Apple isn’t the only company sculpting aluminum notebooks these days. In fact, while Apple fans still anxiously clamor for a netbook with all the requisite Apple style and build quality, HP has stepped up and delivered something awfully close while Steve Jobs and company spin their wheels.
The HP Mini 5101 stands at the top of the company’s expanding netbook line primarily because of its heavy use of magnesium and aluminum in the chassis – something pretty rare in segment dominated by Fischer-Price lookalikes. The 10.1-inch LED-backlit display has been wrapped in a brushed-aluminum enclosure, while the bottom chassis uses lightweight magnesium, the same material used in many rugged notebooks like the General Dynamics GD8000. Both have been tinted black, giving the 5101 a professional air that HP is hoping will attract mobile business users.
