Subnotebook , also called ultraportable , superportable , mini notebook or mini laptop , is a type of laptop computer that is smaller and lighter than a typical notebook-sized laptop.
38-513: The Dell Inspiron Mini Series is a line of subnotebook / netbook computers designed by Dell . The series was introduced in September 2008 amidst the growing popularity of low-cost netbook computers introduced by competitors. The Dell Inspiron Mini 9 (also called the Inspiron 910), was announced on September 4, 2008, as a netbook set to contend with other low-cost ultra-portables such as
76-566: A battery which was intended to be standard rather than only useful for Compaq products. IBM released a Palm Top PC (handheld laptop with 4.7" screen) in 1995. IBM had sold "thin and light" models in its ThinkPad range, such as the ThinkPad 560 ultraportable (1996) and best-selling ThinkPad 600 (1998). It finally entered the subnotebook market in 1999 with the 1.3 kg ThinkPad 240 , targeted at business travellers. The 240 and 240X had 10.4″ screens. Later, however, IBM replaced these with
114-687: A capacity of 60 Whr 6-cell (56 Whr ) Lithium-ion battery Dell Wireless 1510 802.11a / b / g / n mini-card Dell Wireless 1510 802.11a / b / g / n mini-card 3 USB 2.0 Ports 1 Fast Ethernet port 1 HDMI output 1 headphone jack 1 microphone jack 1 3-in-1 memory card reader 1 power adapter connector 3 USB 2.0 Ports 1 Fast Ethernet port 1 VGA output 1 headphone jack 1 microphone jack 1 3-in-1 memory card reader 1 power adapter connector 3 USB 2.0 Ports 1 Fast Ethernet port 1 VGA output 1 headphone jack 1 microphone jack 1 3-in-1 memory card reader 1 power adapter connector The Dell Inspiron Mini 12 (also known as Dell Inspiron 1210)
152-807: A few notable smaller-than subnotebook PCs at this time, including the Atari Portfolio and HP 95LX — both very small MS-DOS machines, roughly comparable in size to later handheld PCs. At the end of 1992, PCMag magazine described two models as subnotebooks: these were the Gateway HandBook the Dell 320SLi (both less than a 1.6 kg weight), and another was released in Italy: the Olivetti Quaderno . Apple and Compaq did not label their machines as "subnotebooks" in this period, but
190-433: A metal chassis (trademark is still active) The Epson HX-20 , released in 1982, was the first portable computer to be classified by journalists as a " notebook computer ". This nomenclature derives from its footprint roughly occupying the same dimensions as an A4 -sized notebook, small enough to fit inside a briefcase. The similarly designed TRS-80 Model 100 from 1983 was the first commercially successful notebook and
228-414: A month later. It was criticized for being slow with Vista. It was retired on August 7, 2009. It features a 12.1 inch (1280x800) WXGA Truelife widescreen display running on a 1.33 GHz or 1.6 GHz Intel Atom Silverthorne CPU, and comes bundled with Windows XP Home or Ubuntu 8.04. It comes with 1GB of RAM (the maximum for the device), a 40/60/80GB hard drive , and a small speaker located above
266-583: A netbook, the Inspiron 11z has replaced the Mini 12 in most markets and occupies a similar position in the model line. Subnotebook As typical laptop sizes have decreased over the course of the 2010s, and other distinguishing features have become mainstream, the distinction between regular-size and 'subnotebook' laptops has largely disappeared. To the extent that it still exists, 'subnotebook' could be defined as machines with screen smaller than 13" but with
304-464: A new system branding called Ultrabooks ; these very much match the prior description of subnotebooks - they used lower-powered processors (but not as low-end as netbooks) and with each generation of Intel processors, the lower-powered U-series processors became a larger part of mainstream sales. typically lacked optical drives and legacy ports, and were generally compact, but as marketed the two terms were rarely used together. Noticeable releases: In 2007
342-581: A permanently-attached keyboard intended for two-handed typing. Prior to this convergence, subnotebooks were also distinguished from netbooks and ultra-mobile PCs , based on both size and market position. Subnotebooks run full desktop class operating systems. Classic subnotebooks were smaller than full-sized laptops but larger than handheld computers . They were distinguished by smaller screens and bodies and lighter weights relative to contemporaneous laptops. The savings in size and weight were often achieved partly by omitting ports , and these were typically
380-630: A similar form factor to the older Mini 10 (1010) and 10v (1011); it is distinguished by the use of the newer Atom n450 processor, and its supporting chipset. The HDMI port is also replaced with a standard VGA connector. Dell released the Mini 10n based on the Mini 10. The only difference between the 10n and the 10 (1012) is the installed OS has been changed to Ubuntu Moblin Remix Developer Edition, bridging Canonical's Ubuntu and Intel's Moblin graphical environment and Atom optimizations. Dell no longer preinstalls full Ubuntu releases on
418-464: Is a netbook with a 10.1" screen that was designed to fill the gap between the Mini 9 and Mini 12. It began shipping on February 26, 2009 with a base price of US$ 399. It has the Intel Atom Z520 and Z530 processor configurations. The default Mini 10 model has a 16:9 widescreen display with a 1024x600 (originally 1024x576) or 1366x768 (described as 720p) HD resolution and an HDMI port. It uses
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#1732791483785456-548: Is also able to run Linux . The Mini 10v has since been discontinued. The Inspiron Mini 10 Nickelodeon Slime Edition was created from a partnership between Dell and Nickelodeon . The laptop had a white lid with the "slime" design, ran Windows XP and had a custom "slime"-themed GUI made using StarDock 's MyColors . It included parental controls using McAfee 's Family Safety. System folders were blocked as well. The desktop featured gadgets linking to Nickelodeon's website and another that linked to Whyville . The Mini 10 (1012) has
494-610: Is credited with spawning an industry of smaller portable computers. Like the HX-20, the Model 100 was smaller than contemporary clam-shell machines; both use a slate form factor, with no hinge and the keyboard and screen on the same plane. The Model 100's later sibling the Tandy 200 was a clam-shell design and smaller than contemporary laptops. The NEC UltraLite , launched in 1988, was the first clamshell "notebook computer" compatible with
532-726: The ASUS Eee PC and Acer Aspire One . The Mini 9 was also sold as the Dell Vostro A90 by the Dell Small Business Unit. The Mini 9 began shipping on September 16, 2008, starting at US$ 349. It is built by Compal Electronics , which also makes the MSI Wind Netbook and the HP Mini-Note 2133 . It is Dell's first netbook. It was retired on May 29, 2009. Dell initially shipped versions of
570-516: The ASUS Eee PC became the first of a new class of low-cost laptops commonly called netbooks . Netbooks are typically based upon the Atom processors, while other subnotebooks use more powerful processors such as ULV types. In 2008, Apple introduced the MacBook Air , which the company claimed was the world's thinnest notebook. This model was notable for offering no built-in optical drive. In
608-526: The IBM PC , a platform whose market share dominated the microcomputer industry throughout the 1980s onward. Its relatively small dimensions — 48 × 220 × 280 mm (1.4 × 8.3 × 11.75 inches) — matched those of a pair of stacked US Letter (similar to A4 ) size paper notebooks. Owing to its lack of a floppy drive (in favor of proprietary solid-state storage), the UltraLite did not see massive uptake by
646-525: The Pentium 4 mobile chips, the mobile Pentium III remained available because of high power consumption on the Pentium 4 leading to high heat and short battery life. This was followed by the Pentium M , which was a dedicated line of mobile processors with no desktop equivalent. This era also featured processors from Transmeta , intended to be extremely power efficient. One of the most notable Sony models
684-814: The Portege T3400 and T3400CT, claiming that "It's the first subnotebook computer with all the functionality of a much larger computer"; the T3400CT was the first subnotebook with a color screen. in 1995, Tosbiba introduced the Libretto 20 , with a 6.1″ screen; CNet reported about the Libretto 50CT that "[it] is the first full-fledged Windows 95 notebook in the United States weighing less than two pounds". Compaq introduced its own short lived subnotebook line in 1994 called Contura Aero , notable for using
722-721: The Poulsbo chipset . It can be customized with GPS or integrated TV tuner. The service manual displays two full-height MiniPCI-E internal slots, and one half-height. It is unclear whether the connectors are all in place, but the manual shows one full-height TV tuner in place. The device also features a multi-touch touchpad. Provided with a driver from Elantech, it can be used for scrolling, 3 button operation, dragging, resizing, rotating pictures and system shortcuts as Start Menu and Explorer (on Windows), browser back and forward, minimizing and maximizing windows, window switching, desktop showing and hiding, and running custom commands. To fill
760-549: The PowerBook Duo and Compaq LTE Lite otherwise qualify, and both lines were among the first to broadly popularize docking stations . Another early model was the Hewlett-Packard OmniBook 300 , which was launched as a "superportable" in 1993; it was one of the first examples to use a flash memory disk instead of a hard drive, to reduce the weight. Toshiba , also entered the market that year with
798-567: The Ultrabook branding for premium thin-and-light laptops. Over the next several years, specific marketing of laptops as "subnotebooks" died out, and since 2017 the term is essentially dead in mainstream branding. As of the early 2020s plenty of smaller laptops remain on the market which could adequately be described as subnotebooks, ranging from the likes of the GPD Pocket (7-inch display) to Microsoft Surface Laptop Go (12-inch display), and
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#1732791483785836-640: The Mini 10n. Because this model uses a standard Intel platform, Ubuntu (or almost any other up-to-date Linux distribution) can be installed by an end user. The Mini 10n hardware is the same as the newer version of the Mini 10 with the Atom N450 CPU, 160G disk and NM10 video. It does not have an available option to add the "media processor" upgrade as on the Windows version of the 1012 which can allow better performance for full-motion video, particularly from HD sources. On August 19, 2010, Dell Europe announced
874-404: The Mini 9 with only partially usable storage, after models were built using a software image that fit just the basic 4GB SSD. Standard operating system upgrades later fixed the issue. The Mini 9 uses a very special SSD drive. It is a 50mm solid state module (MO-300A) with mini PCIe interface. It uses IDE/PATA signal, so replacing it with a module with SATA signal won't work, although it will fit in
912-913: The N455 is actually 64-bit and Hyper Threading capable, and thus is actually capable of running 64-bit variants of Windows 7. Intel Atom Z530 (1.60 GHz ) Intel Atom N280 (1.66 GHz ) 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM ( Crystal HD Broadcom Media Accelerator optional) 10.1 in (26 cm) bright LED -backlit display with 1366 × 768 resolution and TrueLife Early models had 1024×576 resolution Early models had 1024×576 resolution 10.1 in (26 cm) bright LED -backlit display with 1366 × 768 resolution and TrueLife 32 GB SSD 16 GB SSD 250 GB SATA at 5400 RPM 250 GB SATA at 5400 RPM 6-cell (56 Whr ) Lithium-ion battery 6-cell (56 Whr ) Lithium-ion battery 6-cell (56 Whr ) Lithium-ion battery Some batteries for this model had
950-499: The US in 1997 as the VAIO 505GX. This was followed by the even thinner Sony VAIO X505, which measured just 0.8 × 8.2 × 10.2 inches, and reached 0.3″ at its thinnest. However, it was very expensive and had poor battery life, and was soon withdrawn. Apple replaced the aging PowerBook Duo line with relatively light-weight (4.4 lb (2.0 kg)) but short-lived PowerBook 2400c ; this
988-516: The X range, with 12.1″ screens. In 1997 Mitsubishi Electric released ultra-compact 12.1" Mitsubishi Pedion laptop line with ultrathin magnesium case (18 × 218 × 297 mm) and chiclet keyboard. This short-living model line was sold only in Japan, and was discontinued after some hardware issues. Sony launched an ultraportable (ultrathin) less than an inch thick in Japan - the PCG-505, which reached
1026-415: The first machines to omit optical disc drives or on some of the earliest models, floppy disk drives. They were also some of the first systems which could be paired with docking stations to compensate. One notable form-factor of subnotebook-oriented docks were "slice docks" — a more transportable version of the classic docking station. 2018-current (Asia only) most often Intel Atom particularly
1064-517: The gap left when the Mini 9 was discontinued, Dell introduced a 'value' version, the Inspiron Mini 10v, which ships with a standard VGA connector, 1024x600 resolution display (1024x576 on early models) and the same Atom N270 processor that the Mini 9 used (an optional upgrade to the N280 was briefly later available.) In fact, the 10v has nearly exactly the same hardware as the Mini 9 and, as such,
1102-827: The general public. The first commercially successful notebook in this vein, the Compaq LTE , was released in 1989 to critical acclaim and high sales. The success of the LTE convinced IBM and Apple to release their own slimmer laptops, starting with the PS/2 Model L40 SX and the PowerBook 100 , respectively. IBM replaced the L40 SX with the PS/2 note in early 1992 and the ThinkPad line in late 1992. There were also
1140-709: The introduction of the Intel Atom , ultra-low-voltage processors which has since having become mainstream, and the use of ARM microprocessors. Another notable implementation was a migrate from CCFL screen backlit to more energy-efficiently and compact LED-backlit screens. On the other hand, over the course of the 2010s, with growing of sales for mainstream users, optical drives and legacy ports became uncommon, and some classic subnotebook features (like additional replaceable batteries, alternative input methods, docking options, Smart Cards, mobile broadband modules, additional storage) become rare. At Computex 2011 Intel announced
1178-601: The introduction of the Dell Mini 1018. This new Dell Mini features the Atom N455 CPU which supports DDR3 memory. Design has also been tweaked and stated specs include 7+ hours of battery life on the 6-cell battery (unconfirmed). As of January 2011, the model has been made available in Asia. The Asian release of the 1018 features 1GB of DDR3 RAM and is shipped with Windows 7 Starter as well as Office 2010 starter. However
Dell Inspiron Mini Series - Misplaced Pages Continue
1216-437: The keyboard. For connectivity, the device carries WiFi and 3 USB ports. A 1.3 MP webcam and internal bluetooth are available as options. The Dell Inspiron Mini 12 is 1.1 inches thick and weighs 3.2 pounds (with six-cell battery), or 2.8 pounds (with three-cell battery). In dell black and silver colour. The outside is shiny black. On site one year warranty by Dell. While not labelled an "Inspiron Mini" or marketed as
1254-586: The same year Lenovo released last widely known hi-end 12" subnotebook line without touchpad, the ThinkPad X200, X200s and X200 Tablet models. In 2010 saw a number of semi-rugged low-end subnotebooks for the education market, including the Dell Latitude 2100, Lenovo ThinkPad x100e, and HP ProBook Education Edition; these notably had laptop charging trolley support. In 2011, the first Chromebooks were introduced by Google, and Intel's introduced
1292-509: The socket. In January, it was suspected that some units were shipping with 24 watt-hour capacity batteries, labeled as 32 watt-hour. The low-capacity batteries appear to be those manufactured in Tokyo . It was later determined that the software used to examine the batteries was incorrectly reporting the capacity and has since been reported to be fixed with an upgrade of the BIOS. The Mini 10 (1010)
1330-480: Was co-designed by IBM, and manufactured for Apple by IBM Japan. In 2000 Compaq released a more compact successor of Digital HiNote line - the 10.3" Armada M300 , with magnesium case and 1.6 kg weight. Sony also launched the C1 range of subnotebooks, starting in Japan in 1998. This period was notable for a major split between lower-power-consumption and higher power x86 processors in laptops; although Intel released
1368-473: Was covered in non-computer magazines including GQ, FHM, Elle and Rolling Stone. In 2006, Microsoft introduced a new ultra-mobile PC format, under the code-name Origami. These were smaller versions of Tablet PC computers; One example was the Samsung Q1 . Since 2007, the laptop computer market has seen an increased segmentation of microprocessor lines to different purposes and power levels, including
1406-406: Was released online on October 16, 2008 and announced on October 26, 2008 as a larger counterpart to the Mini 9. It was mainly created for the netbook market, with a secondary goal of competing with subnotebooks . It began shipping on December 8, 2008, with a starting price of $ 549. The netbook originally shipped with Windows Vista Home Basic SP1 32-bit, but an option for XP Home SP3 32-bit was added
1444-534: Was the Vaio PCG-C1VE or PictureBook (2001). It was one of the first machines with a digital camera built into the lid, which could be used for video conferencing or swiveled to photograph a scene. This was followed in 2005 by the Flybook convertible with a 8.9 inch touch screen. The Flybook featured a built-in phone connection for GPRS or 3G networking, and is available in a range of bright colors. This
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