HP Mini 210-3000sa
There is a school of thought that says tablets will kill off the netbook sector. But there's plenty of commitment to that sector being shown by the likes of HP, whose Mini line has had a refresh. One of the models, the HP Mini 210-3000sa landed on our desk recently.
Netbooks can be ideal if all you need is the ability to tap out a document, work on the web and maybe watch some downloaded content. But their lack of optical drives, small screens and lack of expansion options are among the factors that deter businesspeople. In this case the use of Windows 7 Starter might also prove a drawback.
The HP Mini 210-3000sa is small at 26.8cm by 19.1cm by 3.2cm, but not exactly light. We have actually reviewed fully fledged notebooks that weigh less than this netbook's 1.39kg — although admittedly very few. Sony’s 1.18kg Vaio Z springs to mind, although of course that's a vastly more expensive and better-specified notebook. In its defence, the HP Mini 210-3000sa has a robust build — you should be able to toss it into your bag with few qualms.
To help differentiate the new Mini 210-3000sa, HP has equipped it with HP QuickWeb, a fastboot system that gives you audio and web browsing capability outside of Windows. Sadly this was not functioning on our review sample, but it does have a separate launch button, next to the main on/off switch above the keyboard area.
To be honest, we're never that excited about these fastboot systems. They simply don't offer enough functions, and if we owned the Mini 210-3000sa we'd probably accept the full minute it took to boot into Windows proper every time. Anyone who wants full functionality and near-instant-on will, these days, probably make a beeline for a tablet.
General specifications are steadfastly within netbook territory. An Intel Atom N570 processor is complemented by just 1GB of RAM, and the machine is slow. The more apps you run at once, the slower it seems to get. You can't boost that RAM allocation, either.
The screen measures 10.1in. across the diagonal and has a resolution of 1,024 by 600 pixels. We've been using the HP Mini 210-3000sa alongside a Samsung Galaxy Tab that shares the same screen size, and the netbook's screen appears smaller. It's an optical illusion, but one that persists.
There is a 250GB hard drive, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The keyboard, while necessarily a little cramped, is slidly made and responsive under the fingers. The touchpad can be disabled with a double tap of a small indent at its top left, which we found really useful as it's easy to hit the touchpad accidentally when typing.
There's a webcam plus a standard collection of ports and connectors, including VGA, three USB 2.0, Ethernet, headphone and microphone jacks and a slot for SD-compatible media.
HP has integrated the Beats sound system and music playback quality was quite impressive. Rack up to the highest (pretty loud) volume and some fidelity is lost, but we've heard a lot worse. HP suggests you'll get five hours of battery life from a full charge, and we think about four should be achievable in real-world situations.
We found the HP Mini 210-3000sa online for around £250 (inc. VAT).
Sandra Vogel