Not just inexpensive, cheap
I was looking forward to the netbook experience. My biggest fear was that my big hands wouldn't be able to navigate the keyboard. That turned out not to be the problem. So what IS the problem?

This pc is pathetically slow, it locks up frequently. I might have only 3 tabs open in Firefox and the stupid thing stops working. If it can't run a browser then what good is it?

Using the Windows programs isn't much better. Word gives the same pathetic performance (fits and starts). Netbooks are supposed to be for convenience but if you can't get anything done, what's the point?

The batter life is good but nothing spectacular. This isn't a huge issue but the fan is far too loud as well.

This machine would chase a lot of people away from a netbook. I probably should just chalk it up to typical HP quality.

More bang for the buck
Finding anything on this specific Hewlett Packard HP Mini 110-1033CL was a challenge. My wife just bought one for my Grandson from COSTCO and it appears to have more features than were available in the past. For one, it has a 160GB SATA hard drive, and for another the standard battery is a 6 cell which lasts way longer than the smaller 3 cell. I haven't had much time to work with this machine but the display is fairly bright and the keyboard easy to use. My only concern was how long Microsoft plans to continue supporting Windows XP. I may turn it back in in a couple of months if HP comes out with a mini that has Windows 7 loaded, along with 4 GB of ram to make it work correctly. I suspect it will cost more as well.

The portability is addictive. Netbook goes everywhere.
It is hard to believe that HP and other netbook makers packed so many features into such a small package. This HP netbook is a little bigger than the average DVD case. It is TINY...and slim too. At 2lbs and some change, you can carry this thing all day long and not even notice the weight.

The features in the 1033CL match up with other netbooks on the market. The hard drive is a bit smaller than average - 60GB v/s 120GB. This model comes with 1GB RAM v/s 2GB RAM on most Vista-enabled netbooks. Not deal breakers by any means...but savy shoppers can get more bang for their netbook dollars.

Now, let's talk about this netbook. The keyboard is darn near full-sized which makes touch typing possible. I crank out 80wpm on a regular keyboard and can get near that speed on this netbook. There are a few compromises though. The touchpad has buttons on either side v/s on top like most netbooks and laptops. The arrow keys are smaller than regular keys. There is no dedicated home key and now requires two keys be pressed (fn-left arrow). Most people won't notice it but power users might have an issue.

The speaker sits directly above the keyboard and sounds great! Some laptops and netbooks put the speakers under the unit or in the palmrest (so your hand covers it!) but HP got it right. Volume is loud and sound is full. Not tinny.

The 1033CL has plenty of ports. Power, USB, headphone/mic, and Ethernet are on the left. Another USB port and a smartcard slot are on the right. The front has buttons for power and for turning off the wireless network card. (great for saving power)

Speaking of power, this netbook comes with a 3cell battery. It is good for quick trips but if you want long-term power, shoot for a 6 cell battery or better. The battery compartment is in the bottom of the unit for easy access. RAM can also be upgraded via the bottom of the unit.

The display is very crisp. 10.2 inches sounds small but the Windows XP resolution is 1024x600 so it's bigger than expected. Movies look great on it. The display has the a reflective coating on it (don't remember technical name).

A few minor annoyances with this netbook. The webcam requires a lot of background light just to get a half-way decent picture. There is a port for an external monitor but the dongle for it wasn't included in the box. HP charges extra for it. The touchpad includes a generous space for scrolling. Almost too generous. About 3/4 of an inch of the touchpad is reserved for scrolling down a page. Fortunately, it can be adjusted using software.

Overall, the 1033CL is a fun netbook. It isn't the fastest or packed with the most features but the crisp display, the almost full-sized keyboard, and the audio make this unit stand out among competitors. I'm happy I bought it. The portability of it is just addictive. I take it to the kitchen, the bedroom, the garage, the front porch, backyard and more.

Good for some things, not for everything
In addition to the HP, I have an Asus eee, which runs Linux and has a keyboard that's just a little too small for sustained typing. The HP Mini 1033CL has a very nice keyboard and good screen resolution. I added an external optical drive and loaded MS Office with no problem.

However, for whatever reason, HP saw fit not to include a VGA port. Instead, there is an "expansion slot" that claims to carry VGA output (though an incoherent HP representative told me that it did not). HP does not yet sell a cable or adapter for this bizarre proprietary expansion slot. Thus, if you buy this machine for its portability, hoping it will reduce your luggage on business trips, as I did, you must also hope that your business does not require you to use your computer to project PowerPoint. Sadly, my business travel always requires this, and is a key reason I would sacrifice the ease of a full-sized laptop for a mini. Therefore, until such time as HP releases a proprietary connector to provide a normally-standard output dock, I will be traveling with my eee. I'd rather take the HP, but it is useless if I can't project.

Nice little laptop for traveling
I love this laptop! it's so miniature and light-weight. I just toss it in my back pack and off I go. I also have a wireless air card which I got from AT&T, so I had get 24-7 internet anywhere. There's also many wifi hotspots nowdays to take advantage of free internet.

I'm going to Japan in a couple months. I plan to put the laptop in hibernate mode, and when I need to look up a restaurant, or places to go, or translate something, I'll have the resource with me.

Things I didn't like about the laptop:
The laptop could use a built-in bluetooth. The laptop taskbar had a bluetooth icon, but it says it's disabled, but I might get one of those miniature blueTooth dongles that sitcks out only a few millimeters. I think HP could've put in a couple more USB ports, so I carry around a USB hub just in case. Other than that, you should consider this laptop. I give it a 9.5/10 for this laptop.

HP Mini 1033CL Specs
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01600625&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN

by the way, I bought mine from adilux, he/she shipped fast and insured via UPS! thanks again adilux! Kudos!

Fine for almost a year...
I bought this netbook from Verizon last August. A couple of days ago, the wireless card stopped working. Brought it in to Verizon and they told me it was an HP problem. Called HP and was also connected by phone with a verizon rep, reached a guy in India. He told us it was out of warranty although it is not. The verizon rep had my purchase date on her screen and I had a printed reciept. He would not help us at all and refused to put a supervisor on the phone. Finally hung up and did some research. It seems that the wireless card on thousands of HP machines do not last long. Then they want you to replace the mother board etc. A total rip off. A scam. The machine itself works just fine BUT CAN'T CONNECT TO THE NET. Verizon says if I want to cancel my wireless account I have to pay 0. I have a useless machine and am being "held hostage" by the company that sold it to me and HP will not even speak with me after holding me on the phone for over an hour. Their customer service is horrid and they do not back up faulty products.

I see a lot of positive feedback on this product from customers who have just purchased them and I would have given this product a good review after I first got it too. If the manufacturer won't honor their warranty and won't give you any customer service, buyer, be VERY AWARE. DO SOME RESEARCH ON HP PRODUCTS AND CUSTOMER SERVICE BEFORE BUYING. If I could rate this product with zero stars I would

Incredibly slow and unresponsive machine...not worth the money
I was in search of a laptop but didn't have much money, so I looked into getting a netbook. All I needed was a machine to do word processing and surf the internet, so my expectations were pretty low. This machine doesn't even do that effectively...it is incredibly slow and crashes constantly doing basic tasks, like opening a web-page. I would highly suggest you just invest a little more money and get an actual laptop.

Do not buy this HP!!!
This machine was adorable, until it died after three months. The hard drive just failed. It is now lost somewhere in Texas...under warranty, but HP sent it to the wrong address and doesn't seem to be able to find it. Their service is beyond horrible. You call somewhere in India, who calls Texas, and I am not sure which is less in touch with reality.

My next computer will be a Mac...or purchased from some company who has a clue.

Great value with limitations
I've been using this computer for several months now.

Compared to a smart phone at 0, this computer at half the price is a great value. It's amazingly light weight and it does everything a laptop does.

Although it has a real keyboard, it is necessarily a bit smaller than a normal computer, and I find myself making frequent typos. Annoyingly, it has keys marked "home" and "end," but they only work as cursor keys -- I've tried every keystroke combination I can think of and they're still just cursor keys. So I have to scroll to find the beginning and ending of documents or posts.

The display is a bit pale, particularly so on battery. There is no display adjustment possible.

The main problem, though, was HP Support. I have the mobile version of the Mini, with a built-in broadband card, and my computer kept trying to connect to it which resulted in error messages; at one point, I was getting several error messages per minute. Neither email nor phone support was able to help me with this problem despite many emails and a long time on the phone. It finally resolved itself.

RAM is limited to 1 G; it's not expandable.

This is a great computer for travel, absolutely fabulous. But lately I've been using it as a substitute for my big laptop which is in the shop, and I find myself getting frustrated with it.

A Real Breakthough Technology (and I Mean that Seiously)
I've been using this HP Mini 1000 Netbook for a while now, and decided to write a review for Amazon because I'm so impressed with the device. If you are considering a "Netbook" like this, chances are you've never owned one, and are perhaps a bit skeptical about the device. So was I.

First off, let's set the parameters. This isn't a multi-core Pentium processor machine with a high end dedicated graphics card. It isn't meant for running the most processor intensive applications faster than any other computer on the market. Most of you have one of these number-crunching machines at home already, or perhaps a high-end laptop with all the power-intensive support. This is a "Netbook," which means a slimmed down laptop that can be used for basic functions, such as web browsing, e-mail, and some minor picture viewing.

That's a bit deceptive, because when you read descriptions like that, you expect that the HP Mini 1000 will essentially be a performance "dog" that can handle only a web browser, and perhaps Picasa. I can tell you, that's a real mistake.

There's no doubt this in one of the lightest and smallest computers you've ever seen, but, surprisingly, it is also one of the most sprightly performing laptops you're likely to find in the price range (and speaking of price, it's basically a steal at between 0 and 0; I had two other laptops not long ago that were both sub-3 pound devices, and they each cost over ,000). I went ahead and just took a gamble on loading all of a trial copy of Microsoft Office 2007 (Outlook, Word, Excel, OneNote, etc.), and then just piled on other applications I typically use on my regular laptop (a dual core T8100 processor in an HP Dv2000 body), including picture viewers, utility programs, etc.. Surprise. It not only handled all the software, but it runs the programs remarkably well, with little lag time and surprisingly deft performance. The Intel "Atom" Processor powering this thing can easily be seen as a "sleeper" technology that people are going to increasingly talk about.

Boot time is also surprisingly fast. Mine usually loads within 20 seconds, certainly faster than my "powerful" laptop. Of course, the Mini is running Windows XP, not Vista, but still, that's pretty impressive. (By the way, I also installed Windows 7 RC1, and it worked just fine.)

The wireless has thus far worked without problems. I connect to my home network with high security settings, and to public locations using open networks, all without a hitch so far. (The unit, however, does not support draft-n specifications, so you'll be connecting at g speeds.)

The physical construction of this unit is excellent. Yes, it is small and light. But it is also sturdy in the way it feels, with little squeaking and a solid construction. The screen is bright and clear. And the keyboard is one of the best I've seen in any laptop. How did they do this?

Finally, when youfeel the tiny weight and size of the battery as you take it out of the box, you'll be thinking that it will run 30 minutes, tops. Well, with the Atom processor sipping current at exceedingly low amounts, you'll likely see some 90 - 120 minutes on a single charge. It's amazing.

You can probably tell I'm impressed with this device, because I am. If this is the beginning of "Netbooks," then I think they will become increasingly popular as people discover them.

Rating for Size and Weight: Five Stars
Rating for Price: Five Stars
Rating for Configuration: Four and 1/2 Stars

Pros:
1. Exceedingly light and small
2. Beautiful physical appearance
3. Clear and bright screen (but glare can be an issue)
4. Remarkable performance, even with software suites such as Office 2007
5. Excellent keyboard with good tactile feel and large size layout (how is this possible?)
6. Wireless that actually works
7. Lightweight adapter cord (you've been stung on this before, haven't you? They finally got it right.)
8. Two USB 2.0 ports, plus a network port and a HP adapter output port
9. Built-in webcam
10. Can put in a 2Gb memory card (even though it claims 1Gb is the limit)
11. Very good battery life for such a dimunutive battery
12. Great price for the package

Cons
1. No draft-N wireless available
2. Bluetooth not on every model
3. HP Proprietary connector required for VGA output
4. Non-common 1.8" hard drive format limits upgrade options to the 1.8" format
5. Screen resolution, though very good, is not as high as we might wish (but is good enough)
6. Display does not fold back as far as most laptops
7. Outstanding performance probably drives us to push the unit past its stated purposes (i.e., just don't be upset if you can't run a C++ compiler while listening to Windows Media Player and editing an Excel spreadsheet)


To sum it up, this is truly an outstanding breakthrough if you understand what the unit is designed to do. I'm already seriously considering substituting my main laptop with the HP Mini for most out-of-home tasks. Five stars.

Better off with full size?
I bought this product for essentially two purposes. One is to stream music wirelessly to my stereo and built in speakers and the other is to web surf when my kids are on our other laptops. I wanted a small unit in order to save space on my bar at home where I placed it. At the end of the day it is a cool little unit, however with a couple of drawbacks I am thinking perhaps I should have gone with a full size laptop which in retrospect would not have taken up that much more room. The first drawback is that the keyboard is not quite fullsize so it is taking some getting used to, to be able to type without making a lot of errors. The second is that for some reason the screen can only lay back at a limited angle. This is awkward if you are standing while typing or sitting in a higher chair. You just get the feeling you want to push the screen back some more but can't. I do plan on using this laptop on the road for short business trips, but for longer trips,where I would be typing more, I would probably stick with my full size business lap top.

Good for travel
This machine hits the sweet spot for travel. It's light has all you need for running office and surfing the internet.

The touchpad is hard to get used to as the click buttons are to the left and right. Get a wireless mouse!

Webcamera produces very dark images, but I really didn't buy it for that. I just wanted a small lightweight machine that could run office for travel.

An added bonus: it has windows xp!! Yay! I hate Vista.

Fine for almost a year...
I bought this netbook from Verizon last August. A couple of days ago, the wireless card stopped working. Brought it in to Verizon and they told me it was an HP problem. Called HP and was also connected by phone with a verizon rep, reached a guy in India. He told us it was out of warranty although it is not. The verizon rep had my purchase date on her screen and I had a printed reciept. He would not help us at all and refused to put a supervisor on the phone. Finally hung up and did some research. It seems that the wireless card on thousands of HP machines do not last long. Then they want you to replace the mother board etc. A total rip off. A scam. The machine itself works just fine BUT CAN'T CONNECT TO THE NET. Verizon says if I want to cancel my wireless account I have to pay 0. I have a useless machine and am being "held hostage" by the company that sold it to me and HP will not even speak with me after holding me on the phone for over an hour. Their customer service is horrid and they do not back up faulty products.

I see a lot of positive feedback on this product from customers who have just purchased them and I would have given this product a good review after I first got it too. If the manufacturer won't honor their warranty and won't give you any customer service, buyer, be VERY AWARE. DO SOME RESEARCH ON HP PRODUCTS AND CUSTOMER SERVICE BEFORE BUYING. If I could rate this product with zero stars I would

Incredibly slow and unresponsive machine...not worth the money
I was in search of a laptop but didn't have much money, so I looked into getting a netbook. All I needed was a machine to do word processing and surf the internet, so my expectations were pretty low. This machine doesn't even do that effectively...it is incredibly slow and crashes constantly doing basic tasks, like opening a web-page. I would highly suggest you just invest a little more money and get an actual laptop.

Do not buy this HP!!!
This machine was adorable, until it died after three months. The hard drive just failed. It is now lost somewhere in Texas...under warranty, but HP sent it to the wrong address and doesn't seem to be able to find it. Their service is beyond horrible. You call somewhere in India, who calls Texas, and I am not sure which is less in touch with reality.

My next computer will be a Mac...or purchased from some company who has a clue.

Great value with limitations
I've been using this computer for several months now.

Compared to a smart phone at 0, this computer at half the price is a great value. It's amazingly light weight and it does everything a laptop does.

Although it has a real keyboard, it is necessarily a bit smaller than a normal computer, and I find myself making frequent typos. Annoyingly, it has keys marked "home" and "end," but they only work as cursor keys -- I've tried every keystroke combination I can think of and they're still just cursor keys. So I have to scroll to find the beginning and ending of documents or posts.

The display is a bit pale, particularly so on battery. There is no display adjustment possible.

The main problem, though, was HP Support. I have the mobile version of the Mini, with a built-in broadband card, and my computer kept trying to connect to it which resulted in error messages; at one point, I was getting several error messages per minute. Neither email nor phone support was able to help me with this problem despite many emails and a long time on the phone. It finally resolved itself.

RAM is limited to 1 G; it's not expandable.

This is a great computer for travel, absolutely fabulous. But lately I've been using it as a substitute for my big laptop which is in the shop, and I find myself getting frustrated with it.

A Real Breakthough Technology (and I Mean that Seiously)
I've been using this HP Mini 1000 Netbook for a while now, and decided to write a review for Amazon because I'm so impressed with the device. If you are considering a "Netbook" like this, chances are you've never owned one, and are perhaps a bit skeptical about the device. So was I.

First off, let's set the parameters. This isn't a multi-core Pentium processor machine with a high end dedicated graphics card. It isn't meant for running the most processor intensive applications faster than any other computer on the market. Most of you have one of these number-crunching machines at home already, or perhaps a high-end laptop with all the power-intensive support. This is a "Netbook," which means a slimmed down laptop that can be used for basic functions, such as web browsing, e-mail, and some minor picture viewing.

That's a bit deceptive, because when you read descriptions like that, you expect that the HP Mini 1000 will essentially be a performance "dog" that can handle only a web browser, and perhaps Picasa. I can tell you, that's a real mistake.

There's no doubt this in one of the lightest and smallest computers you've ever seen, but, surprisingly, it is also one of the most sprightly performing laptops you're likely to find in the price range (and speaking of price, it's basically a steal at between 0 and 0; I had two other laptops not long ago that were both sub-3 pound devices, and they each cost over ,000). I went ahead and just took a gamble on loading all of a trial copy of Microsoft Office 2007 (Outlook, Word, Excel, OneNote, etc.), and then just piled on other applications I typically use on my regular laptop (a dual core T8100 processor in an HP Dv2000 body), including picture viewers, utility programs, etc.. Surprise. It not only handled all the software, but it runs the programs remarkably well, with little lag time and surprisingly deft performance. The Intel "Atom" Processor powering this thing can easily be seen as a "sleeper" technology that people are going to increasingly talk about.

Boot time is also surprisingly fast. Mine usually loads within 20 seconds, certainly faster than my "powerful" laptop. Of course, the Mini is running Windows XP, not Vista, but still, that's pretty impressive. (By the way, I also installed Windows 7 RC1, and it worked just fine.)

The wireless has thus far worked without problems. I connect to my home network with high security settings, and to public locations using open networks, all without a hitch so far. (The unit, however, does not support draft-n specifications, so you'll be connecting at g speeds.)

The physical construction of this unit is excellent. Yes, it is small and light. But it is also sturdy in the way it feels, with little squeaking and a solid construction. The screen is bright and clear. And the keyboard is one of the best I've seen in any laptop. How did they do this?

Finally, when youfeel the tiny weight and size of the battery as you take it out of the box, you'll be thinking that it will run 30 minutes, tops. Well, with the Atom processor sipping current at exceedingly low amounts, you'll likely see some 90 - 120 minutes on a single charge. It's amazing.

You can probably tell I'm impressed with this device, because I am. If this is the beginning of "Netbooks," then I think they will become increasingly popular as people discover them.

Rating for Size and Weight: Five Stars
Rating for Price: Five Stars
Rating for Configuration: Four and 1/2 Stars

Pros:
1. Exceedingly light and small
2. Beautiful physical appearance
3. Clear and bright screen (but glare can be an issue)
4. Remarkable performance, even with software suites such as Office 2007
5. Excellent keyboard with good tactile feel and large size layout (how is this possible?)
6. Wireless that actually works
7. Lightweight adapter cord (you've been stung on this before, haven't you? They finally got it right.)
8. Two USB 2.0 ports, plus a network port and a HP adapter output port
9. Built-in webcam
10. Can put in a 2Gb memory card (even though it claims 1Gb is the limit)
11. Very good battery life for such a dimunutive battery
12. Great price for the package

Cons
1. No draft-N wireless available
2. Bluetooth not on every model
3. HP Proprietary connector required for VGA output
4. Non-common 1.8" hard drive format limits upgrade options to the 1.8" format
5. Screen resolution, though very good, is not as high as we might wish (but is good enough)
6. Display does not fold back as far as most laptops
7. Outstanding performance probably drives us to push the unit past its stated purposes (i.e., just don't be upset if you can't run a C++ compiler while listening to Windows Media Player and editing an Excel spreadsheet)


To sum it up, this is truly an outstanding breakthrough if you understand what the unit is designed to do. I'm already seriously considering substituting my main laptop with the HP Mini for most out-of-home tasks. Five stars.

Fine for almost a year...
I bought this netbook from Verizon last August. A couple of days ago, the wireless card stopped working. Brought it in to Verizon and they told me it was an HP problem. Called HP and was also connected by phone with a verizon rep, reached a guy in India. He told us it was out of warranty although it is not. The verizon rep had my purchase date on her screen and I had a printed reciept. He would not help us at all and refused to put a supervisor on the phone. Finally hung up and did some research. It seems that the wireless card on thousands of HP machines do not last long. Then they want you to replace the mother board etc. A total rip off. A scam. The machine itself works just fine BUT CAN'T CONNECT TO THE NET. Verizon says if I want to cancel my wireless account I have to pay 0. I have a useless machine and am being "held hostage" by the company that sold it to me and HP will not even speak with me after holding me on the phone for over an hour. Their customer service is horrid and they do not back up faulty products.

I see a lot of positive feedback on this product from customers who have just purchased them and I would have given this product a good review after I first got it too. If the manufacturer won't honor their warranty and won't give you any customer service, buyer, be VERY AWARE. DO SOME RESEARCH ON HP PRODUCTS AND CUSTOMER SERVICE BEFORE BUYING. If I could rate this product with zero stars I would

Incredibly slow and unresponsive machine...not worth the money
I was in search of a laptop but didn't have much money, so I looked into getting a netbook. All I needed was a machine to do word processing and surf the internet, so my expectations were pretty low. This machine doesn't even do that effectively...it is incredibly slow and crashes constantly doing basic tasks, like opening a web-page. I would highly suggest you just invest a little more money and get an actual laptop.

Do not buy this HP!!!
This machine was adorable, until it died after three months. The hard drive just failed. It is now lost somewhere in Texas...under warranty, but HP sent it to the wrong address and doesn't seem to be able to find it. Their service is beyond horrible. You call somewhere in India, who calls Texas, and I am not sure which is less in touch with reality.

My next computer will be a Mac...or purchased from some company who has a clue.

Great value with limitations
I've been using this computer for several months now.

Compared to a smart phone at 0, this computer at half the price is a great value. It's amazingly light weight and it does everything a laptop does.

Although it has a real keyboard, it is necessarily a bit smaller than a normal computer, and I find myself making frequent typos. Annoyingly, it has keys marked "home" and "end," but they only work as cursor keys -- I've tried every keystroke combination I can think of and they're still just cursor keys. So I have to scroll to find the beginning and ending of documents or posts.

The display is a bit pale, particularly so on battery. There is no display adjustment possible.

The main problem, though, was HP Support. I have the mobile version of the Mini, with a built-in broadband card, and my computer kept trying to connect to it which resulted in error messages; at one point, I was getting several error messages per minute. Neither email nor phone support was able to help me with this problem despite many emails and a long time on the phone. It finally resolved itself.

RAM is limited to 1 G; it's not expandable.

This is a great computer for travel, absolutely fabulous. But lately I've been using it as a substitute for my big laptop which is in the shop, and I find myself getting frustrated with it.

A Real Breakthough Technology (and I Mean that Seiously)
I've been using this HP Mini 1000 Netbook for a while now, and decided to write a review for Amazon because I'm so impressed with the device. If you are considering a "Netbook" like this, chances are you've never owned one, and are perhaps a bit skeptical about the device. So was I.

First off, let's set the parameters. This isn't a multi-core Pentium processor machine with a high end dedicated graphics card. It isn't meant for running the most processor intensive applications faster than any other computer on the market. Most of you have one of these number-crunching machines at home already, or perhaps a high-end laptop with all the power-intensive support. This is a "Netbook," which means a slimmed down laptop that can be used for basic functions, such as web browsing, e-mail, and some minor picture viewing.

That's a bit deceptive, because when you read descriptions like that, you expect that the HP Mini 1000 will essentially be a performance "dog" that can handle only a web browser, and perhaps Picasa. I can tell you, that's a real mistake.

There's no doubt this in one of the lightest and smallest computers you've ever seen, but, surprisingly, it is also one of the most sprightly performing laptops you're likely to find in the price range (and speaking of price, it's basically a steal at between 0 and 0; I had two other laptops not long ago that were both sub-3 pound devices, and they each cost over ,000). I went ahead and just took a gamble on loading all of a trial copy of Microsoft Office 2007 (Outlook, Word, Excel, OneNote, etc.), and then just piled on other applications I typically use on my regular laptop (a dual core T8100 processor in an HP Dv2000 body), including picture viewers, utility programs, etc.. Surprise. It not only handled all the software, but it runs the programs remarkably well, with little lag time and surprisingly deft performance. The Intel "Atom" Processor powering this thing can easily be seen as a "sleeper" technology that people are going to increasingly talk about.

Boot time is also surprisingly fast. Mine usually loads within 20 seconds, certainly faster than my "powerful" laptop. Of course, the Mini is running Windows XP, not Vista, but still, that's pretty impressive. (By the way, I also installed Windows 7 RC1, and it worked just fine.)

The wireless has thus far worked without problems. I connect to my home network with high security settings, and to public locations using open networks, all without a hitch so far. (The unit, however, does not support draft-n specifications, so you'll be connecting at g speeds.)

The physical construction of this unit is excellent. Yes, it is small and light. But it is also sturdy in the way it feels, with little squeaking and a solid construction. The screen is bright and clear. And the keyboard is one of the best I've seen in any laptop. How did they do this?

Finally, when youfeel the tiny weight and size of the battery as you take it out of the box, you'll be thinking that it will run 30 minutes, tops. Well, with the Atom processor sipping current at exceedingly low amounts, you'll likely see some 90 - 120 minutes on a single charge. It's amazing.

You can probably tell I'm impressed with this device, because I am. If this is the beginning of "Netbooks," then I think they will become increasingly popular as people discover them.

Rating for Size and Weight: Five Stars
Rating for Price: Five Stars
Rating for Configuration: Four and 1/2 Stars

Pros:
1. Exceedingly light and small
2. Beautiful physical appearance
3. Clear and bright screen (but glare can be an issue)
4. Remarkable performance, even with software suites such as Office 2007
5. Excellent keyboard with good tactile feel and large size layout (how is this possible?)
6. Wireless that actually works
7. Lightweight adapter cord (you've been stung on this before, haven't you? They finally got it right.)
8. Two USB 2.0 ports, plus a network port and a HP adapter output port
9. Built-in webcam
10. Can put in a 2Gb memory card (even though it claims 1Gb is the limit)
11. Very good battery life for such a dimunutive battery
12. Great price for the package

Cons
1. No draft-N wireless available
2. Bluetooth not on every model
3. HP Proprietary connector required for VGA output
4. Non-common 1.8" hard drive format limits upgrade options to the 1.8" format
5. Screen resolution, though very good, is not as high as we might wish (but is good enough)
6. Display does not fold back as far as most laptops
7. Outstanding performance probably drives us to push the unit past its stated purposes (i.e., just don't be upset if you can't run a C++ compiler while listening to Windows Media Player and editing an Excel spreadsheet)


To sum it up, this is truly an outstanding breakthrough if you understand what the unit is designed to do. I'm already seriously considering substituting my main laptop with the HP Mini for most out-of-home tasks. Five stars.

Fine for almost a year...
I bought this netbook from Verizon last August. A couple of days ago, the wireless card stopped working. Brought it in to Verizon and they told me it was an HP problem. Called HP and was also connected by phone with a verizon rep, reached a guy in India. He told us it was out of warranty although it is not. The verizon rep had my purchase date on her screen and I had a printed reciept. He would not help us at all and refused to put a supervisor on the phone. Finally hung up and did some research. It seems that the wireless card on thousands of HP machines do not last long. Then they want you to replace the mother board etc. A total rip off. A scam. The machine itself works just fine BUT CAN'T CONNECT TO THE NET. Verizon says if I want to cancel my wireless account I have to pay 0. I have a useless machine and am being "held hostage" by the company that sold it to me and HP will not even speak with me after holding me on the phone for over an hour. Their customer service is horrid and they do not back up faulty products.

I see a lot of positive feedback on this product from customers who have just purchased them and I would have given this product a good review after I first got it too. If the manufacturer won't honor their warranty and won't give you any customer service, buyer, be VERY AWARE. DO SOME RESEARCH ON HP PRODUCTS AND CUSTOMER SERVICE BEFORE BUYING. If I could rate this product with zero stars I would

Incredibly slow and unresponsive machine...not worth the money
I was in search of a laptop but didn't have much money, so I looked into getting a netbook. All I needed was a machine to do word processing and surf the internet, so my expectations were pretty low. This machine doesn't even do that effectively...it is incredibly slow and crashes constantly doing basic tasks, like opening a web-page. I would highly suggest you just invest a little more money and get an actual laptop.

Do not buy this HP!!!
This machine was adorable, until it died after three months. The hard drive just failed. It is now lost somewhere in Texas...under warranty, but HP sent it to the wrong address and doesn't seem to be able to find it. Their service is beyond horrible. You call somewhere in India, who calls Texas, and I am not sure which is less in touch with reality.

My next computer will be a Mac...or purchased from some company who has a clue.

Great value with limitations
I've been using this computer for several months now.

Compared to a smart phone at 0, this computer at half the price is a great value. It's amazingly light weight and it does everything a laptop does.

Although it has a real keyboard, it is necessarily a bit smaller than a normal computer, and I find myself making frequent typos. Annoyingly, it has keys marked "home" and "end," but they only work as cursor keys -- I've tried every keystroke combination I can think of and they're still just cursor keys. So I have to scroll to find the beginning and ending of documents or posts.

The display is a bit pale, particularly so on battery. There is no display adjustment possible.

The main problem, though, was HP Support. I have the mobile version of the Mini, with a built-in broadband card, and my computer kept trying to connect to it which resulted in error messages; at one point, I was getting several error messages per minute. Neither email nor phone support was able to help me with this problem despite many emails and a long time on the phone. It finally resolved itself.

RAM is limited to 1 G; it's not expandable.

This is a great computer for travel, absolutely fabulous. But lately I've been using it as a substitute for my big laptop which is in the shop, and I find myself getting frustrated with it.

A Real Breakthough Technology (and I Mean that Seiously)
I've been using this HP Mini 1000 Netbook for a while now, and decided to write a review for Amazon because I'm so impressed with the device. If you are considering a "Netbook" like this, chances are you've never owned one, and are perhaps a bit skeptical about the device. So was I.

First off, let's set the parameters. This isn't a multi-core Pentium processor machine with a high end dedicated graphics card. It isn't meant for running the most processor intensive applications faster than any other computer on the market. Most of you have one of these number-crunching machines at home already, or perhaps a high-end laptop with all the power-intensive support. This is a "Netbook," which means a slimmed down laptop that can be used for basic functions, such as web browsing, e-mail, and some minor picture viewing.

That's a bit deceptive, because when you read descriptions like that, you expect that the HP Mini 1000 will essentially be a performance "dog" that can handle only a web browser, and perhaps Picasa. I can tell you, that's a real mistake.

There's no doubt this in one of the lightest and smallest computers you've ever seen, but, surprisingly, it is also one of the most sprightly performing laptops you're likely to find in the price range (and speaking of price, it's basically a steal at between 0 and 0; I had two other laptops not long ago that were both sub-3 pound devices, and they each cost over ,000). I went ahead and just took a gamble on loading all of a trial copy of Microsoft Office 2007 (Outlook, Word, Excel, OneNote, etc.), and then just piled on other applications I typically use on my regular laptop (a dual core T8100 processor in an HP Dv2000 body), including picture viewers, utility programs, etc.. Surprise. It not only handled all the software, but it runs the programs remarkably well, with little lag time and surprisingly deft performance. The Intel "Atom" Processor powering this thing can easily be seen as a "sleeper" technology that people are going to increasingly talk about.

Boot time is also surprisingly fast. Mine usually loads within 20 seconds, certainly faster than my "powerful" laptop. Of course, the Mini is running Windows XP, not Vista, but still, that's pretty impressive. (By the way, I also installed Windows 7 RC1, and it worked just fine.)

The wireless has thus far worked without problems. I connect to my home network with high security settings, and to public locations using open networks, all without a hitch so far. (The unit, however, does not support draft-n specifications, so you'll be connecting at g speeds.)

The physical construction of this unit is excellent. Yes, it is small and light. But it is also sturdy in the way it feels, with little squeaking and a solid construction. The screen is bright and clear. And the keyboard is one of the best I've seen in any laptop. How did they do this?

Finally, when youfeel the tiny weight and size of the battery as you take it out of the box, you'll be thinking that it will run 30 minutes, tops. Well, with the Atom processor sipping current at exceedingly low amounts, you'll likely see some 90 - 120 minutes on a single charge. It's amazing.

You can probably tell I'm impressed with this device, because I am. If this is the beginning of "Netbooks," then I think they will become increasingly popular as people discover them.

Rating for Size and Weight: Five Stars
Rating for Price: Five Stars
Rating for Configuration: Four and 1/2 Stars

Pros:
1. Exceedingly light and small
2. Beautiful physical appearance
3. Clear and bright screen (but glare can be an issue)
4. Remarkable performance, even with software suites such as Office 2007
5. Excellent keyboard with good tactile feel and large size layout (how is this possible?)
6. Wireless that actually works
7. Lightweight adapter cord (you've been stung on this before, haven't you? They finally got it right.)
8. Two USB 2.0 ports, plus a network port and a HP adapter output port
9. Built-in webcam
10. Can put in a 2Gb memory card (even though it claims 1Gb is the limit)
11. Very good battery life for such a dimunutive battery
12. Great price for the package

Cons
1. No draft-N wireless available
2. Bluetooth not on every model
3. HP Proprietary connector required for VGA output
4. Non-common 1.8" hard drive format limits upgrade options to the 1.8" format
5. Screen resolution, though very good, is not as high as we might wish (but is good enough)
6. Display does not fold back as far as most laptops
7. Outstanding performance probably drives us to push the unit past its stated purposes (i.e., just don't be upset if you can't run a C++ compiler while listening to Windows Media Player and editing an Excel spreadsheet)


To sum it up, this is truly an outstanding breakthrough if you understand what the unit is designed to do. I'm already seriously considering substituting my main laptop with the HP Mini for most out-of-home tasks. Five stars.

Not just inexpensive, cheap
I was looking forward to the netbook experience. My biggest fear was that my big hands wouldn't be able to navigate the keyboard. That turned out not to be the problem. So what IS the problem?

This pc is pathetically slow, it locks up frequently. I might have only 3 tabs open in Firefox and the stupid thing stops working. If it can't run a browser then what good is it?

Using the Windows programs isn't much better. Word gives the same pathetic performance (fits and starts). Netbooks are supposed to be for convenience but if you can't get anything done, what's the point?

The batter life is good but nothing spectacular. This isn't a huge issue but the fan is far too loud as well.

This machine would chase a lot of people away from a netbook. I probably should just chalk it up to typical HP quality.

More bang for the buck
Finding anything on this specific Hewlett Packard HP Mini 110-1033CL was a challenge. My wife just bought one for my Grandson from COSTCO and it appears to have more features than were available in the past. For one, it has a 160GB SATA hard drive, and for another the standard battery is a 6 cell which lasts way longer than the smaller 3 cell. I haven't had much time to work with this machine but the display is fairly bright and the keyboard easy to use. My only concern was how long Microsoft plans to continue supporting Windows XP. I may turn it back in in a couple of months if HP comes out with a mini that has Windows 7 loaded, along with 4 GB of ram to make it work correctly. I suspect it will cost more as well.

The portability is addictive. Netbook goes everywhere.
It is hard to believe that HP and other netbook makers packed so many features into such a small package. This HP netbook is a little bigger than the average DVD case. It is TINY...and slim too. At 2lbs and some change, you can carry this thing all day long and not even notice the weight.

The features in the 1033CL match up with other netbooks on the market. The hard drive is a bit smaller than average - 60GB v/s 120GB. This model comes with 1GB RAM v/s 2GB RAM on most Vista-enabled netbooks. Not deal breakers by any means...but savy shoppers can get more bang for their netbook dollars.

Now, let's talk about this netbook. The keyboard is darn near full-sized which makes touch typing possible. I crank out 80wpm on a regular keyboard and can get near that speed on this netbook. There are a few compromises though. The touchpad has buttons on either side v/s on top like most netbooks and laptops. The arrow keys are smaller than regular keys. There is no dedicated home key and now requires two keys be pressed (fn-left arrow). Most people won't notice it but power users might have an issue.

The speaker sits directly above the keyboard and sounds great! Some laptops and netbooks put the speakers under the unit or in the palmrest (so your hand covers it!) but HP got it right. Volume is loud and sound is full. Not tinny.

The 1033CL has plenty of ports. Power, USB, headphone/mic, and Ethernet are on the left. Another USB port and a smartcard slot are on the right. The front has buttons for power and for turning off the wireless network card. (great for saving power)

Speaking of power, this netbook comes with a 3cell battery. It is good for quick trips but if you want long-term power, shoot for a 6 cell battery or better. The battery compartment is in the bottom of the unit for easy access. RAM can also be upgraded via the bottom of the unit.

The display is very crisp. 10.2 inches sounds small but the Windows XP resolution is 1024x600 so it's bigger than expected. Movies look great on it. The display has the a reflective coating on it (don't remember technical name).

A few minor annoyances with this netbook. The webcam requires a lot of background light just to get a half-way decent picture. There is a port for an external monitor but the dongle for it wasn't included in the box. HP charges extra for it. The touchpad includes a generous space for scrolling. Almost too generous. About 3/4 of an inch of the touchpad is reserved for scrolling down a page. Fortunately, it can be adjusted using software.

Overall, the 1033CL is a fun netbook. It isn't the fastest or packed with the most features but the crisp display, the almost full-sized keyboard, and the audio make this unit stand out among competitors. I'm happy I bought it. The portability of it is just addictive. I take it to the kitchen, the bedroom, the garage, the front porch, backyard and more.

Good for some things, not for everything
In addition to the HP, I have an Asus eee, which runs Linux and has a keyboard that's just a little too small for sustained typing. The HP Mini 1033CL has a very nice keyboard and good screen resolution. I added an external optical drive and loaded MS Office with no problem.

However, for whatever reason, HP saw fit not to include a VGA port. Instead, there is an "expansion slot" that claims to carry VGA output (though an incoherent HP representative told me that it did not). HP does not yet sell a cable or adapter for this bizarre proprietary expansion slot. Thus, if you buy this machine for its portability, hoping it will reduce your luggage on business trips, as I did, you must also hope that your business does not require you to use your computer to project PowerPoint. Sadly, my business travel always requires this, and is a key reason I would sacrifice the ease of a full-sized laptop for a mini. Therefore, until such time as HP releases a proprietary connector to provide a normally-standard output dock, I will be traveling with my eee. I'd rather take the HP, but it is useless if I can't project.

Nice little laptop for traveling
I love this laptop! it's so miniature and light-weight. I just toss it in my back pack and off I go. I also have a wireless air card which I got from AT&T, so I had get 24-7 internet anywhere. There's also many wifi hotspots nowdays to take advantage of free internet.

I'm going to Japan in a couple months. I plan to put the laptop in hibernate mode, and when I need to look up a restaurant, or places to go, or translate something, I'll have the resource with me.

Things I didn't like about the laptop:
The laptop could use a built-in bluetooth. The laptop taskbar had a bluetooth icon, but it says it's disabled, but I might get one of those miniature blueTooth dongles that sitcks out only a few millimeters. I think HP could've put in a couple more USB ports, so I carry around a USB hub just in case. Other than that, you should consider this laptop. I give it a 9.5/10 for this laptop.

HP Mini 1033CL Specs
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01600625&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN

by the way, I bought mine from adilux, he/she shipped fast and insured via UPS! thanks again adilux! Kudos!

Not just inexpensive, cheap
I was looking forward to the netbook experience. My biggest fear was that my big hands wouldn't be able to navigate the keyboard. That turned out not to be the problem. So what IS the problem?

This pc is pathetically slow, it locks up frequently. I might have only 3 tabs open in Firefox and the stupid thing stops working. If it can't run a browser then what good is it?

Using the Windows programs isn't much better. Word gives the same pathetic performance (fits and starts). Netbooks are supposed to be for convenience but if you can't get anything done, what's the point?

The batter life is good but nothing spectacular. This isn't a huge issue but the fan is far too loud as well.

This machine would chase a lot of people away from a netbook. I probably should just chalk it up to typical HP quality.

More bang for the buck
Finding anything on this specific Hewlett Packard HP Mini 110-1033CL was a challenge. My wife just bought one for my Grandson from COSTCO and it appears to have more features than were available in the past. For one, it has a 160GB SATA hard drive, and for another the standard battery is a 6 cell which lasts way longer than the smaller 3 cell. I haven't had much time to work with this machine but the display is fairly bright and the keyboard easy to use. My only concern was how long Microsoft plans to continue supporting Windows XP. I may turn it back in in a couple of months if HP comes out with a mini that has Windows 7 loaded, along with 4 GB of ram to make it work correctly. I suspect it will cost more as well.

The portability is addictive. Netbook goes everywhere.
It is hard to believe that HP and other netbook makers packed so many features into such a small package. This HP netbook is a little bigger than the average DVD case. It is TINY...and slim too. At 2lbs and some change, you can carry this thing all day long and not even notice the weight.

The features in the 1033CL match up with other netbooks on the market. The hard drive is a bit smaller than average - 60GB v/s 120GB. This model comes with 1GB RAM v/s 2GB RAM on most Vista-enabled netbooks. Not deal breakers by any means...but savy shoppers can get more bang for their netbook dollars.

Now, let's talk about this netbook. The keyboard is darn near full-sized which makes touch typing possible. I crank out 80wpm on a regular keyboard and can get near that speed on this netbook. There are a few compromises though. The touchpad has buttons on either side v/s on top like most netbooks and laptops. The arrow keys are smaller than regular keys. There is no dedicated home key and now requires two keys be pressed (fn-left arrow). Most people won't notice it but power users might have an issue.

The speaker sits directly above the keyboard and sounds great! Some laptops and netbooks put the speakers under the unit or in the palmrest (so your hand covers it!) but HP got it right. Volume is loud and sound is full. Not tinny.

The 1033CL has plenty of ports. Power, USB, headphone/mic, and Ethernet are on the left. Another USB port and a smartcard slot are on the right. The front has buttons for power and for turning off the wireless network card. (great for saving power)

Speaking of power, this netbook comes with a 3cell battery. It is good for quick trips but if you want long-term power, shoot for a 6 cell battery or better. The battery compartment is in the bottom of the unit for easy access. RAM can also be upgraded via the bottom of the unit.

The display is very crisp. 10.2 inches sounds small but the Windows XP resolution is 1024x600 so it's bigger than expected. Movies look great on it. The display has the a reflective coating on it (don't remember technical name).

A few minor annoyances with this netbook. The webcam requires a lot of background light just to get a half-way decent picture. There is a port for an external monitor but the dongle for it wasn't included in the box. HP charges extra for it. The touchpad includes a generous space for scrolling. Almost too generous. About 3/4 of an inch of the touchpad is reserved for scrolling down a page. Fortunately, it can be adjusted using software.

Overall, the 1033CL is a fun netbook. It isn't the fastest or packed with the most features but the crisp display, the almost full-sized keyboard, and the audio make this unit stand out among competitors. I'm happy I bought it. The portability of it is just addictive. I take it to the kitchen, the bedroom, the garage, the front porch, backyard and more.

Good for some things, not for everything
In addition to the HP, I have an Asus eee, which runs Linux and has a keyboard that's just a little too small for sustained typing. The HP Mini 1033CL has a very nice keyboard and good screen resolution. I added an external optical drive and loaded MS Office with no problem.

However, for whatever reason, HP saw fit not to include a VGA port. Instead, there is an "expansion slot" that claims to carry VGA output (though an incoherent HP representative told me that it did not). HP does not yet sell a cable or adapter for this bizarre proprietary expansion slot. Thus, if you buy this machine for its portability, hoping it will reduce your luggage on business trips, as I did, you must also hope that your business does not require you to use your computer to project PowerPoint. Sadly, my business travel always requires this, and is a key reason I would sacrifice the ease of a full-sized laptop for a mini. Therefore, until such time as HP releases a proprietary connector to provide a normally-standard output dock, I will be traveling with my eee. I'd rather take the HP, but it is useless if I can't project.

Nice little laptop for traveling
I love this laptop! it's so miniature and light-weight. I just toss it in my back pack and off I go. I also have a wireless air card which I got from AT&T, so I had get 24-7 internet anywhere. There's also many wifi hotspots nowdays to take advantage of free internet.

I'm going to Japan in a couple months. I plan to put the laptop in hibernate mode, and when I need to look up a restaurant, or places to go, or translate something, I'll have the resource with me.

Things I didn't like about the laptop:
The laptop could use a built-in bluetooth. The laptop taskbar had a bluetooth icon, but it says it's disabled, but I might get one of those miniature blueTooth dongles that sitcks out only a few millimeters. I think HP could've put in a couple more USB ports, so I carry around a USB hub just in case. Other than that, you should consider this laptop. I give it a 9.5/10 for this laptop.

HP Mini 1033CL Specs
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01600625&cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN

by the way, I bought mine from adilux, he/she shipped fast and insured via UPS! thanks again adilux! Kudos!

Fine for almost a year...
I bought this netbook from Verizon last August. A couple of days ago, the wireless card stopped working. Brought it in to Verizon and they told me it was an HP problem. Called HP and was also connected by phone with a verizon rep, reached a guy in India. He told us it was out of warranty although it is not. The verizon rep had my purchase date on her screen and I had a printed reciept. He would not help us at all and refused to put a supervisor on the phone. Finally hung up and did some research. It seems that the wireless card on thousands of HP machines do not last long. Then they want you to replace the mother board etc. A total rip off. A scam. The machine itself works just fine BUT CAN'T CONNECT TO THE NET. Verizon says if I want to cancel my wireless account I have to pay 0. I have a useless machine and am being "held hostage" by the company that sold it to me and HP will not even speak with me after holding me on the phone for over an hour. Their customer service is horrid and they do not back up faulty products.

I see a lot of positive feedback on this product from customers who have just purchased them and I would have given this product a good review after I first got it too. If the manufacturer won't honor their warranty and won't give you any customer service, buyer, be VERY AWARE. DO SOME RESEARCH ON HP PRODUCTS AND CUSTOMER SERVICE BEFORE BUYING. If I could rate this product with zero stars I would

Incredibly slow and unresponsive machine...not worth the money
I was in search of a laptop but didn't have much money, so I looked into getting a netbook. All I needed was a machine to do word processing and surf the internet, so my expectations were pretty low. This machine doesn't even do that effectively...it is incredibly slow and crashes constantly doing basic tasks, like opening a web-page. I would highly suggest you just invest a little more money and get an actual laptop.

Do not buy this HP!!!
This machine was adorable, until it died after three months. The hard drive just failed. It is now lost somewhere in Texas...under warranty, but HP sent it to the wrong address and doesn't seem to be able to find it. Their service is beyond horrible. You call somewhere in India, who calls Texas, and I am not sure which is less in touch with reality.

My next computer will be a Mac...or purchased from some company who has a clue.

Great value with limitations
I've been using this computer for several months now.

Compared to a smart phone at 0, this computer at half the price is a great value. It's amazingly light weight and it does everything a laptop does.

Although it has a real keyboard, it is necessarily a bit smaller than a normal computer, and I find myself making frequent typos. Annoyingly, it has keys marked "home" and "end," but they only work as cursor keys -- I've tried every keystroke combination I can think of and they're still just cursor keys. So I have to scroll to find the beginning and ending of documents or posts.

The display is a bit pale, particularly so on battery. There is no display adjustment possible.

The main problem, though, was HP Support. I have the mobile version of the Mini, with a built-in broadband card, and my computer kept trying to connect to it which resulted in error messages; at one point, I was getting several error messages per minute. Neither email nor phone support was able to help me with this problem despite many emails and a long time on the phone. It finally resolved itself.

RAM is limited to 1 G; it's not expandable.

This is a great computer for travel, absolutely fabulous. But lately I've been using it as a substitute for my big laptop which is in the shop, and I find myself getting frustrated with it.

A Real Breakthough Technology (and I Mean that Seiously)
I've been using this HP Mini 1000 Netbook for a while now, and decided to write a review for Amazon because I'm so impressed with the device. If you are considering a "Netbook" like this, chances are you've never owned one, and are perhaps a bit skeptical about the device. So was I.

First off, let's set the parameters. This isn't a multi-core Pentium processor machine with a high end dedicated graphics card. It isn't meant for running the most processor intensive applications faster than any other computer on the market. Most of you have one of these number-crunching machines at home already, or perhaps a high-end laptop with all the power-intensive support. This is a "Netbook," which means a slimmed down laptop that can be used for basic functions, such as web browsing, e-mail, and some minor picture viewing.

That's a bit deceptive, because when you read descriptions like that, you expect that the HP Mini 1000 will essentially be a performance "dog" that can handle only a web browser, and perhaps Picasa. I can tell you, that's a real mistake.

There's no doubt this in one of the lightest and smallest computers you've ever seen, but, surprisingly, it is also one of the most sprightly performing laptops you're likely to find in the price range (and speaking of price, it's basically a steal at between 0 and 0; I had two other laptops not long ago that were both sub-3 pound devices, and they each cost over ,000). I went ahead and just took a gamble on loading all of a trial copy of Microsoft Office 2007 (Outlook, Word, Excel, OneNote, etc.), and then just piled on other applications I typically use on my regular laptop (a dual core T8100 processor in an HP Dv2000 body), including picture viewers, utility programs, etc.. Surprise. It not only handled all the software, but it runs the programs remarkably well, with little lag time and surprisingly deft performance. The Intel "Atom" Processor powering this thing can easily be seen as a "sleeper" technology that people are going to increasingly talk about.

Boot time is also surprisingly fast. Mine usually loads within 20 seconds, certainly faster than my "powerful" laptop. Of course, the Mini is running Windows XP, not Vista, but still, that's pretty impressive. (By the way, I also installed Windows 7 RC1, and it worked just fine.)

The wireless has thus far worked without problems. I connect to my home network with high security settings, and to public locations using open networks, all without a hitch so far. (The unit, however, does not support draft-n specifications, so you'll be connecting at g speeds.)

The physical construction of this unit is excellent. Yes, it is small and light. But it is also sturdy in the way it feels, with little squeaking and a solid construction. The screen is bright and clear. And the keyboard is one of the best I've seen in any laptop. How did they do this?

Finally, when youfeel the tiny weight and size of the battery as you take it out of the box, you'll be thinking that it will run 30 minutes, tops. Well, with the Atom processor sipping current at exceedingly low amounts, you'll likely see some 90 - 120 minutes on a single charge. It's amazing.

You can probably tell I'm impressed with this device, because I am. If this is the beginning of "Netbooks," then I think they will become increasingly popular as people discover them.

Rating for Size and Weight: Five Stars
Rating for Price: Five Stars
Rating for Configuration: Four and 1/2 Stars

Pros:
1. Exceedingly light and small
2. Beautiful physical appearance
3. Clear and bright screen (but glare can be an issue)
4. Remarkable performance, even with software suites such as Office 2007
5. Excellent keyboard with good tactile feel and large size layout (how is this possible?)
6. Wireless that actually works
7. Lightweight adapter cord (you've been stung on this before, haven't you? They finally got it right.)
8. Two USB 2.0 ports, plus a network port and a HP adapter output port
9. Built-in webcam
10. Can put in a 2Gb memory card (even though it claims 1Gb is the limit)
11. Very good battery life for such a dimunutive battery
12. Great price for the package

Cons
1. No draft-N wireless available
2. Bluetooth not on every model
3. HP Proprietary connector required for VGA output
4. Non-common 1.8" hard drive format limits upgrade options to the 1.8" format
5. Screen resolution, though very good, is not as high as we might wish (but is good enough)
6. Display does not fold back as far as most laptops
7. Outstanding performance probably drives us to push the unit past its stated purposes (i.e., just don't be upset if you can't run a C++ compiler while listening to Windows Media Player and editing an Excel spreadsheet)


To sum it up, this is truly an outstanding breakthrough if you understand what the unit is designed to do. I'm already seriously considering substituting my main laptop with the HP Mini for most out-of-home tasks. Five stars.

Better off with full size?
I bought this product for essentially two purposes. One is to stream music wirelessly to my stereo and built in speakers and the other is to web surf when my kids are on our other laptops. I wanted a small unit in order to save space on my bar at home where I placed it. At the end of the day it is a cool little unit, however with a couple of drawbacks I am thinking perhaps I should have gone with a full size laptop which in retrospect would not have taken up that much more room. The first drawback is that the keyboard is not quite fullsize so it is taking some getting used to, to be able to type without making a lot of errors. The second is that for some reason the screen can only lay back at a limited angle. This is awkward if you are standing while typing or sitting in a higher chair. You just get the feeling you want to push the screen back some more but can't. I do plan on using this laptop on the road for short business trips, but for longer trips,where I would be typing more, I would probably stick with my full size business lap top.

Good for travel
This machine hits the sweet spot for travel. It's light has all you need for running office and surfing the internet.

The touchpad is hard to get used to as the click buttons are to the left and right. Get a wireless mouse!

Webcamera produces very dark images, but I really didn't buy it for that. I just wanted a small lightweight machine that could run office for travel.

An added bonus: it has windows xp!! Yay! I hate Vista.