HP joins the notebook bonanza - finally

Hewlett-Packard is to launch a mini-notebook in an attempt to regain ground in this fastest-growing PC category, which until now has been dominated by its smaller rivals, according to a Reuters report.

HP's new Mini 1000 costs about $400, is very different from the company's first notebook release, launched last spring, the report reckons. It uses Intel Corp's Atom processor, and is cheaper, suggesting that the price war in notebooks that some analysts have been predicting may have begun.

A lot rides on this for HP: although it remains the top-selling PC maker, its overall market share dropped slightly to 18.8% and it was outsold in Europe by notebook specialist Acer.