My First Netbook.
The HP Mini 1000 is my very first mini netbook and I am loving it! It does take sometime to get use to the size after working with a 17" monitor laptop but in no time I was using keyboard and learning how to get around. Since it this so small compared to a normal laptop you have to keep in mind that many of options menus and listing can not be seen without you opening and expanding more menus.
The unit is encased in a black and gray scroll metallic design which goes perfectly with the black interior. The keyboard is about 90% the size of a normal keyboard. The only negatives I can say about the design is the touch pad and I can't open the screen flat (180 degrees). The touch pad too wide which feels weird when trying to click the right and left buttons on either side. It does have a scroll feature on the touch pad which is definitely put to good use. It would be nice if you were able to open the screen back to 180 degrees making the netbook totally flat when opened. This is a nice feature on my bigger laptop it always made it easier to use when sitting on the couch or laying in bed.
When I was comparing different netbooks I realized HP offered a faster processor lighter weight (2.5 lbs). Has only USB ports but that is plenty for I need them for. Has an SD/MMC card slot Ethernet port headphone/mic jack and a VGA port to connect the mini to a larger monitor. I get about 3 hours out of the battery life. Netbooks are basically designed for basic tasks such as web surfing word/spreadsheets documents and some basic mutlimedia functions. The HP Mini CPU offers just the right amount of computing power to let you work without any flaws or glitches. The 10.1 monitor screen is bright crisp and the colors are vivid. The The HP Mini 1000's 802.11b/g Wi-Fi card has a fast transfer rate and connectivity seems to have a large range. I do not loose the signal when moving from room to room in my two level home. The signal was constant and strong.
Since Netbooks are so slim and lightweight they are not made to have a CD DVD drive. I purchased the Slim External Laptop Notebook Rewriteable CD and 8X DVD +/- RW Double/Dual Layer Read/write DVD Drive USB 2.0 which is a perfect size. It fits perfectly in my Solo TCA511-4 Tech Collection Netbook Mini Instant Messenger Bag that also holds my Kensington SlimBlade Notebook Wireless Mouse with Nano Receiver as well as my car charger adapter - all purchased separately. I would also recommend the Ohmetric 30123 Screen Protector and Mousepad for Netbooks.
Besides Windows XP Home Basic preinstalled other preloaded software on the Mini 1000 is HP's webcam software Roxio BackOnTrack (alternative for the system restore program) Windows Media Player 7 and Microsoft Works Suite. It has a one-year warranty and 24/7 toll free technical support.More detail ...
