Verizon wireless is known as a mobile phone company. So the idea of Verizon offering a netbook with integrated mobile broadband service is unique. The HP’s Mini 1151NR is the first netbook offered directly from Verizon. So we decided to take a look. If successful, this will the first of what may be a highly-imitated offering. Verizon is selling the netbook at a subsidized price of USD 199 with a two-year contract for data services. The data services carry a monthly charge of either USD 39 or USD 59.
Updated 12/28/2009: We got the following info from Verizon PR agency after we questioned them why we couldn't find this product on their website.
"Thank you for reaching out to me today regarding the HP Mini Netbook 1151 NR and letting me know that information about the device is not available on the Verizon Wireless website. I found out why you are not able to find a link to this product on the Verizon Wireless website - the HP Mini 1151 NR was so popular that it sold out and is currently out of stock. Verizon Wireless offered the HP Mini 1151 for USD 29.99 (after rebate, two-year agreement and data plan activation) as a Black Friday special on November 27. The product was so popular at that price that the supply was depleted very quickly. To date, this product is officially sold out, and I do not have any information if it will be reordered or restocked (it is available on Amazon.com -- Gabriel Torres). Please note that Verizon Wireless has several other Netbook products available."
Updated 12/29/2009: Continuing our quest about the availability of this netbook, the reviewer, Sandy Berger, went to a local Verizon Wireless store and could find this netbook being sold there. So it seems the availability problems is only on their website, not on the physical stores. (Gabriel Torres)
As shown in figure 1, the HP Mini 1151NR comes in a small black cardboard case with a plastic handle.
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Figure 1: The HP Mini 1151NR box.
Inside the box, as shown in Figure 2, you find a large fold-out setup instruction guide, a limited warranty card, a small booklet with printer driver information, a small notebook Essentials Guide, a pad of notebook paper with the HP logo, an Ethernet cable, and the two-part power cable. Also included is the netbook itself, which is shown in Figure 3.
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Figure 2: The box contents.
While the NoteBook Essentials pamphlet has some valuable information, it assumes that you are hooking up to the Internet either wired or through Wi-Fi and does not give any instructions about the mobile access. You fully realize that this package was prepared only for the HP Mini and not customized for Verizon when you see the included Ethernet cable. Why would you need it if you are using the broadband access? Also, somewhat ironically, even the printer driver information brochure seems ill-fit. It tells you to “insert the printer driver installation CD” when this netbook has no CD-ROM drive.
Take note that the SetUp Guide will lead you to the online User Guides which may be useful, especially if you are new to netbooks.
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Figure 3: The HP Mini 1151NR.
As you can see in Figure 3, the HP Mini 1151NR, like the Mini 1000, is small and well-designed. At just less than 1” (2.5 cm) thick, the HP Mini has one of the thinnest netbook cases, yet it feels very sturdy. At 2.45 lbs (1.11 kg), it is lightweight and extremely portable. The small dimensions of the Mini (10.3” x 6.56” x 0.99” or 26.1 x 16.6 x 2.5 cm) means you can easily carry it in a large purse or small briefcase.
As you can also see in Figure 3, the shiny black case has a subtle swirl design that is attractive for both male and female users.
