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.

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.

Best Places to Buy HP Mini 311- Review

	Store Rating	Store Name	Price	Visit Store
	1191 Store Reviews	eBay	$ 469.99
	528 Store Reviews	CompuVest	$ 359.99

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If you are in the market for a smaller-than-average notebook, one that has the right mix of portability, classy appearance and performance capabilities to allow you to surf the internet and work on simple office tasks, you might want to consider the HP 2133 Netbook. Although it is priced a bit higher than most of its competition, the 2133’s build, quality and elegant chassis make it look like a premium-priced notebook.

Who will find this notebook usefull?

At first glance, the device appears to be targeted for businessmen. But the HP 2133 also holds a certain attraction for students. Its most appealing aspect, many users agree, is its keyboard, which utilizes full-sized keys. This facilitates typing beyond short notes and emails as long reports, theses and the like can be handled with the same comfort that a desktop allows.

Pros:

Apart from its elegant looks and its adult-sized keyboard, the HP 2133 also has other enticing attributes worth mentioning – an excellent build, a host of configuration options, a screen resolution that is similar to full-sized laptops and an impressive set of speakers. The ExpressCard mobile modem is also a great feature as it means you don’t have to rely on Wi-Fi spots to get connected.

Cons:

On the other hand, users have been known to complain about the unimpressive processor, the short battery life and the miniature touch pad.

Conclusion:

If you are willing to forgo performance for classy looks, portability, quality build, and upgradeability then the HP 2133 is just right for you. Its appearance lends the perception that it is more expensive than its actual price and we feel that most buyers will buy this notebook on the basis of that appeal. If you’re looking for a safe investment, the HP 2133 fits the bill.

Best Places to Buy HP 2133 Mini-Notebook – Review

	Store Rating	Store Name	Price	Visit Store
	1678 Store Reviews	Amazon	$ 639.99
	2161 Store Reviews	eCOST.com	$ 989.99

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The Asus EEE PC 901 was featured as ranking fifth on our list of Top 5 Netbooks for 2009. The Asus Eee PC 901 comes with a small but nice looking 8.9-inch display boasting a 1024 x 600 resolution. A 1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor sits at its command center to handle its processing needs. There is a 1 GB of RAM (DDR2) to work around as well as 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth features. This Asus also has three USB ports, an integrated Ethernet, a webcam and stereo speakers.

In our Top 5 Netbooks review, we noted that the Asus Eee PC 901 offers snappy performance and great battery life. It is a budget notebook with features found in its more expensive counterparts. We certainly like its gesture-compatible mouse controls and the availability of 802.11n Wi-Fi.

The Asus Eee PC 901 is supposed to be an improvement over its Eee PC 900 sibling. The difference starts with a nice redesign – the matte coated lid has been replaced with a glossy one and the hinge is given a circular, silver touch.

The same size keyboard (as with the PC 900) rests underneath the lid but there is a better, much smoother trackpad to play around with. Typing over long periods of time can be uncomfortable given the small keyboard. But, hey this is a netbook; it’s not unexpected. The trackpad is a revelation. It is bigger and appears to be more responsive compared to its predecessor. Another thing, Asus has added right and left click buttons –something left out in the PC 900.

In its Windows XP version, we noticed that the Eee PC 901 was able to launch applications quite quickly and was able to handle multi-tasking without protest. Running Microsoft applications, Windows Media Player and Skype all at the same time did not bring any problems.

Pros

We find the Asus Eee PC 901’s new design appealing and we agree it was a wise move on Asus’ part. The redesign of the trackpad is most welcome as with the increase in battery power.

Cons

Like some users, we noted that fan operation is a bit noisy. The smallish keyboard, too, would not appeal to users with large hands or those who intend to use the device over long periods of time.

Conclusion

People who buy netbooks of this size expect to use it mostly for browsing the net, paying bills online, checking finances, or watching YouTube videos. If you keep your expectations for this machine within these parameters, you will surely come out satisfied with the Asus Eee PC 901.

Best Places to Buy ASUS EEE PC 901 – Review

	Store Rating	Store Name	Price	Visit Store
	1191 Store Reviews	eBay	$ 157.99
	184 Store Reviews	Amazon Marketplace	$ 659.60

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When Asus broke grounds by introducing the Eee PC netbook series in 2007, it set the criteria on what defines a winning netbook – small, light, loaded with basic computing features and affordable.

As the netbook market evolves, we see niches sprouting within that market itself. Consumers are fervently dictating the features they want to see in a netbook and manufacturers are just as eager to please them. There are now netbooks that can operate for very long hours on a single charge, netbooks that can take on multi-media tasks, and netbooks that are designed for the higher end consumer.

The N120 has to be one of the best-designed netbooks in the market today. The curves are in the right places, the edges are rounded and there is strip of chrome tastefully fitted at its sides. It is not only well designed it is also sturdily built.

The near-full sized keyboard is comfy to use and its ease is aided by a responsive touchpad. The N120 gets its juice from a six-cell battery that some claim can last up to 10.5 hours but in reality, it manages a still-impressive 7 hours of use.

The N120’s 10.1-inch screen provides the right amount of contrast and brightness. Viewing the screen from certain angles produce average results and because of the size of screen, running programs that need a lot of screen space would be a challenge.

We also noted that first-rate speakers that come with the device – there are actually 3 speakers apparently aimed at giving the user a surround sound experience. Not bad, from our account.

The device also has 3 USB ports, a card reader, Ethernet, 802.11b.g Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

Pros

We were drawn to the Samsung N120’s appealing design, its light weight, the near full-size keyboard and the outstanding battery life. Touchpad was easy to use, start-up time was relatively fast and build quality is excellent.

Cons

We only have one gripe – it’s a bit pricey.

Conclusion

This is one great looking and great performing netbook. Lightweight, durable and well designed, the N120 delivers what is expected of it – allowing you to perform regular computing tasks, web browsing, listening to music and watching videos. Just do not expect it to do more than that.

Best Places to Buy Samsung N120 – Review

	Store Rating	Store Name	Price	Visit Store
	5276 Store Reviews	TigerDirect.com	$ 649.99
	1678 Store Reviews	Amazon	$ 649.00
	105 Store Reviews	CompUSA.com	$ 649.99
	5712 Store Reviews	PCConnection Express	$ 688.35
	1474 Store Reviews	PCNation	$ 665.38

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We ranked the HP Mini-Note 2140 as number two on our list of Top 5 Netbooks of 2009. Targeted for the business user who prefers the advantages of a subnotebook, the Mini-Note 2140 won us over with its ingenious metal alloy chassis made of a combination of aluminum and magnesium that gives it extra rigidity and the ability to withstand the regular abuse that comes with mobile computing. It does have features that have become standard fare with netbooks – such as the Intel Atom 270 processor, 1 GB of RAM, 160 GB of disk space and a 10.1-inch display.

The extras that caught our attention were the spill-resistant and near-full-sized keyboard and the accelerometer feature which shuts of the hard drive during a fall to prevent damage. There’s also an ExpressCard slot that offers expansion possibilities usually found north of standard netbook fares, and an 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity.

The 10-inch screen on the Mini-Note 2140 is usually met with mixed reactions. Some say it is nice and large but there are those who would complain about its lack of resolution – only 1024 x 576; which requires more frequent use of the touchpad as not everything is immediately displayed on screen as they normally would in a larger screen.

Battery performance of the Mini-Note 2140 is an impressive 7 continuous hours. Performance-wise, it did well with running usual office applications, though you’ll have the feeling that this is not at par with full-sized business laptops. The 2140 does have a decent pair of speakers but to call it a multi-media machine would be a stretch of imagination.

Accommodating external devices is one area where the Mini-Note 2140 needs some improvement. Number of ports available is limited – only 2 USB ports, an SDHC flash card reader, a VGA port and an Ethernet jack.

Pros

The first thing that will catch your attention with the HP Mini-Note 2140 is the classy, brushed-up aluminum alloy for a chassis. We are sure its looks alone can drive many a businessman to snap up a purchase. The look and feel of this HP Netbook tell a lot about its sturdiness and durability. The long battery-life is also a huge advantage as is the near-full-sized keyboard.

Cons

There is a lack of resolution on the graphics display of this netbook. And, it is a bit pricey, too.

Conclusion

The HP Mini-Note 2140 is one of the best, if, not the best, netbooks for the money for 2009. People will buy it because of its aesthetics, the sturdiness of chassis and the way everything is put together. HP has got a winner in its hands.

Best Places to Buy HP Mini-Note 2140 – Review

	Store Rating	Store Name	Price	Visit Store
	114 Store Reviews	OfficeMax	$ 699.99
	0 Store Reviews	TheWiz.com	$ 709.97
	62 Store Reviews	P.C. Richard & Son	$ 709.97
	183 Store Reviews	Amazon Marketplace	$ 569.99
	3639 Store Reviews	Compuplus.com	$ 752.19

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Taiwan-based Asus is universally credited as the pioneer in the netbook market. The ASUS Eee PC broke grounds for this niche and today, sales of these light, inexpensive subnotebooks are growing by leaps and bounds. While Acer Inc. now leads that market, trailed only by Asus, the rest of the manufacturers are fast catching up with their own legion of netbook models.

There has been concern that the netbook market is but a fad and that in time consumers will see these devices as mere toys compared to their more full-featured kin. However, we see manufacturers churn out netbooks that come with performance and features that nearly parallel those of full-sized notebooks and laptops.

Today, we take a look at Dell’s fancied netbook – the Dell Inspiron 11z. The number eleven represents the device’s screen size. While Dell’s own site calls this a laptop and even slots this in its Inspiron laptop series, the 11z is definitely a netbook.

Instead of relying on the netbook favorite Intel Atom processor, Dell took a different route, opting to go with an Intel Celeron low-voltage processor. The Intel Atom has proven its processing prowess in many netbooks – the Asus Eee series, Acer’s Aspire One, HP’s Mini 1000 and Compaq Mini 700 among others. So, it is a surprise to us that Dell made a decision with to go with a Celeron 723. Honestly, we feel that Dell should have stuck with the Atom processor given the average netbook user’s penchant for watching online videos and fiddling with multimedia content. The Celeron 723 has limited capabilities in these areas.

The Dell Inspiron 11z sports a simple yet business-like design. A glossy cover and a matte black chassis give it a tasteful yet understated look. It is both lightweight and slim and its build quality is up to par with netbooks in its price range. But, like many users we single out its touchpad as its worst feature – unresponsive at times and it takes an effort to get used to.

The Inspiron 11z’s 11.6-inch screen sets it apart from its netbook competitors – it offers as much space as regular notebooks. Inside, it features a Windows Vista Home Premium OS. Port selection is just about the same with other netbooks. This one though has HDMI instead of a VGA port.

The average buyer will most likely use this device for browsing, keeping in touch with friends and families or checking one’s finances. Notably, multimedia use is limited.

PROS

First, we commend the excellent screen and graphics card combo. Second, we like the way it is put together – the clean layout and the comfortable keyboard.

CONS

Our biggest gripe, as with other users, is the dreadful erratic touchpad. Dell has to do something about it and do it fast. The Celeron 723 processor is not as capable as the Intel Atom – giving the Inspiron 11z limited multimedia capabilities.

CONCLUSION

Notebookreview.com says “The Dell Inspiron 11z was one of those notebooks that looks like it could be the perfect machine on paper, but once you get it in person you find out it has some fatal flaw.” Our verdict – buy this if you intend to use this when you need to have a light device for browsing, email checking and keeping in touch with your friends. If you want something that can do more, we suggest you get something else.

Best Places to Buy Dell Inspiron 11z – Review

	Store Rating	Store Name	Price	Visit Store
	2057 Store Reviews	Dell	$ 374.99
	2057 Store Reviews	Dell	$ 499.99

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1. Dell Inspiron Mini 10 – Review

If you’re looking for a laptop that offers great value for money and has adequate features to help you run your small or medium sized business while on the go, the Dell Vostro A860 is worth checking into. While Dell touts the A860 as a “mobile solution to everyday business computing,” we see it as a capable, entry-level laptop for entrepreneurs.

Handy tool for a business man on the move

Itinerant businessmen will find the A860 a handy little management tool with just the features they need at a cost their auditors won’t complain about. Business owners, too, would appreciate the availability of common business applications and straight out-of-the-box productivity. However, the A860, with its minimalist features, is definitely not suited for gamers.

Pros:

Value for money is definitely the number one compelling trait we see in this model. Its portability, mobility and the availability of core business applications are what make it attractive too. Not to be undervalued are its other features such as the excellent anti-glare matte screen which allows better visibility in outdoor situations and the availability of Celeron Dual Core technology which gives it a plus in terms of raw processing power.

Cons:

Its drawbacks include the following: short battery life, so-so speakers, limited USB ports (only 2) and the comparatively noisy cooling system. Although many users would be satisfied with the standard 1-gigabyte RAM, we would have preferred a higher configuration. Other users also wished that this laptop came with Windows XP instead of the preinstalled Windows Vista Home Basic.

We see the Vostro A860 as a good choice for business users who are making the transition from desktop to mobile computing. It offers a healthy marriage of price and useful features. However, as your business grows you may see yourself graduating to higher end models. Until then, the A860 will ably fit your needs.

Best Places to Buy Dell Vostro A860 – Review

	Store Rating	Store Name	Price	Visit Store
	184 Store Reviews	Amazon Marketplace	$ 589.00
	184 Store Reviews	Amazon Marketplace	$ 559.00

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1. Dell Vostro A90 – Review

In our list of the Top 5 Netbooks for 2009, we rated the Lenovo IdeaPad S12 as the best among the netbooks available in the market today. In that article, we mentioned how the IdeaPad made us rethink what a netbook should be. Just when we thought that our minds have been properly conditioned by the format defined by the Asus Eee series, Lenovo gave us a netbook that has a larger screen size and a more comfortable keyboard at a price that is still at netbook levels.

We had also mentioned that the IdeaPad S12 is powered by an Atom N270 processor at 1.6 GHz. The S12 is also one of the first netbooks to feature VIA’s Nano mobile processor as an option. The Via Nano processor has been getting great reviews so far in its head-to-head comparison with its Atom counterpart and many see this as a boon to netbook technology. But, there is still greater news. It seems like the S12 will be featuring NVIDIA’s Ion technology soon. For now, we are happy to share with you our full review on the Atom-powered Lenovo IdeaPad S12.

Given its size, it is definitely bigger than the average netbook, but, still lighter than the typical notebook. It appears to be well-built and the plastic chassis’ design gives it a bit of a business look as is mostly the case with Lenovo laptops.

The 12-inch LCD display is a joy to behold if you compare it with what the other netbooks have to offer. The screen is bright and viewable at many angles. Watching videos and pictures in the S12 offers nearly the same level of satisfaction one can get from standard-sized laptops.

The full-sized keyboard is also a feature that many netbooks wished they had. Typing over long periods is much more comfortable in this netbook. The touchpad is also easy to use.

An interesting feature that the IdeaPad S12 has is the face-recognition application which allows users to log in by posing their faces in the laptop’s webcam. It does feel nifty but after awhile the novelty wears off.

Performance-wise the Atom-powered IdeaPad S12 can handle basic office applications, media playback and normal web browsing duties. Too much multitasking would be stretching its processing abilities.

Pros

The Lenovo IdeaPad S12 stands out with an LCD screen that is better than most netbooks. Adding to its advantages are the larger screen and full-sized keyboard. It appears tough enough to take on the daily grind of mobile computing. Its long battery life is a plus too.

Cons

The finish picks up fingerprints easily. The single core Atom processor has limited capabilities when it comes to multi-tasking. The fan can be a tad noisy for some users.

Conclusion

At this price, you would have expected a smaller, more regular sized netbook. That’s where the Lenovo IdeaPad S12 will surprise you – for the price of a regular netbook you get a larger screen, a full-sized keyboard and standard processing abilities to handle regular computing duties. To us, it is no surprise why it is the number one netbook for 2009.

Best Places to Buy Lenovo IdeaPad S12 – Review

	Store Rating	Store Name	Price	Visit Store
	3666 Store Reviews	Buy.com	$ 549.99
	184 Store Reviews	Amazon Marketplace	$ 549.99
	3639 Store Reviews	Compuplus.com	$ 599.49
	319 Store Reviews	UnbeatableSale, Inc.	$ 945.95
	2162 Store Reviews	eCOST.com	$ 584.99

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1. Lenovo Ideapad S10 – Review

When the Asus EeePC netbook came into the market about 2 years ago, it captured the hearts of many buyers who were attracted to its combination of low price, light weight, Linux OS and a solid-state drive. The Asus EeePC’s very strong sales performance drove the competitors to come up with their own versions of budget-priced netbooks. All of a sudden, the market was flooded with netbooks – small, light and inexpensive — with the ability to do general computing, web surfing and running rich Internet applications.

The IdeaPad S10 is Lenovo’s unabashed attempt to cash in on the netbook boom. A quick look at the S10’s features and you would immediately conclude that it used EeePC as its benchmark. A YouTube review of the S10 even called it an “EeePC killer.” The IdeaPad S10 comes in a range of hues – black, red, blue, white and pink and features a 10.2-inch display. Processing power is supplied by Intel Atom 1.6GHz and RAM capacity is between 512MB up to 1GB DDR2. This netbook comes with two USB ports and ExpressCard expansion slot and VGA output. A multi-card media reader (4-in-1) is also thrown in as an added feature. OS is Windows XP Home Edition.

PROS

Unlike the toy-like EeePC, the IdeaPad S10 looks attractive and seems solidly built. The outer case is tastefully done in matte-finished plastic. Wired.com calls it an “amazing combination of price and performance” and it concluded that the IdeaPad S10 is “the best netbook we have seen all year.”

Cons

Users complained that it runs a bit warmer than other netbooks. Others lamented its limited battery life and the noticeable clicking sound made by the mousepad buttons.

Conclusion

There are numerous netbook models in the market and new ones are launched every so often. That the Lenovo IdeaPad S10 is hailed as the top sub-notebook in the market today is very impressive. However, its position is precarious and many models are elbowing each other to get that distinction. Nonetheless, the IdeaPad’s combination of features neatly packed in a slim chassis and its great price is hard to beat, for now.

This model featured in the article: What does your laptop say about you?

Best Places to Buy Lenovo Ideapad S10 – Review

	Store Rating	Store Name	Price	Visit Store
	1191 Store Reviews	eBay	$ 268.85
	1191 Store Reviews	eBay	$ 326.89

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1. Lenovo IdeaPad S12 – Review

The Aspire One AO751h came about with the popularity of netbooks spearheaded by Asus with its EEE PC. Acer offers this 11.6-inch Aspire One AO751h. Let us take a close look at what this little netbook has to offer its buyers.

The Aspire One AO751h is powered by a member of the Intel Atom series of processors made specifically for netbooks. The Aspire One AO751h has the Z520, which is clocked to have a processing speed of 1.3 GHz. While it is certainly slower than most minis in its price range and class, it has sufficient power for it to be able to do normal tasks without a problem. This 11-incher offering from Acer is backed by a memory of at least 1 gigabyte, but this can be upgraded to 2 gigabytes. This combination is more than enough to allow multi-tasking with ease.

As for design, the Aspire One AO751h is very slim and, as a result, it is very convenient to carry around. It would not require much space and could be stuffed into luggage provided you give it enough cushioning. This saves you the burden of having to carry an additional bag to store it in.

The 11.6-inch screen offers bright and clear details. The colors are crisp and bright in this netbook, and you can enjoy good viewing angles with the Aspire One AO751h. Despite its size, three to four people sitting side by side can all enjoy accurate colors while watching movies, cartoons and other videos. The AO751h also has a better resolution as compared to its cousins, which can only sport a resolution of 1024×600. Acer should be applauded for equipping this netbook with an increased resolution of 1366 x 768, which will allow users to load web pages in their native desktop resolution and to eliminate the need to scroll down to view the entire content.

The Aspire One AO751h is gifted with nearly full-sized keys. Typing by touch with this netbook is easy; a fact that most document-handlers will certainly appreciate.

Being a netbook, the Aspire One AO751h picks up after its competitors as well as its siblings in the Acer product line with a 1.5-megapixel webcam. This webcam is able to give out good picture quality, which is one thing that Internet-savvy users will certainly find useful.

As good as its processor and memory capacity are, the Aspire One AO751h has for a graphics processor an integrated Intel GMA 500 graphics accelerator. This graphics accelerator eats up 384 megabytes of memory from the system, thus you couldn’t expect this machine to be able to process 3D graphics without having to stutter along. Tests have indicated that the GMA 500 has difficulty playing back 720p movies, which puts it at a disadvantage with other netbooks.

On the other hand, the Aspire One AO751h is gifted with an exceptional battery life. Although some if its rivals have longer battery lives, anyone who constantly takes the netbook off the hook will find its 7-hour battery life sufficient.

Specifications:

Pros:

The things that we found pleasing about the Aspire One AO751h are its decently sized keyboards, its amazingly long battery life, and greatly detailed and pleasant display via its 11-inch keyboard.

Cons:

The things we found disappointing about the Aspire One AO751h are its limited graphic rendering capabilities as well as its slightly less powerful processor.

Conclusion:

The Aspire One AO751h is good enough for basic computing operations. If you’re willing to overlook its weak graphics capabilities, you may find this netbook suited for your needs. This, however, is ideal for those whose usage is limited to word processing and office work. This netbook is estimated to cost from $350 to $450.

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