Netbook Review – Acer, Asus Netbook Review

6.5/7 stars and 1 bonus star for connectivity and extensibility.

Truly sexy and suave, the HP Mini 5101 is an elegant and stylish netbook, tailored for the business professional. Enclosed in an attractive, lightweight all aluminum chassis, the combination of durability, portability, style and performance make the Mini 5101 a truly excellent addition to the HP range.

HP Mini 5101 Review - Top Features

• Compact size – less than 1″ thick.
• Design- Nicely done by HP; sleek and sexy, without a compromise on professional appearance. Also available in a maroon hue called ‘Merlot red’.
• Durability – this netbook features a sturdy and solid brushed aluminum case and a magnesium alloy base.
• Clear and bright screen – 10.1″, 1024 x 600 matte display with good horizontal and vertical viewing angles [ with the option of a higher resolution 1366 x 768 display].
• 95% Keyboard – definitely one of the largest keyboards on the market, this comes in an island/pebble layout and the keys are coated in a material [DuraKey finish] that HP claims makes them resistant to visible wear.
• Comfortable base and palm rest area – the deck and the underside [made of aluminum alloy] are coated in a comfortable soft rubber paint [called SoftTouch].
• Mouspad button positioning – the mouse buttons are more comfortably placed below the touchpad (on other HP models, the buttons are awkwardly placed on either side of the touchpad) making them more comfortable to use.
• Higher resolution camera – the 2.o megapixel camera on this netbook is higher than the 0.3 or 1.3 megapixel found on most netbooks.
• Battery life – providing over 5 hours runtime on the 4-cell battery and over 7 hours runtime on the 6 cell battery, the Mini 5101 provides more than enough juice for those long flights.
• Performance and hard drive – This netbook comes installed with the faster Intel Atom N280 processor. In addition, although the standard model features a 160GB HD, we were particularly impressed by the option to upgrade to a massive 250 GB HDD, 350GB HDD or 80 and 128 GB SSD storage options! Furthermore, this netbook boasts 7200 RPM hard drive, that is 30%-70% faster than that of standard netbooks that run at 5400 or 4200 RPM. Truly impressive.
• Hard drive protection -for protecting the hard drive, there is: a) a device [HP 3D DriveGuard] that shuts the hard drive off in the case of a fall to prevent damage b) HP panel protection system that includes a scratch-resistant acrylic LCD cover, as well as magnesium hinge brackets for increased durability in demanding environments.
• Excellent wireless connectivity – as well as possessing Bluetooth capability,  the ‘draft-n’ Wi Fi on this netbook works at almost twice the speed of standard Wi-fi and can capture wireless connections at wider distances. In addition, the netbook an be configured with an optional mobile broadband module for 3G mobile broadband services.
• Free pre-installed business software package worth $69 – Free pre-installed Business suite (Corel Home Office) [ $69 retail value]. Corel Home Office is a software package with word processing, spreadsheet and presentation applications that was designed especially for netbooks to take advantage of their small screen. With Corel Home Office, you can open (and save files to) a wide range of popular file formats [including Microsoft Office and and Adobe Acrobat pdf files].
• Energy efficiency – a truly green netbook, the HP Mini 5101 has been engineered to reduce energy consumption, thereby minimizing impact on the environment.

HP Mini 5101 Review – Drawbacks and things to keep in mind

• Touchpad – at only 2.5 x 1.4 inches, the touchpad is slightly small, and has a lot of friction, making it difficult to navigate at times.
• Lack of full ExpressCard slot – disappointing, given the premium netbook price.
• Weight – at 2.6 pounds, this is still within the netbook average of 2.8 pounds. Nevertheless, it is a tad heavier than many other 10″ netbooks.

HP Mini 5101 Ratings

1. Price and value for money – 1.0 stars – given the specs and upgradeable options, this is great value for money.
2. Speed and Performance – 1.0 stars – powerful processor and much faster than standard hard drive.
3. Screen – 1.0 stars -  nice ‘anti-glare’ matte finish, with option to upgrade to higher resolution.
4. Keyboard, touchpad and usability – 0.75 stars – spacious 95% keyboard with comfortable palm rest area. Loses out a bit on the small and high friction touchpad.
5. Portability and battery life – .75 – the standard 4 cell boasts a 5 hour runtime. Decent.
6. Looks and design – 1.0 stars – elegant and classy design.
7. Connectivity & extensibility – 1.0 stars -standard netbook specs[ 3 USB ports (one of which is powered, meaning it can provide electricity to certain peripherals), memory card slot, Ethernet, headphone and mic jacks and VGA]. In terms of connectivity, does better than most netbooks; you get high speed Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, as well as the option of a broadband module for 3G connectivity. In terms of extensibility, the cover is easily removable cover [can be removed without screwdriver] for memory card slot for easily upgrading RAM.

That gives the HP Mini 5101 a total of 6.5 out of a possible 7 stars with the wide range of customizable options giving it 1 bonus star for connectivity and extensibility.

HP Mini 5101 - Our Recommendation

The HP Mini 5101 is a true gem for you business users and travelers out there – you get style, performance, a wide variety of upgrade options and durability, all wrapped up in one.  This is definitely one of the nicest netbooks with great features currently out on the market. It’s definitely one of the best business netbooks out there.

Given the features and customizable options, the starting price of $399 is stunning. Highly recommended.

HP Mini 5101 – Technical Specifications

• Screen: 10.1″ diagonal LED-backlit HD anti-glare
  
• CPU: Intel Atom N280 processor [ 1.66 GHz, 512 KB L2 cache, 533 MHz FSB].
  
• Chipset:  Mobile Intel 945 GCSE Express, Mobile Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
  
• OS: Choice of Windows XP Home, Windows XP Pro, Vista Home Basic, Vista Business and  SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11.
  
• Memory: 1GB DDR2 RAM [ 533 MHz] upgradeable to 2GB RAM.
• Storage: 160 GB standard storage [upgradeable to 250 GB HDD & 320GB HDD or 80 GB SSD & 128GB SSD].
  
• Webcam: 2.0 MP
  
• Wireless: 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Gobi EV-DO/HSPA module
  
• LAN: Integrated Marvell Ethernet 10/100/1000 NIC
  
• Ports and connectors: 3 USB 2.0, 1 VGA monitor out, headphone/line-out, microphone in RJ-45, AC power, secure card slot, High definition audio port, integrated stereo speakers, integrated microphone, stereo headphone/line out. jack, expansion port, AC power
  
• Battery: Standard 4-cell 29 WHr battery [upgraedable to a 6-cell 55 WHr] high capacity Lithim-Ion battery
  
• Dimensions: 11.5 in  (L) x 9.5 in (W) x 0.93 in (H)
  
• Weight: 2 lbs 7.7 oz,/1.01kg,  3 lbs 1.8 oz with AC adapter
  
• Colours: Black
• Warranty: Limited 1 year and 90 day warranty options available, depending on country; Extended warranty available
  
• Price as configured:$399.99

HP Mini 5101 Product Page

Filed under: HP Mini Netbook Review