Sometimes you want a high end machine that is about bragging rights. Other times you just need a machine that will get the job done. One that can do it without draining you of all of your funds in the process can feel like mana from heaven.

Today we are going to talk about the Dell Inspiron iM1012-799OBK Mini 1012 a netbook that just might be able to give you everything that you need and few things that you want. Provided you do not have high-end expectations you will find that this netbook is a diamond in the rough.

Cost: $374.99

Now that you know how much this baby costs we can talk about what you really want to know. We can talk about the specs. This system has an Intel N450 Atom Processor that is set to run at a speed of 1.66GHz. For a netbook that is really not too bad. It is enough to get you where you want to go on the web. The amount of memory that this system has to offer is not bad, provided that you are not too deeply into your media collection. The total hard drive space is 250GB. One the whole this is enough for document storage, and even some quality time with your music. Just don’t get too attached to your non-cloud stored media library. If you have an Amazon account, rather than iTunes you will find what you need is easily accessible. The screen of the Dell Inspiron iM1012-799OBK Mini 1012 has a 10.1" size, which is fairly standard. The system also comes with a built in 3150 Intel Graphics Media Accelerator to make your life easy. The operating system is a surprisingly modern Windows 7 Starter.

With a total weight of three pounds this system is set up to be carried around easily, but you may want to get yourself a good backpack to make your life easier.

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We all know that sometimes what is popular is not right. After all, anyone with a web connection can see the horrible makeup and fashion that was in style in the 1980, and the amazing popularity of Jersey Shore is a mystery to right minded people everywhere. In some cases however getting what is popular is a good thing. Users in the technology market however may be a good indication of what devices you want to buy and which ones you want to pass on by. After all, no one wants to buy a less than stellar device and they share their experience with their family, friends and co-workers. Those opinions then influence the sales of the devices. So, in this one case you can use popularity as an indicator of which devices you want to consider when you are ready to make your netbook purchase.

Lets take a look at some of the best selling models.

The Toshiba NB505-N508BL

Cost: $268

About the device: This system features and Intel Atom processor N455, a 250GB (5400 RPM) Serial ATA hard disk drive, a 10.1 inch diagonal screen with a resolution quality of 1024 x 600 and a battery with a life of 8 hours, 21 minutes. With those specs at that price you can see how this one took the number one spot in no time at all.

The Dell Inspiron Mini 1018

Cost: $259

About the device: This system is, in a lot of ways, similar to the one listed above. It also has an Intel Atom processor N455, a 250GB hard drive, and a 10.1-inch diagonal screen with a resolution quality of 1024 x 600. The only notable difference is the battery life of the device with this system you will only get six hours of normal battery life from this model and that number is still pretty respectable.

The Acer Aspire One AO722-BZ454

Cost: $359

About the device: This machine will set you back a little bit more but it has some nice upgrades as well. The processor is a AMD C-Series Processor C-50, which is a solid option that is on par with the Intel offerings (and depending on what reviewer you ask some say it is better for mobile processing) as well as a 250GB SATA hard drive and an ATI Radeon™ HD 6250 graphics processor, with 256MB of memory to back it up. Couple that with the 11 inch screen and seven hours of battery life and you can see how it is a great choice for users with a little bit more cash in your pocket.

So which model will you choose? If one of the top three will not do it for your needs, or your budget you can see a comparison of more models by checking out our netbook comparisons page to see a wide range of options that are well suited to your work and play needs.

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Going back to school, or off to university for the first time, means that you need a lot of supplies. In the digital age one of the most important things that you can do is buy the right computer, because you are going to be spending a lot of time with that machine. Desktops have their place in the world, but for most students they are not flexible enough. Laptops can be expensive and surprisingly bulky when you have to carry them around all day. Luckily, there is a tool ideally suited to the on the go lifestyle of a student that allows them to not only get their work done wherever they need to but to do it without any added back strain.

Let's take a look at some of your best choices for in back to school netbooks.

The Toshiba NB505-N508BL

Cost: $269.77

This machine features an Intel Atom processor N455 that runs at a speed of 1.66 GHz, and has 512KB or L2 Cache memory to back it up. The 250GB serial ATA hard disk drive can be expanded with USB or cloud based storage. The screen is a 10.1" with a resolution of 1024 x 600. The operating system in Windows 7, which is good news if you have to worry about the interoperability of your netbook. The battery life is measured at 8 hours, 21 minutes.

The Acer Aspire One AOD255E-13492

Cost: $239.99

This machine has similar specs to the one listed above, the Intel Atom N455 Processor, the screen with a with a resolution of 1024 x 600 and the 250 GB hard drive. It does have two advantages. The first is that it is slightly cheaper than the model listed above, and when every penny counts those $30 can be important. The second is that it comes with a version of Microsoft Office, the Microsoft Office Starter 2010 software suite pre-installed. If you have ever had to but MS office in the past you know how expensive it can be, and that free software can be a big cost benefit.

The Dell Inspiron Mini 1018 4034CLB

Cost: $299.85

Again, this Dell has very similar specs to the other machines, but it is unique in a very good way. First and foremost it comes with a solid warranty, which is good news if you, or your child, are built for destruction. The second important feature is the Dell DataSafe Online backup storage feature. This system keeps your data in a remote storage site that means no matter what you lose or how much you damage your machine you will not lose that paper you spent all semester working on.

There you have it, your three best choices for back to school netbooks. Enjoy you working on the go.

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Taking your games on the go can be an essential part of getting through your daily train ride to work or surviving that long family reunion weekend. Of course, enjoying your games does not just have to be a way to survive the annoying parts of your daily life. It can just be about getting out there and enjoying your games in the real world. After all playing World of Warcraft is fun but playing it with a freshly made custom Frappucino in your non-mouse using hand is even better. So let's look at some of your best gaming options for netbooks.

The MMORPG Gamer

If you love your MMO's then you need a system that can handle the speed that you need to stream your world as well as a strong graphics offering so that you do not end up finding out that you can not longer run your favorite world once the world updates. Lets look at your options.

The Acer Aspire One AO522-BZ465 should definitely be on your shopping list. With a AMD C-Series Processor, 250 GB hard drive and a ATI Radeon HD 6250 Graphics card you should be able to run any MMO that you want without a problem. If Acer is not your brand of choice another solid choice for the MMO gamer is the Dell Inspiron Mini 1018 it features an Intel Atom N455 Single Core 1.66GHz, and Intel® NM10 Express graphics for wide screen HD displays.

The PC Gamer

If you prefer your game to be single player, and to install from a disk or download then your needs are going to a be a little bit different. While you will still need to have the power to process high end graphics but your hard drive space may need to be larger, or at least very expandable in order for you to get what you want. Let's peek at your choices.

Your first go to machine will be the Samsung NF310-A01 it gives you HD graphics and while the hard drive has only a standard 250 GB of memory attached it is also expandable without giving up your USB mouse thanks to its multiple USB ports. Users who have this machine to game have reported that even current generation PC titles run very well. At $340 on Amazon this one is a great deal as well.

Another great choice is the Toshiba NB305-N600. Sure, it looks a little funky but with just about nine hours of battery life, an Intel Atom processor N550 and HD graphics this machine will, for $354, make you happy that you bought it. This is also a great choice if you, or the person you plan to give it to, is accident prone since it comes with a hard drive impact sensor that can help it to save itself from your snafus.

Of course, if you want to do some comparison-shopping you should feel free to. Check out our netbook comparisons page to find your dream gaming machine.

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There are a lot of different types of netbooks out there. Some of them are meant to be strictly for work. Some of them are made to be specifically for play. Others are made to be a middle of the road option. They are not designed only with work in mind, but they are also not the media monsters that hardcore fans of the film will crave. The Dell Inspiron Mini iM1012 is one of those solid middle of the road options. If you are looking for a machine that will let you deal with your work documents and enjoy your streaming media then this is the machine for you. It will not be a powerhouse for either, but for the vast majority of users you will be satisfied with what you get for the cash.

The system comes equipped with a Intel Atom N450. It runs at 1.66GHz and has 512KB of cache and 1GB of standard memory to back it up. For most of us that will be more than sufficient for someone who is in search of a machine that will give you processing power for most applications. Just do not expect to be able to install and work with high memory applications such as Adobe Photoshop, on this machine. Then again, a program that large is not really a solid option for most netbooks. This one has a base hard drive of 250GB, which is enough to store your documents. Just be sure to clean it out every few months or you will experience a decline in performance.

The screen of the Dell Inspiron Mini iM1012 is 10.1", which is standard, but has a resolution of 1024 x 600 which is not quite high definition but it is good enough to enjoy the majority of the streaming media that you will get from the web. On the whole, unless you are working on a high bandwidth network, you probably will not be streaming a lot of truly HD media anyway.

The operating system is Windows 7 Starter, which is a solid choice for users who do not want to have a to learn a new operating system in order to be up and running with their netbook. The keyboard, which is 92% of the standard size, is a great choice for users who are going to spend a lot of time typing on their machine, instead of playing with their media, which makes it ideal for both professionals and students who want to finish their tasks on the go.

Other hardware of note includes a built-in 1.3MP webcam, and a solid microphone, that users report gives a decent sound quality. The 6-cell lithium ion battery gives a decent battery life, though users have been reporting some vastly different numbers on how long the battery on the Dell Inspiron Mini iM1012 will last. It seems to vary with the manner of usage. So be aware that media will consume more battery than other options.

If this is not the netbook for you then check out our netbook comparisons page to find the one that meets your needs.

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The Dell Inspiron Mini 1018 is an interesting offering in the world of netbooks. It gives you a solid machine for general use, without really specializing in any one area. It is not particularly work oriented, nor is it particularly designed with play in mind. You could quite easily think of it as a good sneaker. It may not have the rugged toughness of a hiking boot, or make the statement that rocking a pair of Converse does, but it will happily get you where you are going. For most of us, that trait will be a very good thing. Few people only buy a netbook for work, and alternatively few of us only buy them for play. A middle of the road option is, for users without any special needs, a solid option at a fair price of $284.99.

The system comes equipped with an Intel Atom N455 Processor that runs at a speed of 1.66GHz. That is strong enough to run the majority of sites and apps that you will be able to download onto your netbook. As with the majority of options, do not expect to run any high processing requirement software, such as Photoshop, on this system, unless you want to be sorely disappointed by the results.

The Dell Inspiron Mini 1018 does a decent job with the graphics. Of course, you will be able to watch video and view presentations, but this netbook is getting display screen kudos from the pickiest of groups: PC gamers. Users have reported the ability play a variety of games that include: Plants vs. Zombies, Flight Control HD, Doom 1&2, Star Wars Jedi Knight series. The system is also capable of playing more graphics intensive games, such as Half Life 2 and Doom 3, provided that you are willing to run them on the lowest settings. Considering that this is a netbook, and some desktop system have issues with running these programs well, that is fairly impressive.

Battery life is also coming in at a sold number, but not one that is too exciting. You will get five to six hours of life with average use. That is about on par with a variety of notebook PCs that you will find out on the market. That is good news for both people who have to work on the go and people who are looking to play. You won’t get a full day out of it without plugging in, so people who tend to work marathon hours will become friends with their power cords quickly.

This system has Windows 7 installed, which means that most users will not have an issue with learning the operating system, which you may have had if you choose a netbook that has a proprietary operating system.

On the whole, if you are in search of a good all-around netbook that can give you what you need then the Dell Inspiron Mini 1018 is the machine for you. It is a solid offering for the price. You won’t be disappointed with what you get. If however, this is not what you want, check out our netbook comparisons page to find a netbook that will better suit your needs.

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The Dell Inspiron mini 10 is a strong option for netbook users on a budget.. The price on Amazon, which is under $300 puts it in range for a wide variety of end users, but this offering is not a slouch on the hardware.

In addition to a 1.66GHz Intel N450 Atom processor, which is powerful enough to get the job done, no matter if that job is work or play, this system sports a 250GB Hard Drive, that gives you more than enough space for both storage on the go and keeping some long-term information on the system. As a matter of fact, you may be able to use this netbook in place of your normal notebook PC on a day-to-day basis. That is very good news if you are going to be using this machine for regular work as well as for your travel.

The system is able to connect wirelessly via both the standard Wi-Fi connection and a Bluetooth. These options are fairly standard for a netbook, but if you want to connect your phone to your netbook in order to share a file, then this option can come very much in handy, since it saves you the annoyance of using a cord to make the transfers. It also eliminates any inter-operability issues that may have with a direct connection between the Dell Inspiron mini 10 and your phone.

This netbook comes with a10-inch screen, which has a resolution of 1,024x600-pixels. While this may be a problem for people who are in search of the next hot thing out there, it will be more than useful for any number of users who are more interested in the functionality of their device, instead of having a higher level of technology than their friends. The screen will deal with presentations and even watching standard definition television without any problems at all. There are a lot of reviewers who would blink at the lack of HD on a netbook, but to be honest a majority of users simply do not need this functionality in order to enjoy their machines.

The Dell Inspiron mini 10 has a solid build to it. Don’t go dropping it to test the casing, but this machine will feel like you are holding a piece of technology and not just  a toy. If you do not like the color, you can buy a new cover for the case, for about $40. So, if you want a color change, just factor that money into your purchase costs. The keyboard is a bit cramped, so anyone who does a lot of typing may want to choose another model, or at least invest in a solid speech-to-text system to limit the amount of typing you will do on this model.

The Dell Inspiron mini 10 comes loaded with Windows 7, so any user who has Windows in their home will have little trouble adapting to the OS.

If this is not the model for you then check out the netbook comparisons page to find the one that is right for your needs.

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The Dell Inspiron netbook Intel Atom N455 is a bit of an interesting proposition for only $329.99. It offers the typical netbook user a lot of what they need to get thorough the day, but it skips on a lot of the frills that would attract users who come from specialty sets, such as the videophiles.

Coming in at roughly 3.0 pounds, according to the manufacturer, this offering is not particularly light, but it is heavier than some other netbooks. Then again, users who are in search of something much lighter may be happier with a different netbook model.

The keyboard however, is something to write home about. For a netbook this 92 percent of full-size keyboard is a blessing for any user who is going to write more than a casual email or two in a single sitting. Both mobile workers and fanatics of Facebook will find this keyboard easy to use.

The Operating System is Windows 7 Starter, which can be a good and a bad thing. Windows users will find it easy to adapt to, anyone else will be annoyed by the Microsoft design. It is also worth mentioning that you will have access to neither the Apple App Store or the Amazon App Store for Android, which are the two most popular, and largest app stores out there. So, you may have a harder time finding your favorite apps for your netbook.

Now, lets talk about the graphics. The webcam is pretty much sad, even at this price point. The built-in webcam has a resolution of only 0.3MP, so do not expect to be taking any high-resolution photos or having slick video chat with this setup. The system has a 10.1-inch white light-emitting diode display, with a 16:9 aspect ratio. While this screen may give you a decent enough resolution for streaming standard definition web video, but nothing in the high definition realm will be possible with this setup. The 10.1-inch screen is a standard size for netbooks. On the whole, the graphics are good enough for business use, but not good enough for anyone who really loves their films, though, admittedly most of those people do not invest in netbooks for exactly this reason.

The 250GB hard drive is a good thing. In fact, it is really, with the keyboard, the saving grace of this machine. This is a solid amount of memory for any user who needs to install software for their work, even if it is a larger piece of software, such as Photoshop.

On the whole, with a price tag of $329.99, this Dell Inspiron netbook intel atom N455 is good for the world of business but not so much for play. Users who are ready to get down to business will be pleased with this offering and everyone else will feel a little let down.

If this machine is not the one for you, consider looking at our netbook comparison page to figure out what machine is right for you.

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