HP Releases Mini 1000 Netbook Series

Hewlett-Packard unveiled today the new netbook series called HP Mini 1000. The low-cost ultraportable, based on the Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz processor, is initially offered in three variants – the standard HP Mini 1000, Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam Edition, and Mini 1000 with MIE (Mobile Internet Experience) Linux OS. HP says these companion PCs provide “a simplified Internet experience in a sleek, ultra-portable design”. Each is less than 1-inch thick, weighs a little more than 2 pounds and has a keyboard that is 92 percent the size of a standard notebook PC keyboard. All come with a BrightView widescreen Infinity display (1,024 x 600 resolution) with flush glass and LED backlight, built-in webcam and microphone, according to the company.

The HP Mini 1000 features a piano-black finish with HP Imprint swirl design is pre-installed with Windows XP Home, making access to the web, critical files and PC applications easily portable. It includes an Ethernet jack, two USB ports, and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless capabilities. Versions with 3G capabilities are expected to be available in December.
Configuration choices include screen size – 8.9-inch or 10.2-inch diagonal BrightView display – and solid-state or mechanical hard-drive options.
The HP Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam Edition comes in vibrant red with a peony-flower inspired design that reflects the globally acclaimed fashion designer’s Spring 2009 collection. It seeks to satisfy the highly mobile, Internet-centric fashionista and features a 10.2-inch diagonal BrightView display.
Its design was first unveiled on the runway of Tam’s Fall 2009 Fashion Week show in Battery Park in New York, although many on the scene mistook it for a purse rather than the companion PC that it is. Tam labeled it the world’s first “digital clutch.”
The Vivienne Tam Edition companion PC runs Windows XP Home, making the web, critical files and PC applications easily portable. It includes an Ethernet jack, two USB ports, and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless capabilities. Versions with 3G capabilities are expected to be available in December.The HP Mini 1000 with MIE (Mobile Internet Experience) is a uniquely simple, mobile Internet companion. An HP-developed interface makes it easy to enjoy digital content – videos, photos, music and email – on demand and on the go. MIE comes loaded with instant messaging, email and Skype for online video chat, making it easy to enjoy social-media experiences anywhere consumers are connected.
Applications enabling browsing, email and online video are pre-loaded and run from the MIE dashboard, minimizing startup time. Favorite websites that are added to the dashboard stay live, and the taskbar makes it easy to switch between programs.
The HP Mini 1000 with MIE runs the Linux operating system. It includes an Ethernet jack, two USB ports, and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless capabilities.
The HP Mini 1000 is available now in the United States at the PC maker’s website with a starting price of $399. The Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam Edition is expected to be available in the US in mid-December for an estimated price of $699, while the Mini 1000 with MIE is going to hit the market in January with a starting price of $379.