Most Helpful Customer Reviews
41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Best of Both Worlds, November 25, 2009
This review is from: HP Mini 311-1025NR 11.6-Inch Black Netbook - Up to 6.25 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Home Premium) (Personal Computers)
I bought this netbook off of hp.com, not off Amazon, just to be clear. I'm reviewing this model as it contains windows 7, not XP. My specs are as follows:
* Black Swirl
* Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit
* Intel(R) Atom(TM) Processor N280 (1.66GHz, 512KB L2, 667Mhz FSB)
* 2GB DDR3 System Memory (1 Dimm)
* 250GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
* NVIDIA ION with a 5-in-1 Digital Media slot (For the N280 processor)
* 11.6" diagonal HD LED BrightView Widescreen Display (1366 x 768)
* HP Mini Webcam
* Wireless-G Card
* HP Color Matching Keyboard
* 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
* External LightScribe Super Multi 8X DVD+/-RW w/Double Layer
* Microsoft(R) Works 9.0
* HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope
Price: $579.98
Tax: $52.52
Shipping: $29.00
GRAND TOTAL: $661.50
1st impressions....quite impressed. Size is very convenient, I find the keyboard comfortable. The trackpad is way too sensitive and I had to disable tap functions just to use it.
I think these 11.6" screens are really the sweet spot for screen resolution, I find it very comfortable for viewing and light work. I don't like dim screens in battery mode, so my battery life is about 4 hours.
It's definitely not as fast as my Core 2 duo, but hey...its a netbook. I'm using a logitech nano wireless mouse which works great other than it prevents the computer from re-booting or starting if left plugged in during re-start. I still have to iron that out.
The external DVD drive works well, although it adds weight to the package. If going to the office, I will probably leave it at home.
This is my first time using windows 7 and its definitely much more friendly than vista, with limited pop ups. I haven't tried out any HD quality movies yet, but regular AVI's look pretty smooth.
I'm definitely looking forward to the new version of flash, and I intend to try out Warcraft III on here one of these days. Still a work in progress. All in all, very fun to use, uber convenient, light, excellent screen resolution for a netbook, and a good deal of power for its class. I'll see if I can post product pics of my own netbook.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome mini computer, December 24, 2009
This review is from: HP Mini 311-1025NR 11.6-Inch Black Netbook - Up to 6.25 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Home Premium) (Personal Computers)
I have the HP Mini 311 netbook, custom configured with 3GB memory, Windows 7 and HP's new 80GB solid state disk. Overall, it's a great combination of power and small size, and I never feel like I'm surrendering much versus using my high-powered desktop or conventional laptop.
In terms of construction quality, I give it four stars. It seems fairly solid and doesn't get too hot on the outside (important in a small PC like this). The keyboard is comfortable to use, reminding me somewhat of the feel of the new Apple wireless keyboard. It has adequate USB connectors, although a few are placed rather closer together than I like (a big memory stick blocks one of the ports). It also has slots for a variety of memory cards - I'm a photographer, and I like that I don't need to bring an external reader with me now. I'm not thrilled with the pattern HP etches into the plastic case, but I guess that's a pretty small complaint.
With the 1.66 processor, 3 GB of memory and the SSD, it's fast to boot...maybe about 30 seconds with Windows 7, and faster when resuming from "hibernate". I especially like the SSD. Not only is it fast, it's also cool, nearly half a pound lighter than a conventional disk, quiet and vibration free - you don't know when the disk is being accessed unless you glance at the disk lights. 80GB is more than adequate for me on a small system like this.
I get about about six hours battery life typically. I tend to use a Bluetooth mouse, which seems to drain the battery faster than I expected. It also seems to take a while to recharge, compared to other systems I have. Still, with the small size of the unit, I can easily carry a pair of batteries and work all day without plugging in - very handy.
The wireless networking works well and seems fast. I've used it on open, WEP and WPA2 networks with good results. I don't have the built-in broadband adapter - instead, I use the very good Verizon MiFi card which looks like a standard 802.11g access point to the netbook. I prefer this so I can have my iPod and other devices online all at once, versus just the computer.
The display is small for my aging eyes, but usable. Color, contrast and brightness are good, and while I would prefer to be sitting at a larger screen, it's not as bad as I thought it might have been.
The HDMI port works well, syncing easily with my TV. One feature I wish I could have would be an Apple-style mini displayport output in addition to the HDMI. I have a 27" iMac that provides for MDP input, but so far I can't find a way to connect HDMI to it. Still, this is a fairly minor issue (and frankly more of Apple's problem than HP's).
Overall, a great choice in a small system you can actually do productive work on.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very nice netbook, December 7, 2009
This review is from: HP Mini 311-1025NR 11.6-Inch Black Netbook - Up to 6.25 Hours of Battery Life (Windows 7 Home Premium) (Personal Computers)
I purchased the netbook for my wife, but would not mind getting one for myself, too. This version of the HP 311 has enough RAM (2GB) and hard disk capacity (250GB), and it has Windows 7 Home Premium.
It is small and neat, the keyboard is quite ok, and the display/resolution is surprisingly good. Setup was automatic and simple, and soon the netbook was connected to our (hidden) WiFi. I connected it to my 46" Samsung TV (LN46A650A) to check out the HDMI connector and it looked very good. We haven't had a chance to test the battery life, so can not comment on that.
BTW, the price shown on Amazon was over $600, but I was charged for just over $500. Not cheap, but this is probably the best you can get in this class.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|