My HP Mini 1000

HP Mini 1000

I bought the black version of Molly Wood’s famous Vivienne Tam netbook. I am in no way a tech writer, but a lot of people asked how I liked it and wanted pictures.

What I wanted was a thin, small, light, netbook that I could put in my purse and carry with me. I did not need a huge harddrive or loads of software. I did not want to do work on it, watch movies on it, or plug anything into it. I wanted it for wireless internet access, chatting and writing. I don’t have a smart phone because the data plans are way too expensive for the amount of use I’d get out of it. I already have a desktop and a laptop that are a few years old but still working. I’m waiting for a stable Windows 7 (and money) to replace them.

After reading reviews and looking at pictures online, I wanted to see the Eee PC in person. A Best Buy near me had it on sale so I went to look. When I saw it in the store I immediately disliked it. The white one looked like something from Toys R Us. The black wasn’t much better. Just tacky. And I hated the way it was laid out. There was too much plastic around the screen and keyboard, taking up room that should have been the screen and keyboard!

In the same store was the Mini for $399. It was black with a beautiful scroll pattern on the lid. It was actually feminine, like jewelry. I really like jewelry. I totally understood why Molly wanted it: it’s pretty. It was smaller, thinner, lighter, and more elegant than the Eee PC. And yes it fit in my purse. Or at least the size purse I would be carrying any time I’d be out of the house long enough to use a netbook.

The keyboard is 92% normal size, it has XP Home, 1GB of memory, a 10.2″ widescreen display, a webcam, weighs 2.4 pounds, and is one inch thick. Spec Hounds check it out. It was fine for what I needed. Plus this model at Best Buy was more than $100 cheaper than something comparable from HP. Sold.

It boots up fast and runs fine. I did have a little trouble with the trackpad. There’s nothing specifically wrong with it, and the side buttons are fine, I just really hate trackpads. I’m forcing myself to get used to it so I don’t have to lug around a mouse. There was an improvement when I adjusted the trackpad settings. For installing programs and fussy stuff I simply plug in a mouse. After installing everything I wanted on it I still had more than half the drive space left.

That said, I’m a little sorry I bought it. I don’t know if I’ll really get enough use out of it to justify the expense. After trying it out and thinking it over, I considered returning it but it was too late for the fourteen day, money back, (minus restocking fee) return policy.

Bad: barely two hours of battery time, no case or sleeve, no ethernet, no bluetooth – it wasn’t worth spending a lot more at HP to get it. After I bought a second battery and a case, the original price seemed less fabulous.

But since I couldn’t return it I started using it. I tend to wake up during the night or early in the morning with ideas on something I want to write. So one morning I grabbed the Mini and typed some things into notepad while still in bed. Then I took it with me on a day I had to be somewhere boring for a few hours. There was no wireless access there, but I wound up finishing a lot of writing I needed to do rather than just wasting time. It connects fine to my home wireless network so I can use it laying on the couch or wherever I don’t want to lug around my laptop (a desktop replacement). So it has it’s uses.

I also looked around for wireless access points and found more than I expected. All the libraries in my area offer it, as do McDonald’s, Panera Bread and Starbucks. There are dozens of those everywhere I go. Plus I discovered that my ISP offers free wireless access for customers in an ever-expanding coverage area. Another plus.

Good: The size and weight. They really got every millimeter out of the available space. The screen is big, bright and beautiful and goes to the edges of the lid. This is a major plus for me because of my vision problems (see my Eyes post) The keyboard extends to the edges of the base, and is very comfortable to use.

So Min and I have made friends. I named her Min after I heard about Molly’s Viv.

Meanwhile, my husband liked that Eee PC in the store so much I ordered him a black one. It’s a little larger, clunkier and a lot more loaded than Min. He doesn’t have a laptop and spends a lot of time traveling locally and even further a couple of times a year. The one I bought was $337.97 with no tax. Unlike Min this has ethernet, three USB ports, Microsoft Works, a mic, a 5 1/2 hour battery and a much larger harddrive. His hands are smaller than average for a man and he doesn’t mind the small keyboard. I spent almost twelve hours getting it ready for him (he is not remotely computer savvy) and he is absolutely thrilled with it.

So now we each have a new friend to tide us over until our next computer buying spree.