Another enticing factor of this device was the fact that it is a netbook , a smaller, less functional version of a notebook computer. PC makers tout netbooks as a secondary computer good for Web surfing, checking email, watching videos and listening to music. Everyone knows these lower-cost PCs are about the only things selling right now in the decimated computer business.
I borrowed a Vivienne Tam netbook from the H-P team in Palo Alto, and took it out for a spin. I took it to a cafe in the trendy neighborhood of Duboce Triangle in San Francisco. There, I could get free wireless, plus the barista knows me and will not throw me out if I am there too long.
Unfortunately, I did not get the companion wireless mouse, with the same Chinese red and peony flower design. So I used my USB mouse to supplement the touch pad. I normally work on an IBM, (now Lenovo) ThinkPad and am used to the little track point, so it slowed me down a bit to get used to the touch pad.
It also took some time to get used to the not-quite Lilliputian keyboard. Although not nearly as small as the BlackBerry or other smartphone keyboards, this one took some getting used to, because you are in the mode to type a full document.
Once I got used to the smaller size, the keyboard moves along nicely. The bigger problem was that oil from my fingers temporarily dulled the shiny surface. I left ugly fingerprints all over the red keyboard. It was also a tad harder to see some of the tiny keyboard imprints in gold, especially with aging eyes.
Light on software
The netbook is not loaded with too much in terms of software. It has Microsoft Corp.’s /quotes/comstock/15*!msft/quotes/nls/msft (MSFT 30.32, -0.03, -0.10%) Windows XP Home Edition, Internet Explorer Version 7 and Microsoft Works, a slimmed down version of Office.
It also has built-in wireless and Bluetooth connectivity, and a Web camera. I decided to write my column in “the cloud,” where documents are stored on a remote server, instead of locally on the computer itself. So I opened up a Google Inc. /quotes/comstock/15*!goog/quotes/nls/goog (GOOG 585.22, -1.87, -0.32%) document.
When browsing the Web, I found the netbook fast. At one point, I had seven browser windows open without a problem. The 1.6-gigahertz Atom chip from Intel Corp. /quotes/comstock/15*!intc/quotes/nls/intc (INTC 21.08, +0.12, +0.57%) seemed to zip along. I also installed Yahoo Inc.’s /quotes/comstock/15*!yhoo/quotes/nls/yhoo (YHOO 16.93, +0.03, +0.18%) instant messaging software, which downloaded pretty quickly.
A friend messaged me for a while, and I did not crash the netbook. Some netbooks are prone to crashing if they get too many process-intensive applications running at the same time.
I was able to work for about two hours and 15 minutes in the cafe before having to recharge the battery. This is a bit shorter than my much heftier ThinkPad, which has about 3 to 4 hours of battery life, with its much heavier battery pack.
Scant attention
I was a bit disappointed that no one in my cafe commented on the computer. The red design with Chinese peonies, a symbol of prosperity and good fortune, is eye-catching. I should note that I was the only woman in the cafe for hours, which may seem to confirm the appeal of this device to women. I then took it to a girlfriend’s house, where reactions were more favorable.
So the question is, would I buy one? At $699, this netbook is priced more like a regular laptop, whereas most netbooks are around $300 or so.
I like the light feel of the netbook and the speed of the system. But in order to really make this system work for me on a daily basis, I would probably have to install Microsoft Office and MarketWatch’s VPN software. They could be a bigger resource hog and slow it down.
I think users are paying an extra premium for the snazzy designer look. H-P also has a special mouse for the Vivienne Tam edition, which will cost under $50. By comparison, the H-P Mini 1000 XP Edition, with a standard black casing, is much cheaper at $399.
I have to agree with a recent Sanford Bernstein report. The analysts who wrote it conclude that netbooks are good for surfing the Web and a few random tasks, but will not replace your regular PC or notebook computer — even in a sexy Chinese red.
