Netbook Review – Acer, Asus Netbook Review

Rating: 5.75/7

The successor to the HP Mini 1000, the HP Mini 110 is another stylish, slim and powerful 10″ netbook by HP.  As well as being available in two additional colors [white and pink], the Mini 110 differs from its predecessor in three main ways:

1. Matte ‘anti-glare’  display – meaning less reflection in the sunlight.
2. An additional USB port – bringing the total number of USB ports up to the standard three.
3. Presence of a VGA port – as opposed to a VGA adapter port.

At only $327 for the 3-cell battery HP Mini 110, and $349 for the 6-cell battery HP Mini 110, this is a truly superb package.

HP Mini 110 Review -Top features

• Value for money – given the price, the combination of style, performance and specs makes this netbook a catch.
• Compact size – at only 1.3 inches thick, this is only slightly thicker than its 1 inch predecessor.
• Durability – durable and solid plastic chassis.
• Design – truly beautiful glossy finish available in three different colors [black, white and pink].
• Clear and bright ‘anti-glare’ screen – perfect for those of you who would like to use the netbook outdoors.
• Keyboard – HP have retained the same excellent 92% keyboard.
• Upgrade options – HP has provided several upgrade options for the Mini 110 [see 'connectivity and extensibility' of ratings section].
• Battery life – up to 6 hours battery life on this newer 6-cell model.

HP Mini 110 Review -Drawbacks and things to keep in mind

• Elongated touchpad – this vertically narrow touchpad may get slightly annoying.
• Awkward touch-pad-button placement – HP have retained the position of the mouse buttons on the left and right sides of the touchpad.
• Combination headphone/microphone jack – this may cause you problems if you need to record and monitor audio at the same time.
• No Bluetooth – so will require an external dongle if planning on using your netbook with Bluetooth devices.

HP Mini 110 Review – Ratings

1. Price and value for money – 1.0 stars -  provides standard netbooks specs at a truly affordable price
2. Speed and Performance - .75 stars – decent processor [Intel Atom N270 upgradeable to the more powerful N280] and decent hard drive space [ 160 HDD].
3. Screen -.75  stars -  great ‘anti-glare’ screen, but at only 1024 x 576 resolution [ upgradeable to an higher definition ( 1366 x 768)  HD screen].
4. Keyboard, touchpad and usability- .75 stars- great keyboard but loses points on small, stretched out touchpad.
5. Portability and battery life - .75 stars -  Compact and lightweight with a great battery life.
6. Looks and design -1.0 stars – Sleek with beautiful glossy swirl pattern design
7. Connectivity & extensibility - .75 stars – Standard netbook connectivity. Loses out by lack of Bluetooth connectivity. HP provides numerous upgrade options on top of the Mini 110′s standard features of a 10″  1024 x 576 resolution running on an  N270 processor running and 3-cell battery. These extra options are: a) An N280 processor b) A 6-cell battery c) An HD screen with a resolution of 1366 x 768 d) A Broadcom video accelerator.

Where the HP Mini 110 gains vital points is with its numerous upgradeable options – that gives the HP Mini 110 a total of 5.75 stars out of a possible 7.

HP Mini 110 Review -Our Recommendation

A truly affordable netbook that combines  beauty with performance – this time, HP haven’t skimped out on the essentials, making this a superb package for students and those of you after a stylish netbook that retains good specs. You can buy it at Amazon at $327 for the 3-cell battery HP Mini 110, and $349 for the 6-cell battery HP Mini 110.

HP Mini 110 Review -What Amazon users have said

Pros

1. “with its sleek cover, and design, it is certainly one of the most attractive netbooks on the market”.
2. “Smaller size is appealing not only because it is easy to tote around the house, or around town, but also because it is easy to work on while flying”.
3. “Very impressed with the hours of battery time I got with the 6 cell battery”.
4. ” It has a brighter and crisper screen than comparable netbooks out there”.
5. ” I find the battery serves as a nice hand-hold for carrying the computer around; I actually feel more secure carrying it this way”.

Cons

1. “Large plug-in battery protrudes beneath the back of the computer, adding a bit more than 0.75″ to its height…to some buyers it won’t be an issue, but it adds considerable “bulkiness” to the unit, making it harder to fit into standard netbook sleeves”.
2. “Using the touchpad buttons is really awkward – I have yet to understand why the buttons run vertically on the left and right sides of the touchpad instead of side by side along the bottom”.

HP Mini 110 Review -Technical Specification

• Screen: 10.1″ Diagonal SD LED Anti-glare Widescreen Display
  
• CPU: Intel Atom 1.6 GHz N270 processor upgradeable to N280 processor
  
• Chipset:  Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 (shared) with up to 128MB total available graphics memory
  
• OS: Linux MIE [up to 2GB RAM]  or Windows XP Home [ up to 1 GB RAM]
  
• Memory: 1GB DDR2 RAM [ 533 MHz] upgradeable to 2GB RAM.
• Storage: 160 GB [5400RPM] Hard Drive [SATA] or 8 GB [Mi edition] and 16 GB [XP edition] SSD options.
  
• Webcam: 0.3 MP [ VGA 640 X 480, up to 30 fps]
  
• Wireless: 802.11 b/g WLAN
• LAN: Communiations 10/100 Ethernet
  
• Ports and connectors: 3 USB 2.0 ports, 1 VGA monitor out, headphone mic/jack, 5-in-1 digital media slot, headphone/microphone combo jack, AC power
  
• Battery: 6-cell Lithim-Ion battery
  
• Dimensions: 10.3 in  (L) x 6.77 in (W) x 1.04/1.29 in (H)
  
• Weight: 2.5 lbs
  
• Colours: Black, White and Pink
  
• Warranty: Limited 1 year and 90 day warranty options available, depending on country; Extended warranty available
• Price as configured: $349 [6-cell battery], $327 [3-cell battery]
  

Filed under: HP Mini Netbook Review