So I guess, as the fashion blogger, I am where they send prettified, pimped-up tech gadgets to, even though I have no idea how to describe a gadget in technical terms so…

I think the Tord Boontje-designed HP Mini, with ‘an exclusive HP Mini Imprint 3D finish with beautiful flora that weaves delicately around endangered animals, creating a mystical, layered effect‘ is indeed pretty:

HP Mini by Studio Tord Boontje

Close up of the HP Mini

Every time I whipped it out of my bag, my girlfriends would chorus obligingly, ‘Oooh so pretty!’

Then: ‘Where did you buy it?’

Me: ‘I didn’t buy it.’

Them: ‘You got it for FREE?!’

Me: (considering fibbing just to see the jealousy flare in their eyes…) ‘Yea-uh..No. I’m supposed to do a review on it. But so far the only solid thing I can say about it is..IT’S REALLY PRETTY.’

See? Pretty.

Including its grey felt case, that will not protect it in case you drop it on the floor, but it is aesthetically pleasing, so…you get to decide which matters more. Plus, they are all made of recycled materials, and even soy-based ink (for the keys, I guess?). Extra points for being environmentally-friendly!

Tord Boontje studied industrial design – but whose studio now delves into other forms of design as well. They have long sought ‘a delicate marriage of design with emotion’ – which I think, in this case, totally hit its mark with the HP Mini. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard someone squeal over a netbook.

The OS was your typical Windows (this one came with Windows 7) – it just froze up a little when I plugged in a scriptwriting software and ran like 10 other windows at the same time, but I think to be fair, most other laptops would too. Still, it booted up quickly and fulfilled all of my basic web surfing requirements.

Girls like flowers right? Yeah, probably.

This special collab also comes with an endlessly customizable wallpaper to fulfil all your fickle-minded needs. Yes. Tired of the little white birdy? No problem, here’s a deer. A penguin. A bunny. A squirrel. A gorrilla. An elephant. – etc. Etc. You can have a different endangered animal on your screen every day.

It’s still handbag-sized definitely, but not handbag-weight – it says .5kg, but somehow it feels more like a full kg to me. When carried in your hands, it feels light – but once it’s in your bag, you really start to feel it weighing you down, so I guess that’s my only grouse. I stopped carrying my old laptop to school because it was an hour half journey, and another back – 3 hours of carrying a rock around is not my idea of fun. So while this 11″ netbook is definitely still much lighter than my 13″ Acer, on days where I know I will be running around much and need my hands free, I will probably still be leaving it at home.

However, the Dad did comment: ‘SO LIGHT ALREADY! If you want it any lighter then just use paper and pen!…’

Ah, but this is a man who doesn’t need to take public transport daily, so I refuse to stand corrected.

Verdict: Function, check. Form: Great, especially if happy pastoral images are your thing. You can spend a lot of time many a boring lecture staring at the design on your laptop, with its 3D animals and all.

I wish it came in a cool black-silver colour though, then I think it would be perfect for me. And it just needs to lose a little bit of weight. Then, perfection!

P. S. Both Starhub stores in Singapore (where this laptop is sold exclusively) and HP have started an initiative in which S$10 (US$7.20) will be donated to the Singapore Zoo with every Netbook sold (up to a cap of S$30,000 (US$21,604.49). This money will go to the conservation and breeding efforts for one animal species. You can vote for the endangered animal to be saved here!