HP MINI 311 (VERIZON WIRELESS) NETBOOK REVIEW

HP Mini 311 is now available subsidized from US wireless carrier Verizon. Sign up for a 2 year wireless broadband plan and you will be able to buy the netbook for $199. Of course you have to spend $60/month for the broadband service.

HP Mini 311 is famous for being the first netbook to have NVIDIA ION graphics. Like the regular HP Mini 311, the Verizon model too has an 11.6 inch display with 1366 x 768 pixels resolution. It is powered by an Intel Atom processor with NVIDIA ION Light Edition graphics. The Verizon model has 2GB of RAM and built-in 3G module. It runs Windows 7 Home Premium. The XP model comes with 1GB of RAM.

Design
In many aspects, the Mini 311 looks similar to HP’s larger notebooks. The lid is available in both black and white and bears HP’s Swirl pattern. The Mini 311 is almost the same size as the MSI Wind U210 and Acer Aspire 1410. The notebook measures around 3.2 pounds.

Keyboard and Touchpad
The HP Mini 311 comes with slightly intended square silver keys. The keys are comfortable to type on and you will be able to reach your normal tying speed almost immediately. The touchpad buttons are a bit stiff. The touchpad surface also shows some friction.

Ports and Slots
The HP Mini 311 has the regular array of ports. There are 3 USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet, VGA, headphone/mic and 5-in-1 memory card reader. There is also an HDMI port for transferring video to an external monitor.

Performance
The biggest strength of this netbook is its NVIDIA ION graphics processor. Performance is excellent. In graphics performance tests, the HP Mini 311 delivers better performance than other netbooks with integrated Intel graphics. The machine can play most recent games with ease. It can also handle multitasking. But when it comes to CPU intensive tasks, the Mini 311 isn’t particularly better than other netbooks with Atom N270 processor.

Battery life
The Verizon version runs Windows 7 and it doesn’t give as much battery life as the version running Windows XP. You may get less than 5 hours if you are on WiFi and 3.5 hours on 3G.

Pros
Good graphics performance
Attractive design
Built-in 3G for wireless broadband access
Good keyboard

Cons
Shorter battery life than the version running Windows XP