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Dell Inspiron Duo Reviewed

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Joanna Stern, also known as the Queen of Netbooks, reviewed the Inspiron Mini Duo over at Engadget.Unfortunately, the device doesn’t look like it’s going to live up to the hype and excitement we first experienced when we first saw it at IDF 2010. The Inspiron Duo definitely has that ‘gotta have it’ geek appeal at first glance, but a closer look may have you thinking twice before spending $549 on the device. This netbook’s flipping feature comes at a premium that most consumers won’t be willing to pay.

As you can see in the video, the Duo’s glossy screen has very poor viewing angles. We all know how frustrating glossy touchscreens can be, even when they’re of otherwise good quality. Like the iPad, the Dell Inspiron Duo is going to be a gloss monster, attracting fingerprints for an added measure of viewing displeasure.

On the bright side, the Dell Inspiron Duo  plays back 1080p video quite well thanks to Broadcom HD accllerator and dual-core Intel Atom processor.

The Dell Inspiron Duo relies on Windows 7, but there is a touch layer called Dell Stage. The app launcher is pretty basic and pretty frustrating to use. In the video apps take 15-20 seconds to launch. That’s painfully slow. The multimedia experience also looks very slow. Scrolling through photo libraries is not smooth and Joanna questions why you’d even bother using Stage.

The Dell Inspiron Duo may have been a very compelling device a year ago, when gadgets were a bit more expensive and before Apple, Dell and Samsung released other tablets in the same general price range. Other gadgets, such as HDTVs have also come down in price significantly, competing for consumers’ dollars that may otherwise be spent on secondary PCs, such as the Duo.

The Dell Inspiron Duo is available for order now over at Dell.com for $549.

8 Comments

8 Comments

  1. Jonathan Cohen

    11/30/2010 at 11:30 pm

    Too bad they didn’t go for the Vadem Clio design, which is what I thought it had at first glance.

    • ChrisRS

      12/01/2010 at 2:20 pm

      This innovation is very similar to the Clio design from 1999.

      As I recall, the Clio design had 2 arms instead of the full frame around the screen. I think this design is more stable and provides a flatter surface when in tablet mode. Oveall I don’t think it makes for a larger or heavier computer. The keyboard foward partially rotated position was more compact, but doesnot allow for a touchpad.

    • ChrisRS

      12/01/2010 at 2:20 pm

      This innovation is very similar to the Clio design from 1999.

      As I recall, the Clio design had 2 arms instead of the full frame around the screen. I think this design is more stable and provides a flatter surface when in tablet mode. Oveall I don’t think it makes for a larger or heavier computer. The keyboard foward partially rotated position was more compact, but doesnot allow for a touchpad.

  2. StevensRS

    12/01/2010 at 2:05 pm

    The 1366×768 screen resolution is a a plus. (The review is not very positive about the screen quality.)

    This would be much more appealing TO ME with an active digitizer.

    No video out means no External monitor of TV. This is a real miss. I am not sure about the non-useer replaceable battery. What will the infrastructure be to do local replacement? Shipping back to the factory does not seem reasonable.

    The dock is disapointing. Both landscape and portrait mode should be supported. Video out is a major missing feature. Generic USB docking solutions look better. (Too bad.)

    All that said, I hope this product is sucsessful, if only to help the Win 7 Tablet market. It will help open the way for other options, such as active digitizer, more powerfull processors, more memory, etc.

    This is still a touch netbook. It could be a true consumer oriented TabletPC. Maybe that will come.

  3. Dwight Quarles Jr

    12/02/2010 at 5:21 pm

    Other video reviews mentioned that Dell expected the speed of the computer to increase at final production. https://www.engadget.com/2010/11/30/dell-inspiron-duo-review/

  4. HoaiTX

    01/07/2011 at 4:27 am

    Oh nice, thanks for your information!

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