The HP Mini 1000 Mi Edition (Mini 1110NR) is a cool-looking, low-cost netbook focused on easy Web access and entertainment. It uses the same design as the Mini 1000, but runs the Mobile internet (Mi) software rather than Windows. Mobile internet is an easy-to-use interface 131L Battery built on Linux, but is it enough for most people to enjoy their e-mail, Internet, digital photos, music, and video?

Last year's HP Mini-Note 2133 looked great, but it was let down by a pokey slow VIA C-7 CPU and 4200rpm HDD. I can imagine many people who got to handle a 2133 trying to rationalize how they probably VGP-BPS9/B didn't need too much CPU power because of how well-built and attractive the 2133 was. I know I did, but thankfully I came to my senses before plunking down $500 on what was sure to be a disappointing investment.

We'll never know why the VIA/Centaur C-7 was picked for the 2133 (everyone loves to cheer for the underdog, and I am sure that the VIA Nano will rock when its released in 2012), but its descendants like the HP Mini 1110NR we are reviewing here come equipped with the much better Intel Atom processor. Here are the 1110NR Specs:

* Processor: Intel Atom N270
* Graphics: Intel 900 IGP
* Operating System: HP Mobile Internet UI (Ubuntu Linux)
* 1GB DDR2 667 RAM
* 8GB SSD (1.8” Form Factor)
* 8.9” LED LCD (1024 x 600)
* 802.11g, 10/100 Ethernet, Bluetooth
* MSRP: $379 USD, $449 CDN

Build and Design

Even before we get our hand on the 1110NR configuration of the Mini 1000 Mi edition we can see that HP has really pushed their game up a level. Much like their recent Touchsmart and HDX line, the Mini comes in an attractive black box. In terms of packaging, HP is not quite at Apple levels yet. For example the Mini box VGP-BPS9A/B is much larger than it needs to be, but HP are giving us a better first impression than Toshiba or Acer.

Inside the box, you have a nice startup guide. The Mini is suspended in two nasty plasti-foam blocks (come on HP, cardboard works just as well). Its battery is pre-installed and the power cord is stored in a cardboard compartment and that's all you will find VGP-BPS9 . There is no case/sleeve nor is there detailed documentation or recovery media. HP's documentation claims that we will be able to download a Mi recovery disk utility 'soon.' For now, a recovery partition on the SSD allows you to go back to factory fresh.

Netbook specs are so similar that manufacturers have to find other ways to differentiate them. Right now appearance seems to be one of the big differentiators, and the HP Mini looks great. Its black body is clean and svelte. You will immediately notice how thin it is. Actual dimensions are: 10.3 in (L) x 6.56 in (W) x 0.99 in (H). It VGP-BPS9/S weighs 2.25 lbs so you will hardly notice the extra heft of this netbook in your bag.

Construction and materials used on this netbook feel solid and durable. Like many other HP notebooks the Mini has a distinctive geometric pattern on its lid. This motif is carried into the OS with matching operating system. It's cool and pulls the design together.

Keyboard and Touchpad

Pop the lid open and you'll see a nicely proportioned keyboard – complete with function buttons. Keys make a light plasticy sound and travel is short. The base of the keyboard does not flex at all. You'll notice that the Windows keys are replaced with dedicated HP MI 'Home' and 'Task Studio 17 Battery Switcher' keys. The hardware is well integrated to the software. A selling feature for English speaking Canadians is that you can get a plain US English keyboard on the HP Mini up here in Canada – something that is becoming rare in favor of French keyboards.

The touchpad borrows the unorthodox layout from the Acer One and HP 2133, putting buttons on the left and right side rather than underneath. A vertical scroll zone is present, but unlike the Asus Eee and Apple MacBook there is no multitouch capability. The mouse control panel has a couple of interesting options such as Dwell Click (where the software detects no mouse motion and prompts you if you want to click) Studio 1737 Battery and Simulated Right Click (hold the left button down for a definable period to right click) but neither of these works as well as two finger clicking and scrolling.

Screen

On the 1110NR a 8.9” LCD screen fits where a 10.2” would normally be, so this means there is a large bezel to fill the otherwise empty space. Resolution is 1024*600 like almost every netbook on the market. Its LED backlit is bright and even.

A solid looking metal hinge with integrated speakers holds the screen in place. Hinge tension is good, but the range Studio 1535 Battery of motion is limited – you can't open the HP Mini enough to lay it flat.

Ports and Features

Port selection looks like this: On the left side there is a power jack, USB 2.0, proprietary connector (you can buy a VGA cord that fits this port), multipurpose minijack, and Ethernet (with rubber cover).

On the right side you have an SDHC Card slot, one normal USB 2.0 VGP-BPS13B/Q and one recessed USB 2.0 (HP has a line of flash storage accessories planned for this slot). Whether these ports are sufficient really depends on personal preference and need. I suspect most folks will be disappointed that there are not more ports (standard VGA being a real sore point).

First Boot

The setup prompts are brief and you'll be up and running in a minute or two. Pick your username, password, location and away you go. During startup a quick Linux error message flashes on the screen, and you'll wonder if something is broken. But it does boot so be patient. Likewise when shutting down there is a crunchy static sound blast that emanates from the speakers.

Perhaps the most interesting feature is the Mini 1110NR's operating system. HP has adapted Linux to their needs and the results are very good. Their distribution is called the Mobile Internet Experience and is built on top VGP-BPS13/B of Ubuntu (8.04 I think) and the Gnome desktop environment.

HP software, particularly the shells it has created for Windows and in this case Linux have a distinct look and feel. A black, high contrast theme couple with HP's own user interface elements. It seems like a great way to differentiate their product in the WinTel world without resorting to making their own OS.

In this case HP has designed a simplified interface that is much better than those found on other Linux netbooks such as the Acer One and Asus Eee PC. The main feature is HP's Home screen which gives you access to email, web, music, photos and program launcher. The Home screen has a dedicated button on the keyboard and an icon where you would expect to find the Windows Start menu. Switching between running programs is accomplished by clicking on a switcher icon in the system tray, or pressing the dedicated task switcher button.
I have to say, HP might be on to something here. I prefer this UI to both Windows (XP, Vista and 7) VGP-BPS13 and OS X for basic computing tasks. I am not just referring to the eye candy factor. Having almost everything I want to do waiting for me on the Home screen as soon as the computer boots is great. It's like the Today screen on PocketPC PDAs but adapted for full featured computers. You can ignore it if you like, but I like the convenience. Also, unlike some simplified Linux shells access to the terminal is just one quick setting away (Fn-F2 brings up a command line where you can launch the terminal – or anything else).

With only an 8GB SSD, of which 2.1GB is available for use, having music and photos on the Mi Home screen is a bit of a tease. This OS really calls for either a full sized HDD or integration to online services (such as Live, Flickr, Google, etc.). The Mini needs one VGP-BPS13A/B or the other – its either a cloud computer or it needs proper storage capacity. As it stands the Mini seems to have a foot in each camp and that compromises the experience. It's incomplete.

HP's MediaStyle although striving for a Windows MCE look and feel is very basic. It's like a simplified Apple Front Row. Sure, it can display photos but I was hoping to find some integration to online photo hosting. Pulling a photo stream from Flickr would be a great way to provide photos without requiring proper storage capacity. When dealing with local storage the app is too slow. Reading a series of forty 10MP images off a Dell GD761 Battery SanDisk Extreme III SD card was pretty sluggish. Thumbnails took a while to load, flipping through full size views was also a bit laggy.

Likewise, MediaStyle's video playback was spartan. You'll obviously need a memory card to keep a video library because there is no room on the Mini for more than a full resolution single Xvid movie. YouTube integration would be a good idea in MediaStyle.

MediaStyle's music capabilities are more of the same; a nice simple interface but very little common sense applied to the challenge of how to play media on a device that has 2.1GB of available storage. Some Internet radio capabilities would be great for this device as it would give you access to lots of music despite the limited PA3534U-1BRS storage space.

If you click the MediaStyle "Settings" tab the only option is "About." Perhaps this is so we know where to send complaints. If I were the developer of this product I would want to stay anonymous. Overall I really don't see the point of this application it seems to be a big part of HP's plans but it is too basic to really be of any use.
HP needs a service like Apple's Mobile Me that is relatively full-featured with applications good battery and tight OS integration. Lack of cloud service integration is the missing link here that HP needs to address – it would really fill the holes in a product like the 1110NR. HP does have an online storage and backup service called HP Upline that starts at $59/year for unlimited storage space – you get a free six-month trial if you live in the USA (other regions are not available yet). If they could tie the MediaStyle browser directly to Upline or their line of HP MediaSmart home servers they could really have a nice vertically integrated solution.

Looking at the installed client applications we find the staples battery of any Linux distribution: Open Office, Firefox, Thunderbird, Skype, Pidgin and a pile of crappy looking games. In general all the applications work well but there is a slight lack of polish. For example, the Open Office languages were not installed on my 1110NR, making a basic spell check impossible (my monkey-like typing style requires a lot of proofing).

HP directs the package manager/installer application to a special repository rather than the standard Ubuntu one. This gives them control over compatibility of the software with HP's hardware, but it also makes it harder to install applications you might want. In my case, WINE and Gnome-RDP. I would really like battery to see something like Apple's iPhone app store here.