HP Mini 1000

Zoomer | January 14th, 2010

Over the years we all look to shed a few pounds, and unfortunately we seem to instead move in the opposite direction. The same can be said with our notebook computers – we want them smaller and lighter, but they often end up getting larger and heavier!

Fad diets don’t work. The answer as we know is lifestyle, making the big change. The notebook world has made a big change in its lifestyle. It is often called the NetBook: the small ultralight computer that we use in a whole new way.

I have been taking the HP Mini 1000 out for a test drive for the past week, and I like the new thinner and lighter side of computing.

All of the NetBooks are designed from the ground up for mobility and access. The HP Mini is less than 1-inch thick, weighs a little more than 2 pounds, and has a keyboard that is 92 per cent the size of a standard notebook PC keyboard. The display is a BrightView widescreen Infinity display (1,024 x 600 resolution) with flush glass and LED backlight, built-in webcam and microphone. It is no slouch under the hood either: the Mini is powered by an Intel® Atom N270 1.6-gigahertz (GHz) processor.

The Mini 1000 I have been using comes pre-installed with Windows® XP Home Edition. It includes an Ethernet jack, two USB ports and, most importantly, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless capabilities. This model with a full version of Windows running on it has a built-in hard drive. For the mobile professional it is a dream come true – all the power, half the size, and a large enough keyboard to do serious work.

Other versions of the Mini are solid state computers with no hard drive. Instead your memory and storage is the same sort of memory as RAM, or memory cards in your camera. They run a version of LINUX that is very small, very fast, and very nice.

These Minis are blazingly fast and have very long battery life, as you can imagine with no moving parts. HP has a special interface called the Mobile Internet Experience. It is a uniquely simple, mobile interface that sits overtop of LINUX making it easier to use.

MIE comes loaded with instant messaging, email and Skype for online video chat, making it easy to enjoy social-media experiences anywhere consumers are connected. Applications enabling web browsing, email and online video are also pre-loaded and run from the MIE dashboard. So for the average consumer you just turn on the computer and you are ready to go.

The MIE versions of the Mini are a great concept for students and others who need to snack on information, be on and off-line in an instant and for short or long bursts.

Imagine having a computer that is very small and light – easily fitting in a backpack or book bag – and always connected to the internet. You could take it to class, make notes, write a paper in the coffee shop and Skype home for more money.

I am in love with this concept. I can now work from the tiniest of economy class seats on the plane. Do your worst airlines – cram me in like a sardine – I will still be productive!

I may not be too successful in shedding the pounds, but I can now travel lighter, and that is a step in the right direction.