Review: HP Mini 110 1001xx
I recently received the new HP Mini 110 – 1001xx. Upon opening the box, and removing the packaging (HP packs their products very well!), I was amazed by just how small and light this computer is. Starting the computer up brings up the traditional XP customization screen. After finishing XP customization, XP boots and HP’s customization starts running. HP packages AIM, Roxio BackOnTrack, syncables, and the standard array of XP programs (Norton Internet Security Trial, Office Trial).
This Mini has the 1.6 GHz Atom processor by Intel, and while it is faster than many previous generation processors, I feel that it doesn’t have quite enough power. I would like to see an AMD dual core Neo or something similar. The low power processor and power management allows this netbook to achieve some amazing battery life. It comes with a 32GB SSD as opposed to a traditional hard drive which also increases battery life. I have been able to take it to school and manage to a full day without plugging it into the AC.
After running the computer for a while, with several hibernations, I find it needs a reboot. I believe this to be because of the only 1GB of ram.
The ease of setup was very easy as HP provides excellent literature and an easy to follow startup guide. While the setup was easy, it did take awhile due to the processor being only 1.6GHz.
In removing the battery, we find a SIM slot, which I was not able to test as I have Sprint which is SIM free.
The keyboard on this model is a very spacious keyboard, considering how small the computer is. As you can see in the picture above, the size is somewhat similar to a magazine. The screen too is very nice; however, I would have liked to have HP’s Infinity View screen instead of a screen with a border. The screen also has an integrated 1.3 MP camera and microphone which can be used for Skype, or IM’ing. The Mini has a very interesting touchpad and mouse button layout as you can see below. The buttons are on the side of the touchpad which adds a bit of a learning curve, but in my opinion, makes the touchpad more spacious.
The back of the screen has HP’s new Black Swirl imprint finish which also comes in White Swirl and Pink Chic. It is a very cool design but is a fingerprint magnet.
The Mini has 3 USB ports, card reader, Ethernet port, VGA out, and the AC adapter port. In addition, the CPU cooler pulls from beneath the computer and expels the hot air out of the left side. Also, it has a power switch and Wi-Fi switch on the front, which glows when the computer is on.
Testing:
SuperPiMod 1.5 (16K digits): 0.992 Seconds
SuperPiMod 1.5 (32K digits): 1.860 Seconds
SuperPiMod 1.5 (64K digits): 3.844 Seconds
SuperPiMod 1.5 (128K digits): 8.641 Seconds
SuperPiMod 1.5 (256K digits): 18.875 Seconds
SuperPiMod 1.5 (1M digits): 1 Minute 33.844 Seconds
My overall impression of this netbook is a positive one.
Ratings:
Overall Feeling/Layout: 4.5/5
Battery Life: 4.5/5 (about 4hrs on the 3 cell battery)
Performance: 4/5 (I would like to see something a little more powerful for XP)
Keyboard: 5.5/5 (The best netbook keyboard)
TouchPad: 4.5/5 (Takes some getting used to the side click buttons)
Pros:
Great Battery Life
Amazing Keyboard
HP Quality
Cons:
Needs More RAM
Get the linux version IMO
After running the computer for a while, with several hibernations, I find it needs a reboot. I believe this to be because of the only 1GB of ram.
Conclusions and Recommendations:
As we draw to a close, I would like to say that all and all, HP has a decent, competitive netbook on their hands for the netbook sector. I would recommend this version(XP) if you don't know linux very well. Otherwise, I believe that performance would be much better with the linux version.
You can purchase at http://HP.com and customized to be exactly like this one brings the MSRP to : $374.99
Originally Posted by Lothair
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