HP Mini 1000 Review

by Kevin O'Brien

The HP Mini 1000 is the much hoped for Intel Atom based update to the VIA platform Mini-Note 2133. With a complete refresh this netbook is thinner thanks to a smaller hard drive and lithium polymer battery but still keeps the same great full-size (or "nearly" full-size) keyboard. Offered with two screen sizes, 8.9" and 10.2" the Mini 1000 has a configuration for any budget and including WWAN 3G capabilities for users on the go.

HP Mini 1000 specifications:

• Intel Atom 1.6GHz processor
• 60GB 4200 RPM PATA Hard Drive
• 1GB of DDR2 RAM (667MHz)
• Windows XP Home operating system
• 10.2" WSVGA LED-Backlit 1024 x 600 LCD
• Ports: 2 USB 2.0, 1 VGA monitor out, headphone/mic jack, SD card reader (SDHC compatible), Ethernet 10/100
• Webcam (1.3 MP)
• Battery: 11.1v 26Wh 3-cell battery
• Wireless: 802.11b/g, Bluetooth
• One-year warranty
• Size: 10.3 in (L) x 6.56 in (W) x 0.99 in (H)
• Weight: 2lbs 7.7oz, 3lbs 1.8oz with AC adapter
• Price as configured: $499

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Build and Design

The HP Mini 1000 looks just like a condensed Pavilion notebook, with a sleek and smooth body, glossy Imprint Finish, and color coordinated design. Compared to the older Mini-Note 2133 HP took extra steps to reduce the thickness of the body; removing the VGA port in favor of a thin proprietary connection, using a 1.8" hard drive instead of a 2.5" model, and switching to a lithium polymer battery instead of the older lithium-ion cylindrical pack. HP also reduced the number of external connections, removing the ExpressCard slot, combining the microphone and headphone jack, and even hiding the LAN connector under a soft rubber cover. Compared to the other netbooks on the market, the Mini 1000 easily wins in the design category.

Build quality is above average with high quality plastics used throughout the body. The plastics don't creak or squeak when you are carrying it around, and when closed it has a very solid feel. The display cover provides more than adequate protection for the LCD, which can help out if you like to store heavy books in the same bag as your electronics. When open the palmrest and keyboard section are very stiff, but with thin notebooks this is normal with the reduced internal space.

When it comes to upgrading a netbook on your own there are netbooks that make it difficult and there are netbooks that make it easy ... and then there's the Mini 1000 that makes it ridiculously easy. While some netbook and notebook manufacturers go the route of "warranty void if removed" stickers HP goes the extra mile with a special spring-loaded RAM cover. After you slide over the battery lock switch, you expose a hole big enough for a pen tip. Simply flick it over to the side and the RAM cover pops up with no extra tools needed. This is one of the coolest things we have seen on a notebook and a first for netbooks. The other internal components take a bit more work to get at, needing two screws under the battery removed before the keyboard can pop off.

Display

The BrightView Infinity panel on the 10.2" Mini 1000 model has very good color and contrast, but at the cost of being overly reflective in anything but a dark room. This style of screen is becoming more common on multimedia notebooks, but on a netbook which might be used while traveling or outside it adds a level of annoyance that is hard to overcome. Black levels are good in the optimal viewing range, fading slightly to a light grey as you tilt the screen closer or farther away. Backlight intensity is strong to be viewable outside but easily overcome by glare from the Infinity panel. Viewing angles rate average, with an acceptable viewing sweet spot before colors start to invert. Horizontal viewing angles are better, but at the steeper angles the screen fades out and all you see is the reflection of the surrounding area.

One thing that cropped up is small marks on the plastic layer over the screen from the keyboard keys pressing on it with the lid closed. This is caused from oil on your fingertips, but most notebooks have a panel is recessed far enough to prevent the keys from touching.

Keyboard and Touchpad

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 notebook and you just don&rsquo;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&rsquo;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 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.

Performance and Benchmarks

The Intel Atom-based netbook platform gives a speedy user experience, handing everyday applications with ease. Everything from web browsing to movie watching can be handled with little effort, leaving only HD content and gaming to your larger machine. On the Mini 1000, with the slower 4200RPM 1.8" PATA hard drive, some disk intensive applications were sluggish at times. Boot times felt slower than what we were used to and moving files around from external drives took longer than expected. Looking at our HDTune image below you can quickly see the problem, with much slower data transfer speeds than what you would find on a 5400RPM 2.5" SATA drive.

wPrime processor comparison results (lower scores mean better performance):

Notebook / CPU	wPrime 32M time
HP Mini 1000 (Intel Atom @ 1.60GHz)	125.788 seconds
ASUS N10 (Intel Atom @ 1.60GHz)	126.047 seconds
ASUS Eee PC 1000HA (Intel Atom @ 1.60GHz)	117.577 seconds
Lenovo IdeaPad S10 (Intel Atom @ 1.60GHz)	127.172 seconds
Acer Aspire One (Intel Atom @ 1.60GHz)	125.812 seconds
ASUS Eee PC 901 (Intel Atom @ 1.60GHz)	123.437 seconds
MSI Wind (Intel Atom @ 1.60GHz)	124.656 seconds
ASUS Eee PC 900 (Intel Celeron M ULV @ 900MHz)	203.734 seconds
HP 2133 Mini-Note (Via CV7-M ULV @ 1.6GHz)	168.697 seconds
ASUS Eee PC 4G (Intel Celeron M ULV @ 630MHz)	289.156 seconds
ASUS Eee PC 4G (Intel Celeron M ULV @ 900MHz)	200.968 seconds
Everex CloudBook (VIA C7-M ULV @ 1.2GHz)	248.705 seconds
Fujitsu U810 Tablet PC (Intel A110 @ 800MHz)	209.980 seconds
Sony VAIO VGN-G11XN/B (Core Solo U1500 @ 1.33GHz)	124.581 seconds
Sony VAIO TZ (Core 2 Duo U7600 @ 1.2GHz)	76.240 seconds
Dell Inspiron 2650 (Pentium 4 Mobile @ 1.6GHz)	231.714 seconds

3DMark06 comparison results:

Notebook	3DMark06 Score
HP Mini 1000 (1.6GHz Intel Atom, Intel GMA 950)	88 3DMarks
ASUS N10 (1.60GHz Intel Atom, Intel GMA 950)	73 3DMarks
ASUS N10 (1.60GHz Intel Atom, NVIDIA 9300M 256MB)	1,417 3DMarks
ASUS Eee PC 1000HA (1.60GHz Intel Atom, Intel GMA 950)	95 3DMarks
Lenovo IdeaPad S10 (1.60GHz Intel Atom, Intel GMA 950)	N/A
Acer Aspire One (1.60GHz Intel Atom, Intel GMA 950)	122 3DMarks
Sony VAIO TZ (1.20GHz Core 2 Duo U7600, Intel GMA 950)	122 3DMarks
HP dv2500t (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS 128MB)	1,055 3DMarks
Sony VAIO FZ (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, Intel X3100)	532 3DMarks
HP dv6000t (2.16 GHz Intel T7400, NVIDA GeForce Go 7400)	827 3DMarks

HDTune hard drive performance results:

Speakers and Audio

The speakers on the Mini 1000 sound very nice, and easily win out over other netbook models. They are located right underneath the screen, so they don't get blocked with your hands on the keyboard. Bass and midrange are weak, but this is common even on much larger notebooks. Peak volume levels are adequate to fill a small room with a movie or podcast, but headphones might be the better alternative out in public.

Ports and Features

Port selection is sparse from what we have seen on most netbooks, with only two USB ports, LAN, one combo headphone/mic plug, and a proprietary VGA connector. To have video output the purchase of a separate adapter to get VGA is required. The Mini 1000 also has an SD-card reader and for models that do not have a hard drive, a special USB port for storage expansion.

One odd feature is a missing Kensington lock slot related with a proprietary connector that looks more like a lanyard hook than a security attachment point.

Heat and Noise

While the older Mini-Note 2133 with the VIA platform that scorched pants and fingertips the newer Atom-based model is cool to the touch. The palmrest and keyboard are slightly above room temperature and the bottom panel is finally lap friendly. The only hotspots were above and below the stick of RAM, which included the touchpad, since it is right above that area. Noise from the cooling fan was minimal even under stress. The temperature readings below are listed in degrees Fahrenheit:

Battery Life

With the screen brightness set to about 60 percent and wireless active the HP Mini 1000 managed 2 hours and 55 minutes of battery life before it had to go into sleep mode. This is a big step up when you look at the Mini-Note 2133 which only managed 2 hours and 15 minutes on the same size battery. The downside to the slim battery design and location on the Mini 1000 makes it nearly impossible to design an extended battery for it. For travel use, especially with 3G WWAN, you are really living life one outlet at a time.

Conclusion

The HP Mini 1000 is a clear winner on the netbook front, offering a great design and being very user-upgrade friendly. It offers the best keyboard out of the entire netbook crowd, only matched by the earlier Mini-Note 2133 which uses the same design. We are delighted HP finally decided to refresh their netbook with the Atom platform since it increased battery life over the VIA model and greatly reduced the amount of heat thrown off the processor. With great build quality, a spring-loaded RAM slot, awesome keyboard, and super slim design it is easy to give the HP Mini 1000 our Editor&rsquo;s Choice award. We feel it is well deserved even with the missing VGA port and limited battery options.

Pros:

• Best netbook keyboard
• Upgrade-friendly spring-loaded RAM slot
• Good looking design with excellent build quality
• Very good speakers for a netbook

Cons:

• Highly reflective screen if you have the Infinity 10.2&rdquo; panel
• Proprietary adapter needed for VGA out
• No clear option for an extended battery

 

Was going to pull the trigger on this one but because of:
-Slightly higher price for the specs compared to other netbooks
-CES coming up
-No 6-cell

I think I'll just wait abit.

 

is it a zif based harddrive in there? if so, i'd know what i'd put in there... (see my sig.. )


too bad it looks like it won't be available in switzerland... that's really sad. and the statement is the worst thing ever: they allready launched a netbook here. well, they did so ALL OVER THE WORLD. so why not releasing that all over switzerland, too?

 

i hope it has a larger battery. still waiting for my 1st netbook

 

The version with Linux, with the MIE interface, coming later this year, looks very interesting. Looks nice, but I would have liked to see a VIA Nano based netbook for once. Or atleast something that can play 720p video.

 

Nice review and pic's provided, Kevin!

That's a nice design for HP's Mini 1000


Cin

 

only if it has 6 cell battery and dual core Atom sub 500$ price tag
then we have a DEAL

 

Nice review Kevin, the Mini 1000 definitely stacks up well against the competition and the complaint on price from above might be mitigated by the fact they just dropped the price by $40 today so it actually is now competitive on this front.

I was looking on the HP site to see how much the VGA adapter actually costs, but can't find it anywhere. I found some reports saying it was $79, which seems ludicrous, it's even more ludicrous it can't be found on HP's site though.

 

Thanks for the review. I'd like to see how it stacks up against the Samsung NC10. The Samsung a bigger and much faster hard drive, 6 cell battery with 6 hours battery life and a very good keyboard too.

 

Im not a big fan of HP, but nice review.

 

Thanks for the review.

What's the key pitch on this notebook? The keys look big, but they can't be full-sized in that overall width. The touchpad button positions will make it more difficult to switch between this and a bigger notebook. But the real deal killer is the 3 cell battery. I'll stick with my Samsung NC10.

John

 

Finally a use for my micrometer! The HP Mini is 16.85mm across where my T60 is 18.20mm.

 

It's a 92% keyboard the same as the previous mini note I believe. It's an awesome keyboard for a netbook, I don't see why other's don't try and replicate it tbh.

The price and lack of availability is putting me off so far. But no VGA (without another cable) and a naff hard drive are also put offs.

They should ditch the old via based one, and concetrate on making one decent netbook rather than 2 flawed compromises.

 

Can you recheck, 10 keys including centre of space to centre of space. Most standard keyboards are 19mm, including the gap. The Samsung NC10 claims to be (and is) 17.7mm key pitch.

I missed that bit about the VGA needing an adaptor.It is another drawback. @ Kevin: you should indicate that in the specification at the top.

John

 

Well I am going from edge of key to edge of key.

 

John, how much is that on the NC10?

 

Phil, you've got an NC10 or two. Did you lose your ruler?

Anyway, there is a gap of about 1mm between the keys, which means the keys are 16.7mm wide, plus/minus 0.2mm error in estimating that 1mm.

John

 

True I have no rulers in house

Thanks for the measurements.

 

Contrary to the review here regarding the zero keyboard flex, the model I tested at a local store has some keyboard flex, which I was very surprise. The older MiniNote 2133 next to it definitely has no keyboard flex at all, nor the Acer AspireOne, Lenovo IdeaPad S10. Yes, the HP's keys are larger than the other brands, but with virtually no space between keys, it is quite easy to mis-type before you get used to it. In addition, the touchpad mouse buttons are not the same as those found in MiniNote 2133. Wider and more tactile feeling than Acer AspireOne, but definitely not in the same league as the MiniNote 2133.

Also, to not offering a bundle VGA adapter is a huge mistake. If they want to save space, why not use HDMI jack on this netbook? Even though not many projectors have HDMI ports, but at least to hook up to TV there is no need to spend 1/5 the price of the netbook for a VGA adapter. What's the point here?

Also, I think the plastic used in here is not as sturdy as described in this review too. I would rate S10 plastic casing much sturdier than this Mini 1000 and the aluminum MiniNote 2133 trumps all netbook in the market right now.

I like the look of this netbook, but I couldn't agree with a lot of the comment on this review, especially how we can say the lack of ExpressCard, no true VGA port, no mic jack, no Kensington lock will win the design category. Sorry.

 

I'm going to echo others' comments. No 6-cell, stupid iPod hard drive, expensive, plastic feels cheap, ports are wacky, and the screen is too glossy.

I bought the original Mini-Note and liked it, but it was a tad bit slow and the screen was too high-res for me. WXGA with a 9" screen and a CCFL backlight just was not cutting it.

If the next Mini-Note would have a 10" screen at WXGA resolution, the same mag-alloy design and an Atom processor, they just might have a hard time keeping up with demand. Oh, and no glossy please.

 

Even Mac is using glossy screen now, so we as customers will have to live with it for a long time to come. Whichever manufacturer started this trend should be in "Computer Hall of Shame".

Right now, I just feel the 1024x600 resolution a little bit limited. The next wave of netbooks in next year should increase the res to 1280x720 or 1280x768. This res will still be pretty comfortable to read in a 10" screen. Right now, the current hardware is capable to do higher already. I think both Intel and Microsoft demand the manufacturers to limit the screen resolution to 1024x600, so it won't cut into the regular notebook sales.

 

You guys seriously gave this netbook "Editors Choice Award" ???? Over Aspire One, NC10, heck MSI Wind.......?

I hope its just for December, than! lol

 

It's one thing to use glossy screens for home oriented machines like the Macbook. It's another thing to use glossy screens for ultraportables.

 

Glossy coverings don't belong on screens PERIOD. They always increase glare and are the mark of a cheap display.

Cheap as in cost to the manufacturer, not price to the buyer of course.

 

I still have no found a netbook that is small, good battery life, decent performance and has gigabit ethernet. Hopefully the HP 2133 will be upgraded with an Nano soon.

 

That's a matter of personal taste. I have a glossy LCD on my desktop and I love the enhanced contrast. It's got nothing to do with costs.

 

it has to do with cost. and with "oh shiny".

oh, and it (in general) costs batterylife as you have to turn the screen more bright to see anything. so no use on notebooks really..

oh, and.. they completely suck..

still, that notebook is nice. isn't it possible to take away the glossy thing from screens? somehow? anyone? ... *help*

 

Editor's Award I missed that earlier.

By default, perhaps, because no one has sent the editorial team a Samsung NC10 to play with.

John

 

Nice review... but making it editor's choice seems a bit odd.

I agree it is an extremely nice netbook, but the glossy screen, lacking performance due to the 4200 rpm hd, and the low capacity battery just seem to be too large of drawbacks.

 

Great review, but like others I'm still waiting to see a review on the Samsung NC-10.

 

Nice review Kevin and a great read. I have to echo a comment made earlier - I really liked the size and build quality of my (sold) HP 2133. But, it was awfully slow with Vista Home and the battery life was getting toward 1 and a half hours when I sold it. If H-P would bring it out with the same case, Via Nano and a 10-inch 1280 x 800 - wow, that would be a winner. The Nano would (hopefully) get the 3-cell battery life up close to 3-hours.

 

Although it has nice features to be a good netbook, I think it wont be that good competitor on the netbook-market. It looks nice, and keyboard is great, but kind of all the other components are simply better on netbooks we find for around the same price now...
As forme, I'd rather buy an asus 1002HA, or this samsung where youre talking about, which has some nice specs!

 

you're right a glossy layer adds costs. a borderless screen adds even more costs.

 

ill review the samsung nc10.....

 

Nice review; this is the most convincing netbook I have seen to date (all factors considered). HP got two out of three input devices down right (the keyboard and touchpad), but failed with the screen due to its resolution. It is quite disappointing that HP lowered the resolution from 1280x768 on the 2133 to a 1024x600 display on the Mini 1000 that only has 62.5% of the space. Yuck.

I have yet to even toy with the idea of buying a netbook, and I'm not convinced they aren't a fad. They haven't been around long enough and not in great enough quantities to prove they are here to stay.

My main complaints with netbooks - there's no practical way (or a way at all in some cases) to output to an external TV/display, they can't play high-res video, and the battery life blows.

 

From what I've read, a matte screen with similar contrast and colors would cost more, and its cheaper to go for the glossy covering which is why all the $400 best buy specials are doing it. What does borderless screen mean? I haven't seen any netbooks with no bezel.

 

That's technically right. But Asus 1000H and Samsung NC10 have great 10" matte screens that aren't any more expensive than the HP screen. There's a big chance it's even the same display.

When Steve Jobs was asked 'why glossy?' he said 'because people love it.' (can't remember the exact words but it was something to that extent)
Glossy just looks better to the average consumer.

It's a glass layer in front of the screen that gives the illusion of a borderless screen. Like the new Macbooks have. Even more reflection than a normal screen though.

 

Matte screens are better than glossy screens. Glossy makes everything look radioactive and unnatural. Glossy might look "good" in a showroom like at the Apple Store, but is annoying to use in the real world (especially notebooks).

 

hm.. i somehow mixed it up with the new trend to 16:9 screens.. this is because of the cost.. and the "all screens the same" is because of cost (so all do just the glossy as they're hip now and doing something else, too, would cost more.. this to resque my argument a bit.. )

all in all, those trends of current screens are very sad for me. 16:9 is a ridiculous format for working/browsing/reading/whatever except movies, and glossy doesn't help neighter.. and the "frameless screen" which is just glass in front of a screen, and the frame is still there, just adds even more glossiness, more fingerprint region, and more "uhh shiny" ugliness.

all in all, i'm quite sad about the current state of notebook screens, espencially that all companies go the same route. no choise == bad.

 

that is one slow HDD. That, and it is a 1.8" drive so it's not got the same availability of high capacity drives that 2.5" drives have (speeds also) put it out of contention for me. Not to mention only 2 USB ports and being on opposite sides can cause some issues with external drives needing 2 ports for power.

I do love the keyboard though, and definitely wish other's would use it.

Up here, it's $499. A bit high priced considering the 1000HA Asus can be had for $40 less with the 6 cell and comparable spec's. Granted, the keyboard isn't as nice but the touchpad isn't as oddly oriented for some. And it has the matte screen also.

 

WOW, didn't know this laptop was so well-received....I saw the Dell Mini winning awards all over the internet so just assumed that it was the better machine, any opinions from people who have used both?

Nice review BTW!

 

The Dell Mini only gets rave reviews from professional reviewers, if that makes any sense. In real world use, it has a lot of compromises, like the keyboard and small SSD. I personally didn't buy it because of those two reasons.

 

As one who works in the consumer magazine business, I would put more credence in reviews here, as well as other user reviews, than professional reviews. Professional reviews can be influenced by display advertising. There's supposed to be a definitive line of demarcation between the editorial side and the advertising side of the ledger in magazine publishing, but that's more theoretical than reality. Give a large advertiser a poor review, and they tend to pull their advertising insertions. Not always, but ... Magazines survive today on their display advertising sales revenue, not their newsstand or subscription sales revenue.

 

Laptopmag reviewed both HP 1000 and Samsung NC10, here's their conclusion:

About the keyboards they say:

http://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/laptops/hp-mini-1000-windows-xp.aspx?page=1

 

Well, many notebooks do have do have vga-ports, ant their portability makes it quite easy to go downstairs and hook it up to a TV or something I think.
And about their batterylife: Its more then the average notebookbatterylife (alto probably not Lenovo's ), and there is one netbook that can go up to 7hours -think it was the ASUS 1000H-

 

Great review!

I like the HP a lot more over the Dell mini and the Asus. Each has their own pros and cons over each other but when you're dealing with such a small device HP has done a really awesome job on the keyboard. I like typing on it more than my regular full size!

I'm still debating whether to pick one up, the hard drive is the biggest drawback considering most of us have 2.5" drives lying around, but I seem to be low in stock on 1.8" drives lol. I guess it's just another thing to put up with for now. The netbook market is just starting to expand, so we'll start seeing more of the things we like as time goes on.

 

I think it depends on what you're looking for in a netbook. For me, the size of the Dell trumps the keyboard of the HP.

Previously, I owned the 2133, and thought the keyboard was amazing. However, they did have to make the device quite a bit wider to accommodate those keys. Because of this, I found myself longing for a device the size of my, previous, Eee Pc. This lead me to the Dell, whose keyboard is a bit of an acquired taste, but the size is perfect and the keyboard is livable.

If I had to write for a living I'd definitely take the HP over the Dell. But, I don't, so I'll take the size of the Dell.

 

Wait, this is a new review (12-08-08) and no mention of or comparison to the Samsung NC-10 anywhere in the review...it isn't even included in the benchmarks! An Editor's Choice award for dismal battery life, overly glossy display with flimsy saran wrap cover, low rpm HDD, and no VGA port? Come on Kevin, I smell HP advertising support on this one. Shame. Have a look at the NC-10 for $50 less and then let us honestly know what you think of the Mini.

Funny, I searched the NBR website and could not find a single Samsung notebook/netbook advertisement.

 

Don't hold back kaymack, tell us how you really feel.

 

the samsung NC10 isnt reviewed here yet, and as you might know: samsung isnt that big company in the notebook bussiness...