2008 was the year of the netbook craze. New releases dominated tech headlines for months. The netbook craze never caught on to me until end 2008. I had always wanted a mobile PC for quite sometime but never got myself to commit to one due to the relatively expensive price tag. Moreover, the bulky form factor made me gave it a miss. Along came the netbooks and that's when the doors opened up for me.
After sifting through streams of netbook reviews and shamelessly molested many netbooks, the Lenovo S10 & the EeePC 1000HA made it into my shortlist initially. It was 2 days before the PC fair and I happened to be on leave. I decided to survey more netbooks at Digital Mall PJ before I decide on my purchase at the PC Fair over the weekend. I stopped by AOnePlus to check out what was on display. I chanced upon the HP Mini 1000 while testing the S10 and the EeePC.
I requested one of the staff to unbox the HP Mini for me to inspect. Everything appeared fine until the netbook was powered on. I noticed minute scratches on the bottom left of the LED backlit screen. I requested the staff to give me another unit. That too had the same defect albeit not as obvious as the first. I figured if I asked the staff to unbox another one, the defect may still be there. Shame on the QC. In the end, I plonked RM1800 on the 2nd unit inclusive of 2GB RAM upgrade.
Here's my take on the HP Mini 1000 (or more specifically, the 1001TU)
- Keyboard
- Touchpad
- Aesthetics
- Screen
- Battery
- Heat
- Price
- Practicality
- Verdict
Keyboard
The moment my fingers landed on the spacious keyboards, I knew instantly that this was the one for me. The keys were large enough to touch type. The keys register silent if not non-existent clicks which I like. I found some keys such as the "pg up pg down home end" keys a pain to use as it requires simultaneous usage of the fn key. I tend to use these keys quite often and it is frustrating. Then again, just about every netbook has 2-in-1 keys like these. Can't have it all I guess.
Touchpad
Defying convention, the right and left buttons are separated by the touchpad. This poses a problem for seasoned notebook users. I have learnt to adapt to the button placement although the occasional drag and drops frustrate me. The touchpad is vertically challenged therefore requires double the amount of vertical scrolling.
Aesthetics
The HP Mini 1000 sure is one sexy beast. The LED power and wifi switches are futuristic. The HP patented imprint swirl design on the lid distinguishes itself from the rest of the pack. Its slim and light form factor can fit effortlessly into any sling bag. The ports blend well with the ebony black chassis. A sheer pleasure to admire and feel. The predominantly black, silver and white color scheme suits my taste.
Screen
The 10.1 inch LED backlit screen is sharp and pleasant to the eyes. There are roughly 6 levels of brightness adjustable using the combo keys on the keyboard. The glossy screen hasn't bothered me too much as I use it indoors most of the time. Like all glossy screens, it is a finger print and dust magnet. The cleaning cloth is never too far from the Mini. The 1024x600 resolution is acceptable although long vertical web pages require lots of scrolling. I mitigate this inconvenience by going full screen.
Battery
Based on normal usage (web surfing and simple tasks, screen brightness level 3), the fully charged 3 cell battery lasts 2.5 hours before it depletes. Watching a 1 1/2 hour movie brings the figure down to 2 hours. The somewhat limited battery life makes it compulsory for me to ensure that a wall socket is available if I use it at wifi hotspots out there. I intend to upgrade to a 6 cell once the price stabilizes. For now, the 3 cell is sufficient.
Heat
The bottom of the Mini where the RAM slot is gets worryingly hot while playing memory intense games or watching movies. Everywhere else is just fine so long as there is sufficient ventilation.
Price
I bought the the Mini at RM1699 on Nov 08'. 9 months later, the price has dropped to RM1399. Back then it was considered pricier than the competition such as the Eee pcs and the S10. To me, it was money well spent.
Practicality
[Web Surfing]
Netbooks enable mobility and surfing on the go. That holds true if one doesn't mind the inconvenience of lugging the netbook around. Do take note however that not all places have wifi coverage, thus rendering the netbook useless if you intend to surf. So, be absolutely certain that where you're going has wifi hotspots. I remember carrying along my Mini plus all the essential accessories during a trip to Langkawi early this year with my colleagues. Wifi was scarce even in the airport and I never got to put my netbook to good use. Excess baggage. If you have subscribed to wireless broadband, my comments on web surf practicality are negligible.
[Movies]
Watching movies on the go is a joy as the speaker is loud and clear while the screen is large enough.
I managed to play games such as dota and maplestory on the Mini with little to no performance degradation. The small fonts however made me squint sometimes.
Verdict
Would I recommend the HP Mini 1000? 9 months ago I would have given it a definite Yes. Today, there are better alternatives out there. Notably, the Acer Aspire One D250. All said, the HP Mini 1000 serves me well and does a great job at it.
