HP’s latest consumer netbook is the 1000 Mini Vivienne Tam Edition, and once you see it in the flesh it’s clear that this is a very different netbook – at least in terms of design. Striking is an understatement: a bright red finish that stretches to the inside is only outshone by the oriental, floral pattern on the back. “Inspired” by a Vivienne Tam design, this is the reason for its name.

It’s clearly aimed at the more female of the world’s population, so I gauged the reaction of two ladies who happened to be passing the HP stand. And very positive it was too. “It’s gorgeous,” one replied, and when I asked whether she could see herself with one the answer was again a definite yes. “The only problem would be if I was to take it out of work, with all the flowers, I’m not sure I’d be taken very seriously in a meeting.” Still, both of them seemed convinced that it was worth the extra $200 over the standard (and much more boring looking) Mini 1000.

Even if the styling wasn’t quite so much to my tastes, I was taken by the keyboard. It’s simply a joy to type on, with a tactile feel and lots of space for the keys – HP claims it’s 92% the size of a normal keyboard. The only quirk is the mouse buttons being placed to either side of the touchpad rather than below it, but this should be easy enough to adapt to.

It’s difficult to judge a screen when on a showfloor, but despite its glossy finish it didn’t look too reflective. There was also no graininess, and the colours looked vibrant – overall, it impressed. Don’t expect a startling resolution, though, with HP opting for a 1,024 x 576 resolution across the 10.1in diagonal.

The rest of the specs are familiar for a netbook: a 1.6GHz Atom processor, 1GB of RAM and a 60GB hard disk. With a three-cell battery in place, we’d expect battery life somewhere between two and three hours.

Disappointingly, there’s no embedded 3G modem in the UK version and no draft-n WLAN – you’ll have to make do with 802.11bg and Bluetooth.

So essentially you’re paying all the extra money for the design. As the HP rep on the stand said to me, “welcome to fashion”. And, if it’s any consolation, you do get a rather fetching embroidered sleeve as part of the package.