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        HP offers netbook twins

        Staff | Date: May 27, 2009 | Comments: 1


        Spinning variations on a popular theme, HP has added two new netbooks to its product line. The company's Mini 110 and Mini 1101 use the same hardware, with 10.1-inch screens and Intel Atom N270 processors, but come with different colors, storage, and operating system options.



        (Click for a larger view of HP's Mini 1101)

        HP's new Mini 110 and Mini 1101 are the company's fourth and firth forays into the netbook world, assuming we haven't lost count. HP's original netbook, the Mini Note 2133, sported an aluminum shell and a "DuraKeys" coating intended to protect its keyboard, and was touted as suitable for both business and educational markets. The Mini Note 2133 featured a nine-inch display with 1280 x 768 resolution, a Via C7-M ULV processor clocked at 1.0GHz, 1.2GHZ, or 1.6GHz, an ExpressCard expansion slot, and up to 160GB of hard disk storage.


        HP's Mini 1000 was the company's first Atom-powered netbook
        (Click image for further information)
        For its second netbook, HP decided to join the bevy of other vendors using Intel's 1.6GHz Atom N270, teamed with the 945GSE and ICH7M supporting chipset. But, while it might have had a faster CPU, the "consumer" Mini 1000 (right) lost the ExpressCard slot, had a less-robust plastic shell, and lowered screen resolution to 1024 x 600 pixels.

        HP's third netbook was January's Mini 2140, which offers both the aluminum case, DuraKeys keyboard, and ExpressCard slot of the 2133, and the Atom processor of the 1000. In addition, screen resolution was increased, HP offering versions with 1024 x 576 or 1366 x 768 pixels.

        HP's new Mini 110, and its button-down twin, the Mini 1101, seem most closely based on the Mini 1000 design. Like the Mini 1000, they offer the usual 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, teamed with the 945GSE and ICH7M supporting chipset, and both devices have 10.1-inch screens with 1024 x 576 pixel resolution.

        While the devices again appear not to have ExpressCard slots, they've gained an extra USB port, for a new total of three. They also replace the Mini 1000's VGA connector, which required a dongle, with a standard VGA port.

        HP claims that the Mini 1101, which is offered with Windows Vista Home Premium as well as Windows XP, supports a maximum of 2GB of memory, whereas the Mini 110 -- offered only with Windows XP -- supports only 1GB. We suspect there's actually no difference in the netbooks' hardware; the licensing terms for Microsoft's Windows XP ULCPC (ultra low-cost PC), however, apparently discourage vendors from promoting netbook memory expansion greater than 1GB.

        In place of the 8GB or 16GB solid-state drives (SSDs) supplied on the Mini 1000, which also offered an optional 60GB hard disk drive (HDD), the Mini 110 and Mini 1101 provide faster, more capacious storage. HP says the Mini 110 comes with a 160GB, 5400rpm hard disk drive, whereas the Mini 1101 comes with either 160GB or 320GB hard disk drives, or a 32GB SSD.


        Two views of the HP Mini 110
        (Click on either to enlarge)

        Bluetooth apparently did not make the cut this time, but the netbook still offers 802.11b/g WiFi, as well as an Ethernet port, webcam, microphone, and the "92-percent" keyboard. The previously promised 3G option also appears to be available.

        Still a sleek one inch thick and 10.3 inches wide, the Mini 110 and Mini 1101 are a third of an linch taller than the Mini 1000, and also weigh a bit more, at 2.9 pounds. (SSD-equipped versions of the Mini 1101 are said to start at 2.33 pounds.) The netbooks are offered with both three- and six-cell batteries, though we didn't see a claim as to battery life.

        Finally, the Mini 110 comes in "Pink Chic, Black Swirl, or White Swirl" finishes, whereas the more conservative Mini 1101 comes in "piano black."

        Specifications listed by HP for the Mini 110 and Mini 1101 include:
        • Processor -- Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz with Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
        • Memory -- Up to 2GB on Mini 1101; 1GB on Mini 110
        • Expansion -- 5-in-1 SD/MMC card reader
        • Storage:
          • Mini 110 -- 160GB HDD
          • Mini 1101 -- 160GB or 250GB HDD; 32GB SSD
        • Display -- 10.1-inch HP BrightView display, 1024 x 576 resolution; HD option available in July
        • Networking -- 10/100 Ethernet
        • WiFi -- 802.11b/g
        • USB -- 3 x USB ports
        • Other features:
          • Webcam
          • Microphone
          • Mic/headphone ports
          • "92-percent" keyboard
          • Wireless 3G (optional)
        • Battery -- 3- or 6-cell lithium-ion batteries
        • Dimensions -- 10.3 x 6.8 x 1 inches
        • Weight -- 2.9 pounds with HDD; 2.33 pounds with SSD
        Availability

        According to HP, the Mini 110 and Mini 1101 will be available next month, for prices starting at approximately $330. Meanwhile, a version of the Mini 110 with HP's "Mi" Linux distribution will cost $280, the company says.


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