This article will cover the functional design of the HP Mini 1000 netbook and benchmark this device with its successor the HP Mini 110, which is reviewed by Clinton Fitch. I’m really curious to find out what HP has changed in the design and functionality of this great compact but powerfull netbook.
It wasn’t too long ago that if you wanted a small laptop you’d have to pay a premium for it. Thanks to the birth of the netbook, you can now go portable with a 10-inch or less screen, and not break the bank. We’ve reviewed a number of laptops and netbooks in the past and recently.
HP MINI 1000
The 1,024×600-pixel display is very bright—so much so, in fact, that blacks looked gray at full brightness. Turning down the brightness a bit solves this issue. The display is sharp and has a very wide viewing angle, but its glossy finish—unusual for a netbook—sometimes makes for annoying reflections. Though plans to offer an 8.9-inch screen as an option, a high-res 1,280×768 screen like the one found on the hp mini 1000 battery will not be available. The integrated GMA950 chipset does a fine job with Windows applications and full-screen video playback, but its poor 3D performance (its 3DMark06 score was just 91) means gamers will be best off reliving five-year-old classics. The speakers are creatively placed behind a grill inside the laptop hinge, and although they don’t have a lot of volume, the audio clarity is superb.
There are a lot of Netbooks on the market that are so similar in terms of hardware and software that manufacturers have to find other ways to differentiate them–usually with aesthetics and design. Although Netbooks started out with custom Linux shells (such as the original Asus Eee PC), the vast majority now run Windows XP. HP bucks the trend by taking the popular Mini 1000 hardware and adding to it its own sleek, custom interface–called the Mobile Internet Experience–built on the Ubuntu Linux operating system and the Gnome desktop environment.
The feature set has its ups and downs. It offers multiple storage options: 8GB and 16GB SSDs, or spinning drives that go up to 60GB. However, the 60GB drive that this configuration comes with (as well as the other spinning drives) spins at only 4,200 rpm. Meanwhile, the dell 1×793 battery and the Wind are shipping with 160GB drives that spin at 5,400 rpm. In addition to the two USB ports, there’s a little USB slot for storage expansion—basically, a third USB port that accepts a thumb drive only. Built-in VGA-out is nice, but you’ll need the easy-to-lose dongle attachment that’s included. The webcam, Ethernet port, 4-in-1 card reader (SD, MMC, MS, MS Pro), and Wi-Fi are standard across most netbooks.
Low and behold it worked like a champ. The Mini booted into the OSX installer and off I went. I cannot tell you how happy I was that it finally was working. So, during the install process, you have to choose the specific drivers necessary to get your former Windows laptop/netbook operational. But with all the threads I had read, I knew just which ones needed to be selected during the install. And about half an hour later, the Mini 1000 battery was transformed into a Macbook Mini. But that was not the end of the tweaking to get my Macbook Mini fully operational and for the most part, stable.
The touchpad on the Mini is a bit awkward as the left and right click buttons have been placed at the left and right sides of the touchpad instead at the bottom. But HP has taken care of the ergonomics so that it is not hard to get used to the new layout. The touchpad surface isn’t great but usable when you are stuck without a mouse. You get to choose between a normal PATA hard drive and SSD hard drives. The performance of PATA hard drive is disappointing and it take more than a minute for the machine to boot up. So if hard drive performance is a priority, then you are better off going for SSD. Webcam is another additional feature of the Mini.
Afraid of Linux? Don’t be. Although the hp pavilion dv9000 battery has the same hardware as the XP version we reviewed a few months ago, its OS, which packages a good selection of applications in a clean, innovative interface, enlivens the user experience. While we still have complaints about the Mini 1000’s sluggishness, short battery life, and relatively high price ($459), in a market glutted with identically specced machines running XP, it’s a refreshing change.
By far the best feature of the HP Mini 1000 is the keyboard, which is the most comfortable compared to any other netbook we have reviewed. The key size and shape is very close to what you would find on a fullsize acer aspire one battery and you just don’t feel cramped while typing. With most netbooks it takes time getting used to the smaller keys, which if you have large fingers can be difficult to accurately type on. HP first released this keyboard on the Mini-Note 2133, which would have been a hit if it wasn’t slowed down by the early VIA platform.
Key spacing is minimal to fit the full-size keys into the small area, but once you get your palms aligned properly on the small palmrest it is a breeze to type on. Individual key action is smooth with a barely audible click when pressed. The keys feel very solid and durable, something that you would expect from a great keyboard. Keyboard flex is non-existent because of the tight clearances in the super thin chassis.
The Synaptics based touchpad is easy to use once you get used to the buttons located on either side of the touch surface. Sensitivity is great with the default settings, leaving the only adjustment of narrowing the scrollbar area. The dell inspiron 6400 battery surface has a semi-gloss paint which is easy to slide your finger around, but really shows off the accumulated oils from your fingertips. The buttons are easy to trigger, with moderate feedback and a short throw.
With the Mini 1000, HP does a good job keeping most of the things that worked on the 2133, while upping the performance and managing to cut prices in the process–well, not counting the fashionista-flavored model. Is a Mini 1000 right for you? If you’re limiting your outdoor use (the glare can be a pain), this is a good choice; but it’s not the swiftest mini-note on the block.
Intel’s single-core 1.6GHz Atom CPU offers enough computing power for the basic tasks for which Netbooks are designed–namely Web surfing, working on documents, and some basic multimedia playback. That combo of Intel’s Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM, and Windows XP (a Linux version of the dell latitude c800 battery will be released in early 2009) is found in almost every current Netbook, so it’s not surprising that we saw no real performance difference between the Mini 1000 and the Dell Inspiron Mini 9 or Lenovo IdeaPad S10. Any of these are fine for basic on-the-go computing, as long as you keep your expectations modest.
With only a three-cell battery, we were concerned about the system’s battery life. Other three-cell Netbooks, including the Lenovo Ideapad S10, ran for only about 2 hours on our video playback battery drain test. We were pleased to get 2 hours and 44 minutes from the dell latitude d600 series battery, which should be closer to our three-hour recommendation in casual use.
HP includes an industry-standard one-year parts-and-labor warranty with the system. Support is accessible through a 24-7 toll-free phone line, an online knowledge base, and driver downloads.
