HP Mini 1000 Review
Rating: 4.5/7
The follow up of the HP 2133 Mini-Note, the HP Mini 1ooo is a beautiful sleek netbook that boasts a 10.2″ screen fitted into a smooth, attractive, as well as solid chassis. It’s also well worth the $340 tag.
HP Mini 1000 Review – Top Features
- Compact size - with the chassis size of typical 8.9″ netbooks, this is the smallest 10″ screen netbook currently on the market.
- Design - smooth, glossy cover with interesting swirl pattern design.
- Durability – tough and sturdy high quality plastic chassis.
- Clear and bright screen - 16:9 flush-glass ‘BrightView Infinity’ display that provides 55% better viewing than standard panels, making it easier to see from a distance.
- Keyboard – 92% keyboard, with solid, widespaced keys located where you would expect them to be.
- Good audio – comes with stereo speakers that are directly underneath the screen [ not underneath the netbook as is the usual case in other models].
- Internal storage augmentation – via a USB add-in memory module, that allows the addition of an extra 2, 4 or 8 GB extra space.
HP Mini 1000 – Drawbacks and things to keep in mind
- Fewer ports - to save on space, there has been a compromise on the VGA port [replaced by a VGA expansion port that requires a VGA adapter for its use], one USB port [two, rather than the standard three] and one headphone/microphone jack [combination jack as opposed to the two separate ones most users are accustomed to].
- Battery life – comes with a standard 3 cell battery [with a run time of only around 3 hours].
- Hard drive space - the standard hard drive disk is only 60GB [ with an upgrade to 80GB available from HP].
- Elongated touchpad – wide, but may be a tad too short for your liking.
- Awkward touch-pad-button placement – mouse buttons are on either side of the touchpad [as opposed to being placed below as usual].
- Reflective screen – not ideal for outdoor use as the glare can be a pain.
HP Mini 1000 Review – Ratings
- Price and value for money – .5 stars – a tad expensive for the specifications provided.
- Speed and Performance - .5 stars – Decent processor [ 1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270] but low hard drive space [ 60GB standard HDD or 8/16 GB SSD].
- Screen - .75 stars – 1024 x 600 native display, with high quality flush-glass display.
- Keyboard, touchpad and usability- .75 stars- great keyboard but loses points on small, stretched out touchpad.
- Portability and battery life - .5 stars – 3 hour run time on 3-cell battery.
- Looks and design – 1.0 stars – beautiful glossy finish with interesting swirl pattern
- Connectivity & extensibility – 0.5 stars standard netbook connectivity but loses out due to compromise on USB and VGA port, as well as headphone/microphone jack. Easily upgradeable, with easily removable spring-loaded RAM cover [other components are accessible by removing two screws that secure the covering keyboard in place].
That gives the HP mini 1000 a total of 4.5 out of a possible 7 stars.
HP Mini Review 1000 – Bottom Line
Stylish keyboard with a great design, sturdy chassis and an almost full sized keyboard that has been tagged by some as ‘the best netbook keyboard’.
However, the HP Mini 1000 loses points on vital areas such as value for money, battery life, hard drive space and connectivity. Disappointing. With a $340 price tag, for those of you on a budget, there are better deals to be had.
Apart from the large keyboard within a compact chassis, this netbook does not really stand out from the others on the market.
In addition the lack of a directly accessible VGA port means that this netbook won’t be ideal if you are considering hooking up to an external video source, so not ideal as a main netbook for the business user or student – this one focuses on the basics only: e-mail, web browsing and media.
With the combination of large keyboard and screen as well as durable chassis, this is ideal for those of you who spend a lot of time traveling, and on the computer [e.g. bloggers, journalists].
HP mini 1000 – What have buyers on Amazon said?
Pros
- “Stylish, compact design, and high quality build….case is very stylish and professional looking”.
- “…unlike most netbooks, this computer actually has a reasonably sized keyboard that makes it easy to type”.
- “…pleasantly surprised by quality of built-in speakers on this netbook”.
- ” The computer is less than an inch thick, and has a very sleek look when closed”.
- “…amazing screen with glowing colours”.
Cons
- “…mousepads located on the sides of the touchpad rather than underneath the touchpad, which takes time getting used to”.
- “…Infinity Display is highly reflective which makes it hard to read the screen outdoors in bright sunlight or while you’re inside your car during the day”.
- “Currently, you can only get the computer with a 3-cell battery, which will get you anywhere between 2 and 3 hours”.
- “There is a lack of external ports on the computer – the biggest issue being the lack of the VGA port”.
HP Mini 1000 Review -Technical Specifiation
- Screen: 10.2″ WSVGA LED-Backlit 1024 x 600 LCD
- CPU: Intel Atom 1.6 GHz N270 processor
- Chipset: Intel 945 GSE + ICH7M, 533 MHz FSB
- OS: Linux MIE [512 MB, 1 GB or 2 GB] or Windows XP Home [ 512 MB or 1 GB]
- Memory: 1GB DDR2 RAM [ 667 MHz] upgradeable to 2GB RAM.
- Storage: 80 GB standard storage
- Webcam: 1.3 MP [ VGA 640 X 480, up to 30 fps]
- Wireless: 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi, optional Bluetooth v2.1; Wireless signal on/off switch
- LAN: Communiations 10/100 Ethernet
- Ports and connectors: 2 USB 2.0, 1 VGA monitor out, headphone mic/jack, SD card reader (SDHC compatible), headphone/microphone combo jack, expansion port, AC power
- Battery: Standard 11.1v 26WHr 3-cell battery [upgraedable to a 6-cell 52 WHr]
- Dimensions: 10.3 in (L) x 6.65 in (W) x 0.99 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: $340
Filed under: HP Mini Netbook Review