9? 10v? OSX? Windows 7?

Back on the Mini 9 after spending an hour or so typing away and using the 10v. I really do love both netbooks as an OSX platform. I have to say, though, that I'm still less than thrilled with the kernel panics.

I would like to only keep one (which will probably be replaced by the iPad at some point) but they both have their places. I didn't get the bluetooth on the 10v, for example, so I can't jive with that when I'm mobile. It's a shame. The bigger keyboard is luxurious.

What I am running into with *both*, however, is the things they are both missing: Windows. I prefer running OSX on them, but (apart from the KPs) some things dictate a Windows environment. Case in point: I just acquired a USB GPS dongle. Extremely cool and cheap. Love the idea of using one of these things as a mobile mapping solution when required, but there aren't any reasonable OSX solutions for that. While, on the other hand, I have Streets & Trips 2009 sitting here, unused that's just begging to be installed on a nice, clean Win7 setup. Which netbook gets bumped back to Win7, though?

That's the question that I'm struggling with. A tough life - I know. The other grumble that I have is that I don't want to relinquish my only copy of Win7 to netbook activation and then not be able to use it for a different computer on down the road. Stupid MS activation...

Hackintosh v1 and v2

So, I've been running OSX 10.6.2 on my Dell Mini 9 for some time now, Mr. Anderson. I like it quite a bit. It runs fast (surprisingly so) and works just peachy most of the time. I do have a good handful of kernel panics when running Safari, though, go figure. I've tried turning off extensions, hardware, voodoo... Nothing has gotten around that so far. The solution so far has been to switch to Google Chrome, which runs fairly well (not quite as fast as Safari, sadly) and hasn't had a panic on me once, yet. (Knock on wood.) As much as it's worked well, I am a little bummed about the keyboard on the Mini 9, however. It's not the key size that bothers me so much as it is that they put the apostrophe way down by the arrow keys. It's not something you ever really get used to.

So, when I got a coupon for 20% off a refurbished Dell Mini 10v (plus free shipping) I had to bite. Verdict? Not bad. The standard hard drive is slooooow compared to the 9's SSD. Installation took about twice the time (or more) than installing on the 9. Similar stories for boot times, etc. The keyboard is a dream! Everything is where it should be, which is lovely. Not to mention it's 92% the size of a normal keyboard. Not too shabby.

Safari still kernel panics. Weird. I've resigned myself to the fact that having a hackintosh means making sacrifices. Mine happens to be needing Chrome for a reliable experience when browsing.

But! (Ohhhh, the but!) The trackpad on the 10v is positively horrible. I mean just bad, bad, BAD. I'm wondering if it's a deal breaker. Tracking is sketchy, at best, clicking is a horrible pain, the edges are a ton more sensitive than the center... I don't know what they were thinking when they designed this thing. Bad move, Dell.

The jury is still out as to which netbook I'm going to keep. Awesome keyboard + HD space + horrible trackpad? Or, do I go with the bad keyboard + awesome trackpad + SUPER FAST SSD? It's almost sixes. Only a bit more playing will tell. I do still need to upgrade the RAM in the 10v, which would help the snappiness a bit. But that's a giant pain on this machine.

Oh, and the battery life. Much better on the 9, which isn't surprising given the SSD. Well, not *much* better. Maybe half an hour? Still, every little bit helps when you're in the ~3 hour range. I am very pleased with performance on both machines, though. It's phenomenal. Much more than I'd expect out of a netbook. I'm tempted to convert the 10v to a dual boot platform so I can have my cake and eat it, too. Perhaps I'd know more then about whether I want to keep it or the 9. Time will tell.