HP Mini 5101 netbook launched

HP is launching a successor to its very well-liked Mini 2140, which is slowly being phased out. HP mini 5101 is a revamped mini 2140, but is more stylish and classy, meant for business users. The netbook has 7200 RPM HDD, SSD options, 2.0 mp web cam, and also an optional HD screen.

It is a business netbook designed for professionals- on- the- go, what with matte display, anodized and magnesium alloy chassis instead of plastic ones, which other netbooks use.

HP mini 5101 has a more squarish design and black brushed finish. The netbook certainly is eye catching but very functional too.

The netbook offers 10.1 LED screen with WSVGA 1024 x 600 or optional HD (high definition) 1366x 768 resolutions.  It will be powered by 1.66 GHz N280 Atom CPU and 1GB RAM. It comes with a high speed HDD, and supports 2 GB DDR2 memory, though 80 or 120 SSD (Solid State Drive) options are present. HP Mini 5101 will be available in windows XP, Vista, XP Pro, and Linux Enterprise desktop

The best feature is its keyboard. It offers 95% standard size regular, chiclet style, keyboard. The keys are flat, and wide and comfortable to type on. All the keys are coated with HP Durakeys which makes them resistant to wear and tear. Unlike, Mini 240, the mouse buttons are placed below the touchpad and not on sides, which is an improvement. The trackpad offers multi touch support.

It has WiFi 802.11n, and an optional Bluetooth 2.0. There is a 2.0 mega pixel web cam which will take care of the conferencing needs and can also be used for still image capture. The netbook will have HP 3D DriveGuard technology which comes with three axis digital accelerometer chip which shuts the hard disk down in case of a sudden fall or impact, just like in laptops. Optional HP mobile broadband module permits the business users to check mails, intranet, and internet.

The netbook will offer 4 cell and also 6 cell battery options. HP claims that four cell batteries will take its battery life to 4 hours while 6 cell batteries can stretch its battery life to 8 hours.

A major glitch will be its pricing, as HP Mini 5101 is slated to start from $449 and with so many optional upgrades offered, the price will go up even higher. HP mini 5101 will be shipped from next month end.