It’s not perfect, but the new HP Mini 110 ($329 as configured) is definitely the company’s best netbook for consumers yet. HP has addressed our biggest complaints with the earlier Mini 1000 (no VGA port, small and slow hard drive), and has added more style to the mix with new color options. On the other hand, the attractive edge-to-edge glass display is gone, and the Mini 110 is thicker and heavier than its predecessor, not to mention that HP still includes awkward vertical touchpad buttons. The HP Mini 110 is a good value, but there are better 10-inch netbooks for the money.
Design

On the outside, the HP Mini 110 looks very similar to the Mini 1000, but is slightly heavier (2.6 pounds versus 2.4 pounds) and thicker (1.3 inches versus 1.0 inches). In addition to the Black Swirl Imprint lid design, HP will make White Swirl and Pink Chic finishes available in July. And, unlike the ASUS Eee PC S101 or the Dell Inspiron Mini 10, its pattern hid our fingerprints. Plus, the glowing blue wireless status lights for the power and wireless on/off switch project a futuristic look.

We quickly noticed that the latest version of this model sits a little higher in back when placed on a desk, thanks to slightly taller rubber feet. We’re assuming this was done to dissipate heat, as the Mini 1000 ran warm.

Keyboard and Touchpad

When we opened the lid, we also noticed that the finish didn’t have the same look and feel as the Mini 1000. This time, HP opted for a different resin for the plastic deck surrounding the excellent 92-percent keyboard, which results in a slightly grittier feel, and a somewhat cheaper look. The right Shift key is full size and placed directly under the Enter key. Additionally, there is a complete row of dedicated function keys. The only keyboard that can hold a candle to HP’s is that of  the Samsung NC10. Some of its keys aren’t as large as those of the Mini 110, but many users may prefer their chunkier feel.

The 2.4 x 1.1-inch touchpad is vertically narrow, resulting in a lot of backtracking. Also, still present are the awkward right and left mouse buttons, which straddle the pad vertically. Nevertheless, because we adjusted to the layout in a few hours, we don’t think the touchpad is a deal breaker.

Ports and Webcam

The Mini 110 eschews the annoying VGA adapter port in favor of a full-size VGA port on the right, bringing this machine in line with most other netbooks. We also appreciate the new third USB port (two on the right, one on the left); the 5-in-1 memory card reader and the Ethernet port are on the right side.

The integrated 0.3-megapixel webcam on our review unit provided decent images in a video call over Skype; our caller could see our face clearly. The microphone, located to the left of the webcam, picked up some background noise, but our caller could hear us just fine without our needing to speak up.

Display and Audio

HP has nixed the edge-to-edge glass display in favor of a traditional bezel (we’re assuming to save on cost). On the plus side, many users will appreciate that this 10.1-inch (1024 x 576) LCD is an antiglare widescreen. The picture was bright and colorful when we streamed an episode of Family Guy, over Hulu. HP will offer a high-def display option (1366 x 768 pixels) for $30 on July 8.

The silver speaker bar on the original Mini 1000 has been replaced with a speaker panel that’s integrated into an area beneath the screen. When we streamed music over Slacker, we were impressed with the volume this tiny netbook pumped out.

Performance

Although our configuration of the Mini 110 has the same 1.6-GHz Intel Atom N270 processor and 1GB of RAM as the Mini 1000, the 160GB hard drive is a vast improvement. Not only is it more than twice the size of its predecessor, it spins at a much faster 5,400 rpm, vs. 4,200 rpm.

This translated to a faster boot time (45 vs. 64 seconds when compared to the HP Mini 1151NR) and a better PCMark05 score (1,587 vs. 1,370). We also saw a much higher score in the LAPTOP Transfer Test (copying a 4.97GB folder of mixed media). With the Mini 1000 it took a sluggish 9 minutes and 21 seconds, which is a rate of 9.1 MBps; the Mini 110 notched a rate of 14.6 MBps, just above the netbook average. When we transcoded a 5-minute-and-5-second MPG4 movie to AVI using Handbrake, the Mini 110 took 28:55; that’s just four seconds longer than the Acer Aspire One AOD250, and about 30 seconds shorter than the netbook average.
Heat

We found that the HP Mini 1151NR we recently reviewed ran very hot, measuring temperatures exceeding 110 degrees. The Mini 110, however, was relatively cool, measuring only 82 degrees between the G and H keys on the keyboard. The warmest part of the system was to the left of the touchpad, but that area never exceeded 90 degrees.

New Sync Software

HP ships the Mini 110 with Syncables software, which was designed to enable automatic synchronization of music, pictures, videos, and other files between this netbook and a primary PC. The software works over a local wireless network. We were unable to get Syncables working on a second PC, so we will update this review when we’re able to troubleshoot.

1080P Video Playback Coming Soon

Broadcom is mostly known for its wireless cards, but the company will be providing a jolt to the Mini 110’s video playback capabilities come July. That’s when HP will offer a $30 optional Crystal HD Enhanced Video Accelerator, which will enable users to enjoy 1080p content when the netbook is connected to an external display.

That may be a compelling feature for some, but we think it would be more compelling if the Mini 110 had an HDMI port. And, unlike Nvidia’s Ion graphics, which will find a home inside the Lenovo IdeaPad S12 in August, this video accelerator won’t help you transcode video faster or play mainstream 3D games.

Battery Life and Wireless

The Mini 110’s 802.11b/g radio delivered fast throughput in our preliminary tests, notching 21.2 Mbps at 15 feet from our access point. That’s nearly 3 Mbps faster than the category average, and on a par with the Mini 1000. At 50 feet, the Mini 110 had a throughput of 14.4 Mbps, about 1 Mbps below average.

The HP Mini 110 comes with a standard 3-cell battery that delivered 2:45 of battery life—the average for 3-cell netbooks—on the LAPTOP Battery Test (Web surfing via Wi-Fi).

UPDATE: After receiving the 6-cell battery (which will be available to consumers on June 10), we ran the LAPTOP Battery Test, and found that it lasted for 5:36, just a few minutes short of the 6-cell netbook average. Considering that the 6-cell battery costs $40—bringing the starting price of $329 up to a still-reasonable $369—it’s worth springing for the extra endurance.

Configurations

Like many other netbooks, the Mini 110 comes with Windows XP Home Basic preinstalled; a lower-priced configuration with a 32GB SSD will also be available, as will a mobile broadband option for $125. HP will also offer the Mini 110 with its tailored version of Ubuntu Linux (called Mobile Internet Experience). This version of the Mini 110 (starting at $279) will be able to accommodate up to 1GB of RAM and a 160GB hard drive. HP is also releasing a Mini 1101 model, which is aimed at business users. The Mini 1101 starts at $329 and will have more business friendly software and hard drive options up to 250GB.

Software and Warranty

In addition to the Syncables Mobile desktop, the Mini 110 comes preloaded with a bunch of applications, including Symantec Norton Internet Security 2009, Back On Track Recover software, LifeLock identity protection, HP Games (from Wild Tangent), Pandora, Snapfish, Skype, and AOL Instant Messenger. The system is backed by a one-year warranty and one year of 24/7 toll-free technical support.

Verdict

Assuming the 6-cell battery on the Mini 110 gets close to the 6-hour runtime claim, the Mini 110 will be one of the better netbook bargains at $369. We’re still not fans of the vertical touchpad buttons, but HP has made several welcome improvements while still delivering one of the best netbook keyboards around. It’s up to you to decide if the Mini 110’s slightly heavier and bulkier design–and less striking display–is worth having a VGA port, an extra USB port, and a cooler-running system.

Design
One of the first things you’ll notice about dv4t is its slick, eye-catching HP Imprint 2 design. Our model was Express Black; it is also available in Moonlight White. The onyx and chrome “liquid metal” finish (highlighted on the lid and base with subtle stripes) has stylish swirls and circles that give the notebook extra pop. Its mesh design, which surrounds the keyboard and extends upward toward the hinges, blends well with the system’s overall look.

Measuring 13.2 x 9.5 x 1.6 inches and weighing 5.2 pounds, the dv4t is slightly thicker and about half a pound heavier than competing 14-inch notebooks, such as the Lenovo IdeaPad Y450, but it’s a shade lighter and about the same size as the  Gateway TC Series. This notebook isn’t tailor-made for travelers, but students and home users shouldn’t have much difficulty carrying it around.

Keyboard, Touchpad, and Ports
The dv4t’s keys feature a glossy coating that matches the rest of the notebook’s aesthetic, but some may find its slickness problematic. The keyboard itself is sturdy (with only a hint of flex), and we experienced adequate feedback when typing e-mails and URLs. Above the keyboard are touch-sensitive multimedia keys, and a Wi-Fi on/off switch that reacted swiftly to our finger inputs. To the left of these controls is HP’s touch-sensitive MediaSmart key, which let us quickly access our photos, music, and video content.

At 3.0 x 1.4 inches, the dv4t’s touchpad is wide, but we felt as though it would have benefited from additional vertical space. And, as with most Pavilion notebooks, the touchpad’s mirrorlike surface requires too much effort to make fine cursor movements. Otherwise, it’s pretty smooth, if a bit fast. Positioned above this area is a button to deactivate the touchpad when you’re using an external mouse. A pair of mouse buttons provide adequate feedback, but we would’ve liked more responsiveness.

The perimeter of the system is packed with ports. On the right side, you’ll find two USB 2.0 ports, a power jack, and the DVD burner. Up front are two headphone jacks, a mic jack, and an infrared window (does anyone use this any more?). The  left side of the dv4t houses a Kensington lock slot, VGA, HDMI, an USB/eSATA combo port, 5-in-1 memory card reader, ExpressCard/54, and an expansion port for HP’s optional docking station.

Display, Webcam, and Audio
Our There Will Be Blood DVD looked great on the 14.1-inch, 1280 x 800-pixel resolution display, provided that we stayed directly in front of the system. The dv4t’s viewing angles were extremely tight: the glossy display kicked back heavy reflection as we moved left or right of center. We didn’t particularly mind the screen’s resolution, but for an extra $20, the IdeaPad Y450 offers a 1366 x 768-pixel display.

Above the display, the 0.3-megapixel webcam served up solid skin-tone replication when we video chatted with friends and colleagues using Meebo. We saw only minimal motion blur and stuttering when they made quick movements. People on thDe other end reported that we looked fairly good, even in low-light situations.

Twin Altec Lansing speakers provided very loud, room-filling sound when watching DVDs and listening to music. While streaming tunes from Slacker, songs with strong bass lines (such as Brick’s “Dusic”) packed a satisfying amount of thump.

Performance
The dv4t’s aging 2.0-GHz dual-core Intel Pentium T4200 CPU and 3GB of RAM (configurable up to 4GB) contributed hp_dv4t_verdict_shto decent benchmark performance. It notched a PCMark Vantage score of 2,804, which was just 57 points below the category average, but more than 300 points higher than the Gateway TC7804u (2,471), a $699 system with a 2.0-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6400 processor and 4GB of RAM. It also outperformed the IdeaPad Y450 by 75 points.

To test the CPU’s multitasking mettle, we transcoded a 5-minute-and-5-second 640 x 480-pixel resolution video file from MPEG-4 to AVI using Handbrake. This task took 8 minutes and 22 seconds by itself, and 17:11 while compressing a 4.97GB mixed- media folder in the background using jZip. Both of these times were longer than the Gateway UC7807u’s marks of 7:53 and 15:11, respectively, which makes it quite apparent that this low-end CPU won’t cut it for the most demanding jobs. Still, we were able to go about our daily activities—listening to Internet radio, checking e-mail, writing documents, surfing the Web with multiple browser tabs open—without a performance hit.
GPU Performance
As expected, the dv4t’s Intel GMA 4500MHD GPU delivered less-than-stellar performance when we ran our benchmarks. On 3DMark06, it achieved a score of 776, which is nearly half the 1,435 category average (but on a par with such similarly configured machines as the Fujitsu LifeBook S7220). Despite its low performance score, we were able to zoom around the streets of New York City using Google Earth without ill consequence; we didn’t experience any sluggishness or choppiness, even when swooping into Street View in the congested Times Square area. When we fired up Spore Creature Creator, we were able to construct an odd-looking quadruped that animated fluidly, without any polygon breakups or clipping as it leapt through the environment.

Hard Drive Performance
The 320GB, 5,400-rpm hard drive booted the 32-bit Windows Vista Home Premium operating system in 59 seconds, which is 2 seconds better than the category average. On our LAPTOP File Transfer Test (in which we copy 4.97GB of mixed-media data from one folder to another on the hard drive), the speed of 17.1 MBps was on a par with the 17.7 MBps thin-and-light average—but below the IdeaPad Y450’s blazing 23.0 MBps speed. Unfortunately, HP doesn’t offer a 7,200-rpm drive for even faster performance on this notebook.

Wi-Fi and Battery Life
The 802.11b/g Wi-Fi radio enabled the dv4t to push data at a rate of 22.0 Mbps when 15 feet away from our access point, and 18.2 Mbps at 50 feet. These rates were significantly swifter than the 18.8 and 15.3 Mbps thin-and-light averages, and allowed us to stream full-screen Saturday Night Live clips without any hiccups.

The system demonstrated subpar battery life. On our LAPTOP Battery Test (continuous surfing over Wi-Fi), it lasted just 3 hours and 8 minutes on a charge, which was exactly one hour shorter than the average thin-and-light system. Or, you can opt for a 12-cell battery ($49), which the company says will provide nearly 7 hours of endurance.

Software and Warranty
Preinstalled on the dv4t are Adobe Reader 9, HP Games Console by Wild Tangent, HP Total Care Advisor (for easy access to system information and troubleshooting tools), LightScribe (for etching images onto compatible optical discs), Microsoft Internet Explorer 8, Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 (60-day trial), Microsoft Works 9.0, Norton Internet Security (60-day trial), and Sling Player. HP covers this notebook with a one-year warranty and 24/7 tech support.

Configurations
You can outfit the dv4t with a host of other specs, including Core 2 Duo processors ranging from 2.2-GHz ($75) to 2.66-GHz ($325), an Nvidia GeForce G 105M GPU ($135), Blu-ray ($110), frameless glass display ($30), LED backlit displays ($60), an optional fingerprint reader ($25), Vista Business ($100) and 64-bit Vista Ultimate ($120) operating systems, 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth ($50), and integrated mobile broadband ($125). If you go nuts and pick top-of-the-line specs (a 2.66-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T9550 CPU, 4GB of RAM, a 500GB hard drive, discrete graphics, fingerprint reader, 802.11n wireless and Bluetooth, and an LED-backlit screen), the dv4t will cost you $1,294.

Verdict
The performance of our $599 configuration of the HP Pavilion dv4t won’t blow you away. But the casual user, who wants a basic machine with satisfying sound, adequate performance, and plenty of style, will find much to like here. Others might find it worthwhile to spend an extra $20 for the Lenovo IdeaPad Y450, which has a higher-resolution display, nearly an additional hour of battery life, and a lighter chassis. All in all, the dv4t notched slightly better scores on some of our benchmark tests, making this HP a solid system for those on a budget.