Writing with the HP Mini-Note: perfect writer's notebook

It is an absolutely gorgeous day in Houston and I decided this morning to check out a brand new Starbucks near me.  This is one of those new-fangled standalone stores that are springing up all over and it just opened so off I went to see how it will be for getting some writing done.  It is a very well designed store and has lots of light and tables for working and I can tell I'll be spending a fair bit of time in here in the future.  I needed to get some serious writing done as I'm working on a feature article for a print magazine and I brought the HP Mini-Note with me to see how it works for "real" writing.

Very well it turns out.  The keyboard is great for lots of typing with it's near full size and the extended battery I'm using provides just the right amount of ergonomic tilt to the device for comfort.  It is a real joy to have a "real" notebook this size that lets me get web research done at the same time I am writing an article.  The Mini is multi-tasking well and it may be the perfect writer's notebook for all of the reasons I have mentioned.  It has an advantage over other mobile devices that came in very handy this morning as I was surprised to find that this Starbucks is so new that the T-Mobile Hotspot is not working yet.  Imagine my horror when I set up to work and realized there is no connectivity here!  No problem for the Mini however as I just popped my Verizon v740 ExpressCard modem into the slot on the Mini and connected right up.  I have been working away for over an hour as a result and it is a wonderful feeling to know that this device can handle anything I throw at it to get my work done.

I do have a minor gripe about the design of the Mini-Note though.  The ExpressCard 54 slot is on the front right side of the device and when I am using an external mouse like the Bluetooth mouse I am using today the modem sticks out a bit in the way.  Not a big deal but a minor gripe for sure, I find it better on mobile devices when the modem plugs into the back of the left side which gets it totally out of the way.  In any event I am extremely happy with the performance of the Mini here today and I find it so full-featured that I can just concentrate on my work and not the device itself.  That is priceless.

Comments

[Dave Zatz]

It sure is sexier than the Eee... Though I don't think I can justify a purchase. My 15" MBP is perfectly portable. Just wandered over to the Starbucks with it in my Built sleeve (plus Sprint AirCard) for an hour or so.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8739083&st=built&type=product&id=1201913867331

[greg m]

James,

Thanks for keeping us up to date on your experiences with the Mini-Note. Your earlier reviews were very helpful. I currently own an Eee 701, which I love, but of course the screen resolution and keyboard size are not ideal. The Mini-Note seems to solve both of these issues, so I'm seriously considering getting one, but I have a couple questions if you have time:
1) How bothersome is the glossy screen? Even in the picture you posted with today's post, it seems super reflective, which to me can be annoying. How is it in person?
2) With the extended battery, how much heavier is it than the Eee? I really appreciate the Eee's light weight, but I'm also really tempted by the Mini-Note's larger keyboard.
3) How much lighter do you think the low-end model with 4G SSD would be, since that's the one I'm likely to get (I like Linux and can store my work on flash drives or an SD card).

Thanks!

[nomo]

Greg: The 4GB Mini-Note is 2.6 lbs. I think the high capacity battery adds about 0.3 lbs.

[James Kendrick]

The Mini I am using is just over 3 lbs., not heavy. The reflective screen never bothers me on any device but I gather that some folks have a problem with them. It doesn't reflect when it's on and I'm working on it.

[Art]

I still do not see the value in this product. You can buy a more powerful cheap laptop for the same or lower price. Either way it to me is not small and mobile the way I expect a UMPC to be. Yes all UMPC's so far have limited appeal to the mass market due to lack of a touch type keyboard and being too large but this is not the answer.

I would like HP to make a UMPC based on the size of their old Jornada 720. That would be a really hot UMPC that I would love to buy!

[Travis]

James
Thanks to you and Kevin for getting the word out on all the great new stuff.

I read somewhere that the extended battery prevents the lid/screen from going back far enough and this one had to scrunch down to see the screen properly. Do you find this to be true?

Thanks again.

[Mike Cane]

I knew he would torment me like this. I knew it!!

Fiend!!

[Jon M]

Ditto ... I am so not wanting to find a reason to replace my Toshiba Libretto U105, but its articles like this that is making me realize that it may be time to replace it.

[Jimmy Leung]

James, How's video playback such as .AVI's?

[Steve]

Art, have you ever held one of these devices? They are far more mobile than the cheap, crappy laptops that you think would be a better buy.

And get over the obession with the Jornada. Quit spamming the Internet with the same comment over and over. It's easy to see that it's always the same guy with different user names.

[Mitchell Oke]

James, could you give me the output numbers for the AC adaptor (the voltage and amps)? I want to see if this will work with my BatteryGeek external battery. Cheers!

[Bob]

I ordered one on Tuesday and am looking forward to trying it out for myself (they say they'll ship it on April 15th). What are you using for a carrying case? I've looked around at laptop sleeves and haven't really come across any that are close to the right form factor.

[James Kendrick]

Bob, I've been throwing it in my backpack but the Waterfield sleeve looks perfect:

http://www.jkontherun.com/2008/04/waterfield-desi.html

[Mike Cane]

And then he adds cases! Fiend! Fiend! Have you no mercy or shame?!!?

[James Kendrick]

No.

[Mike Cane]

And what's worse, he spitefully pulled out the Mini Note just to type that "No." I can tell! The fingerprints on the electrons match the Mini Note!

[James Kendrick]

Yes.

[reid fishler]

Whats the battery life on this, while running an express card modem? I am looking for something to take with me to the ballpark...so I need a good 3+ hours of life...

[reid fishler]

Is this the first mini-notebook in the sub 1k price range that has had an express card slot? The EEE can't do WAN without USB, and I don't think any have it built in yet...

[Edward]

I was thinking about getting an HP mini, but then read that Dell is bringing out its UMPC in June. Do you know anything about what they got in store? Should I wait?