...


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## random3434 (Nov 13, 2008)

PoliticalChic said:


> Yes, sorry for the delay...
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Oh, those are cool! Tell your hubby I want one too!


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## PoliticalChic (Nov 13, 2008)

Echo Zulu said:


> Oh, those are cool! Tell your hubby I want one too!



Yeah, I know.  I'll put in a good word for you.


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## random3434 (Nov 13, 2008)

PoliticalChic said:


> Yeah, I know.  I'll put in a good word for you.



Shew!

Tell him thanks! 

Yeah, I like to just pick out what I want for Christmas and say, "Here, get me this" lol.


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## CrimsonWhite (Nov 13, 2008)

PoliticalChic said:


> Xsited1, are you looking at them too, now?
> 
> I just got off the phone with Dell.  The guy wasn't too helpful.  He couldn't tell me why I should get the Dell version instead of the Acer.
> 
> ...



Buy the Acer. Their Customer Service is pretty good too. Its fairly easy to get tech guys on the phone. Acer gives you more bang for your buck.


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## PoliticalChic (Nov 14, 2008)

CrimsonWhite said:


> Buy the Acer. Their Customer Service is pretty good too. Its fairly easy to get tech guys on the phone. Acer gives you more bang for your buck.



Are speaking from personal experience?  And if yes, which Acer product do you own?


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## pegwinn (Nov 15, 2008)

I saw one of these made by Sony. I think it was actually smaller than your machines. I could not believe that it had a qwerty keyboard and about a 4 in screen. I cannot imagine building a spreadsheet or database on one.

I think I will stick with my Palm.

(For the nasty minded among us, that is a handheld device)


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## PoliticalChic (Nov 15, 2008)

pegwinn said:


> I saw one of these made by Sony. I think it was actually smaller than your machines. I could not believe that it had a qwerty keyboard and about a 4 in screen. I cannot imagine building a spreadsheet or database on one.
> 
> I think I will stick with my Palm.
> 
> (For the nasty minded among us, that is a handheld device)



This won't be my primary machine.  Laptops, even the small 5 lb ones by Dell are too weighty for me.  

I went over to look at one at Radio Shack and I was impressed.  They had the model that had 120GB, but the other specs were the same.

The keyboard is slightly smaller than what you would find on a desktop, but certainly manageable for me since my hands are petite.

One of the benefits of the Acer is that all the keys are in the "right" place.  On the Dell, some of the punctuation keys are located differently.

The rep at the store had it closed, but it took no time for it to open up.

For a netbook, the Acer felt sturdy.  

I'll probably order one from Amazon.com -- comes with free shipping.  Might get a wireless mouse with it.


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## CrimsonWhite (Nov 15, 2008)

PoliticalChic said:


> Are speaking from personal experience?  And if yes, which Acer product do you own?



I own this. 

Acer 6593 

It is fantastic.


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## PoliticalChic (Nov 15, 2008)

CrimsonWhite said:


> I own this.
> 
> Acer 6593
> 
> It is fantastic.



Looks very nice.  Thanks for your input.  

Recently, Dell's service hasn't been the same.  Why they couldn't come up with a unit with 6 battery cells as well is beyond me.


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## pegwinn (Nov 15, 2008)

PoliticalChic said:


> This won't be my primary machine.  Laptops, even the small 5 lb ones by Dell are too weighty for me.
> 
> I went over to look at one at Radio Shack and I was impressed.  They had the model that had 120GB, but the other specs were the same.
> 
> ...



Go for it then. One of these days I want a tablet pc that works as well as my Palm from 2000. Glad for you, envious too, enjoy


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## PoliticalChic (Nov 15, 2008)

pegwinn said:


> Go for it then. One of these days I want a tablet pc that works as well as my Palm from 2000. Glad for you, envious too, enjoy



I just ordered one in sapphire.  Can't wait to get it and try it.  Beat's getting another pair of shoes.  I have a terrible shoe fetish...


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## pegwinn (Nov 15, 2008)

My jones is tools and electronics. Shoes are a distant tie for 14,783rd. LOL.


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## PoliticalChic (Dec 8, 2008)

I am in love with my Acer Aspire One!

Big things do come in small packages.  Since day one, this netbook as been pure joy.  I've been using it for 3 weeks now.  I can't live without it.

I use it to check my emails, read my online papers, take down some notes, and of course post on my messageboards.

I can do this in the comfort of my bed or in my kitchen.  It's like my compact, it goes with me everywhere.  Last week I was at a wireles cafe, and I had no problems surfing the web.

I did call Acer one time to resolve a small problem I was having with the synaptic device and their customer service was excellent.  That was a big issue for me -- the customer service when I was deciding which brand to go for. 

This 6 cell battery really rocks.  On a full charge, it can be used for up to 6 hours!  This is the first computer in our house that is not a Dell and I'm glad I made this choice.  Thanks for everyone's input on this.

Oh, the other thing that's neat is that I can watch Netflix instant movies on this without any problems.  The only complaint is that I can't always watch the youtube videos.  It stops and starts.  But really there are so few complaints I have about this unit...


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