| Article Index |
|---|
| HP mini Vivienne Tam Edition - A radiant netbook |
| Specifications |
| Package contents |
| Physical aspects |
| Physical aspects continued |
| Benchmark |
| Benchmark continued |
| Conclusion |
| All Pages |
Conclusion
The HP mini Vivienne Tam Edition is a most strange netbook. It markets itself primarily on design, one that is well made but likely aimed more towards women than men, and the price is high enough that you can classify it is 'exclusive'. I think they did well with the surfaces and smooth edges; it's nice to look at, and the design is quite good.
Having said that, I must confess I am disappointed. HP usually delivers quality and you can expect a higher standard from them than their competitors.
In this particular model, they inserted some hardware which does not live up to their standards. Put simply, some of the hardware is outdated and you'll find up-to-date components with HP's competitors. For example, the HDD runs at 4,200 rpm rather than the standard 5,400. It only has a 3-celled battery while the standard is 6 cells. Okay, this can be explained away by the weights and its focus on mobility and design. The display runs a resolution of 1024x576 rather than 1024x600 pixels...HP has really made some odd choices in certain areas.
Additionally, it's more expensive than many of the competitors because it is a designer netbook. It just doesn't add up.
The lack of being able to connect it to an external monitor and the fact that it has only 2 USB ports does not exactly make it the ideal student laptop. With the fear of sounding slightly chauvinistic, I'd say that the computer is made for women or someone who needs a netbook for only very basic activities (someone who doesn't need to connect it to an external monitor and is satisfied with two USB ports). Such a user is also home most of the time and thus always has access to AC, and won't get annoyed by the location of the mouse buttons. It ends up being a rather esoteric netbook.
I am hardly impressed by the Vivienne and its content. Sure it's a beautiful computer and a joy to the eye, but that's about it for me.
Having said all this, it's a very cute machine and I've met plenty of girls who've fallen in love with it, so maybe it's more of a collector's object or a 'must-have' rather than a practical item. That may explain the exclusive price and the focus on design. It'll go great with your summer dress and a long way towards attracting attention.
Pros- Design
- Weight
- Noise (or rather the lack thereof)
- Keyboard size
Cons
- Mouse buttons
- Susceptibility to fingerprints
- Battery life
- HDD RPM
- Resolution (1024x576)
- Price
- No connection to external monitor
2 / 5 2 / 5 4 / 5 5 / 5 3 / 5 2,5 / 5Add your comments
in Hardware & Accessories by nyk001, 08-05-10 12:46