Netbook Review: The HP mini 1151NR from Verizon

Netbooks are the hottest thing going these days in portable computers. They are super small, super cheap and now that the big wireless companies are getting involved with them, super easy to go online from anywhere.

Want to understand the surging popularity of Nebooks? Pick up your typical laptop, It weighs about 5 pounds and costs, fully loaded, $1500 to 2000. Most netwbooks weigh under two and a half pounds and cost under $200.

The latest trend in Netbooks is having built- in 3G wireless Internet directly from your cellular company, like the HP mini 1151NR, which connects to Verizon’s mobile highspeed VZ Access service. Most of the cellular companies have similar deals with other Netbook models. Tiny? Sure is, measuring 10.3 x 6.56 x 0.99 inches and officially weighing in at 2.45 pounds.

The keyboard is small but I had no problem working with it. I’m a hunt and peck typist and tend to fat finger a lot of keys. It happened on the mini, sure, but not much more than on my other machines.

Besides connecting to the Verizon National Broadband wireless network, it also works with wi-fi.

The HP mini from Verizon sells for $199. But to that you have to add wireless charges priced by how much data you access – $39 a month for 250 MB or $59 a month for 5 GB on a two year contract.

It runs on Windows XP, has all the basic programs you need to do some light word processing and spreadsheet work on its 10 inch screen – Symantec Norton Internet Security 2009 (including 60 days complimentary live update), Microsoft Works, MSN Live Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger. It has two USB plugs to connect printers and other gadgets and it has a and SD memory card to download pictures.

This is not a heavy lifter. But it connects just about anywhere and offers pretty fast Internet speeds on Verizon’s EV-DO network. . My biggest disappointment” Short battery life…the most I could get when surfing the Net was about two hours. That’s because this is a three cell unit. Some networks use six cells.

I’ve used the evaluation unit Verizon lent me all over Michigan, up and down freeways, in small towns and large. A couple of times, in tough coverage areas, it dropped a connection. But it always reconnected on the first try.

It runs on a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270, has 1GB of RAM, Bluetooth and a 80GB HDD. The wireless connector is dual 3G CDMA/GSM, which means it can use pretty much any cellular network in the world. The Wi-Fi radio is b and g, but not the latest n version.

It also has a built-in HP Mini Webcam. Hook up on Skype or your favorite Instant Message client and talk to friends and relatives from anywhere. That’s pretty cool. But I found the camera does not deliver very good video quality. You really need to have great lighting conditions.

Bottomline: I like this little Netbook. It’s super easy to tote about and the price for the computer itself is excellent. But those data plans you need to work on the Verizon network make it a very expensive buy for the casual user. I’ve been using it a couple of days a week for a month now and racked up 486 MB of data usage. So I’d need that $59 service. On top of my regular wireless phone charges and my home Internet charges, that’s an expense I just can’t justify.

On the other hand, for a lot of people, this may be all they need. I think of people in RVs who travel a lot, snowbirds who have places up north and down south, business people who want to travel light and leave the big laptop at home.

Below is a direct link to Amazon and full specs and pictures.