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I have spent the last two weeks using the HP/Compaq Mini 311, an 11.6 inch netbook featuring the Nvidia ION chip in addition to a standard Atom N270, as my secondary computer, in fact sometimes letting it take over primary duties for me. In that time I feel I have gotten a very good sense of what the Mini 311 can do…and what it can’t.

Of course there are any number of different benchmarks and serious number crunching evaluations of this machine out there. The Mini 311 is the first readily available netbook running an ION chip and is arguably the flagship of the HP/Compaq Mini line, so the people who like to break things into numbers have done so many times over. I, however, don’t tend to appreciate or, I admit, fully understand benchmarks. Call me old fashioned, or pagan, or just insane, but I learn more from holding and playing with a device then I ever do from reading even the most exhaustive benchmarks.

Therefore in this review I am going to discuss my impressions, feelings and personal judgments about the Mini 311. Sure other reviews may be more statistically relevant or more qualitatively absolute…but I am interested in how a device is in normal use, not how it is in benchmark testing. Based on that the reasoning I can say I love my Mini 311…but as with all such products it’s a bit of a mixed bag, some trade offs need to be made, so your mileage may vary.

First and foremost be aware that the Mini 311 I have has been upgraded. I have brought the RAM up to 3GB and hacked the ION LE chip to a full ION. The latter fact really makes no practical difference except it allows me to run DirectX 10. In addition, I replaced Windows XP with Windows 7. Due to certain factors (to be discussed later), I can’t say the OS swap was an upgrade…more a lateral choice.

Now that that disclaimer is out of the way, let’s look at the practical elements of the device.

Using the Mini 311 as my “Around the Office” device for two weeks definitely garnered a lot attention during meetings. Sleek and a bit out of the ordinary it always prompted a lot of questions and interest when I put it down on a conference table. One of the most common reactions was that it was too big to be a netbook, and I admit after using it for awhile, it IS too big to be a classic netbook. While it is certainly infinitely easier to lug around then my full size notebook, it isn’t the compact, durable sort of affair my other netbooks are. That said, it is much more pleasant to use for standard notebook tasks then a netbook is. In practical terms it is closer to a very small “Thin and light” notebook then it is a normal netbook. The size difference however is very noticeable and highly relevant, as it is a big part of many of the pluses and minuses of the device.

In the picture below you can clearly see the size difference between my 10 inch (running Mac OS X) and 8.9 inch (running Jolicloud Pre-Beta) netbooks on the shelf above and the 11.6 inch HP Mini 311.

The additional size gives the HP 311 a little more weight and bulk then a standard netbook, but it also makes it much easier to use.

Keyboard/Trackpad

Sure the keyboard is TECHNICALLY the same Ninety-some percent of normal size of other HP/Compaq Mini models, but fore some reason it FEELS so much more spacious when typing. Perhaps that is the psychological effect of having space on the chassis to either side of the keyboard or to the fact that the keyboard is slightly recessed, like the IBM/Lenovo Thinkpad keyboards I am used to, but whatever the reason, I had no trouble at all typing on the HP Mini 311. I am good with small keyboards, but even I usually do more hunting and pecking on netbooks then I like to admit. On the Mini 311 is was far more smooth sailing, as close to touch typing as I can ever manage.

The keyboard simply feels good, and as I said I am used to the Thinkpad, the Cadillac of mobile keyboards. They keys have the right balance between firmness and bounce…you don’t feel like you need to stab them, but there won’t be many accidental presses due to them being too sensitive either. It doesn’t have that slightly fragile or muddy feeling many netbook keypads have.

Another element of success was the trackpad. It is generously sized and the buttons are firm and responsive. Sure the buttons have a slight bit of chintzyness about them, but far less then many other netbooks.The trackpad is not perfect, but it is much easier to use then many I have worked with.Even the side scrolling bar on the trackpad worked well, and that is practically a first for me since I normally hate them.

The Screen

There is no way to discuss the Mini 311 without commenting on that screen. Between the sheer size of it compared to other netbooks and the additional clarity and performance offered by the ION chip, it is simply a joy to behold. I can’t say enough about it…this camera just doesn’t do it justice. This screen is like s’mores for breakfast, every day.

I am the type who likes to cram a lot on a screen, often using very small type, so I would love it if I could push the resolution past the 1366 x 768 limit…but just that much difference over the standard netbook resolution of 1024 x 600 had a major impact on usability for me. Just as with the keyboard I didn’t feel hemmed in by the screen as much as I am with other netbooks. Again that may be a largely psycological difference, but it was real and I saw other people have the same reaction when they borrowed it to play with. Most people when the work at a netbook seem to almost hunch and draw their shoulders up, as if trying to fit themselves to the device. With the Mini 311 there was very little of that, people seemed to approach it more like a normal notebook.

Performance

As you can see by the Windows Experience scores above, the Mini 311 is being held back by the Atom processor.  The scores for graphics would not even be too shabby for a full sized, lower-end notebook, thanks to the Nvidia ION chip.

The ION chip does what it promises and really improves graphics performance for the device. Below you can see the Mini 311 running Windows 7 in Aero mode, with multiple open windows including a running video, all working flawlessly. Smooth as silk.You simply can;t do that on most netbooks. I also had no trouble with watching full screen YouTube HD videos. If you want to use your netbook as a media player then there is no doubt you want one with an ION on board.

An important point to remember however is that the ION does nothing for overall performance, just graphics. The Atom is still the Atom and you will get typical netbook performance on non-graphics tasks such as document writing and file transfer.

Still, the ION gives you netbook power that such a small device never had before. However, with power comes a price.

HP says that the Mini 311 should be able to manage nearly 6 hours on a battery charge, but I think that was quite generous. With Windows 7 installed I would estimate I get about 4 hours and a few minutes per charge. That is taking into account that Windows 7 seems to give you about an hour less battery time then XP does (there is the trade off I mentioned earlier). There is a price to be paid for the eye candy and performance boosts of Windows 7, and it mainly comes at the expense of power management.

There is no doubt that the ION takes a healthy bite out of battery performance, as does that big screen. There is no other way to explain that 10.1 inch devices like the Asus Eee 1005HA is doubling the battery life of the Mini 311. Sure this is the right choice if you need graphics power, but if you are looking for a netbook that will last you through a workday or a long plane ride, then the Mini 311 isn’t it.

Conclusion

So as I said at the beginning of this review, it’s a mixed bag. The Mini 311 is much more enjoyable to use than most other netbooks, with more day to day comfort and graphics punch….however it’s battery life is very close to terrible which is a problem for a device class that is meant to be frugal regarding power consumption. The ION gives you a lot of graphics and display advantages, but at the same time nullifies the Atom’s trademark long battery life.

As with most things it is ultimately a subjective issue, it boils down to what matters most to you. If peerless graphics and media abilities for it’s size and a large, beautiful screen are keys factors for you, congratulations I found you your netbook. You can thank me by leaving a nice comment. If you need maximum battery life or top performance on routine tasks, then perhaps you should look elsewhere for your ideal secondary PC.

I myself sort of fall in between the two….and I am very, very happy with the HP/Compaq Mini 311. In fact I view it as my second best purchase of 2009 (behind the Zune HD) which is saying a lot. If you do choose to buy a Mini 311, as long as you don’t expect it to run all day I think you will be just as happy with your choice.