Dell Inspiron Mini 1018 Breaks Cover

Dell has been on a bit of release spree of late, offering up the M101z and M301z and leaking all sorts of details about its upcoming Thunder Android handset. Now it has released something a little less exciting, the Mini 1018 netbook.

This machine, it would seem, is Dell's new entry-level budget offering. Prices start at £279 for a machine running Windows 7 Starter on an Intel Atom N455, 1GB of RAM and a 160GB hard drive. This version only has a three-cell battery, too, and no Bluetooth. 802.11n Wi-Fi is included on all models, at least, and if you go for the £329 spec you get Bluetooth 3.0 and a six-cell battery. A middle of the road £299 option nets you the six-cell battery sans Bluetooth.

In other words, this is a cookie cutter netbook if ever there was one. There aren't a great deal of options to configure either, as you can't specify Linux or tweak the hardware. What's more, Dell has taken a 'less is more' approach to the connectivity; there are only two USB ports, and single audio jack. Ho hum.

It's on sale now if you fancy it, but we recommend taking a look at one of the netbooks in our Best Student Laptop Guide. There are better deals to be had there.

Link: Dell