A Netbook with Class: My Review of the HP Mini 210
by Michael Lapidakis on February 3, 2010
In the typical hysteria after the announcement of a new device (*cough* iPad *cough*) I went in search of something to fill the void where such a device might reside, and with it justification for buying the unknown gadget. That justification came with my upcoming relocation and all the time I’ll be spending in airports over the next few months. The device just happened to be HP’s newest release in the “dying” genre that is netbooks.
The HP 210 is a good looking device, if I may say so myself. Continuing with the recent trend of stylish laptops that HP has released recently, the HP 210 has an “artistic” design, chick-let keyboard, bottom cover and new-and-improved track pad. I assume the new track pad has taken some cues from Apple, as it has multi-touch gestures and the entire area is a “click-able” button. After playing with it, the track pad was one of the biggest selling points in my opinion. Netbook’s generally have small track pads with oddly placed buttons and are a bit difficult to use. With the method HP has taken, similar to the Envy 13, two fingers are used to scroll, physically clicking the bottom portion acts as buttons, and pinch-to-zoom techniques work throughout the OS.
Without breaking down the specs too much (complete specs below), the netbook lasts around nine hours while surfing the web, and has enough power to watch a show on Hulu, use Gmail and check your RSS feeds, which is all I can ask for. Down the road, I’m sure a memory upgrade will be in order. The standard OS on the netbook is Windows 7 Starter, but it also includes an instant on OS built into the chipset (I’m assuming). Believe it or not, this branded Splashtop instant on was much smoother than Jolicloud or Moblin when I tried these two out, although my tests where limited. As a note, it boots into this OS within 5 seconds in my tests. The next few weeks will be a good field test for the netbook.
Below is the spec sheet from HP:
Update: Even though the netbook proved to be very useful when both traveling and at home, it just couldn’t hold up against the iPad. I’ve recently sold it.
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He's alive! i thought for a second you gave up on the blog
So what are your thoughts on Slashtop now that you've had a chance to use it (i assume) for a while?
by IT Support Guys on March 16, 2010 at 1:50 am #
Nope, haven't given up yet. Took a break there for a while, but I'd really like to get back into it now that I'm settled in.
Splashtop is alright. You can see its deeply rooted in a Linux distro of some sort, and is kinda clunky. What I've mostly been doing is leaving Windows 7 up and just putting it to sleep by shutting the lid. It'll stay on the ready for a few days and turns back on instantly when your ready to pick it up again.
I really love having a netbook around the apartment, especially when I get home after work and the last thing I want to do is sit back at another desk and stair at another monitor. The mini worked great on the plane. It's small enough to fit on the try table, even with the seat reclined. I probably watched two seasons of Seinfeld while I was waiting/in flight.
As for the iPad, I'll probably wait until the next gen, unless the reviews are really spectacular and the new iPhone release in July is underwhelming.
Do you have a netbook?
by Mike Lapidakis on March 16, 2010 at 11:32 am #
Nope, haven't given up yet. Took a break there for a while, but I'd really like to get back into it now that I'm settled in.
Splashtop is alright. You can see its deeply rooted in a Linux distro of some sort, and is kinda clunky. What I've mostly been doing is leaving Windows 7 up and just putting it to sleep by shutting the lid. It'll stay on the ready for a few days and turns back on instantly when your ready to pick it up again.
I really love having a netbook around the apartment, especially when I get home after work and the last thing I want to do is sit back at another desk and stair at another monitor. The mini worked great on the plane. It's small enough to fit on the try table, even with the seat reclined. I probably watched two seasons of Seinfeld while I was waiting/in flight.
As for the iPad, I'll probably wait until the next gen, unless the reviews are really spectacular and the new iPhone release in July is underwhelming.
Do you have a netbook?
by Mike Lapidakis on March 16, 2010 at 3:32 pm #