HP Mini 110 Netbook Reviewed- Gets Bigger
The news broke yesterday about HP’s new netbook line that replaces the original Mini 1000 that I have been happy using for a while. The folks at Laptop Magazine have a full review of the Mini 110 that is the replacement for the Mini 1000, and while they are impressed with the Mini 110 (“the company’s best netbook for consumers yet”) some of the new features come with caveats in size and weight.
The Mini 110 looks very much like the previous model, but there are differences. HP listened to consumer wishes and added a VGA port (previous model required a dongle) and a third USB port. The company also went with a matte screen in place of the glossy screen of the Mini 1000, something that many will applaud.
These few additions make the Mini 110 a fuller package than the older model, but it comes at a price, with the new netbook weighing 2.6 pounds vs. the older one’s 2.4 pounds. The Mini 110 is also 1.3 inches thick, a tad thicker than the original Mini 1000. I have been impressed with the thinness and low weight of the Mini 1000, so I am not sure I like seeing the bigger package of the Mini 110.
The Mini 110 is as good a 10-inch netbook as you will find, and HP kept the same wonderful keyboard found on the older model. The new netbook can be picked up for $329, which is a pretty good price for a full-featured netbook. HP decided to lose the battery compartment on the bottom of the device and added a conventional battery that attaches to the back of the Mini 110. This means the 6-cell battery will fit more like those on other netbooks, not like the strange wedge-shaped battery like on the Mini 1000.
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I have to agree with you that the compactness of the mini 1000 was one of the best things it had going for it. I know we are talking about .3 inches but in a post 1008HA environment, I don’t think this was the way to go. It shows a divergence of expectations for a netbooks capabilities between those we want more from the netbook class and those who want size as a selling point in the class. You can make some people happy some of the time…
I gave in to tne netbook craze last December 2008 by purchasing the HP Mini 1000. Even though I was taken aback by the number of usb ports, no vga port, and the small capacity hdd, I bought it – because of its thinness, the large keyboard and the overall looks. Now after 5 months, all those issues were addressed and here I am looking up to replace the 1000 with the 110, or should I wait for another 5 months – maybe by then it will already have the touchscreen and a 320Gb disk…
I hope this doesn’t mean the HP2140 successor will also be thicker. Yeah, it’s only .3″, but hey, that’s a 30% increase.
On second thought, was the additional thickness just the rubber feet, or the main body? If the former, a sharp blade can rectify that issue.
Those feet are thought to help dissipate heat so maybe not so good an idea.
I’m glad to see they’re finally offering the HD display on this model.
James, do know if the hard drive is still the same 1.8 inch unit or have they moved up to the 2.5 inch form-factor with that extra height increase?
2.5 inch 5400 rpm
Wonderful. Thank you!
Agree completely, the Mini 1000 was somewhat unique because of its thin profile. My next netbook will be no more than an inch thick, and preferably even thinner. Others have actually fit 2.5″ drives into thin laptops, but it forced HP to use the 1.8″ 4,200 rpm PATA drives that drag down its performance. I don’t think I’d buy a netbook with a spinning drive anyway though. And the SSD models of the 1000 are just fine.
The bone-headed moves on the 1000 were the proprietary connectors–the mini VGA port that HP took a gods age to ship the adapter for, and that oddball internal thumbdrive slot that could have been another USB port. Remember when they were talking about offering a video accelerator that would go in here? Hah.
I’m waiting for the second half of the year. I want Windows 7. A 10″ or even 11″ netbook with a 720p screen. Pineview processor. 1″ thick or less. A moderate to high performance SSD drive. An internal only battery–no battery hanging out the back! Maybe with a lithium polymer 4 cell on Pineview, we’ll see 4 hours of battery life or better. 802.11n. Upgradable to 2GB of RAM. Would be nice if it could play HD Flash videos…
i like my HP mini 110, unfortunately those rubber feet can easily be dislodged.. i lost one and now its not balanced. i asked if there were replacements for them but the people from the service center said there weren’t any… i’m super annoyed
@ Betsy: Were you able to find the rubber foot? I lost mine too, I believe it is being shipped only with in USA costing almost 17 USD plus 12 USD shipping, i fixed mine using those rubber sealants you can get from a hardware store! It did the job for me and i am happy, maybe you can try that?
how much would it be with tax at a price of $339?