HP Mini 5101 Netbook Stalked on Video
I have only had the HP Mini 5101 netbook for a day and I am already getting some good mobile use out of the little laptop. I am impressed with the metal casing that makes this thing feel like a tank, something that could be important for the road warrior. The keyboard is very nicely done for touch typists; it is 95% of full size and the chiclet keys are perfectly spaced. The only complaint I have so far is the F-key row at the top. HP made the poor decision to make the F-keys, F1 – F12, to not be the default keypress. That means you must use the Fn key in conjunction with them to hit an F-key, and that bites.
This short video shows off the construction of the Mini 5101 and all of the ports and connectors. You can also see how little bulk the 6-cell battery adds to the small size of the netbook. The full specs of the 5101 as reviewed are after the jump.
doneHP Mini 5101 specs:
- CPU: Intel Atom N280, 1.66 GHz (533 MHz FSB)
- RAM: 1 GB (2 max.)
- HDD: 160 GB
- DISPLAY: 10.1-inch, 1024×600
- WEBCAM: 2 MP
- COMMUNICATION: 802.11 a/b/g draft n; Optional Gobi 3G; Bluetooth
- PORTS: 3- USB, VGA out, audio in, audio out, Ethernet, A/C, Multi-format card reader
- DIMENSIONS: 10.30 x 7.09 x 0.91 in (262.0 x 180 x 23.2 mm)
- WEIGHT: 2.64 lbs.
- BATTERY: 6-cell, 55 WHr
As usual James, great video!
Is it possible you could run down with that to your nearest Staples/BB and snap a picture of it next to a Toshiba NB205? I’d love to see a size comparison of the two, especially the keyboard and trackpad.
Maybe, when I’m not playing with the grandkids.
Thanks.
What software does HP put on the system? Can I uninstall it or should I just plan on formatting the drive?
Nice video. Thanks for showing how the 6 cell battery looks from the bottom, that’s helpful.
I’d like to know… are the speakers any good? How is access to the hard drive accomplished? Have you looked at the higher rez screen options for a 10″ display and what do you think about them?
good video…. but i dont no if it was just me but is there air vents at the fount/bottom of the device?
Yes, there are vents on the side and the bottom of the unit.
Thanks. Nice video. I just wanted to let any early adopters who, like me, have been waiting for a pre-config model with HD screen know that if they don’t want or need Windows, they can get this for about what the cost of a preconfigured model would be.
There is a discount coupon on their site that knocked the Linux version with HD screen and 2GB ram down to about 462 (still high for a netbook). It says 12 percent off, but that is a significantly higher discount. I have an unused version of XP and had planned to install Windows 7 RC until the full upgrade comes out (let’s ).
Just wanted to let you all know … it pushed me over the edge. Now here’s keeping my fingers crossed that the 4-cell battery will get me about 4+ hours of real-life usage (I don’t know why, but that seems like a target I think I could live with).
duh.. I can’t find the coupon. Have they taken it down?
Here’s the page:
http://h71016.www7.hp.com/html/psg_041408_nb1/index.asp?jumpid=re_R2910-R295_store/special/computing-notebook/have-it-your-way-and-save&psn=notebooks_tablet_pcs/notebook_pcs
The code for the 5101 is: CTO5101
It’s still there. I started back at the beginning and found it.
Thanks for the video. Any chance there is or will be a BIOS setting to disable the backwards fn key mappings.
Yes, I found the BIOS setting, something like “Switch Fn”, that swaps the two functions. The Fn key is now no longer needed to use the F-keys.
oh cool on the mapping of the FN keys. I don’t have my 5101 yet. you had me worried.
while the full review is still in progress, may these questions be included in it:
1) have you checked the bottom of the unit if it get too hot? it’s enclosed inn a metal chassis(aluminum and magnesium alloy) and both of them have a high specific heat ration, that means the material can easily heat up especially in a warm environment. the goodsidew is that, it cools faster too in a cold surroundings. have you checked on this part?
2) Toshiba NB205 was initially the first that comes to my mind and the first in my to-buy list. but givcen the flex issue and weak crasftmanship(weak plastic build), i am becoming apprehensive. you think the HP Mini 5101 doesn’t have the flex issue? even if the frame that holds they keypad is a plastic material?
3) the brimming pride that Toshiba NB205 is the longer battery life. at a fully charged 6cell battery7, how long can the HP endure when surfing the web. or how long can the battery last when you’re playing dvd(although i don’t intend to watch dvd’s on a netbook). and speaking of battery, how does the 6cell look like when mounted. i noticed that some netbooks look very odd when a 6cell variant is installed.
No flex issue, the bottom gets a little warm but not alarmingly so. I am getting about 5 hours of standard usage on the 6-cell battery.
Hmmmm — a thinner chassis and a better webcam on one end, versus an extra 1-1.5 hours of battery life on the other…
…A very difficult decision. If I’m not mistaken, I think the hard drive on the Toshiba is much easier to access (as long as you have the right Torx head).
We’re definitely interested in your final verdict, JK!
Looks nice.
Whats the max res of the screen?
Thanks
The res of this screen is 1024×600, but a hi-res option will soon be available (1366×768).
@John Ray Cabrera:
Look the video, there are 6 cell battery.
Thank you. Does someone know the release date on this one in the retail stores?
Any chance you could tell me the PCI ID for the wired network card in it?
I would like to buy one for testing with Linux and I’m looking for a new netbook that uses the sky2 driver.
Thanks!
So far so good with mine. Always a pain to setup all of my software but that has nothing to do with HP. I look forward to running windows 7 instead of XP. 7 runs great on my 3 year old Thinkpad and made it faster. Only ding right now is batter life. Seems like I am only getting around 4 hours on the 6 cell. Not sure if that will improve after a couple of complete drains. Really a nice system. Only other thing I hate it that it comes with McAffee and that is hard to remove. So I think this review and the one on Laptop Magazine really state the pros and cons. I also tried the JolioCloud (Ubuntu) Linux operating system and it worked with NO issues. All the hot keys seem to work sound, video you name it. So check out Jolicloud if you want to try a Linux distribution.
How does one use the keyboard, I can’t make a question mark!
lol, I tried using the FN key but no luck, any hints?
? = Shift + /
By the way, I’ve tried both the hp and the Toshi, and I’d like to address a few more things:
- The Toshiba NB205-310 is *lot* more usable in the dark than the Mini 5101. The glossy silver keys on the Toshiba reflect the light from the LCD, eliminating the need for a keyboard backlight. If you like dark, scary places, the Toshiba might be better.
- The display (1366 x 768) on the hp is beautiful. The Toshiba screen is decent, but the hp is so much better using 120 dpi settings…
- Accessing the hard drive on the mini 5101 isn’t as hard as I originally thought. It’s under the keyboard.
- I made another mistake on my previous post — the Toshiba is indeed thinner (but longer) than the hp. The hp feels a bit heavier.
- The touchpad on the hp is waaaaayyyy better than the one on the Toshiba, despite the smaller size. The speaker is much better on the hp, too.
- The Toshiba gets quite hot, but the fan barely runs. The hp stays cool, but the fan is frequently on for me. Battery life is about 5 hours for me on the hp and 6.5 hours on the Toshiba (Win 7).
- The Atheros wifi on the Toshiba seems to have better reception than the hp (I have the Broadcom card, not the Intel one). I’m seeing 30 networks at my palce on the Toshiba, versus 19 on the mini.
Bottom line: If I could transplant the screen, speaker and touchpad from the hp to the Toshiba, I’d be a really happy person.
re Nilom: “If I could transplant the screen, speaker and touchpad from the hp to the Toshiba, I’d be a really happy person.”
Break out the Dremel and get to it … and post lots of pictures. I can sit here and dream about the day HP gets off their butts and finally sends me my 5101. Ordered it on Aug. 5th and they still can’t even tell me when they’ll build it. Maybe HP’s poor customer service should be another tick in the Toshiba’s favor.
p.s. You could also try shoehorning an 11.6″ screen into the HP. THAT would be impressive.
I can get to the LCD in the Mini 5101, but I’m not sure how to crack open the NB205’s display bezel.
The Mini 5101 disassembly guide is located at:
http://bizsupport2.austin.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c01846062/c01846062.pdf
I can’t seem to find one for the NB205… Any ideas?
Also, here are some side-by-side photos of the two netbooks:
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/1922/stacked01.jpg
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/1519/stacked02.jpg
Great review James! I’ve been researching netbooks for a week now and solid info on the 5101 is relatively hard to come by. Right now this looks like the all-round best in class 10″ netbook.
The only 2 major cons I see are the price and less-than expected battery life (5 hours vs. around 7 on an EEEPC 1005HA). I wonder if swapping out the 7200 RPM drive for a 5400 one will help with the latter? I’ve heard that high density 5400 drives can outperform 7200s, but I’m also not sure if a slower drive will really make a difference on this machine.
I’m really leaning towards the HD screen (which costs over $100 more, factoring in HP’s custom order system and current coupon). Has anyone done a side-by-side SD vs. HD comparison? Is it worth the extra $$$?
Not sure if this helps… I have compared the NB205 screen (1024 x 600) to the Mini 5101’s screen, using 120 dpi (125%) in Windows 7.
If you prefer the 120 dpi mode in Vista/Windows 7, then I think the HD screen is worth it. I actually prefer the bigger menus, text and UI elements at 120 dpi, and under those settings, the HD screen keeps things less claustrophobic.
Another issue with 120 dpi on a 1024 x 600 screen is that some windows will get “cut off.” UMPC scrollbar helps to some degree, but it does not work on all windows.
On the flip side, if you don’t care for 120 dpi and prefer the default 96 dpi settings, then I think the 1024 x 600 screen is perfectly fine.
Thanks Nilom!
Another thing I noticed in the video is the (seemingly) large amount of light leakage on the black bootup screen. The “HP Invent” screen looks blue, but should be black. Maybe it’s just an artifact of the camera and room lighting. It appears that the vertical viewing angles are pretty limited like on the mini 110? Is this the case?
I like using a black background for my text editors, and this has been a problem in the past. The EEEPC 1005 for example has incredible contrast, but doesn’t come with the HD screen.
Is it true that I can’t use it 2 G’s of RAM with Windows XP Home, and that in order to do so, I must purchase it with the more expensive Windows versions ? Thanks.