Acer Review, Asus Review – Netbook 10

HP is a trusted name when it comes to computers and for good reason too. Their machines are sturdy and dependable, and while they don’t really outdistance other netbooks when it comes to performance, you can’t go wrong with an HP Mini.

One the newest in their netbook line up is the HP Mini 5102, which is their Mini 5101′s younger, more sleekly-built sibling. With an all-metal chassis, it looks realy elegant and flashy, with newly added features and options, including the new Intel Atom N450 processor.

[Rating:6.5/7]

Features and Drawbacks

• Awesome design – It comes in a case with anodized aluminum on top and magnesium alloy on the bottom, making the netbook tougher than it looks, and it looks pretty slick in black, red or blue. It weighs 2.8 lbs. with a 6-cell battery, and, if you’re interested, it comes with a carrying handle that makes it very portable.

• THE best Island-style Keyboard but kinda tiny touchpad – Some of the keyboards on netbooks are deal-breakers but the 95% island-style keyboard on the HP Mini 5102. You’d be typing as fast and as well as when you’re on a regular keyboard, and it’s efficient too as the row of keys which control brightness and volum are right above the keyboard, and will work without you needting to press the Function key. The touchpad is smallish at 2.5″ x 1.4″, but you get a dedicated left and right mouse buttons, and it responds well.

• Great performance – The HP Mini 5102 doesn’t out-perform other netbooks by a long shot, but it CAN perform fairly well. It comes with 7,200-rpm HD which means that it works really fast, booting nearly twenty seconds faster than the average bootime of almost one minute, and copying files at almost 26 Mbps. Plus, you get touchscreen, so yay!

• It has WiFi AND Bluetooth 2.1 – And you can get integrated Gobi mobile broadband.

• Long-lasting Battery – It doesn’t last as long as the Asus Eee PC 1005PE which runs for about 10 hours and 30 minutes, but at 10 hours and 10 minutes, the HP Mini 5102 is, by no means, a slouch when it comes to the battery department. Sure the 6-cell battery is a $25 upgrade but it sure is worth it. The 4-cell battery lasts for about 4 hours and 30 minutes.

• It costs $$$ for a tiny upgrade – Alas, there are good netbooks that costs a whole lot cheaper than the 5102. You can configure your netbook from here but before you click on that button, let me give you an idea of how much (or how little) you’d be shelling out. Base price is at $399.00.

Available Upgrades:

• Windows 7 Professional + $40
• Sapphire Blue/Ruby Red finish + $28
• 2GB DDR2 memory + $25
• 250GB 7,200rpm HD + $75, 320GB + $125
• Broadcom 802.11a/b/g/n + $5
• HP Mobile Broadband with GPS + $125
• 6-cell Li-Ion battery + $25

Rating – 6.5

Value for Money – 0.5
Speed and Performance – 1
Screen – 1
Keyboard – 1
Portability & Battery Life – 1
Looks and Design – 1
Extensibility & connectivity – 1

Technical Specification

• 1.66-GHz Intel Atom N450
• 1GB RAM, upgradable to 2GB
• 160GB 7,2000rpm SATA HD
• 10.1″ screen 1024 x 600 res
• Intel GMA 3150
• 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1
• Microsoft Windows 7 Starter Edition

Bottomline
Sure, it’s pricey but it’s reliable, it’s beautiful, it works well and performs great. You get a comfortable keyboard, its works for 10+ hours on a single charge. If you ask me, the HP Mini 5102 gets two-thumbs way up. Check out the HP Mini 5102.

Related posts:

1. HP Mini 5102 Now Available, Base Price: $749
2. Review: HP Mini 311, the one with the nVidia Ion
3. HP Mini 311 Review : Windows 7 Home, Nvidia Ion from Verizon
4. Review: Dell Mini 10
5. Review: Dell Mini 9

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