The good: Best Netbook keyboard we've seen; thinner and lighter than HP's previous Netbook; ditches slow Via processor for faster Intel Atom.

The bad: Limited expansion options; overly glossy screen; needless proprietary external drive connection.

The bottom line: HP may have arrived late to the consumer Netbook game, but by lifting the generous keyboard from last year's business-oriented model, the Mini 1000 easily joins the category's top tier.

Read full review of the HP Mini 1000 »

By Dan Ackerman, CNET.com
Oct 29, 2008

It may seem as if Hewlett-Packard is arriving somewhat late to the Netbook game with its Mini 1000, but the company's business division has offered a similar system, the 2133 Mini-Note PC since the spring of this year. That model scored points with the best Netbook keyboard we've seen and a solid metal construction, but the wimpy VIA processor (and a higher price than other Netbooks) kept it from being a top contender.

This new consumer version has a nearly identical design, but in lightweight plastic (its body is also slightly thinner). The large, comfortable keyboard remains--and is the Mini 1000's best feature--while the CPU has been upgraded from the Via C7-M to the Intel Atom. At US$549, our review unit is about US$50 more than our self-imposed Netbook price cap, and it surpasses the US$500 mark without including a pricey, yet preferred (for a Netbook), solid-state drive. Our model features a 60GB (spinning) hard drive; SSD options up to 16GB are available.

We're dubious of HP's bizarrely proprietary "HP Mini Mobile Drive" slot, which is basically a recessed USB port into which only specially branded HP USB drives can fit. We'd happily trade this slot for a media card reader or ExpressCard slot. Without it, we might have been able to get separate headphone and mic jacks--as it is, you get only one shared audio connection. Still, the actual hands-on experience is the best of any Netbook we've tested so far, making it well worth a look for anyone interested in jumping into the Netbook arena, especially those who dread spending time typing on cramped keyboards.

Editors' note : This review is based on tests done by our sister site CNET.com. As such, please note that there may be slight differences in the testing procedure and ratings system. For more information on the actual tests conducted on the product, please inquire directly at the site where the article was originally published. References made to some of other products in this review may not be available or applicable in Asia. Please check directly with your local distributor for details.

Design

The Mini 1000's footprint is nearly identical to that of the earlier HP 2133 Mini-Note PC, measuring slightly wider and thinner. It's also a little lighter, thanks to the switch from aluminum to plastic. Netbooks are designed with price and portability in mind, so they're usually not the fanciest designs to come out of a PC maker's lab. While an aluminum chassis is generally preferred to one made from plastic, the switch to plastic here makes sense because every penny and ounce counts. Overall, we appreciate the Mini 1000's efficient and attractive layout--there's hardly any dead space on the keyboard tray.



The biggest selling point for the Mini 1000 is its fantastic keyboard, which HP claims is 92 percent of the size of a full-sized laptop keyboard. Other Netbooks have been plagued by tiny Chiclet-like keys, which make typing a pain and typos plentiful. By expanding the keyboard right to the edges of the system, HP was able to fit bigger keys into the tray than other Netbooks (and even ultraportable laptops). The result is a comfortable typing experience that beats even Dell's Inspiron Mini 9.

Features

The 10.2-inch wide-screen LCD display offers a 1,024 x 600-pixel native resolution, which is standard for Netbooks. It's certainly readable, but most documents and Web pages will require some scrolling. The display is covered by the same edge-to-edge glass we saw in Apple's new MacBooks, which adds to the aesthetic, but is also a glare magnet.



The Mini 1000 has fewer ports and connections than many other Netbooks, but the two USB ports should be enough for most users. The Dell Inspiron Mini 9, in comparison, has three USB ports, plus separate headphone and mic jacks, while the HP has only a single switchable audio jack. We wouldn't mind so much, but HP felt the need to include a proprietary recessed USB jack for use with the company's HP Mini Mobile Drive--basically an elongated USB memory stick. We'd rather the chassis space and hardware costs go into another USB port, a video output, or even a separate mic jack.

Tags: Netbook, USB Port, Hewlett-Packard Co., Keyboard, Intel Corp.

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