In many circles, bigger is better (insert your own joke here).  Dell joined the netbook party late in the game but they’re making up for it in a big way with their recent announcement of the Dell Mini 12.  With it’s 12-inch screen it bring a lot of focus on what makes netbooks a great value.

When you compare the Mini 12 to the Macbook Air the biggest difference you’ll notice is in the pricetag.  Dell Mini should be arriving at $599 which gives it a pricetag that tops most netbooks but pales in comparison to the $1799 price for the Air.

Some may argue that at this price, it’s not longer a netbook and more a notebook.  To them I’d say that a netbook is defined by it’s abandonment of the media drive, much in the same way that modern notebooks were liberated when they abandoned the floppy drive.  It helped make them smaller, less expensive and ultimately drive more people to embrace them.  This is history repeating.

1. Dell To Drop Price On Mini 10..Don’t Get Excited Just Yet

2. Dell Kills Mini 12 Netbook, Leaves No Evidence Of Crime

3. Dell Mini 10 Available From Outlet For $299

4. Dell’s Vista Netbook Mistake

5. The Real Reason Dell Stopped Selling The Mini 9