Dell Inspiron Zino HD - The Mac Mini for PCs

I recently purchased two Dell Inspiron Zino HDs: one to replace my 2004 home desktop (which at the time was the most powerful machine available... and now about as efficient as my iPhone) and one to power a display monitor at Dogpatch Labs (see here). These are terrific machines. They are slim (8" by 8"), powerful (8GB memory and 1TB hard drive), has plenty of ports (four USB 2.0, HDMI and VGA) and comes equipped with internal wifi, Windows 7, etc. Best of all: it starts at $249 - and, when fully loaded, it is still way under $1,000. They are perfect as media machines (in the home or office) - which is similarly how the Mac Mini is touted. But I decided to trade in my desktop for the Zino and, thus far, feel great about it. With the majority of my computer usage having moved to the web and web-based applications (Google Apps is a great example) - our machine needs have changed... this is the same reason that netbooks are so popular and will become increasingly effective and useful in the near-term.

I find the Zino noteworthy for two other reasons:

1. the price is staggering. I purchased a top of the line Dell desktop in 2004 - it was 2-3x the price and is much less powerful than this machine.

2. the Mac Mini is a celebrated, popular machine; meanwhile, the Dell Zino is relatively unknown or discussed. It is as powerful, cheaper and runs Windows - which appeals to a larger user base... so why isn't it well known / popular?

Dell Mini 10 & Dell Adamo: Year of the Netbooks

I've written before that 2009 will be the year of the Netbook. As consumers get more accustomed to surfing the web on their cell phones, using online services (like Google Docs) and doing it on slim, portable devices - it makes sense that we will transition from larger, more powerful machines to Netbooks. And considering the economic climate, the significantly slimmer price is a major advantage.

A couple months ago, I previewed the Dell Mini 12 which in hindsight was better looking than it was functional (too little power and too slow).

But today, Engadget has write ups about two better Dell Netbooks: the Dell Mini 10 and the Dell Adamo. Though neither is as slick as the iPod Tablet I'm craving, both looks fantastic:

Dell Mini 10:

More on Engadget

Dell Adamo:

More on Engadget

Dell Inspiron Mini 12... Tasty!

I love the form of the MacBook Air...But I really do prefer Windows to Macs....

I know - I am out of the loop on that front. I am one of two Windows users at Widgetbox and beRecruited's back-end was all written on old Mac products.

But the Apple's form really is tempting / tantalizing; and Dell doesn't match it until you get into the very expensive range.

That's where the Dell Inspiron Mini 12 comes in: it starts under $600! That's worth it right there for portability. I can't wait to get my hands on one of these:

Previews from the leaders: - Engadget - Gizmodo - Laptop Mag