HP Mini netbook review

Like most netbooks, the HP Mini is aimed at buyers on a tight budget and the 10in screen and compact design make it suitable for travelling business users.

There are various iterations of the HP Mini knocking around, and we reviewed the latest 210-3002sa model, which has a price tag of around £250. The key selling points include a claimed 10.5 hours of battery life and the inclusion of the Dr. Dre Beats Audio technology. HP does ship the device with Windows 7 Starter 32-bit, but retailers such as Argos are offering a free upgrade to Windows 7 Premium.

Portable design boasts decent connectivity
The screen is connected to the body via two solid hinges and we were impressed with their flexibility. It's possible to tilt the display 180 degrees to find the optimal viewing angle. Despite our review kit coming with a pink paint job, it still oozed quality and looked good. The netbook is also available in black and blue.

The 10.1in screen comes with a 1,024x600 resolution, which is less than the 1,280x800 found on most Android tablets such as the Motorola Xoom 2. However, the LED display on the netbook comes with HP's BrightView technology, and clarity of text and brightness is good. The screen is susceptible to glare from overhead lighting, but excellent flexibility does help to make up for this.

As well as the usual wireless connectivity in the form of b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, there are a number of ports to connect various peripherals. These include three USB 2.0 ports, an Ethernet connection as well as the standard headphone and microphone jacks. There is also a multimedia card reader compatible with SD, MS, MS-Pro and MMC cards.

With a weight of 1.39kg and dimensions of 191x268x32mm it is not the lightest or thinnest netbook we've come across, but it can be carried around all day if required.