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Verizon Wireless’ first netbook offering, the Hewlett-Packard Mini 1151NR, is expected to arrive in stores beginning May 17, according to the Boy Genius Report.
Pricing for the netbook-which reportedly includes an Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz processor, 1GB of RAM and a 2-in-1 memory card reader-is said to likely be $199 with a two-year contract, after a mail-in rebate.
A hands-on review of its predecessor-the HP Mini 1030R XP Home series netbook, which weighs 2.38 pounds, features a 10.1-inch LED BrightView display and was also based on the Intel Atom N270-can be read here.
In April, rival AT&T offered netbook models from Acer, Dell, LG and Lenovo at deep discounts to select markets.
Less expensive than traditional notebooks, netbooks are enabling carriers to extend cell phone pricing models to the lightweight devices. Their low prices have also contributed to their success; netbook shipments grew 2,424 percent in 2008 and are expected to grow nearly 69 percent in 2009, according to researcher iSuppli.
If the HP Mini 1151NR does launch May 17, it will share its debut with the MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot, which enables Verizon mobile broadband subscribers to create a Wi-Fi cloud capable of supporting five devices. Verizon recently introduced the MiFi with Novatel Wireless.