| |
| |
 |
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
Looking good has become even more exciting with computing giant HP. No, they're not diversifying into catwalk togs or makeup, but if you're on the hunt for something that will take you from boardroom to beachside cafe in style, HP is your brand label.
Teaming up with designers is nothing new for this IT company which has rolled out the head-turning Envy line as well as small but stylishly sturdy notebooks from the drawing boards of Vivienne Tam and Tord Boontje.
This season, Tam has returned to the catwalk with the HP mini 210 dressed in gold.
OK, taking a laptop to the dinner party might be stretching etiquette a little but you'll be tempted.
Tam's second "digital clutch" designed with HP made its design debut at New York Fashion Week as part of the spring 2010 collection.
Dressed in brushed pale gold, the "Butterfly Lovers" design is bold with an eye-catching orange butterfly, yet whimsical in the same breath as a smaller pair dance on the lid of the 10-inch device.
The inch-thick gold laptop, right down to the keys, comes with all the right touches for the girl with that certain sense of style - like the built-in webcam that turns into a mirror with a quick flick of a button.
The launch of the new Mini 210 Vivienne Tam Edition coincides with HP's 2010 Tech Chic program launched to marry fashion and technology through a series of activities designed to connect with more women.
"Female consumers today are savvy and discerning when it comes to fashion, style and price performance – be it the shoes they are purchasing or their technology gadgets," said Dennis Mark, vice president, Marketing, Personal Systems Group, HP Asia Pacific and Japan.
How true.
Well, if gold is not for you, try Black, Blue or Red with discreet patterning in a shape that resembles a flower.
This is HP's latest Mini 210, an attractive 10-inch notebook that's also super slim.
What makes this a good candidate as a work and play accessory is the quick access home page where you can check your email, surf the web, Skype, IM, play music or view photos, without the need to run the full works.
The notebook runs on Windows7 starter which is the 'no-frills' bundle of the latest Windows OS.
However, being slightly more jam-packed than the older Windows XP, the Mini 210 struggles somewhat even with the latest Atom N450 (1.66GHz, 512KB L2 cache) powering away.
The island-style keyboard is easy to use and doesn't feel cramped as it's 93% of full size.
The keys are so well placed that I could touch type with hardly any mistakes and getting to the short cuts were easy as the buttons were conspicuously placed on the top row.
Other neat touches include the discreet light on the touchpad area to indicate that the notebook is on and another blue glow on the WIFI key that hints at the wireless connectivity.
The HP Mini 210 didn't win points however for its noticeable sluggishness when crawling the web with the WLAN (802.11b/g/n) and also for masquerading as a portable oven.
Typing with the HP on your lap will be highly uncomfortable as it generates much heat and you don't have to wait too long from powering up the notebook to start becoming toast.
While the matt finish promises not to pick up finger prints, it will show up quite distinctly, any oily marks. So think twice about showing this off at a sandwich bar, and definitely keep your hands off the T-zone of your face if you don't want streaks and smudges.
Another disappointment was the battery.
The 6-cell battery pack drained surprisingly fast. Even after a full charge, I was surprised to see the battery had run down to 75% power after surfing for some 15 minutes and spending another 15-20 minutes on Google Docs writing this. Not exactly the prefect travelling companion.
Fortunately, the AC power pack is tiny and won't add to the notebook that weighs in at 1.2kg.
The HP Mini 210 can support up to 2GB of memory and hard drive options from 160GB right up to 320GB.
This means you won't miss the DVD reader/writer too much, more so since HP is making its cloud drive available if you need extra storage.
To get the most out of this service which comes with 2GB free space, you'll want to pop a data SIM card into the discreet slot near the battery housing.
Despite its shortcomings, the HP Mini 210 is quite hard to resist and you'll want to take it out and about, especially the one that's drenched in the rich, red hue.
British fashion guru Gok Wan recently lamented that when it comes to looking good, guys have "got the bum deal...pretty much a jacket and a pair of trousers half the time".
Add to that, looking good with tech.
Sorry guys.
-CNA/sf
|
