First look at the HP Mini 1000 netbook

James Kendrick is in the enviable position to be in Houston where HP has a significant presence and always seem to get his hands on the latest and greatest HP products. He just posted a very detailed first look at the newly announced HP Mini 1000 netbook that is the second model, the first was the HP 2133 Mini-Note, coming from HP. I considered the 2133 at one time, but the heat issues and rather high price tag for one with the specs I wanted turned me off. The new Mini 1000 has much better pricing options and that large 10.2 inch screen. Even though the display is larger, it has lower resolution (1024x600) than the Mini-Note (1280x768). I am using my MSI Wind on the road right now and 1024x600 is passable, but a bit higher would be much better for me personally.

The HP Mini 1000 currently only has a 3-cell battery, but a 6-cell option is coming. Some key differences that James noted are the loss of the ExpressCard slot, limit of 60GB hard drive, and no VGA port (there is a new port that requires an adapter). He does note that the Intel Atom processor and Windows XP are in use instead of the Via processor and Vista though. There is a new Mobile Internet Experience (MIE) function in the Linux model that looks quite functional for consumers. This is actually one of three models available or coming soon. The top of the line Windows XP model with 1GB RAM, 3-cell battery, 60GB hard drive, 10.2 inch display, WiFi, Bluetooth and web cam will cost US$499. The cheapest Linux model will be US$379 and the cheapest XP model is available now for US$399.99 so they are competitive on pricing and features.