HP Mini 1000 shows up on HPShopping.com

HP's update to their popular MiniNote netbook has shown up on their consumer website, HPShopping.com. Called the Mini 1000, it appears to share a similar design to the older MiniNote, though it is now in a black colour. This likely means that in the move to the consumer side, HP has ditched the aluminum build for glossy black plastic like on the competing Aspire One, Dell Mini, and EEE <insert arcane model number here>. Based on the model number, it would be safe to assume it has a 10" screen, as reported by James and Kevin at jkontherun last month. While the MiniNote used a very high resolution (full WXGA, 1280x768) 8.9" screen, I would assume that the Mini 1000 (too many Minis....) has the same 10.2" 1024x600 (WSVGA) LED backlit screen as the Wind, S10, the EEEs, and whatever else. A starting price of $399 puts it a full $100 cheaper than it used to be, and at the exact price point of the Wind, S10, and EEE 1000H.

Clicking on the photo does not take you to any product page, and simply leaves you at the "Notebook" section, where, interestingly, I discovered that the dv3500 is no longer up for CTO, making Best Buy the only place you can get it for the time being...But I digress. As far as specs on the Mini 1000 go, I would assume they have seen fit to upgrade from the Via C7-M (yea, VIA, remember them? They kinda got lost in the Atom flood...) to the newer Isiah 64bit processors, which were pin compatible with the C7M. However, there were previous rumours that HP would be switching the MiniNote to the superior Atom processors, so that may have happened as well. However, that would make the Mini 1000 very average as far as spec sheets go. But again, this is the best looking netbook on the market today, so HP may not even need a superior, or even just interesting, spec sheet to get attention for their netbook.
Update: as noted below, its extremely likely that the Mini 1000 will feature Intel Atom processors. Last month, HP showed an Artist Edition MiniNote featuring Atom and a 10" screen, slated for availability this December. It seems likely that it will be the Artist Edition version of the Mini 1000.

Interesting detail - it says "starting 2.25lbs and under 1" thin". I figured this was about average for the netbook class, but, looking at the specs for the previous HP MiniNote, the lightest previous configuration was 2.63lbs and the MiniNote was 1.04" thick at its thinnest point. So HP has lightened the Mini up (likely due to the plastic casing as opposed to aluminum), and slimmed it down. How this will affect overall build quality and solidity of the machine remains to be seen.

LaptopMag has posted a hands on video of the Mini 1000, but it won't be available to see until the 29th of October (Wednesday), which is likely when the Mini 1000 is embargoed until (thanks for the slipups, HP and LaptopMag!). However, in the article blurb, you can find this: "At long last, HP has finally released a follow-up (actually, two) to its flagship netbook, the 2133 Mini-Note. The newest model, the Mini 1000 (starting at $379; more on prices below), won't replace t..." Essentially, this says that the Mini 1000 is just a consumer centric update, while the business model will be updated as well, and presumably will keep its aluminum build and its higher price tag. Sadly, no deets on the specs yet. However, there was a pretty good clue given by HP last month when it showed the "Vivienne Tam" Edition MiniNote, which had a 10" screen and an Atom processor inside. It was, at the time, said to be "available in December 2008", which means that its likely just a painted version of the Mini 1000. So, we have our processor! Now to guess the screen resolution, and whether or not it will have a hard drive standard. My bet is WSVGA like everyone else, in the interest of cost savings. The storage is much harder to guess. I think they should start it at 16GB of flash, with a hard drive as a no cost option for those who want it. The much lower starting weight indicates the presence of flash memory as at least an option on the Mini 1000, but its not possible to say how much or at which price point it will be available.

Comments

[Erik]

Great News! My opinion is that HP focus the Intel Atom on this new netbook

[Jack]

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[Nathanial]

I think this is fantastic! I have been waiting for this revision specifically of the HP Mini.

[THE HUN]

I would definetly hope that the mini 1000 will be delivered with 1280x768 resolution or higher. BIG competitive advantage as all other 10 inch models use 1024x600 which
is near perfect for 8.9 inch models only. Take my order here.