It may seem as if Hewlett-Packard is arriving somewhat late to the Netbook game with its Mini 1000, but the company's business division has offered a similar system, the 2133 Mini-Note PC since the spring of this year. That model scored points with the best Netbook keyboard we've seen and a solid metal construction, but the wimpy VIA processor (and a higher price than other Netbooks) kept it from being a top contender.

This new consumer version has a nearly identical design, but in lightweight plastic (its body is also slightly thinner). The large, comfortable keyboard remains--and is the Mini...