Netbooks are by definition highly functional and cheap computers, and when you go looking for netbook bargains, the most affordable ones pop up in the $300-$399 price bracket. The netbooks here tend to have both older chips such as the Intel N270 or N280 and the uglier "function-ahead-of-style" designs of the first and second generation netbooks. This HP Mini Note 210 on special at JB Hi-Fi is an exception. Although it's the basic, entry-level model in the HP Mini 210 line, it still comes with the latest Atom CPU, the Intel N450, and is one of the best looking netbooks yet. As with its Mini 210 siblings, it's slimmer and with smoother edges than the HP Mini 110 netbooks and comes with a sexy imprint finish that puts it right up there with some of the ASUS Seashell Eee PCs when it comes to netbook style.
The HP Mini 210's keyboard has attracted a mixed reaction so make sure you test it if considering a purchase. On one hand, some people love it because it's one of the island style (or chiclet) keyboards, in which the keys rise out of a flat base and are separated by a bigger gap than keys on ordinary keyboards. This makes the keyboard easy to touch type on and clean, but, on the other hand, the keyboard lacks Page Down and Page Up keys, as well as a Home key. If you can learn to do without them, the HP Mini 210's keyboard is great for typing on because of the ample space given to the Qwerty keys.
Another thing to watch out for is that the base of this notebook tends to get noticealy hot when you have it sitting on your lap for over half an hour. This is not that unusual in netbooks and ultrathins, which have to pack a lot of technology in a small form factor, but it's worth pointing that the heat generated by this machine when on your lap has been picked up as an issue by various reviewers. Just stick it on a table or aircraft tray and you'll be fine.
This version of the Mini 210 weighs 1.22 kg, has a 160 GB hard drive, 3 USB ports, a 5-in-1 card reader and comes with a 3-cell battery which is good for 3-4 hours.