HP Mini 5103 to be available, soon

It seems that the guys at HP are working on an update for their 10 inch professional looking netbook, the Mini 5102. It’s going to be called HP Mini 5103, and while it won’t bring significant changes on the outside, there are some new options in terms of hardware and specs.

HP Mini 5103 - new business netbook, with improved features

The main improvement is in fact support for DDR3 compatible Atom processors, including the N455 (1.66 GHz) and the N475 (1.83 GHz). Of course, in terms of real life performance, there’s almost no noticeable difference between these processors and their DDR2 equivalents, but still, on machines powered by such hardware, any bit of extra speed is welcomed.

Besides these you get lots of other interesting options:

• fast 7200rpm storage drives or SSDs (protected from damage via shocks by an accelerometer which shuts them down in case of a drop)
• Broadcom HD Crystal accelerator
• HD display or touschscreen
• a variety of operating systems to choose from, including Windows 7, Linux Suse and ever FreeDOS
• Mobile Broadband with GPS connectivity
• 6 Cell 66Wh battery (capable of up to 10 hours on a single charge)

All these in the same magnesium-alloy body that looks amazing and is one of the toughest out there.

Of course, with such features, the HP Mini 5103 won’t come cheap (as the 5102 didn’t also). But if you want the best netbook, you’ll have to pay for it. There’s no info on when will this device going to land in the States or how much will it actually cost, but it seems to be available in Italy for between 500 to 600 euros. Based on previous experiences, that would mean between 550 to 700 bucks in the States. Ouch!

Prices for the HP 5103 in Intaly, based on configuration

And btw, in the mean time the 5102 seems to be gone from HP’s site in the States, so expect the new version to be available anytime now.

Update: It’s here, the HP 5103 now sells in the US. Prices start from $399, but don’t get fooled. A decent configuration will cost you around $500, while my dream one gets up to $750. More details in this other post.

Source and photo: Netbook News

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Tags: business netbooks, fancy netbook, HP Mini netbooks

Last updated: August 10, 2010 | Published: August 9th, 2010 | Add the first comment!