HP Launches New Mini 1000 Netbook Line

Hewlett Packard has expanded its line of Atom-powered netbook offerings with the new Mini 1000, a sleek new nettop that weights less than two pounds, is less than an inch thick, and should appeal both to folks who can’t bear to be offline as well as fashion-conscious women.

“Staying connected to your world—however you define it—is increasingly important to people on the go,” said senior VP and general manager for HP’s global notebook unit Ted Clark, in a statement. That’s why HP is excited to address this new high-growth market with a portfolio of head-turning mini companion PCs that are fun and easy to use.”

The Mini 1000 will be available in three models: the base, piano-black MIni 1000, a MIni 1000 with “Mobile Internet Experience” (MIE), a specialized interface focused purely on digital media and online activities, and the Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam edition, which will feature a red case with a peony-inspired graphic design.

All three MIni 1000s sport a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, either an 8.9-inch or 10.2-inch 1,024 by 600-pixel BrightView LCD display, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless networking, two USB 20 ports, an integrated Web camera, and onboard Ethernet. HP will also offer a variety of build-to-order options. The units will be available with a 60 GB hard drive of 8 to 16 GB SSDs, and can handle up to 1 GB of RAM. The HP 1000 and HP 1000 Vivienne Tam Edition sport Windows XP; the HP Mini 1000 MIE edition runs Linux.

The HP Mini 1000 is available now to U.S. customers for a starting price of $399; the Vivienne Tam edition should go on sale in mid-December for $699 via HP or from the designer’s boutique in New York City. The HP Mini 1000 MIE edition should go on sale in January of 2008 with prices starting at $379.