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With the popularity of netbooks that was initially spearheaded by Asus, Hewlett-Packard has since joined the foray and came up with its own entry into the competition: the HP Mini 311.

 

Like all other netbooks, the HP Mini 311 is designed solely to be a mobile computer platform. In order to qualify as such, a netbook must be small and light. However, it also must have the necessary functionalities that the user will need like connectivity to the Internet and raw processing power that will allow him to run programs necessary for graphic and video editing as well as basic applications.

 

Most people will probably think that functionality will be partly sacrificed because of the available space for components inside the netbook, but that is not the case with the HP Mini 311.

The HP Mini 311 would look the same as any netbook: small and thin, with an Intel Atom N270 processor clocked at 1.6 gigahertz. It lacks an optical drive to load data in, and it has only 160 gigabytes worth of files to store in. It also has 1 gigabyte of RAM to support the processor. What makes the HP Mini 311 different from them all is the presence of an Nvidia Ion LE graphics processor. It also has a resolution of 1366×768. Most netbooks are equipped only with an integrated graphics card, but not the HP Mini 311.

 

The HP Mini’s small frame is in fact loaded with a lot of neat features. These would include a digital media reader capable of reading five media formats, three USB ports, an RJ-45 network connectivity port as well as HDMI port so you can connect the netbook to an HDTV.

 

The HP Mini 311 is larger compared to other netbooks, which are sized 10 inches on the average. The HP Mini 311, by contrast, has an 11.6-inch screen. Exact dimensions are 11.46 inches by 8 inches by 1.2 inches. This makes for a very mobile machine: it doesn’t eat up much space in luggage and is very light at 3.22 pounds.

 

The HP Mini 311 is not as flashy or as stylish as other netbooks, but it is still good enough to look at with its black cover, silver deck, keyboard and touchpad. Its keys are nearly full-size and ideal for touch typists. The touchpad, however, leaves much to be desired.

 

The HP Mini 311 has an excellent battery life: it can last up to 5 and a half hours off the hook.

 

Specs
Central Processing Unit	1.6GHz Intel Atom N270
RAM	1 GB DDR2 1066MHz
Screen Display	11.6 inches
Resolution	1366 x 768 WXGA
Dimensions	11.46 inches x 8 inches x 1.2 inches
Weight	3.22 pounds
Disk Space	160 GB 5400 RPM SATA Hard Drive
Optical Drive	None
Battery Life	five-and-a-half hours
Graphics	Nvidia Ion LE GPU
Operating System	Microsoft Windows XP and Windows 7

 

Pros:

One of the things to be appreciated about the HP Mini 311 is the presence of the Nvidia Ion LE GPU. This greatly enhances the performance of the HP Mini 311 especially in the digital media part. The Nvidia Ion LE has its own memory for video, hence greatly improving the HP Mini 311’s performance as compared to other networks whose graphics support leech away at built-in memory.

 

The Nvidia ION LE allows the owner of the netbook to watch movies especially HD movies in excellent resolution. They can also edit videos and digital graphics as well. You can play some games with the HP Mini 311, but it is not ideal for hardcore gaming. Multi-tasking is a breeze with the HP Mini 311 as well.

 

Cons:

Because of its single core processor, the HP Mini 311 suffers from a lag when booting up. Aside from software issues, the HP Mini 311 also has hardware problems with its touchpad. Users may have difficulty with the touchpad.

 

Conclusion:

With a minor issue in booting up and using the touchpad, the HP Mini 311 offers better performance for the computer user. With a price tag not exceeding $400, the HP Mini 311 is a good buy.

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Tags: HP Mini 311, netbook review

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 12th, 2010 at 10:31 pm and is filed under HP, and is tagged with HP Mini 311, netbook review. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.