Netbook Review – Acer, Asus Netbook Review

Rating: 5/7

In true HP fashion, the 10″ Mini 1101 sports the sleek, slim and sexy design thats has made the company a successful new entrant into the netbook competition. With a few adjustments in place, The HP Mini 1101 is essentially the Mini 110, tailored to the business user and traveler; it removes the unnecessary without compromising the needs of the mobile professional.

HP Mini 1101 Review – Top Features

• Compact size – nice and portable at only 1″ thick.
• Durability – durable and solid plastic chassis.
• Clear and bright ‘anti-glare’ screen – suitable for outdoor use.
• Keyboard – large and comfortable 92% keyboard.
• Internal 3G upgrade option – capable of connecting to wireless broadband networks from Sprint, Verizon and AT&T.
• Separate microphone and headphone jacks – with HP’s decision to separate these two jacks, it’s now easy to record and monitor audio at the same time.
• FreeDOS option available – if want to install an alternative or personalized operating system
• Mobile broadband option – offers convenient access to e-mail as well as internet and corporate intranet. 

HP Mini 1101 Review – Drawbacks and things to keep in mind

• Resolution – at 1024 x 576, this is lower than than the standard resolution seen on most netbooks and there is no option for higher screen resolution.
• Elongated touchpad – the touchpad remains small.
• Awkward touch-pad-button placement – the position of the mouse buttons remains on either side of the touchpad.
• Battery life – the standard model comes with a 3-cell battery capable of up to 3 hours battery life [upgradeable to a 6 cell battery].
• No Bluetooth – may not be ideal for those of you who regularly sync portable computing and Bluetooth devices.
• No video accelerator – not that this would bother the business user too much.
• Limited color options – only available in black.

HP Mini 1101 Review – Ratings

1. Price and value for money – 1.0 stars – excellent value for money for a business model netbook.
2. Speed and Performance - .75 stars – decent processor [Intel Atom N270 upgradeable to the more powerful N280] and decent hard drive space [ 160 HDD (or 32 GB SSD) upgradeable to 250 GB HDD].
3. Screen - 0.5 stars – great screen but resolution is slightly below that of other netbooks on the market.
4. Keyboard, touchpad and usability- .75 stars – great keyboard but loses points on small, stretched out touchpad.
5. Portability and battery life - 0.5 stars – Compact and lightweight but loses out on the low battery life of the standard 3-cell.
6. Looks and design – 1.0 stars – sleek and stylish. Very nice design.
7. Connectivity & extensibility – 0.5 stars – Standard netbook specs but loses out by lack of Bluetooth.

That gives the HP 1101 a total of 5 out of 7 stars.

HP Mini 1101 Review – Bottom Line

Although the HP Mini 1101 may lack such perks found in other business class notebooks [such as  an HD display or a DuraKey finish], it provides options that are not available on the consumer oriented HP Mini 110 and is better suited to the  business user.

At only $329.99, the HP Mini 1101 brings affordability to the business range – with the exception of the low battery life that comes with the standard model, this netbook has everything to make it well suited to the business professional ‘on-the-go’ and will serve well as  a companion to a main desktop computer or laptop.

HP Mini 1101 Review – Technical Specification

• Screen: 10.1″ Diagonal SD LED Anti-glare Widescreen Display [ 1024 x 576 native resolution]
  
• CPU: Intel Atom 1.6 GHz N270 processor [upgradeable to N280 Intel Atom Processor]
  
• Chipset:  Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 (shared) with up to 128MB total available graphics memory
  
• OS: Windows XP Home [ with Windpws XP Pro or Windows Vista options]
  
• Memory: 1GB DDR2 RAM [ 533 MHz] upgradeable to 2GB RAM
  
• Storage: 160 GB 5400 RPM HDD [or 32 GB SSD] upgradeable to  250GB SSD
  
• Webcam: 0.3 MP [ VGA 640 X 480, up to 30 fps]
  
• Wireless: 802.11 b/g WLAN, EVDO/WWAN, HSDPA
  
• 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: 28Wh 3-cell Lithim-Ion battery
  
• Dimensions: 10.3 in  (L) x 6.8 in (W) x 1.0 in (H)
  
• Weight: 2.3 lbs
  
• Colours: Black
  
• Warranty: Limited 1 year and 90 day warranty options available, depending on country; Extended warranty available
• Price as configured:  $329.99
  

Filed under: HP Mini Netbook Review