![]() Keyboard feel is something that I’m particularly picky about as a writer, and it really is a joy to bang away on the Mini-Note. Those keys also have an excellent, positive feel each keystroke ends with a satisfying click after what feels like just the right amount of travel. There’s more to the Mini-Note’s keyboard than its comparatively jumbo-sized keys, though. Putting the Mini-Note side-by-side with the Eee PC makes the difference in keyboard size readily apparent, and it’s even more glaring if we zoom in on individual keys. Left-clicking requires two hands, and right-clicking is a royal pain, making me wish HP had opted for a simple “eraser head” track stick on the keyboard that would have left plenty of room for mouse buttons below. More annoying is HP’s decision to put the mouse buttons on either side of the trackpad rather than below it. The trackpad is actually a decent size and it has a generous vertical scrolling area, but its surface is a little tackier than I’m used to, requiring a gentle touch for accurate tracking. If only the Mini-Note’s trackpad gave the impression of using a real, er, trackpad. That takes some getting used to, but only because you’re otherwise under the impression that a full-sized keyboard sits at your fingertips. To be fair, however, the 1 key is a little narrower than the others. There’s plenty of room for even my meaty, Neanderthal mitts to bang away at nearly 100 words per minute with no more typos or accidental keystrokes than I encounter on a full-sized keyboard. HP says the Mini-Note’s keyboard is 92% the size of the real thing, and after hours and hours of typing, I can safely say that’s close enough. A second slider over on the right-hand side of the front edge controls the system’s integrated Wi-Fi and optional Bluetooth 2.0 capabilities, allowing users to toggle wireless networking with the flick of a switch. On the Mini-Note, for example, HP squeezes the power buttonwhich is really more of a spring-loaded slider than an actual buttononto the front edge of the system. The small size of subnotebook systems forces manufacturers to get creative when it comes to placing various system components. ![]() Only time will validate the Mini-Note’s durability, but based on our initial impressions, the system should be able to handle the abusive rigors of student life. A magnesium alloy frame keeps the chassis virtually flex-free, and build quality appears to be excellent. The Mini-Note feels as solid as it looks, too. The overall design is very sleek, channeling some of the best elements of PowerBook chic. Of course, there’s more to the Mini-Note’s curb appeal than the mere presence of brushed metal. But does it work in the real world? Read on for our in-depth look at HP’s first budget subnotebook PC. Targeted squarely at students, the Mini-Note looks on paper to be a more reasonable compromise than the infectious Eee PCone suitable for a much wider range of computing tasks. Throw in a brushed aluminum chassis that would make Apple fans swoon and the sort of configuration flexibility you’d expect from HP, and the Mini-Note’s potential grows. The system also features and ExpressCard slot for broadband Wi-Fi users and support for standard 2.5″ mobile drives, should you require more than just a few gigabytes of storage capacity. ![]() One of the first would-be Eee PC killers, the Mini-Note directly challenges the Eee’s weaknesses with a 92%-of-full-size keyboard and an 8.9″ display with an impressive 1280×800 WXGA resolution. If you’re looking for more screen real estate and room to type than the Eee PC provides, HP’s Mini-Note may be right up your alley. However, those limitations have surely turned off plenty of potential customers who were hoping for a budget subnotebook that was perhaps a little more, er, notebook-like. Given the Eee PC’s instant popularity, it’s clear some folks are willing to live with some compromises to get a nice price on a teeny laptop. It’s a simple formula, really, and one that made the Eee PC an instant hit despite its small, low-resolution screen and a Lilliputian keyboard that really only works if you have the diminutive digits of a 12-year-old. Asus’ Eee PC has defined the budget subnotebook genre, serving up relatively low-end hardware that’s just fast enough in an ultraportable form factor with an affordable price tag. ![]()
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