Last year when HP introduced the original Mini 210 we praised its design and keyboard/touchpad combo, but the battery life left something to be desired. Today the company announced a refresh for the netbook that includes an improved keyboard and touchpad, Intel’s dual-core Atom CPU, easier upgradability, and a wide range of beautiful colors.
The HP Mini 210-2061NR is definitely a good-looking machine. Though the 10.1-inch system weighs a little over 3 pounds, it’s less than an inch thick and feels really good in the hand. The 360 degree design gives it an all-over smooth and seamless look. Plus, whichever color you choose – charcoal, crimson red, luminous rose, lavender frost, or ocean drive – extends from the lid to the bottom of the netbook. I also like that the lid and bottom have a matte finish, so fingerprints shouldn’t be an issue.
Though this isn’t one of the runway-ready HP models, style is clearly an important factor. The netbook comes with a matching sleeve and users can also opt for a matching wireless mini mouse with micro receiver.
The bottom panel removes easily, as you’ll see in our hands-on video below, and allows easy access for users who want to upgrade the hardware themselves. Sadly, the max RAM this system can take is 1GB, but perhaps it will be enough for the 1.66-GHz Intel Atom N455 dual-core processor. The hard drive is a speedy 7,200 rpm with 250GB of space. And wireless N for fast Internet access.
Even though the Mini 210 will come with Intel’s integrated graphics standard, the dual-core CPU is supposed to power this baby enough for smooth full screen 720p video and streaming media. With great power comes great battery drain, so users might want to opt for the 6-cell battery over the 3-cell. Configurations start at $329.
We’re looking forward to putting this to the test when the netbook comes out.
More Fall 2010 HP Product Announcements
- Pavilion dm3: This affordable ultraportable runs cooler than ever, and is more stylish, too.
- Envy 14 Beats Edition: The Envy 14 gets new color schemes, headphones, and audio inspired by Dr. Dre.
- Envy 17 3D: The biggest Envy now packs a 3D screen and quad-core power.
- Wireless TV Connect: HP syncs 1080p video between your notebook and TV set wirelessly.
