What is the perfect hinge strength for netbooks?
March 19, 2009 at 3:17 pm
Personally, this is something that I haven’t thought about too much nor is it something that would worry me either. However, the guys over at UMPC Portal have made a short video post looking at the issue of hinge strength on netbooks (how easy is it to open/close the screen without using two hands).
They look at two netbooks, the HP Mini 1000 and Sony Vaio P. In their opinion, the HP Mini 1000 does not have optimal hinge strength as when you try lifting the screen the hinge is so strong that the whole netbook moves. This is not ideal as when the lid is lifted the body comes up with it and then slams back down onto the table. The Vaio P on the other hand has a lightweight chassis and the hinge is such that when moving the display, the base hardly budges at all. It looks like the chassis is glued to the table. The design is such that you can easily move the screen with one hand.
If I were to choose between the two, then it would definitely have to be strong hinge over a loose one. At least that is until we see a device with an adjustable strength hinge. From my experience with these things, hinges tend to get looser as time goes on. Once a hinge is loose there is little to do to make it strong again. Also when you are on the move in a car or train the last thing you need is a loose hinge in my view. Anyway check out the interesting video after the jump.
August 3rd, 2009 4:33 AM
I have the HP Mini (1116NR). The hinge strength has been an issue with my netbook. In fact, it was so firm that eventually the screws on one of the hinges stripped out of where it was mounted and came free from the monitor.
The little HP netbook is by far my favorite PC purchase ever. I love it. It is more powerful than my desktop and old laptop, so a cheap little upgrade for me. But the hinge is stronger than where it’s mounted on and will break with average movement. It’ll start clicking and feeling loose after a month or two of opening and closing, eventually, one of them will give. HP was willing to fix the problem after $16 of shipping and handling.