HP Mini 1000 XP Edition Unboxing and First Impressions

[Jason Dunn]

<p>A few days before leaving for CES 2009, I received an HP Mini 1000 for review - I'd been trying to get my hands on one of these since they were first announced, and was sadly unsuccessful. They say good things some to those who wait, and I was sent not only the <a href="http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/computer_can_series.do?storeName=computer_store&amp;category=notebooks&amp;a1=Category&amp;v1=Mini&amp;series_name=mini1000xp_series" target="_blank">HP Mini 1000 XP Edition</a>, but also the <a href="http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/computer_can_series.do?storeName=computer_store&amp;category=notebooks&amp;a1=Category&amp;v1=Mini&amp;series_name=mini1000vt_series" target="_blank">HP Mini 1000 Vivian Tam edition</a>. The Vivian Tam edition, which we posted some <a href="http://www.digitalhomethoughts.com/news/show/91114/the-hp-mini-1000-vivienne-tam-edition-in-pictures.html" target="_blank">glorious photos of last year</a>, was specifically for my wife to test out. I'll be doing <a href="http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/news/show/91017/real-world-reviews-the-htc-s640.html" target="_blank">another Real World Review</a> to cover the Vivian Tam Mini 1000, but when it comes to the regular Mini 1000 I'll be doing the usual: videos!</p><p><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="600" height="360" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PKr6sZ3zfLY&amp;hd=1" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="600" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PKr6sZ3zfLY&amp;hd=1"></embed></object></p><p>I managed to shoot and edit this unboxing and first impressions video the night before I left for CES. The unit they sent me is the high-end configuration: Windows XP SP3, and in the configuration I was sent, costs $489 USD directly from HP. It has an Intel 1.6 Ghz Atom CPU, 1 GB of RAM, a 60 GB 4500 RPM hard drive, an SDHC card reader, two USB ports, 802.11 b/g WiFi, Bluetooth, and a 3-cell battery. The screen resolution is 1024 x 600, though HP strangely lists it was 1024 x 576 on the box. <MORE /></p><p>Enjoy the video, and if you have any questions, please post them here and I'll do my best to answer them. I'll be following up this first impressions video with a full review video once I've had some time to benchmark and really use the HP Mini 1000. First impressions are very solid though: this is a very nice device, easily once of the best netbooks out there.</p><p><em>Jason Dunn owns and operates <a href="http://www.thoughtsmedia.com/" target="_blank">Thoughts Media Inc.</a>, a company dedicated to creating the best in online communities. He enjoys <a href="http://photos.jasondunn.com/" target="_blank">photography</a>, mobile devices, <a href="http://www.jasondunn.com/" target="_blank">blogging</a>, digital media content creation/editing, and pretty much all technology. He lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with his lovely wife, and his sometimes obedient dog. He's writing this while sitting in Las Vegas, having just carried a really heavy bag up to the CNTRSTG room. He really needs to find a way to carry less gear!</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com//ppct/auto/1240336793.usr1.gif" /></p><p><strong>Do you enjoy using new hardware, software and accessories, then sharing your experience with others? Then join us on the <a href="http://www.thoughtsmedia.com/reviewteam.php" target="_blank">Thoughts Media Review Team</a>! We're looking for individuals who find it fun to test new gear and give their honest opinions about the experience. It's a volunteer role with some great perks. Interested? <a href="http://www.thoughtsmedia.com/reviewteam.php" target="_blank">Then click here for more information.</a></strong></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com//ppct/auto/1240336793.usr1.gif" /></p>

[Macguy59]

Let's try to keep the fluff to a minimum this time :D The Mini 1000 is the nicest NetBook I've had the pleasure to use so far.

[sundown]

A comment to your side note: The resolution quality of that video is excellent, even at full screen.

[Chris Gohlke]

No kidding, that looks awesome at full screen. Do you have the 10 inch Wind? I'd be curious how they compare since the Wind seems significantly cheaper. But this one does look awesome, so I might be willing to pay the premium anyway.

[randalllewis]

I look forward to your review of the Mini Jason. My review would be mostly positive.

I joined the netbook nation because my smartphones weren't doing it for me in terms of surfing the web and responding to e-mails. Sometimes an e-mail needs more than a few words of reply. Web surfing on a smartphone is cool, and some aps (GPS for example) are well suited to that physical format of smartphones. I also need to check several news sites daily and it doesn't matter if it is a Touch Diamond or an iPhone, the only way you can do that is through what I call "squint and scroll."

I started looking at reviews of the devices and was pleased that Best Buy actually had three set up side by side to play with. I compared these to a couple of the smallest notebooks they had and walked away with the HP Mini 1000. I walked away AFTER paying for it, of course. As is noted in every review of the device, the Mini keyboard is great and I liked the screen and the overall appearance. Best Buy wanted $399 for the model with the 16Gb solid state drive. I hesitated over that feature for a while, but when I honestly thought about what I wanted the device to do, I made the leap.

Playing around with the Mini for several hours today has brought me only two issues: I need to adjust the mouse pad and I hope there are some controls for the webcam because even in a fully lit room, the image it produced was very dark.

48 hours later update: The Mini 16Gb solid state model went back to Best Buy and I now have the 60Gb hard drive model. I was not unhappy with the solid state model UNTIL I used the hard drive model at Costco. Wow. Even with the limited uses I intend for the Mini, I want something that responds to me like a real computer. Maybe someday solid state drives will be able to replace platter drives, but they aren't just yet.

It was also frustrating that the solid state Mini wouldn't treat my SD card as I wanted. I could not get Zune or Photo Gallery to see files on the card and I wasn't about to transfer lots of music and pix to the 16Gb main drive.

My solid state Mini also must have had a bad webcam because, as I mentioned above, the photos it produced were very dark. The camera on the new unit does not have that problem.

So, while I was happy with the first Mini, I am very happy with the new one.