Here’s a quick look at six mini-notebooks whose main appeals are size, price and mobility.
The recently launched Eee PC 1000 is available with either a 40 GB or 80 GB hard drive. Both have 2 GB of RAM and run a 1.6 GHz processor. Keyboard is sized at 92% of full size. WiFi, Ethernet, and Bluetooth enabled.
Recent price: $549
Dell looks to be offering no less than five versions for their entry into the product line. Two main categories exist with LCD screen sizes available in 8.9” or 12.1” sizes. The smaller category will have three options to choose from with varying sizes of a Flash drive. The higher two will have 1 GB RAM, with the low end sporting 512 MB RAM. All of the units will have 1.6GHz Atom processors, except for the budget option of the two larger models, which will run at 1.3 GHz. WiFi and WWAN enabled.
Confused? Not surprisingly they made a chart. Check it out here.
Recent price: Aug/Sept release date. Said to start at $299.
The Acer AspireOne comes with an 8.9” TFT LCD display with a resolution of 1024×600. Like most others, this one runs a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor. It only has 512 MB of SDRAM, but it is upgradeable up to 1.5 GB. Storage is provided by either a 8GB Flash module or a 120 GB hard drive. WiFi, WWAN and Ethernet enabled.
Starting at $379
The Razorbook from 3K might just be the mini of the minis. Ultra-compact with a 7” TFT LCD screen, the unit somehow does sport a full sized keyboard. It uses a 400Mhz CPU with 512 MB RAM. Storage is provided with a 4GB Flash Drive. WiFi and Ethernet enabled.
Starting at $299
The Wind from MSI runs a 1.6 GHz processor like most of the other mini notebooks. Included is a nice sized 80 GB hard drive and 1 GB of RAM.The screen is a 10 incher, while the keyboard is 80% full size. WiFi, Ethernet enabled with available Bluetooth option.
Starting at $399
The HP Mini 2133 comes in two configurations, both running the 1.6 GHz Via C7 processor. The low-end model has 512 MB RAM, while the other has 2 GB. A 120 GB, 7200-RPM drive is included in the high-end model. The keyboard is sized at 92%, while the screen size is 8.9”, with a resolution of 1280×768. Bluetooth, WiFi and Ethernet enabled.
Starting at $499