by Cisco Cheng
The HP Mini 2140 started out as a very desirable business netbook, and it just kept getting better from there. A product of two years' worth of improvements, the HP Mini 5102 is a masterfully engineered netbook that small business users, government officials, and even school children could carry around with pride. Everything about it is as impressively executed as the previous Mini 5101, from the metallic frame, the world-class keyboard and mouse buttons, to the all-day battery life. This version comes with a variety of improvements, including a new Intel Atom processor (and platform), almost 11 hours of battery life (via the optional 6-cell battery, though) , and new options for a carrying handle and touch screen. Although the $400, HP "Smartbuy" configuration, with the 29Wh battery (4-cell), is a terrific buy, we suggest paying $25 more to upgrade to the 6-cell option.
Design
The 5102 carries on the tradition of surrounding the lid with metail trim. Others, like the Nokia Booklet 3G, upped the ante by being entirely made out of metals, but the 5102 is still one of the best looking netbooks on the market. The Toshiba mini NB205 pulls off a gorgeous look with plastics, as they are textured, available in different colors, and guard against smudges and finger prints. With the previous Mini 5101, a black version was the only color option; the 5102 offers two others: Red and Blue. On select units, HP will even let you custom-configure a carrying handle that's attached to the back—ideal for school children. At 2.8 pounds (with a 6-cell battery), it's roughly the same weight as the 5101 (2.9 lbs), the NB205 (2.9 lbs), and the Samsung N120 (2.9 lbs).
Not a whole lot has changed in its interior either. The 5102 standardizes on a 10-inch widescreen and the commonly used 1,024-by-600 resolution, although a 1,366-by-768 resolution is available as a pricey option. Higher resolutions come naturally in bigger netbooks such as the HP Mini 311 (1,366-by-768) and Lenovo IdeaPad S12 (1,280-by-800); netbooks with 10-inch screens usually default to a lower resolution.
The combination of the typing and navigating experiences on the Mini 5102 is still one of the best in the industry. Though it isn't full size (95%), the island-style keyboard is well made and can accommodate those with stubby fingers. It rivals the full size ones found in the Toshiba NB205 and Lenovo S12. The mouse buttons, meanwhile, are some of the softest and most click-friendly around.
Features
The Mini 5102 has one of the strongest feature sets in its class. The standard ones include a fast spinning (7200rpm), 160GB hard drive, three USB ports, Ethernet, media card reader, and VGA Out. Wireless cards include Bluetooth and 802.11n Wi-Fi on a standard configuration; HP is offering embedded 3G (through Qualcomm's Gobi) as an option. Other options, such as a higher capacity hard drive (250GB), SSDs, and a Broadcom HD decoder chip, were carried over from the 5101. The touch screen option, on the other hand, is the newest addition, which will let your fingers do the navigating. The only other netbook that will have this many options is the Dell Mini 10.
The 5102 comes with a wealth of software—almost too much in some cases. But the useful ones include Quicklook and Quickweb—pre-boot environments that sync with Microsoft Outlook and accesses a Web browser and wireless, respectively. HP is also throwing in Corel Home Office, so you don't necessarily have to purchase a Microsoft Office license, say, for your business. The 5102 also includes many of the HP "ProtectTools" that have made the Elitebook and ProBook business lines so well known.
Performance
A new Intel processor and surrounding components usually imply faster speeds. But even though the 5102 graduates to the 1.67GHz, Intel Atom N450 processor and new GMA 3150 graphics, its performance on our benchmark tests don't bear that out. Compared with the HP 5101, the 5102 actually suffered in performance tests such as SYSMark 2007 Preview and Windows Media Encoder 9 (video encoding). Its SYSMark Overall score trailed the 5101 and Toshiba NB205 by three points, while video encoding tests fell behind by 14 seconds. Keep in mind, though, this unit tested with Windows 7 Starter, a more demanding OS, instead of Windows XP Home Edition. In the real world, regardless of operating systems, these speed differences are negligible.
Despite the lack of speed improvements, using Intel's new Atom platform did have a huge impact on one performance aspect—battery life. On MobileMark 2007, the 5102 scored almost 11 hours (10:52) with a 6-cell battery. Granted, this is a higher capacity (66Wh) 6-cell than the one previously used by the 5101 (55Wh), so credit should be given to the size of the battery, as well as a more energy efficient platform. Eleven hours of battery life easily bested the 5101 (7:20) and the NB205 (8:27). Unfortunately, the $400 configuration includes a 29Wh (4-cell) battery only, which netted 4 hours 5 minute score in MobileMark tests—a far cry from what was achieved with the 6-cell battery. I'd opt for upgrading to the 6-cell battery for $25 more.
HP is a colossal company, with many environmentally-conscious practices already in place. The 5102 is certified under Energy Star's 5.0 specifications and easily meets RoHS requirements. Because it has an excellent recycling program in place and eliminates hazardous materials from its parts by using components such as an LED screen, the 5102 also qualified for EPEAT Gold. Our own tests, using a P3 International Kill-A-Watt meter, revealed an energy reading of 11 Watts during idle state—3 Watts below Energy Star's threshold. Taking all of this into consideration, the 5102 easily earned our GreenTech seal of approval.
Despite a high cost premium over netbooks such as the Toshiba mini NB205 ($400) and Samsung N120 ($380), the HP Mini 5102 remains one of my top netbook recommendations (though the Toshiba mini NB205 is still king of the hill, so to speak). Its use of metals and what seems like unlimited add-on features are tops among netbook manufacturers. Though there weren't any improvements in raw horsepower, the 5102 receives a new 6-cell battery, which drained well past the 10-hour mark. Too bad, though, that many of the 5102's "optional" features, are costly add-ons. Still, it's worth spending the extra money on top of the $400 "SmartBuy" configuration.
