November 16th, 2010
Tanya
HP has added a new(ish) netbook to its business lineup. The HP Mini 1103 is basically the business version of the HP Mini 110/210 series consumer netbook. It doesn’t have all of the premium features available in the HP Mini 5103 business netbook such as the optional HD display, touchscreen, or optional dual core processor. What the HP Mini 1103 does have is a much lower starting price of $299.
Like other HP business netbooks, the HP Mini 1103 is available with a number of options that aren’t typically available for the company’s consumer oriented machines. For instance, you can configure the HP Mini 1103 with Windows 7 Starter, SUSE Linux 11, or FreeDOS and opt for 1GB to 2GB of DDR3 RAM. It has a 7200RPM hard drive and is available in capacities from 160GB to 320GB.
The rest of the specs are pretty much par for the netbook course, with 1.66GHz Intel Atom N455 and 1.83GHz Intel Atom N475 processor options, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0, 3 and 6 cell battery options, 3 USB 2.0 ports, a VGA port, and a combination mic/headphone jack.
September 2nd, 2010
Tanya
HP will start seling an updated version of the HP Mini 5103 business netbook on September 17th. The netbook is already available for $399 and up with a choice of an Intel Atom N455 or N475 processor, but starting on the 17th you’ll be able to snag one with a 1.5GHz Intel Atom N550 dual core processor.
The company says the new chip offers a performance boost of about 25% while resulting in about 15 minutes lower battery life. That’s not a bad tradeoff, since HP’s current crop of business netbooks get a respectable 6 hours of run time.
Aside from the new processor option, there aren’t many differences between the new model and the older HP Mini 5102. The netbook will continue to come with a 7200RPM hard drive or a high speed solid state disk. The 10.1 inch display is available in 1024 x 600 and 1366 x 768 pixel resolutions, and there’s a capacitive touchscreen option as well.
The netbook case is made of metal, with an aluminum top and a magnesium alloy bottom. Other options include GPS or 3G mobile broadband. HP also plans to start offering a new quick-start feature that will show information from your Outlook calendar while your computer is booting. You can either pause to view the calendar in more detail, or wait a moment to let it boot the full Windows 7 operating system at that point.’
HP will offer the Mini 5103 with Windows 7 Starter, Pro, or Home Premium, SUSE Linux Enterprise 11, or FreeDOS.
