HP says latest netbook is business-ready

Powered by a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processer, the HP Mini 2140 has a 10.1-inch display. The keyboard is 92 percent the size of a full-size PC keyboard, and the whole machine weighs from 2.6 pounds.

The netbook comes with a choice between an 80GB solid-state drive and a 160GB hard disk drive; and a choice between a three-cell or six-cell battery. It uses 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi and has options for Bluetooth 2.0, a USB docking station, USB-powered HP Mobile Audio Speakers and an HP USB optical disk drive.

The machine will be available at $499 in the U.S. later this month.

HP says the Mini 2140 is suitable for business use while remaining a true netbook. The company said in its statement that the brushed aluminum chassis made the netbook rigid enough to withstand business use, and also touted features such as the accelerometer-based DriveGuard. According to HP, DriveGuard "instinctively protects your data by parking the hard drive prior to a shock event, bump or drop".