![]() ![]() The trade-off is that the three-cell batteries make the device flatter, and are lighter. The six-cell batteries on these devices makes typing easier by elevating the keyboard and screen. Other things make typing easier as well, for those who plan to use it for a lot of e-mails, messaging, or writing. That's all the ClassMate keyboard does and it's a lot smaller than most keyboards used on netbooks. The secret to a good keyboard design seems to be raised keys, instead of flat keys, and space between keys. ![]() Intel's ClassMate PC, designed to be as cheap as possible for distribution to school kids in developing countries, boasts one of the best downsized keyboards I've used. Some of the keyboards I've used on rival netbooks haven't worked out so well, and it's not rocket science. I was able to type comfortably without mistakes on its keyboard. HP shrank the keyboard to 92 percent of normal laptop size but kept some of the main features that make typing easy, such as space between keys so your fingers know when they've left one key to strike another. The big keyboard on the Mini-Note was among the nicest I've used. The Mini-Note makes up for that fault in other areas. On netbooks I've tried with Linux OSes or Windows XP, software has been generally faster and smoother. Components such as the microprocessors in netbooks are far less powerful than on a regular laptop or desktop. I came away from the trial unimpressed with the idea of using Windows Vista for netbooks. Other applications also seemed to take more time to boot up and run. The Aspire one running on a Linpus Linux Lite OS, by contrast, booted-up in just 12 seconds. The Vista-based netbook took over 60 seconds to boot-up, the slowest of all the devices I've tested so far. It also had a Web cam and Bluetooth 2.0, the wireless technology for file transfers and other uses.īoot-up time is one area the Mini-Note failed to match its rivals. The Mini-Note I tested was running on a 1.6GHz C7 M ULV microprocessor from Via Technologies, had 2GB of DRAM, a 160GB HDD (hard disk drive), could connect to the Internet via an Ethernet port or wirelessly on WiFi 802.11a/b/g. It's the kind of device you could watch a movie on. The nice screen was complemented by decent speakers on either side. The quality of the 8.9-inch screens on the Mini-Notes are excellent, with 1,280-by-768-pixel resolution. Most netbooks launched so far appear to use light plastic materials as their outer covering, a big difference from the Mini-Note in terms of feel. The difference in the aluminum build compared to other netbooks such as the Eee PC by Asustek Computer of Taiwan, is striking. The small device is 255 millimeters by 165mm and 33mm thick. The aluminum finish doesn't add significant weight either, with laptops in HP's Mini-Note line-up ranging between 1.2 kilograms (2.6 pounds) to nearly 2 kilograms for the top-end model with a six-cell lithium ion battery that I tested. The sturdy build of the Mini-Note will help limit damage from drops, which are bound to happen more often with a mobile device than one that sits on a desktop all day. It does a lot of the things a netbook should do well, for a mobile device aimed at Internet surfers. The Mini-Note is made of aluminum and is the most professional looking netbook I've seen so far, a mini-business laptop that runs well. The company also offers Mini-Notes with Windows Vista Home Basic OS, one with Windows XP available only in China, and FreeDOS.īut this is a situation where you really get what you pay for. In Taipei, one with Suse Linux and a 120GB HDD (hard disk drive) sells for NT$17,900. HP offers a variety of Mini-Note models at different prices and software. And there are rival netbooks even less expensive than the cheapest Mini-Note, such as Acer's Aspire one, which I found for NT$13,500 ($440) at one store in Taipei. Prices start at $499 for a Mini-Note running on Suse Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 from Novell, a three-cell lithium ion battery and a 4GB flash memory module for storage. HP's Mini-Note is the most expensive netbook I've tested so far at NT$25,900 ($844) in Taiwan for the premium model running on Microsoft Windows Vista Business.įor a lot less money, you can get a much less powerful Mini-Note. Hewlett-Packard's 2133 Mini-Note may end up as the premium choice among the entire mini-laptop, or netbook, category of devices announced so far.Īnd people interested in the device will pay for it. ![]()
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