Before the release of Apple’s Macbook Air, the HP Pavilion dm1z was one of the thinnest, lightest, and full-featured netbooks available on the market. No matter what advantages the Air may have over the dm1z, however, some users need to run Windows, and the dm1z has other advantages as well.

One of the main advantages of the dm1z is upgradeability. Unlike the Air, users can swap or replace the battery, and there is access to the hard drive, RAM slot, and a mini PCI-e slot for upgrades. While there are solid arguments for and against user-replaceable parts, those who prefer this option will certainly lean toward the dm1z.

The 11.6 inch display has a resolution of 1366 x 768, which is a good pixel density for such a small screen, making text more readable. The AMD Athlon II Neo K125 processor should be powerful enough for most users, as netbooks are not designed for heavy tasks. There is even an ATI Radeon HD 4225 graphics chip included for light gaming and acceleration. 2GB of RAM is included, and can be upgraded to a maximum of 5 GB if desired. Buyers have the option of a 128 GB SSD or a 250 GB standard hard drive, letting them choose between faster access speeds or more storage.

The dm1z has many connectivity options. Along with ethernet and Wi-Fi support, it has support for Bluetooth 2.1, as well as HDMI, VGA, and 3 USB ports. It also has a card reader slot built in that supports multiple media card types. Rated battery life should be fairly comparable to most netbook models, at around 6.5 hours, and as mentioned, the battery is removable, adding the ability for even more battery life.

While the HP dm1z is certainly not the lightest or thinnest on the market, it has a good balance of portability and performance that should appeal to many buyers. Its price is affordable, and it makes an excellent value for a netbook.