NetbookShow

You’ve probably read about quite a netbooks already that are getting upgrades to Atom N570 processors, so there’s no surprise that netbooks, on the whole, are rolling out with Atom N570 processor upgrades.

HP’s updated their Mini 110 and 210 netbooks with the new processor over in Japan, so you can expect the same updates soon on the Western markets.

Looking at the price of the Atom N550 HP Mini 110, with the same 1GB, 250GB and Windows 7 Starter – there’s roughly a $100 price difference (29,800 yen vs 39,800 yen) here. Not good value for pretty much what we would expect to be no appreciable difference in performance. Then again, we’ve seen both the dual core N550 and N570 models of the Acer Aspire One D255E go up for pre-order at Amazon.com for the same price of $330.

HP launched an updated version of its Mini 210  netbook recently, and I got my first chance to check out the new kids in person the other night. While the biggest change is the option to configure the netbook with either a single core or dual core Atom processor, HP has also tweaked the design a bit.

The new netbooks are available in black, blue, red, pink, and purple, and each lid has a matte finish. The keyboard and touchpad haven’t changed all that much, but HP has redesigned the base of the laptop so that a 6 cell battery sits flush with the back and bottom. In fact, the new HP Mini 210 ships standard with a high capacity 6 cell battery. There’s no longer a 3 cell option.

The HP Mini 210 starts at $329.99, but that price will only get you a black netbook with 1GB of RAM, an Atom N455 processor and Windows 7 Starter. If you’re willing to pay extra, you can get a different color, a faster processor, more memory, a Broadcom Crystal HD video accelerator, and even step up to Windows 7 Home Premium. You can also add a 1366 x 768 pixel HD display.

Overall, it looks like the HP Mini 210 may offer more configuration options than any other consumer-oriented netbook on the market today. On the other hand, you can easily get carried away with the options. A truly souped up version of this netbook could easily run you $500 or more.

It is now possible to get the HP Mini 210  with the dual-core Atom N550 processor that should pack more punch than the single core Atom N455/N475 processors. This model also comes with Broadcom Video accelerator which makes 1080p video playback possible.

Available in 5 colors, charcoal, red, rose, frost and ‘ocean drive’, the Mini 210 is a fine netbook boasting almost full-size keyboard and amazing battery life. It will be interesting to impact of dual-core processor on the battery runtimes.

Verizon has begun offering the HP Mini 210 netbook with a 3G modem for $149.99 for customers that sign up for a 2 year service contract. The netbook has  10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display, 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor, 1GB of RAM, and 250GB hard drive. It runs Windows 7 Starter Edition and a 6 cell battery.

In addition to 3G wireless broadband, the netbook supports 802.11b/g WiFi and Ethernet connectivity.

Verizon also offers the HP Mini 311 if you’re looking for a computer with a larger (11.6 inch) screen and NVIDIA ION graphics.

HP’s newest Mini 210 and 110 netbooks don’t offer any new specs but rather, two new design options. These include the “preppy pink” (need we say more?) Mini 210 and the white crystal Mini 110, a pattern reminiscent of the one on the Studio Tord Boontje Mini 110.

The preppy pink version, as you can see, has a plaid finish, that HP hopes will remind its female customers of the luxury brand Burberry. The company says it chose a richer, more pearlescent pink than, say, a hot pink hue. The idea is that women will find it more sophisticated (and, perhaps, even understated?) than a Barbie pink netbook. We agree that the combination of different, mauve-ier pinks is more pleasant to look at than solid hot pink, but that’s not saying much. As a woman, I still find pink netbooks condescending (and we know other women in the industry who would agree).

Say what you will about pink: HP did pay close attention to details. The touchpad mirrors the lid’s plaid pattern and the keys, as we said, have a pearly finish. The netbook comes with a girly Anime desktop background and even has a cute (but useless) cartoon-like icon stamped on the bottom.

This is completely subjective, of course, but we’re bigger fans of the Tord Boontje design, which we think both men and women will enjoy. From a far away it looks like a white, pearlescent netbook, but up close you can see it has a 3D in-mold design. Essentially, there’s a pattern laid over a solid lid, so you get the effect of a glossy, patterned lid, but without the fingerprints and glare. We’re glad HP is playing with this in-mold technique in more of its notebooks, including the new Pavilions. On the inside of this netbook, too, HP made sure the keyboard has a subtle sparkle, which we think is a nice touch.

The Mini 210 and Mini 110 start at $354 and $279, respectively, and will be available June 15.

The very famous and capable HP Mini 210 (with Atom N455 CPU) is now available at the Amazon Germany for 349 Euros. Other than the minor CPU change, rest of the specs remain unchanged, which means that you still get the 10.1-inch LED display, GMA 3150 graphic chipset, 250GB hard disk, and runs Windows 7 Starter OS.

Note – The only difference the Atom N455 processor brings to the table is its support for the DDR3 RAM.

There’s no telling whether HP actually plans to release a netbook looking quite like this in the US… but Wireless Goodness spotted a new pink HP Mini 210 at the FCC web site. And it doesn’t just have a pink keyboard and chassis… it also has plaid lid and touchpad with multiple shades of pink and purple. It’s an… interesting aesthetic choice.

Spec-wise, this model has a Gobi2000 wireless module for connecting to 3G wireless networks around the globe. No word on whether that’ s a standard feature or simply an option.

HP currently offers the HP Mini 210 netbook in 5 designs. You can get it in “black crystal,” “sonoma red,” “pacific blue,” “silver crystal,” or the gold and orange butterfly pattern of the HP Mini 210 Vivienne Tam Edition.

There are a few ways to get people to spend unusually large amounts of money on netbooks. You can soup it up with premium features such as touchscreen displays, spill-resistant keyboards, or 7200rpm hard drives. Or you can give the netbook a fashion makeover and slap a designer label on it.

HP appears to be taking both approaches with the HP Mini 210 Vivienne Tam Edition netbook — at least in Germany. While the US version of this laptop sells for $591, based largely on the designer lid, 2GB of RAM, and Windows 7 Home Premium operating system (instead of Windows 7 Starter), the German model ups the game slightly with a 1.83GHz Intel Atom N470 processor.

The German model also has a 320GB hard drive, while the US model has a 250GB hard drive, but oddly the German edition ships with Windows 7 Starter. Ther German model costs about 450 Euros ($605 US).

The rest of the specs are pretty much the same on both sides of the Atlantic: 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display. 3 cell battery, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, 3 USB ports, Ethernet, and VGA jacks.