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It’s coming up on one month since my HP Mini 110 arrived. Since I’ve had a few questions now about whether or not I like it, I figured I should spend a bit of time and space here to discuss my thoughts.

First, a word or two on what I got. It’s an HP Mini 110 with an Atom N280 (1.66GHz, 512KB L2, 667Mhz FSB) processor, 1GB of RAM, and a 16GB SSD drive. The GPU is an Intel 950, and I got the 10.1″ (1366 x 768) display. The Mini comes with either HP’s custom Linux distro or Windows XP installed. I got the XP version, as Linux version only comes with a 1024 x 576 display. Annoying, but one gets used to this sort of crap when one is a Linux user.

Upon receiving the Mini, I immediately reformatted the drive and installed Crunchbang Linux, a relatively lightweight distro that is based on Ubuntu and uses an OpenBox front end. Aside from a minor (and quickly resolved) sound driver issue, it works like a charm on the Mini. So far as I can tell, other than the higher resolution display available on the XP model, there is no hardware difference between it and the model that comes with Linux preinstalled.

In terms of performance, the Mini has been pretty much what I expected—fine for day to day browsing activities, not so great for any processor-intensive stuff. Compiling even simple stuff is a lengthy process, and playback of high definition (>480p) video is hopeless. Standard xvid-encoded .avi playback is fine, though, as is online video like Hulu.

I really like the keyboard on the Mini. For the first day or two, I was mashing some keys together, but I quickly got used to it. Given the overall compactness of the machine, they’ve done a great job of squeezing in an almost-regulation-size keyboard. The trackpad buttons have taken a bit more getting used to. Having them to either side of the trackpad (as opposed to above) makes for some awkward thumb motion. However, it’s a worthwhile space-saving compromise.

My one gripe so far is battery life. I got the standard 3-cell battery, and get 1.5-2 hours of life out of it. If I’m watching video, it’s less. I suspect that has more to do with poor power management by the Linux distro I’m using than with the Mini itself, but it’s still annoying.