HP Mini 210-1030NR 10.1-inch Netbook PC

Feb 22 2010 - HP's Mini 210 makes some significant changes from their previous generation consumer netbooks. The new patterned exterior wraps around the top and bottom and gives it a very stylish look. They have also taken they superb keyboard design from their business line and adapted it to this one. Battery life is very strong thanks to the new Atom N450 but performance hasn't improved much. There are some annoyances with it though including integrated trackpad buttons that are difficult to use and the lack of 802.11g wireless support.

Feb 22 2010 - In addition to the major internal changes with the new Intel PineTrail netbook platform, HP's Mini 210-1030NR also underwent some major external changes as well. The exterior black is covered in a new pattern that extends both to the lid and the bottom of the chassis that gives it a very distinctive and attractive look.

The most notable change to the Mini 210 is the keyboard. HP has taken their very well laid out and comfortable keyboard from their business oriented netbooks and brought it to the consumer lineup. The keyboard uses an isolated or island design that is spacious and comfortable to use for extended periods. They also changed the trackpad but not necessarily for the better. Rather than distinct trackpad buttons, they are now integrated into the trackpad similar to the Dell Mini 10. While it is functional it can be difficult to use at times if you happen to press just slightly off the necessary zone.

In terms of performance, the HP Mini 210 isn't all that different of an experience from previous generations of netbooks. The new Intel Atom N450 does provide some slight advantages in certain applications but their gains are really imperceptible by users. Microsoft still restricts all netbooks with Windows netbook licenses to have just 1GB of memory as well. The GMA 3150 graphics also lack support for reliable 720p HD video stupport.

Outside of the hardware, HP has also added a new software feature to the Mini 210. Now the system comes with HP's Cloud Drive online storage and sharing software. This provides users with 1GB of online storage for life. Users can then upload their files into this cloud to share between a desktop and their netbook over an internet connection. This isn't a unique feature to HP but is nice to have.

Battery life was one of the weak spots for the previous HP Mini 110. The more energy efficient PineTrail platform combined with the six-cell battery pack has given it a major boost in running time. My streaming video test was able to run for roughly six and a quarter hours compared to the 110's four and a half. This translates into roughly eight or so hours of more typical web usage. This still isn't the longest of the new generation of netbooks but should be plenty for the majority of users.

Overall, the HP Mini 210 has made a number of improvements that will attract many buyers. The redesigned trackpad and lack of support for 802.11n high speed wireless really prevent this from being one of the best overall consumer netbooks.