WITH their low cost and lightweight, go-anywhere size, netbooks have gone from an unheard-of zero to a top-selling hero in barely 18 months.

And they don't show any sign of stopping. Tech analyst Gartner expects Australian sales of netbooks will surge by 40 per cent this year to claim almost 14 per cent of the overall laptop market.

But while the take-up remains strongest among consumers, netbooks are starting to gain traction with a more "serious" category of users such as mobile professionals. And just as laptops long ago diverged into separate consumer and business models, netbooks are also starting to tread this new path.

HP's Mini 2140 is a case in point. It's based on the same platform as the mainstream Mini 1000, which is an excellent netbook in its own right.

This means you get the same crisp 25cm screen and the best netbook keyboard we've ever encountered. The large square keys are cast with a slightly concave surface, which present an ample-sized strike area for your fingers.

The layout is spacious and key positioning is spot on. Forget about having to hunt-and-peck or making do with dinky downsized keys shoehorned into places they shouldn't be. On the other hand, it takes time getting used to the narrow trackpad, with the left and right mouse buttons either side of the touch-sensitive area rather than below it.

HP raises the bar into business class by endowing the Mini 2140 with several traits from its commercial laptop line.

There's an ExpressCard slot for adding a 3G wireless broadband modem while leaving the pair of USB 2.0 ports free. Unlike the Mini 1000, the 2140 uses a standard VGA video connector so it's simple to connect to a projector or external screen.

The chassis is cast from an all-aluminium case instead of relying on several plastic panels, with the screen hinge cast from magnesium and a front-mounted "flight mode" switch for quickly disabling both Bluetooth and the inbuilt Wi-Fi.

A 3D accelerometer senses sudden bumps, shocks and drops and shuts down the 160GB hard drive to protect your data, although you can also specify the Mini 2140 with a more robust solid state drive.

The netbook's lid and keys are coated with a resistant acrylic layer to prevent scratches on the outside and visible wear on the keys.

While the standard three-cell battery is good for just shy of three hours, we were able to almost double this by fitting the optional $169 six-cell slab. Six hours isn't quite enough to leave the tiny AC adaptor at home but it means you can get through most of the day without remaining chained to the nearest power point. The larger battery lifts the rear of the 2140 but this stops it from getting too hot underneath, while the slightly tilted keyboard makes for better typing.

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/news/digital-life/laptops/reviews/review-hp-mini-2140/2009/05/04/1241289099743.html