 Great customer service, great computer |
| Review Date: August 29, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Gadget Girl, |
I wanted to get one of these before I left for school since its so portable. I visited Fry's to look it over ($450 plus tax there) and see if I liked it, which I did. I was about to order through Amazon, but I became worried when I noticed that it wasn't shipping from Amazon, but a different company since I'm leaving next week and I was afraid that it wouldnt reach me in time. So I called the company, and got excellent customer service from their sales line. His name is Abe and his extension number is x260. I told him my situation and how much it would be for two day air shipping. It turned out to be $10 less than on Amazon! He told me that it took a whole day for it to be processed, and that I would get it on Monday (I called it in Wednsday). But he said that he would see what he could do. I get an email an hour later saying that my computer has been shipped! I got it Friday, four days earlier than I thought it would be. I highly suggest ordering from them, they are very nice and professional and I would definitely order from them again!
Now on to the netbook. Brilliant is all I can say. The keyboard is great, only 8% smaller than on a regular laptop, making it incredibly easy to type. The mousepad has a little friction and the side click bars only take a few times to get used to. The weight is so light and not awkward. The adapter gets very very hot though after an hours use, I wasnt able to touch it and had to hold it away from my body as I walked. But since the 6 cell battery tilts the computer itself up, the heat from the bottom doesnt get very hot since air is circulating.
Lastly, I followed some advice online and got rid of the bloatware (the crap that HP puts on there that you really don't need) by downloading the very safe and effective PC Decrapifier ([...]). It opened up about 2GB of my harddrive. You can also go into your /C: hard drive into Program Files and delete unwanted software through there since some software isn't listed on the 'Add or Remove Programs" (very very tricky, HP).
The other advice was to update the 1GB RAM to 2GB. Look for DDR2 2GB PC5300 Notebook Memory. It's really easy to install, you just need a number 0 phillips scredriver to unscrew that small panel right underneath your mousepad on the bottom of the notebook. Once you remove that panel, look for two small (very small, you might need a magnifier and light) black levers on the right and left side of the RAM. At the same time, press those levers away from the RAM and it will just pop out. Slide in the 2GB (very easy) and press down until you hear a locking sound. Screw the panel back on and your done. This increases your netbooks capacity, meaning you can multi-task like on a larger laptop and you don't get any video lag. |
An excellent value with acceptable imperfections
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| Review Date: September 5, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Joshua Keyser, |
These are my impressions of the HP Mini 110, so far. I'm going to focus this at the buyer who is comparing netbooks with an eye on battery life, mobility, connectivity, and performance, (but isn't that what every netbook user wants?) specifically at the lowest price. Ideally, the buyer of this machine will not be expecting a full computer. This is not, by any means - I'll assume that you're buying this to augment another computer. Fortunately, the Mini 110 is more than serviceable in that regard.
First of all, I should say that this is an excellent price for a netbook. I caught it at $300, which near the very low end of the spectrum, but it still holds its value at the current price of $350. What you should know, more than anything else, is that this is the cheapest you are currently going to get a laptop with a 6-cell battery, period. There's certainly something to be said for that.
I put in a good deal of research into other netbooks before buying the HP Mini 110, and I couldn't find one with a better mix of features. There are certainly higher quality netbooks available. But I'll say it again: you will probably not find a better value. For netbook users, battery life is probably among the most significant issues. The Asus Eee 1005ha-p is certainly the best for battery life fanatics, with an upper limit of 10.5 hours - the 1005ha-v comes in second-ish at 8.5. These both have less protrusive batteries and weigh about .5 lbs less, which are plusses. This, unfortunately, highlights some of the Mini 110's flaws, as it only manages an acceptable 5 hours, or closer to 4 browsing the internet at medium brightness. However, it does offer enough advantages to outclass the 1005ha. First, Asus netbooks are notably dark, and can only be brought up to a reasonable brightness with a tool that may void warranty. Also, their glossy screens make them generally less utile in suboptimal lighting conditions. The 110's matte screen and decent brightness make it a better mobile companion in general, if a very slightly less portable one. Perhaps more importantly, Eee's are simply not as well-built as the Mini 110. They range from the flimsy seashells of the 1005 and 1008 to the less-than-aesthetically-pleasing 1000he. The Acer Aspire One 531 falls short in the backlight category. - its display doesn't allow for as much mobility.
However, the Asus Eee 1002ha is a good candidate, with a non-glare matte display. In fact, at about $20 more, and for a much slicker design, I'd recommend it every bit as much as this one. Keep the darker backlight, that bane of the Eee PC, in mind, but the 1002ha is the one to compare. There are multitudinous brands that offer 6-cells and similar, often better, battery life. I'd recommend looking at the 1000he, which is a sturdy model with about 8.5 hours - if you're willing to pay the premiums for battery life, at the cost of a lower-quality screen. For those who simply can't stand the aesthetics of the 110, or prefer glossy screens, look at the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 or 10v. They're prettier, and pretty similar in terms of weight and hardware. The screen is the main difference - remember that glossy screens may be an issue. Overall, the Mini 110 is probably the best value for your dollar - other netbooks don't justify their price.
That being said, the Amazon price does come at the cost of some features of the HP Mini 110 some buyers would appreciate, versus the customization options at HP. The standard definition screen, at the 1024x576 resolution, is not the best available - HP allows you to customize it with an HD screen at a resolution of 1366x768. This bears keeping in mind, but with the 10.1" display, the higher resolution makes it difficult to read, and the lack of an optical drive makes movies out of the question anyway. Both are matte screens. The processor is the 1.60GHz model, not the 1.66GHz processor that HP offers as a choice - not really a deal breaker, and a trivial sacrifice for the money. The 160GB 5400rpm SATA hard drive included with the Amazon model can be compared to 16 gig or 32 gig solid state hard drives, and as these are developing technologies, they're probably safe to pass on. The only real loss against buying from HP is the lack of Bluetooth, as this may be of particular importance to some. But remember that running Bluetooth drains battery life, and that's not really the point of a netbook. Overall, this model saves upwards of $100, or potentially more, for very minor sacrifices, perhaps excluding the wireless card. This is definitely the place to buy, though I haven't looked closely at the other Amazon packages. The point is, make sure to compare, and see what options you get.
As for my personal impressions, I've found the 110 to be at least at par. Starting again with the negatives, the wireless connectivity isn't awesome. It's been reliable so far, but the speed isn't excellent. This is, however, symptomatic of netbooks at large. But try not to stream any massive videos - netbooks tend not to love those, and my Mini110 is no exception. I don't want to be too critical, as their isn't any really noticeable difference from your average, full-size computer. But don't expect your stripped-down netbook to be remarkably speedy, as their built for lightness and portability, not power. However, I'm generally pleased with the performance - WoW fans rejoice, as a very tiny version of World of Warcraft, albeit a bit laggy, can run on this computer. Gaming on netbooks, while inconvenient, is a possibility on this generation of netbooks, which speaks well of the Mini 110. Keep in mind, though, that this is possible on most comparable models on the market today. Other than that, no complaints, except for the surprisingly hefty battery recharge time. Just keep that in mind while charging. I can really only enumerate the quirks, but as for positives, no news is good news. The Mini 110 connects and performs without a major fuss.
Overall, my comment on the value stands - this is the best value for a netbook you'll find, especially if you can grab it at the price's low ebb. I'm a huge fan of the matte screen, and not many netbooks offer it - keep that in mind while comparing. For the HP Mini 110, I can say that it provides you with no regrets. Generally, a netbook should be lacking in any frills, as they have a way of putting a weight on the machine, in terms of physical weight and drain on the battery life. The Mini 110 has no bloat - it's a good portable companion. Before buying, check out the Asus Eee PC 1002ha and the Dell Inspiron Mini 10. They're both good, durable machines - keep in mind the downsides I listed, and you may just come back to the Mini 110. But in terms of build, display, and performance, the Mini 110 is the best value on the market today. |
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