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The Dell Inspiron Mini 9 is an 8.9" netbook with a $349 (Linux) or $399 (Windows XP) starting price and some impressive features. Dell was kind enough to supply us with a pre-production copy of the Inspiron Mini 9 so that we can conduct in-depth testing and let you know if this netbook really is "your new best friend" ... or just the weird kid you try to avoid on the bus.

pre-production Inspiron Mini 9 features the following specifications:

1.6GHz N270 Intel Atom Processor
1GB DDR2 533MHz (1 DIMM)
Ubuntu 8.04 Linux with Custom Dell Interface (Includes Open Office)
8.9" 1024 x 600 WSVGA glossy LED backlit display
8GB miniPCI SSD card
Intel GMA 950 Integrated Graphics
802.11b/g Wi-Fi
4-in-1 Media card reader
1.3 Megapixel webcam, Dell Video Chat application, Dell Support Center
4-Cell 32Wh Li-ion battery (14.8V)
Size: 9.2" x 6.8" x 1.3" (including feet)
Weight: 2lb 5.5oz (with 4-cell battery), 2lb 11.6oz (with battery and AC adapter)
Price: $434 ($474 with Windows XP)
Performance

Our regular selection of performance benchmarks can't be used with the pre-production Inspiron Mini 9 given the fact that it is a Linux-based notebook. We will be publishing a follow-up in the coming weeks with details of how Windows XP performs on the Mini 9, so please keep an eye open for that.

In the meantime, we can measure the time it take to perform a number of simple procedures in order to give you an idea of how the Mini 9 performs. Please keep in mind that the speeds listed below will vary depending on the number of applications you have open at any given time (multitasking always slows things down).

Startup: ~20 seconds
Opening and loading the NotebookReview.com website in Firefox: ~3 seconds
Starting playback on a 700MB AVI video file: ~3 seconds
Starting the Open Office application: ~5 seconds
Opening a 3.84MB PDF document: ~3 seconds
Opening a 2.51MB PowerPoint presentation: ~10 seconds
For those interested in the speed of the 8GB SSD, hdparm benchmarks the SSD buffered read speed at 26.91MB/sec. For comparison, the 4GB SSD in the ASUS Eee PC 4G performs at 21.78 MB/sec. Meanwhile, a Lenovo ThinkPad T60 with a fast 7200rpm Seagate hard drive has a buffered read speed of 54.62 MB/sec and a Toshiba Tecra A9 with standard 5400rpm hard drive has a buffered read speed of 44.87 MB/sec.

While the Mini 9 won't win any awards for performance within applications, startup is quite fast and overall performance is fast enough to keep most users happy.

True 1080p HD video content might be out of the question based on the specs of the Mini 9, but the pre-production unit used in this review was able to handle up-scaled standard-definition video with stable frame rates and smooth sound.