The connectivity and ports are more than adequate. The ethernet is 10/100, the wireless is single-band 2.4GHz 802.11n, and--reflecting the unit's business focus--Bluetooth is on board. You'll find three USB 2.0 ports, an SD Card slot, and a VGA port for driving external displays, too.

The Mini 1103 ships with Windows 7 Starter, and HP bundles both a trial version of Corel Office and Office 2010 Starter. The latter is not a trial in the traditional sense: You can continue to use these reduced-function versions of Excel and Word forever, though you'll have to suffer though ads displayed to the right of the document workspace. Also included is the ArcSoft Camera Suite for taking advantage of the 640 by 480 Webcam.

If you're looking for an affordable netbook that gives your business's staffers the minimum they need to survive on the road, the HP Mini 1103 provides just that: the minimum, albeit in a classy package. A thorough winnowing of nonessential software can improve the experience greatly.