Reviews Archive

MSI Wind U100

By
M@
Published: October 28, 2009Tags:
MSI Wind U100

The MSI Wind U100 is a very robust netbook. It features all of the standard netbook hardware including an Intel Atom N270 processor and 1GB of RAM (upgradeable to 2GB). It also has a 6 cell battery and 10.1-inch screen. Here are the full hardware specs:

  • Intel Atom 1.6GHz processor (533MHz front side bus)
  • 1GB DDR2 RAM (2GB max)
  • 160GB SATA hard drive
  • Microsoft Windows XP Home edition
  • 6 Cell battery (5.5 hours)
  • 10.1-inch LCD display, 1.3MP webcam and microphone
  • 2.6lbs
  • 802.11 b/g/ wifi
  • bluetooth

It features a very nice beveled edge keyboard that is very easy to type on and the keys are firm and not “spongey” like some netbooks.

msikbrd

The U100 is also available at a very reasonable price for all of the hardware that they pack in (around $324 from Amazon).

HP Inspiron Mini 311

By
M@
Published: October 28, 2009Tags:
HP Inspiron Mini 311

The much anticipated HP mini 311 is out now and the guys at laptopmag got their hands on one for a review. The mini 311 is the first Nvidia ion powered netbook in the US, and it is very impressive with it’s HD video playback and long battery life. Here are the full specs:

  • CPU: 1.60-GHz Intel Atom N270
  • Operating System: Windows XP Home
  • Hard Drive Size/Speed: 160GB/5,400 rpm
  • RAM/Upgradable to: 1GB/3GB
  • Display Size/Resolution: 11.6 inches/1366 x 768
  • Current price: $399
  • battery life: 6 hours
  • weight: 3.2 lbs

keyboard

The keyboard is nice and large with large square keys that don’t have wasted space in between. Also the touchpad is very nice and has two big buttons on the bottom instead of a unibutton like some other models.

The display is a glossy 11.6″ with 1366×768 resolution which is very nice and bright, and along the front edge of the system is a black speaker grille that hides Altec Lansing stereo speakers which sound good and are nice and loud.

portsThe usual ports are included but with the additional HDMI out which will be used alot for full-screen HD outputs.

On overall system performance tests the 311 blew other netbooks out of the water, with the highest scores ever recorded. On PCMark05, which measures overall system performance of XP laptops, the 311 scored 1,917 which is almost 500 points above the current netbook average of 1,423. To put this in even greater perspective, the highest netbook score we’ve ever seen on that test is 1,697 for the Dell latitude 2100.

And on to the graphics performance.

tests

Nuff said.

The HP mini 311 is almost identical in this test to the latest MacBook Air ($1,995), but of course for $1500.

This netbook is by far the best netbook to come out so far, both in value and performance, and you can pick one up for only $399.

HP Inspiron Mini 110

By
M@
Published: October 28, 2009Tags:
HP Inspiron Mini 110

The HP mini 110 has an Intel Atom 1.6GHz processor and 1GB of RAM. It comes with a 3-cell battery which could be its weak point with only 3 hours of battery life (you will probably want to upgrade to a 6 or 9 cell battery). It has a very nice 10.1-inch screen and a 92% keyboard for easy typing. It also has a very light weight probably due to the 3-cell battery. Here are the full specs:

  • Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz processor
  • 1GB DDR2 RAM
  • 10.1-inch 1024×576 LCD display
  • 802.11 b/g wifi
  • 2.57lbs weight
  • Windows XP Home operating system
  • 160GB SATA hard drive
  • 3 cell battery with 3 hour battery life

Another downside on this netbook is that it comes pre-loaded with a lot of bloatware but this is easily solved by removing it. Besides its few weakpoints this netbook remains a very solid choice and it’s available for $299 here. You can also get the new Windows 7 version (which I recommend) for $339 here.

Dell Inspiron Mini 10v

By
M@
Published: October 28, 2009Tags:
Dell Inspiron Mini 10v

The Dell mini 10v features a 1.67GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, an Intel GMA 950 graphics accelerator, and 1GB DDR2 RAM upgradeable to 2GB. Also included in the standard netbook hardware is a 1.3 megapixel webcam and 802.11 b/g wifi. The keyboard is 92% of normal size and the 10v has a 160GB hard drive and of course a 10.1-inch screen, hence the name. There are a few on Amazon, or you can customize direct from Dell starting at $299. Here are the full specs:

  • Intel Atom N270 1.67GHz processor (533MHz FSB)
  • 1GB DDR2 RAM
  • 160GB SATA hard drive
  • 10.1-inch screen
  • integrated 802.11 b/g
  • 3 cell (or 6 cell) lithium ion battery
  • 1.3 megapixel webcam

The 3 cell battery is almost useless at 3 hours or less so you will definitely want the 6 cell version which will add another $35. The Dell Mini is a very nice netbook at a reasonable price.

Acer Aspire One 10.1″

By
M@
Published: October 28, 2009Tags:
Acer Aspire One 10.1″

The Acer Aspire One is a very nice netbook. It has all of the hardware you would expect from a top quality netbook including an Intel Atom N270 processor, 160GB hard drive, and 1GB of memory. Here are the full specs:

  • Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz processor
  • 1GB DDR2 RAM upgradeable to 2GB
  • 160GB SATA hard drive
  • 802.11 b/g wifi
  • 10.1-inch 1024×600 LCD display
  • 6-cell battery with 6.5 hours battery life

The best feature of this netbook is its price. I saw the red one today on Amazon for under $300 which is an incredible deal. This is also for the 6-cell battery, not a 3-cell that comes with most netbooks in this price range, and it’s good for around 6.5 hours.

The keyboard on the Aspire one is one of the best in its class and is easy to type on and the keys feel very solid and well-made. The trackpad has the usual unibutton left and right buttons which we all know and love, so you might want to get a wireless mouse if it will be seeing extended use.

aspireone

Another downside on this netbook is if you try to upgrade the RAM to 2GB. There is no memory access door on the bottom of the netbook like other models, so you will have to take the netbook completely apart to upgrade it. There are tutorials available that walk you through this process if you want to do it though.

You can watch full-screen HD movies if played from an external source, but don’t try it with an embedded flash/java player such as youtube without delays. Normal definition content streams fine though. Where this really shines is web browsing. I’ve been observing 1.5Mb/s download speeds over wireless and web browsing is even zippier at times than on my $3000 workstation. This is definitely what this netbook was optimized for.

Even though the XP version is available for under $300 I would definitely recommend the Windows 7 version for only $29 more here.

Over all the best feature of this netbook is its price. If you want a $300 10.1″ netbook with all of the usual features then this is the one for you.

Asus Eee PC 1005HA

By
M@
Published: October 28, 2009Tags:
Asus Eee PC 1005HA

The Asus Eee PC 1005HA has been number 1 on the best-sellers list for over 4 months for a reason. It does just about everything right. First of all, here are the hardware specs:

  • Intel Atom N280 processor (1.67GHz)
  • 6 cell battery with 10.5 hour battery life
  • 1GB RAM (easily upgradeable to 2GB)
  • 10.1″ LED backlit LCD display (1024×600 resolution) non-glossy
  • 160GB SATA 2 5400 rpm hard-drive (250GB Windows 7 model)
  • Weight: 2.9 lbs
  • integrated 802.11 b/g/n wireless
  • integrated low-light webcam
  • Windows XP or Windows 7 OS

The keyboard is very nice to type on at 92% of full size, and the keys have a nice style with a small lowered ledge around the keys that provides nice tactile feedback when typing. Like all other netbooks the direction keys on the bottom right are a little small, but that is my only problem with the keyboard.

keyboard

There is also a cool over/underclocking feature on the processor to either save battery life or boost performance for apps. You can see the icon on the left side of the spacebar, and you activate it by hold fn+spacebar.

Of course the 10.5 hour battery life is a max spec and if you’re running wireless and alot of power hungry apps with the overclocking turned on you might only see 7. This is still long enough to make it through almost any trip or flight on one charge though and is also longer than most other batteries.

The 1005HA has the usual external ports with a 10/100 ethernet plug, headphone jack, microphone jack, 2 usb’s and an SD card reader on the right side.

eeleft

On the left is a vga output, usb port and power port.

eeeright

The 1005HA model also has wireless n which is nice because you use wireless almost exclusively on a netbook. Another very nice feature on the 1005 series that Asus did away with on some of their newer models is the easily removeable access panel on the bottom to upgrade the RAM.

You can remove the panel with 1 screw and replace the RAM in about 30 seconds. I used the Crucial 2GB stick and I’m satisfied with it so far.

bottom

The RAM upgrade really improves video performance as well as gives you a speed boost when running multiple apps. Overall this is the best 10.1″ netbook (in my opinion) because of its blend of performance and value. I am looking forward though to some of the upcoming Asus netbooks with 12″ screens to see how they stack up.

You’ll want to get it pre-loaded with Windows 7, and Amazon has it here for around $270. That is with the 10.5 hour battery, and they also have one with an 8 hour battery for less at $325.

Basically if you want to a 10.1″ netbook this is the one to buy, you will not be disappointed.