May 27, 2009

The latest Hewlett-Packard Mini netbook was unveiled on Wednesday and in a tip to its popularity the company has made few changes from the previous model.

The HP Mini 110's hardware is similar to that of its popular predecessor, the Mini 1000, but it adds extra USB and monitor ports and software including a program that synchronizes files between PCs. The Mini 110 will start at US$299 and run Windows XP or HP's Mobile Internet software built on Linux.

The netbook, weighing in at 1.06 kilograms with a 10.1 inch screen, will ship worldwide this week, See Chin Teik, senior vice president for HP's personal systems group in Asia, told reporters. The netbook will ship in black first, followed next week by white and a pink model with a floral imprint.

HP also announced a dual-core processor version of its Pavilion dv2 laptop to go on sale next week. The 1.6 GHz processors offered will come from the Athlon and Turion chip lines from Advanced Micro Devices. The laptop's other components, including its 12.1 inch screen and ATI Radeon video card, will remain the same as the current dv2 machine.

Also announced was the Pavilion MS200, HP's first all-in-one desktop without a touchscreen. The entertainment PC, aimed at home users, will hit store shelves in China in June and other countries in coming months.

The piano-black PC will sell for $599 and come with an 18.5-inch screen. Wireless mouse and keyboard functions let the machine use only one cable, for power.

HP's new products are a response to the difficult economy and rising consumer concern about style, executives at the launch event said.

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