HP’s mini laptop computer series for consumers – the Mini 1000 – is both better and worse than its aluminum-covered siblings in the mini-note series.
The main difference between the HP Mini 1000 and the netbooks in the Mini-note “corporate netbook” lineup is the chassis. While the HP Mini-note 2133 and its follow-up the 2140 is covered in very sleek-looking aluminum, the Mini 1000 looks a bit more ordinary in an all-plastic cover. Seeing as the difference in pricing is also quite small, some will likely choose the better-looking and possibly sturdier variant.
Compared to the 2133 (not the more recent 2140) there are however a couple of more major differences, namely the inclusion of the Intel Atom N270 processor instead of the VIA C7 that was the processor chosen for the 2133. The Atom is slightly faster and more efficient than the VIA, even though both of them obviously belong in the lower end of the CPU performance scale.
Another important difference with the Mini 1000 is that Vista is gone in favor of Windows XP. This is without a doubt a much better choice for an operating system than the too-clumsy Vista that shipped with some of the Mini Notes. Until a final version of Windows 7 comes along, it’s much better to stick with XP or a lightweight linux distribution such as Moblin.
A welcome feature in the HP Mini 1000 is the screen resolution – compared to the aluminum models that use the strange 1024×576 resolution, the Mini 1000 has thankfully been upgraded to a 1024×600 screen. This not only increases the screen real estate, but also makes it compliant with standards, you will for example be able to play some (non-3D) games in the standard 800×600. It also offers excellent backlight and image quality, partly thanks to the LED backlighting.
One aspect that haven’t changed on the Mini 1000 is the keyboard and trackpad combination, and that is a very good thing, since the keyboard is one of the better ones available as far as mini laptops are concerned. It is nearly full size and very comfortable to type on. Its trackpad with the side-mounted mouse buttons may however not appeal to users who are usually unaccustomed to this arrangement.
If you are fashion-minded and don’t mind spending quite a few bucks more on design, HP also offers the Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam edition – a very stylish red and decorated version aimed at the ladies.
HP claims you should be able to squeeze 3 hours of battery life out of the HP Mini 1000 using just the basic 3-cell battery, and that is actually possible, although it requires that you run it with aggressive power-savings turned on. It’s still quite good, and should mean that it will run for about 6 hours with the 6-cell.
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