Dell's Uninspired Inspiron Mini 10v

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Other sites didn't fare so well. With a resolution of 1024 by 600 pixels, the 10v screen couldn't handle Yahoo (YHOO) Mail, which gave me a warning that it wasn't intended for screens of less than 1024 x 768 resolution. And Facebook performed slowly. As with all netbooks, the small screen size can also be a hindrance. I opened an e-mail containing several vacation photos, but the e-mail message real estate was so small that I couldn't see an entire photo at once.

Awkward Touch Pad

Adding to my list of gripes is the 10v's small, hard-to-maneuver touch pad. To left- or right-click, you depress the lower corners of the pad. The pad doesn't handle more than one finger-sliding or clicking gesture at once, though, and I found my timing had to be just right to execute the intended commands.

Then there's the Windows nag-ware that made using this netbook less enjoyable. Within a couple of minutes of starting up, a pop-up alert window from security software vendor McAfee (MFE) informed me that "your computer is not fully protected," and urged me to check my "protection status [to] fix the problems." Heeding that message led to an array of cryptic messages about the age of my "detection signatures." Maybe one day, the Windows world will collaborate to tackle these kinds of annoyances earlier in the game.

Also endemic to this class of computers is the dearth of preinstalled software. Besides a Web browser and Windows Media Player, there isn't much. Dell includes Microsoft Works on a disc in the box, but you'd need to hook up your own external CD-ROM drive to install it. There was some puzzling audio software preinstalled, though. Clicking on Windows XP's volume control opened a jam-packed control panel from a Taiwanese company called Realtek Semiconductor that included a sound equalizer and settings that could make the computer's sounds replicate a "stone corridor," "arena," "bathroom," or "sewer pipe." Sewer pipe?

If you're shopping for a budget-priced and stylish netbook that will stand up to daily Web surfing, and aren't hoping for much more, the 10v is a solid choice.

Ricadela is a writer for BusinessWeek in Silicon Valley.

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