Laptop Club

The open-source operating system may seem intimidating for the uninitiated, but a well-designed Linux build doesn't have to be. Linux offers plenty of advantages as a netbook platform: It requires less memory, taxes your processor less, and brings the cost down, to boot. (The base price for an XP system with the same specs is $20 more.) On a blind test, even the most code-phobic user might mistake HP's custom Ubuntu build for any old Media Center interface. Providing a seamless, user-friendly Linux experience is exactly where the new Mi (Mobile Internet) edition of the HP Mini 1000 ($424.99 direct) excels.

• Price as Tested: $425.00 Direct
• Type: Gaming, Ultraportable, Value, Netbook
• Operating System: HP Mobile Internet (Linux)
• Processor Name: Intel Atom N270
• Processor Speed: 1.6 GHz
• RAM: 1 GB
• Weight: 2.5 lb
• Screen Size: 10.1 inches
• Screen Size Type: widescreen
• Graphics Card: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950
• Storage Capacity: 60 GB
• Networking Options: 802.11g