HP's 11.6-inch Mini 311 pairs Atom with NVIDIA ION graphics, Windows XP

Three great tastes that taste great together? We suppose we'll find out soon enough. HP has stuffed NVIDIA ION LE graphics into the new (already leaked) Mini 311 netbook-ish PC, but instead of being forced by Microsoft to go Windows Vista or Windows 7 to get the new chip in there, HP has stood by good ol' Windows XP. It comes with a big caveat, however: "Streaming HD video playback not currently supported," and of course an Atom N270 processor is still an N270, no matter what graphics you pair it with -- stay away from heavy Flash video, dear friend. The 11.6-inch WXGA screen dreams of something more, however, and the ION chip can decode HD video and output over HDMI. Of course, it's hard to complain about the $400 starting pricetag.

HP Mini 311 press shots

HP Mini 311 hands-on

[caryjanderson Posted Sep 15th 2009 10:37AM]

XP?..pretty sure that screenshot is vista or 7...

[JaredTheGeek Posted Sep 15th 2009 11:49AM]

I run Windows 7 on my HP 110 and it works better than XP did. XP can go away.

[Lancelot9201 Posted Sep 15th 2009 1:34PM]

Call me gun shy but after my Vista adventures I can't get on board with all these Window 7 admirers until I it's out for a while. I seem to remember these same people upgrading to Vista immediately & look at the price they paid. I'd be interest in this netbook if it supported OSX but I don't think it will.

[Dalhectar Posted Sep 15th 2009 4:06PM]

I really want to see someone compare this to the Acer 1410. Core Solo vs ION... FIGHT!!!

[Fanfoot Posted Sep 16th 2009 12:37AM]

Well, the keyboard looks nice, and I like the big trackpad...

But if I'm going for a SMALL laptop, which is why I'd pick an 11" model rather than a 12" that would be easier on my eyes, why would I pick this one? Look at the size of the bezel around the screen and the wasted space around the keyboard. I'm thinking this thing is pretty freaking big, in fact as big as most 12" models.

HP Mini 311: 28.9 cm (L) x 20.4 cm (W) x 3.06 cm (H), i.e. 11.4" L x 8.0" W x 1.2" H
Samsung NC20: 29.2 cm (L) x 21.7 cm (W) x 3.10 cm (H), i.e. 11.5" L x 8.5" W x 1.2" H

So the dimensions are basically almost identical (< a tenth of an inch on length and thickness, and a half inch narrower) than a 12" netbook. Sorry, but no.

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 16th 2009 10:09PM]

according to http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/2009/09/15/nvidia-ion-netbooks-first-look/ ... "the final, big reveal is unfortunately embargoed for the time-being, but it’ll be a game-changer for watching video online when it arrives. we can’t say anything about it until october, so keep an eye out"...

HD Flash GPU acceleration? yes

it's happening soon enough. good things come to those who wait.

[GadgetGeeks Posted Sep 17th 2009 1:20PM]

If it's not putting out at least 8.5 hours on battery life, I'll pass...