HP Mini 110

Small, Lightweight, Compact, just a few of the words used to describe the HP Mini 110. While it's not a new innovation from Hewlett Packard, the mini notebook has superseded many of its competing counterparts in terms of it's simple aesthetic design, lightweight structure and mobile capabilities.

Small enough to fit in your handbag, the Mini doesn't neglect any features in comparison to larger "laptop" models, and is more than capable of fulfilling all the requirements of anyone on the move.

Features:

Windows 7 Starter 32 Bit: Basic Windows 7 Operating system with upgrade options to Home, Student or Premium Editions (which you will have to pay for yourself).

Notebook Type: Netbook (smaller than standard notebooks)

Screen: 10.1 inches, widescreen (ample on the move)

Processor Intel ATOM N270 / 1.60 GHz

RAM: 1024 MB (can be increased)

Hard Drive 160 GB - 5400 rpm (massive given size of notebook)

Data link protocol ARCNET , IEEE 802.11b , IEEE 802.11g

Battery: Lithium Ion 3 Cell Battery (3 hours Mobile Battery Life)

Chipset Mobile Intel 945GM Express
Graphics Intel GMA 950 (integrated)
Dimensions (WD) 10.3x6.6 inches
Height 1.2 inches
System weight / Weight with AC adapter 2.6/3.2 pounds

Review:

The HP Mini was a new version of it's predecessor, the HP Mini 1000, and is slightly larger and heavier in terms of its size and weight, possibly due to the larger integrated hard-drive, but by miniscule proportions. In terms of design, Hewlett Packard went all out with a new casing look, designed by Tord Boontje of London College of Art, and featuring a swirl-like pattern on a white casing back-ground.
The casing itself is of a re-inforced plastic material, however is very robust and durable, slight scratches barely visible from day to day mobile use.
The hard-drive is huge in capacity (160GB) in comparison to the 1000 model which only housed a piddly 60GB. In terms of speed too, the new Hard-Drive sees great improvement, and is more than ample for storage of multi-media in large capacity.

The screen is 10.1 inches, measured diagonally, and is of the standard widescreen format, and displays at 1024x600 pixels with HD capability also as standard. In terms of graphics and speed, the screen handles both beautifully for one so small, and watching on-line television, viewing presentations or films are all possible and in great quality providing you don't mind the small screen-size. Compatibility with the majority of websites aren't generally a problem as they are re-sized automatically, however the odd few come up with side and bottom bars, required for ability to view them fully. The screen on this model is now of a matt-look in comparison to it's previous similar models, with HP recognizing the need for anti-screen glare, and it more than does it's job if you are outside.

The 110 handles multiple open applications without any reduction in speed, and as now widely recognised, Windows allows you to toggle between applications with simple click and drag ability as well as tapping between them.

The in-built twin stereo speakers are of satisfactory quality and are mounted beneath the screen. They handle movie sound and music playing very well, although the volume capability is not very loud in comparison to larger laptops, however what you would expect from one of this size.

The keyboard is the notebook 92% size and does take some getting used to if you are not familiar with notebooks. Additionally the touch-pad (mouse-pad) is of a decent 2.5 inch size, with left and right-click buttons either side, however feels a bit short when you are scrolling through documents, and it's sometimes more preferable to use the keyboard page-scrolling keys.

I received my Mini as part of a contract deal with 3 Mobile Broadband, and at £20 per month for the laptop for 12 months, with the additional £15 per month for 15GB broadband, I think I got more than a decent deal. It's cheaper than it's predecessor and on comparison seems to pack in more for the price. On researching full prices for the netbook using Pricerunner, I found the best to be £280.72 from ebuyer.com. I would recommend using additional price comparison sites such as Kelkoo as you may find better, updated deals.
In terms of mobility, the netbook is of handbag size, and with fashions as they are, have had no problem fitting it into my own. There are a variety of protective carry cases available, and it's very light-weight too so you don't feel laden if you have to carry other stuff about.
I've used the netbook for home and work purposes, and it has actually replaced my desktop for both work and multimedia use. Canny integrations such as the memory card reader and 3 USB slots make it ideal for quick connection to cameras, ipods and mobile phones, and it's had no problem with my itunes or Samsung phone software.
Viewing movies and BBC iPlayer has taken some getting used to with the smaller size of the screen, but that's what you get with this model size, and the quality is still great.

Overall, it's a nice little machine, the only stickler being the battery life, which I have found only usually lasts 2.5 hours, rather than the specified three. There are additional compatible batteries available from HP though, and recommended if you would use the netbook more on the move without the AC Adapter.
Additionally I have upgraded Windows 7 to Premium and find it works faster and offers a greater variety of capabilities than the Starter Pack so perhaps an idea to do this also. While it is a little annoying that it was only fitted with the basic operating system, you tend to find this with most laptops these days, which is why they have come down in price so much. All-in-all a great little machine and a definitive thumbs up!