HP has expanded the HP Mini family with three models of a new HP Mini 1000 line, following the success of its education-focused mini PC released in April."Staying connected to your world - however you define it - is increasingly important to people on the go," said Ted Clark, senior vice president and general manager, Notebook Global Business Unit, Personal Systems Group, HP. "That’s why HP is excited to address this new high-growth market with a portfolio of head-turning mini companion PCs that are fun and easy to use."

These laptops are less than an inch thick, weigh a little more than 2 pounds and have a keyboard that is 92 percent the size of a standard notebook PC keyboard. The laptops also feature a BrightView widescreen Infinity display (1,024 x 600 resolution) with flush glass and LED backlight, built-in webcam and microphone.

Powered by Intel Atom N270 1.6-gigahertz (GHz) processors, HP Minis will be made available worldwide in an array of configure-to-order options.The three models announced are the HP Mini 1000, the HP Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam Edition and the HP Mini 1000 with MIE (Mobile Internet Experience)

The HP Mini 1000 features a piano-black finish with HP Imprint swirl design. It is pre-installed with Windows XP Home, has an Ethernet jack, two USB ports and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless capabilities. Versions with 3G capabilities are expected to be available in December. Configuration choices include screen size - 8.9-inch or 10.2-inch diagonal BrightView display - and solid-state or mechanical hard-drive options.

The HP Mini 1000 is available at www.hpdirect.com at a starting price of $399.

The HP Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam Edition comes in vibrant red with a peony-flower inspired design. It features a 10.2-inch diagonal BrightView display, runs Windows XP Home, includes an Ethernet jack, two USB ports, and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless capabilities. The laptop is expected to be available in mid-December via www.hpdirect.com. It is expected to be priced at $699.

The HP Mini 1000 with MIE (Mobile Internet Experience) has an HP-developed interface making it easy to enjoy digital content - videos, photos, music and email - on demand and on the go. MIE comes loaded with instant messaging, email and Skype for online video chat. Applications enabling browsing, email and online video are pre-loaded and run from the MIE dashboard, minimizing startup time. Favorite websites that are added to the dashboard stay live, and the taskbar makes it easy to switch between programs.

The HP Mini 1000 with MIE runs the Linux operating system, includes an Ethernet jack, two USB ports, and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless capabilities. It is expected to be available in January via www.hpdirect.com at a starting price of $379.