I just set up an Inspiron Dell Mini9 laptop. You’ve probably seen a bunch of these “Netbooks” popping up all over the place. There are some definite pros and cons to keep in mind when considering a device like this.
On the upside, the Mini9 is tiny, ultra portable and cheap. Cheap cheapy cheap! This particular model includes Windows XP Home Edition, 1GB RAM, 8GB Solid State Hard Drive & 3yr warranty. Costs about $500.
If your needs are limited to browsing the internet and computing “in the cloud” and you have smallish hands, pick one up (with your smallish hands).  Speaking of small hands, this would be an ideal computer for kids. If you do decide to get Junior one of these for eating all his veggies, try this KidZui browser for kids.

Now, before you get all excited about the price tag and start moving your company to an all netbook model, it would be wise to consider the cons.  Windows XP Home won’t play nice with your Windows network.  Multitasking takes a hit without enough RAM and processing muscle.  While the solid state drives are silent and use less power, at this point the affordable sizes are too small for normal use.  The 8GB drive in the Mini9 didn’t have much free space what with the OS and included programs installed. I have an 8GB drive on my keychain for crying out loud. Hopefully you get the picture that these devices were designed for browsing, primarily.

If these aren’t useful for business, why was I setting one up?  Well, they are not a good choice to replace your desktop or laptop for many business tasks, however, they are terrific for specific jobs. I was setting up this Mini9 for Pacific Heights Surgery Center, a client of ours in the Bay Area. They use a web based inventory tracking application called OptOR. So they will only use the Mini9 for updating their database at OptOR. With space limited in the OR, this device should be a perfect fit!

Let us know if we can help you with a creative solution like this Mini9 laptop!