The folks at Laptopmag has managed to get their hands on an early unit and run it through a series of tests. The conclusion is that the Nvidia LE GPU provides a significant boost to graphics perrformance, while still being able to provide almost 6h of battery life, which is a lot more than anyone expected from the earlier testing units.

In terms of CPU power, the Mini 311 comes with the same processor as almost every other netbook out there – the 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270. So it won’t perform any better than the average netbook when it comes to everyday number crunching. It is not as fast as, for example, the Gateway LT3114 which has a 64-bit Athlon CPU.

However, in the graphics comparison the HP 311 crushes the competition by an incredible  1,400% performance improvement over the standard integrated Intel GMA950. It’s actually even on par with the latest MacBook Air, which is fitted with the 9400M – the “full version” of the ION platform – and a much faster processor.

Likewise is 1080p video not a problem for this mini laptop, and it provides a 5x performance boost in video editing. The ION netbook also shines in the gaming tests. While not being able to produce playable frame rates with Call of Duty 4 or Far Cry 2 at native resolution, it did perform well on lower resolutions. In the less demanding (but no less popular) World of Warcraft, the HP Mini 311 turned out a fully playable 36 frames per second – even at the Mini’s native 1366×768 resolution.

HP Mini 110 - Best Prices
	$299.00
HP Mini 110-3030NR 10.1-Inch Netbook
	$299.99
HP Mini 110-1020NR 10.1-in Netbook PC - Intel Atom N270 1.6 GHz

Derived as the more economical version of HP’s popular consumer mini laptop series (Mini 1000), the HP Mini 110 is the latest kid on the block to have come out of HP. HP has made an effort to extend its line of the already popular MINI series of notebooks (err, or ‘net’books to be particular) and rolled out the Mini 110 series. In this write up, we explore the variations in the new Mini 110 series, as compared to its predecessors and also take a brief glimpse at some of the tech specs of this new wonder book.

The first and most pronounced difference between the Mini 110 and its predecessors is the cost factor. As of now, the HP Mini 110 XP edition can be bought at $329, while the Linux based system is available at $279 as compared to the initial $579 price tag that is associated with some of the predecessors of the Mini 110, namely the Mini 1000 series and the Mininote 2000 series.

In the HP Mini 110 Mi edition, HP uses an in-house developed Linux version (the “Mi” stands for Mobile internet”, as it were). This is kind of a double-edged sword. While it’s great that HP is embracing the open source community, Mi is also fairly limited. It looks very slick and user friendly, so it might be a good entry OS for Linux first-timers. On the other hand, HP has made it a little too simple by cutting out the command line interface. Advanced users will probably upgrade to Ubuntu Netbook Remix, Moblin or another “full version” of Linux.

The HP Mini 110 series comes with the same Atom CPU as the Mini 1000 series, the same mouse pad and the same hard disk and RAM outfit. The Mini has a new 3 cell battery, which offers about 2 and a half hour of uninterrupted power, provided you are not overdoing the Bluetooth and media playback. One piece of advice though, we suggest that frequent travelers should get their batteries changed to a 6 cell one, in order to get the most of their Mini 110 series. With that battery you can double the aforementioned battery life.

So, where exactly does HP cut corners when it comes to the Mini 110 series? The material used in the 110 series has been downgraded a notch and the area near its 10.1 inch screen look more like a low-budget imitation of the Mini 1000 series. Besides, the elegant and sweet sounding speaker grille that was present under the Mini 1000’s hood, has been replaced by a relatively low-sounding, mundane speaker located on the bottom of the Mini 110.

The Mini 110 is not ALL bad news, after all. The mini has a number of upgrade options. If you are feeling cornered to space, then you have an option of upgrading your hard disk capacity to 250 GB and the RAM to 2 GB respectively.

Measuring a decent 10.3×6.6×1.2, the Mini is a good buy after all. Besides, the robust design and the choice of three chic colors make it an adorable option for those looking to grab a highly personalized mini laptop computer. So, there you have it – a notch heavier than its predecessors, but at a lower price point and packed with more features than ever before, we are sure that the Mini 110 is all set to rule the low-cost small notebook market for at least a few months. Get it from TigerDirect.

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.

Another potential deal-breaker for some is the VIA processor that HP decided to put in the  mini 2133 instead of the more common intel Atom processor. The difference between the two mini laptop CPUs is actually very slim, but nonetheless it’s still the Atom that comes out on top in most benchmarks in spit of them both having the same clock frequency. It will however not have a noticeable effect on regular office apps or web browsing.

Features and Battery Performance

The computer ships with a 120GB hard drive in its standard configuration, which should suffice for most users. Handling the graphics is the VIA Chrome 9 chip – not a high performer whatsoever but fully adequate for the uses this mini laptop is intended for. Just like the integrated graphics varieties from Intel, this chip has enough capabilities to handle non resource intensive tasks, but not much more.

Otherwise the 2133 is a real looker in its all-aluminum chassis and it feels very durable if a tad heavy. The keyboard is actually very good – one of the best in these small mini laptops. It is nearly full size, and the keys provide just the right amount of tactile feedback. The trackpad might take some getting used to, as the keys are placed on either side of the pad instead of below it, but once you have used it for a while you stop thinking about it. Of course there’s as always the option to not use the buttons at all but just tap on the trackpad instead.

The hp 2133 battery lasts for 2-2:30 with the smaller 3-cell battery and medium power savings, which is quite short but not unexpected with a 3-cell. With the optional 6-cell battery you will get about twice that.

Conclusion

If you can find an HP mini 2133 notebook without Windows Vista but with XP instead, that is definitely preferable. With Vista you are bound to have performance issues due to the operating system’s steep hardware requirements. With Linux or XP on the other hand, you will have no such problems.You will also get a lenghthier battery life.

In all, the Mini 2133 laptop is a well-rounded and capable computer provided the above requirements are met, and a pleasant traveling companion. But don’t expect it to perform as a mainstream-size laptop or desktop PC.