Is this the Ion you've been waiting for?
Does it seem like we've been waiting a long time for the first Nvidia Ion-based netbook to come out? It has been a while, after we've faced delays.
Lenovo was first out the gate with an announcement, then Samsung followed shortly. The pair of them, however, decided to hold back on the release of their Ion netbooks until after the release of Windows 7.
HP chose not to wait, and is now offering its Ion LE-based Mini 311 netbook for sale starting at $399.
The base configuration at $399 will give you a black lid, Windows XP Home SP3, Atom N270, 1 GB DDR3, 160 GB HDD and Wireless-G.
The recommended configuration at $489 bumps the CPU to the Atom N280 (slightly faster CPU and FSB), Bluetooth and a 12-cell battery.
If you've always wanted a netbook with Nvidia Ion, this one is finally here. Of course, with Windows 7 being just a month away, waiting for the competition to arrive could be a smart move. Either way, you should be getting a free Windows 7 upgrade with the Mini 311.
JMS3096 is right. The free upgrade program is only for upgrades from Vista to 7. True netbooks wont get the free upgrade because they are running Windows XP. That is a Microsoft thing, not a manufacturer thing.