Review: HP Mini Netbook 110 Series

Netbook is all the rage these days. Whats not to like: Cheap! Compact! Lightweight! and loaded with features. The perfect mobile experience! I'd even argue that with Intel's ATOM CPU clocked in at 1.6 GHz and 1GB of DDR2-6400 RAM, these things are often good enough to compete with a top of the line ultraportable laptops costing 6x as much from a year ago. Netbooks are making such a huge splash that electronics retailers have dedicated sections in store or on websites as well as seeing some of the best computer makers jumping into the scene (HP, Samsung, Toshiba, Sony, Asus, Acer, Dell and more...)

Yours truly got a hold of an HP Mini Netbook 110-1025DX which is sold for around $329 (Amazon $321). This Netbook happens to fit the exact bill for my purpose at the best price point. Depending on what you use your netbook for, you may want to consider all the options. To help you deicde, I will share with my requirement which is why I bought this unit:

Must have:
*CPU and RAM: Intel Atom CPU (N270 1.6GHz or faster), 1GB or higher
*I/O: Ethernet, WiFi, Webcam, Mic
*Screen: 10" screen with 1024 or higher resolution
*OS: Windows XP
Optional features (price influencers, 110-1025DX's features bolded):
*Storage: 16GBSSD, 32GB SSD, 160GB HDD or 250GB HDD (speed and battery life vs capacity)
*Battery: 3-cells vs. 6-cells (hours vs weight)

Overall, I was quite impressed with HP's Mini Netbooks 110 series. With the 3-cell battery, this netbook weights in around 2.6lbs and lasts for about 3 hours. HP did a great job with the keyboard design by giving you full size keys. The trackpad has a scroll bar built in with two buttons (one on each side) which takes a little while to get used to. Packed with 3 USB ports and 5-in-1 card reader, I had no problem connecting various accessories to this little powerhouse. I installed the usual set of utility software as my fullsize laptop and this little machine handled them just fine. Size wise, its about the size of a small text book and weights just a tad less than the MacBook Air. The AC/DC brick is even very small and light weight (about the size of a Snickers bar). I was really impressed with today's Netbook selections. Its cheesy to say this but "good things do come in small packages". HP Mini Netbook 110 series is definitely a cool mobile experience!

2008 Mobile Experience Wishlist

I came up with a wishlist, it would be interesting to look back a year from now to see where we stand.

1. Google Talk Mobile (w/ full VOIP on iPhone, Symbian S60 3rd, WM5/6)
2. Skype Mobile (w/ full VOIP on iPhone, Symbian S60 3rd, WM5/6)
3. Skyfire Browser for all Mobile OS (in Beta currently)
4. Google Talk on OS X (w/ full VOIP stand alone or via iChat)
5. iPhone to support Flash (this one is hopeful!)
6. Picasa Mobile for all devices (WM6, Symbian S60 3rd Edition)
7. Real-Time Stock Ticker/App integrated with Brokerage Account (come on TDAmeritrade or Schwab…)
8. US Carriers to enable Video Conferencing using front/2nd camera (w/o extra cost in addition to data plan)
9. Unlimited Data Plan in the $5 - $10 Range for all carriers banking on the economies of scale
10. More ultraportable laptops(3-4lbs.) costing less than $1K

Vaio TZ Hybrid SSD HDD Laptop

Engadget covered an interesting article on the Sony TZ laptop (the 2.6lb ultraportable thats been around for a while). In its latest iteration, the top of the line VGN-TZ298 offers a very cool storage solution featuring a 64GB SSD as the primary boot-drive storing OS and applications while a 250GB HDD is used for storage media. The benefit of the 64GB SSD is quicker boot time, more durability and less power consumption. Typical SSD solution's shortcoming is not a problem for this laptop as the 250GB HDD is available to let you keep all of your media files to go.

Not to mention this is one of the lightest laptops out there, with a full 1280x800 resolution and having a fully function internal optical drive while still pushing out 5 hours of computing off of one charge. Its practically perfect! I would have wished if Sony would give you the option to get 1.6/1.8/2.0GHz processors to keep up with Windows Vista, but then it could also mean the reduction of battery life since Sony is using a ULV 1.3GHz process for that reason. This ultra-light laptop in the hybrid drive configuration will set you back a cool $3,699 from Sony Style. Of course, you can always buy it from Amazon.com and skip sales tax in certain states.

Battle of the Ultraportalbe Laptops

Being a “mobile” fanatic, I am always on the lookout for cool portable laptops (albeit I have never actually bought one, and have always said I would). However, I have strictest requirements for my ultraportable standards. It has to 1). look good, 2). have good power (ULV processors just don’t cut the cheese), and 3). Must be under 4lbs.

Based on all the contenders out there, I have three ultraportable laptops on my radar. All three of these machines must have the basic requirements for me:
1. Extremely lightweight, beautifully designed, with razor thin LED-based LCD screen that is also very energy efficient.
2. Real Intel Core2Duo processors
3. Offers solid state drives to save even more battery juice.
4. Built-in Webcam and Mic

Please find my quick comparison below to help you choose the best one for you.

1. MacBook Air - $1,799 (1.6GHz, 80GB HDD) or $3,098 (1.8GHz, 64GB SSD)
Pros: Thinnest laptop ever!
Pros: Georgous design
Pros: Runs OS X and Windows via Bootcamp (its like having 2 machines in one)
Pros: Did I mention it being absolutely goregous?
Pros: Weights in at 3lbs. Lightest 13.3” ultraportable on the market today.
Cons: Weakest CPU of the three. 1.6 and 1.8 is a bit weak
Cons: Weak HDD options (80GB HDD and 64GB SSD)
Cons: Integrated everything: Battery is non-removable (atleast not easily by user), integrated RAM (2GB max), 1.8” HDD (very expensive to upgrade)
Cons: Lack of expansion options (no SD/Memory Card reader), USB drive is known to be too narrow to allow 3G modems to be connected (via Engadget), lack of ethernet
Cons: Lack of a CD/DVD drive built in. So the weight savings is kind of cheated.
Cons: Priced at $1800 and $3100

Bottom line: This newest laptop to date is a statement for the ultra-cool guys or gals (or atleast you can pretend to be).

2. Sony SZ-791 $2,499 ($200 Price Drop already... Did MacBook Air caused it?) Winter 2008 Model
Pros: This beast has the 2.5GHz CPU with 6MB of L2 Cache (that is faster than my MacBook Pro w/ 2.4GHz and 4MB L2 Cache which was the fastest out there). This could be the first laptop to finally able to man-handle Windows Vista.
Pros: Simple minimalist design using carbon fiber with a good business look to it
Pros: Sony always managed to squeeze in so much technology to their design
Cons: Sony’s insane amount of bloat ware
Cons: Priced at $2700

Bottom line: The most powerful laptop on the market today comes with a hefty price tag. I’d take this over MacBook Air, however!


3. Dell XPS M1330 - Price Starting $999 (Well-Equipped at $1,600)
Pros: Sleek design, slot loading DVD drive, very thin and light weight
Pros: Great entry price, starting at $999. Well equipped at around $1600
Pros: Decent CPU power. Up to Core2Duo 2.2GHz
Cons: Must buy 6 cell battery adds more weights (approx 4.5lb) if you upgrade video card.
Cons: Dell quality can be questionable, especially from first batch users
Cons: No option for blue-ray or HD DVD drive

Bottom line: While the best CPU it offers is no longer king of the hill, I would consider this to be the best value/performance/design in this class. I’d take this one if I hadn’t already bought a MB Pro. It would not surprise me to see Dell up the CPU to 2.5/2.6GHz in the next month or two. Winner!

Noteworthy :
Asus EeePC – is a $300-$400 range ultra-compact machine. Running on Linux on a 7” screen with built-in Webcam and Mic, making this the cheapest ultraportable solution bar none. If your objective is just to use a machine to surf the web and check emails on the go and would like to stay below 2.8lbs., this would be it. Again, for its price, it easily blows the Sony UX and Samsung UMPC’s out the water.