Personal Review of the HP Mini 110-1030NR

Freelance writing has become a newly found passion of mine. I usually write in the evenings after I get off work. However, I found it difficult to fit in as much writing as I wanted. I had a laptop, but the battery stopped working and would only power up if it was plugged into the wall. So, I decided that it was time to purchase a new laptop. The following is a review of my purchase and experience with the HP Mini 110-1030NR. Hopefully, it will help you determine whether the HP Mini is the right computer for you.

I was always impressed with the size of the recently popular mini laptops. I decided that one of these would be perfect for writing on the go. While shopping around, I compared several models from Dell, Acer, and HP. My last laptop was an HP, and I really liked it. For this reason, I chose to purchase the HP Mini 110-1030NR.

The most obvious feature of the HP Mini is its size. It is about the size of a small book and can be easily placed inside a backpack. When the top is closed, the computer is only about an inch thick. Its dimensions are about eleven inches by seven inches.

The anti-glare screen is 10.1 inches measured diagonally. The image is very clear, but text on the screen can sometimes seem small to read. This is especially true if you normally use a much larger computer screen. There are some settings that can be adjusted to compensate for the screen text size. The computer also features a built-in webcam and microphone located just above the screen.

Like the rest of the HP Mini, the keyboard is also small. The keys seems awkward at first but it is easy to adjust to the keyboard. The pebble-style keys lay flat against the body of the computer and sit close together. This is nice because it keeps food and other debris from falling in between the keys. Since the space on the keyboard is limited, some of the keys serve more than one function. For example, the arrow keys also work as the page up, page down, home, and end buttons.

The touchpad works well. It features the right and left mouse buttons on both sides of the touchpad. You can also scroll up and down a page by running your finger up and down on the side of the touchpad. I found that it is much easier to plug a normal mouse into one of the computer's three USB ports.

The HP Mini's 6-cell battery lasts about six hours when fully charged. It plugs directly into the back of the computer. It is specially designed to extend beyond the bottom of the computer to elevate it slightly from the back. The battery has to be removed in order for it to fit properly in the case that I bought. But it easily fits in the case's inside pocket.

The HP Mini features no internal disk drives. This could become problematic when trying to install software from a CD. While an external CD drive can be purchased, I found that the best way is to install new software from a disk onto my flash drive using my desktop PC. I can simply run the programs directly from my flash drive or transfer the files to the laptop.

In addition to the three USB ports, the HP Mini has a 5-in-1 memory card reader. This is great for loading pictures from my digital camera. The computer also comes complete with built in Wi-Fi. The standard operating system is Windows XP.

Overall, I am very happy that I chose the HP Mini. It is small enough to easily take along to work, but has all of the features that I would expect from a full-size laptop. Whether you are a student or traveling businessperson, the HP Mini can be a great tool. When considering your next laptop purchase, this review should help you confidently decide whether the HP Mini 100-1030NR is right choice for you.