[georget99]

I've had my Mini 9 for about 24 hours now and I'd like to give my impressions and ask a couple questions.

I've been using an Eee PC 4G Surf daily for the past year so I can't help but compare them. Up front, I must say I really like the Dell. It's 512 Mb, 8 Gb SSD, VGA camera, and I happily paid $30 extra for red, my favorite color -- they saw me coming!

1. I'm so used to the Eee, that the Dell, which is about 1 cm wider and deeper, feels absolutely huge. It also weighs 4 1/2 ounces more so feels heavy to me. I'm sure everyone else comments that it seems so small and light, but my first impression was, that it's big.
2. Although I'm not a big fan of the shiny, reflective screen surface, I do appreciate its better visibility in bright light and outdoors.
3. I miss having a hard drive activity light -- with the silent SSD, there are times you don't know if anything is happening or not, the light gives reassurance. The Eee also has a Wi-Fi light which really is not missed.
4. The battery light is bizarre. On all my other laptops, the light indicates charging and goes out when done. If my understanding is correct, the Dell light blinks to tell you that the battery is low. I know I'll "charge" it someday with an unplugged adapter.
5. I don't like how the mouse buttons drop down into a hole. Feeling the front edge of the case on my finger is annoying. The Eee, and some other Dells have buttons that come to the edge of the case.
6. I love the full installation of Ubuntu. The Eee Xandros is quirky and limited, even with full desktop enabled.
7. I'm especially happy I got Japanese input working with no fuss, I never got it working on the Eee.
8. In Cheese, the camera image is jerky, and recorded video is awful; a series of stills with sputters of sound every second or so.
9. The main typing keys are larger than the Eee's, and I don't mind the layout, too much. Everyone both here and on Eee forums complains about the right shift key, but it's in the same place on both computers and I'm thoroughly used to it.


Will more memory improve the camera performance? I ordered it with 512 Mb and have 2 Gb on the way ($17.99 at NewEgg).

How can I configure a VPN connection? I don't see any options for that.

[holmes4]

The battery light (the white one on the left) stays on until the battery is charged, then goes out. It's the light on the right that flashes when the battery is low.

[georget99]

Originally Posted by holmes4

The battery light (the white one on the left) stays on until the battery is charged, then goes out. It's the light on the right that flashes when the battery is low.

Thanks for the clarification, I just noticed the left light is on when it's plugged in.

[dim7]

I so agree on points (4) and (5)...
By the way, isn't the left light power-on/stand by light...?

[Fallstar]

Originally Posted by dim7

I so agree on points (4) and (5)...
By the way, isn't the left light power-on/stand by light...?

It (left light) kind of serves a dual purpose...depending on whether you're running off AC power or battery.

On AC Adapter:
• Solid white – The computer is on, off, or in hibernate mode, and the battery is charging.
• Flashing white – The computer is in standby mode.
• Off – The computer is off or in hibernate mode and the battery is adequately charged.

On Battery:
• Solid white – the computer is on.
• Flashing white – the computer is in standby mode.
• Off – the computer off or in hibernate mode.

[dim7]

gotcha!

[Brewster]

Will more memory improve the camera performance?

No. 1.3 megapixels is 1.3 megapixels, and memory has nothing to do with its output. The lens is the issue. Most phones with cameras are 1.3 megapixels, and the pictures they provide suck as well.

[psyopper]

Originally Posted by georget99

How can I configure a VPN connection? I don't see any options for that.

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/VPNClient

What I love most about Ubuntu is the community documentation!

[georget99]

Originally Posted by Brewster

No. 1.3 megapixels is 1.3 megapixels, and memory has nothing to do with its output. The lens is the issue. Most phones with cameras are 1.3 megapixels, and the pictures they provide suck as well.

I meant the fact that the system can't keep up with the camera, video is a series of silent stills with short bursts of clipped sound. It seems that with a 1.6 GHz processor and only a 0.3 Megapixel (640x480) camera there should be no problem.

[hgallegos915]

At first I was kinda annoyed by the small keyboard. I have an full sized inspiron. The mini boots SO FAST. I can boot it up right away if I need to get online asap. I love the battery life.