HP has recently announced a sought-after Linux version of its popular Mini 1000 consumer netbook. Basically, much of the internals are similar to the other versions of the Mini 1000. However, the selling point of the Mi version, which stands for Mobile internet, is the Linux OS dressed up in nice clothes by HP.

On the HP Mini 1000 Mi, the company chose to bundle Ubuntu, one of the most popular Linux distributions on the market. Nevertheless, HP listened to netbook costumers regarding their experience with Linux. Hence, average users simply won’t get the awkward feel of using Linux, as they feel on the Linpus Linux on the Aspire One or on the Xandros OS on the EEE PC series. Instead, the company developed a very appealing interface, which gathers all the internet, email and multimedia tasks on its home screen.

The home screen houses three vertical panels. The panel on the left houses mail tasks by integrating the Mozilla Thunderbird mail client, the one in the middle acts as a web browser and the one on the right contains photo thumbnails and an integrated music player.  By using a vertical layout, webpages in the browser usually won’t need horizontal scrolling. Moreover, there is a taskbar containing boxes for each application running and a program launcher application. You can choose to run a certain application on the entire screen.

The various programs bundled with the system are easily accessible. HP chose to organize the applications in several tabs, including Internet, Media, Utilities, Work and Play. The Internet tab lets you access the Mozilla Firefox 3.04 web browser, the Pidgin IM client and Skype. Media contains icons for the webcam manager, along with photo, video and music managers.

The Work section encompasses the word, spreadsheet and presentation processors of the Open Office suite. The Play tab contains a collection of four games. However, it is easy to download and install new applications through the dedicated install manager. In addition, there are many games and apps that were developed for Ubuntu, so every user should easily personalize his netbook in order to meet his needs.

Hardware-wise, the HP Mini 1000 Mi comes with the ubiquitous Intel Atom N270 processor, which is clocked at 1.6 GHz, 1 GB of RAM and a sluggish 60 GB hard drive with just 4,200 rpm. HP also bundled an 802.11g Wi-Fi card and a three-cell battery with a disappointing autonomy of just under 3 hours. Nevertheless, there is also a six-cell battery available as an upgrade, which should provide around 5 hours of work time.

HP offers a one-year warranty for this model, which is the standard in the netbook segment. Disappointingly, though, this Linux-flavored netbook comes at a steep price tag of $459, higher than the ones of the Samsung NC10 and the EEE PC 1000HE. It is a pity, because both models have larger batteries and somewhat better specs.

Overall, the HP Mini 1000 Mi might sound as a good alternative to the XP-based netbooks. Moreover, the crisp screen, the best-in-class keyboard and the excellent build quality are its main advantages. The skinned Ubuntu version does its job very well, although it sometimes feels unresponsive, primarily due to the slow hard drive.

This netbook might be a good alternative if you don’t want XP, but you could find better options at this price on the market today.