Unboxing & First Impressions of the HP 2133 Mini Note

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d28tnzOkWzE' target='_blank'>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d28tnzOkWzE</a><br /><br /></div><embed width="425" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/d28tnzOkWzE&amp;hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed> <br /><br />Do you believe in love at first sight? Normally I don't, but I have to say, one look at the HP 2133 Mini Note and I felt my heart flutter - it's damn fine looking! The HP 2133 Mini Note is HP's answer to the Asus EEE. Ranging in price from $499 for a Linux-based, 4 GB SSD version to over $750 for a Windows Vista Business based version with a 160 GB hard drive. The version I look at in this video retails for $599 USD. It has a VIA 1.2 Ghz CPU, an 8.9&quot; LCD screen (1280 x 768 resolution), 1 GB of RAM, a 120 GB 5400 RPM hard drive, 802.11 a/b/g WiFi, a 3 cell battery, and runs Windows Vista Basic.<br /><br />If you have a YouTube account, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d28tnzOkWzE" target="_blank">please rate the video</a>, comment, and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/ThoughtsMedia" target="_blank">subscribe to our channel</a>. Thanks for your support!

[Felix Torres]

How's the Via processor's performance?
Or, to put it another way, what's the maximum video playback capacity? 480p? 720p? 1080p? I wouldn't hold much hope for 1080, but it should be able to at least playback the 720p streaming videos from the network sites if it truly aspires to play in the netbook arena...
Interesting toy. :-)
And now there's what? 6? 7 vendors out there pushing these minis?
And no slate tablet yet. :-(

[Jason Dunn]

How's the Via processor's performance?

It's not very good at all. :(

Or, to put it another way, what's the maximum video playback capacity? 480p? 720p? 1080p?

It seems like it can play 720p video - but only locally, not streaming. I have to do more testing.

EDIT: it can't play one of the WMV 720p samples I downloaded from Microsoft.com, at least not while there's another download going on in the background. Lots more testing to do. I really think this thing needs the Atom chip, assuming that the Atom chip really is faster.

[yslee]

And no slate tablet yet. :-(

Oh yea, this category is perfect for a tablet. I don't even mind a convertible, just make the damn tablet already. Bonus points if it's not resistive. :P

[txa1265]

I have the 'top end' config, with the 1.6 processor, 2GB of RAM and 6-cell batter (that gives the system a tilt).

I just got it on Wednesday so I don't have elaborate results yet, but the system is decent for doing about what you'd expect - light lifting. It reminds me much of my old Toshiba Libretto systems more than my even older HP Omnibook 300 & 800 systems.

And if anyone needed evidence that Vista is a frickin' pig, just look here. It is *so* unfriendly for this sort of system that it isn't funny.Part of me wishes I had paid the extra $75 to get the XP 'downgrade'.

Anyone buying this as anything but a 'PDA on steroids' is fooling themselves. I love it, but have more potent laptops to do the real work.

[Felix Torres]

Oh yea, this category is perfect for a tablet. I don't even mind a convertible, just make the damn tablet already. Bonus points if it's not resistive. :P

well, now, if you don't mind a convertible, Gigabyte has your number, right?
Gigabyte M912 reviews, specifications and news. (http://www.umpcportal.com/products/product.php?id=205)

Hands on with Gigabyte M912 and M724 convertible mini-tablets - Engadget (http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/03/hands-on-with-gigabyte-m912-and-m724-convertible-mini-tablets/)



BTW, don't be so quick to dismiss resistive screens...

I recently (and grudgingly) got a successor to my old TC1000 slate tablet and it both a Wacom pen *and* touch working on Vista Premium. Results are mixed (Me: what do you mean I can't reprogram or switch off the d***** buttons?!), but...

On a 12" screen, ebook reading is more like reading a hardcover than a paperback--at 3.5 pounds the thing is too heavy for one-handed reading--and it turns out the programming the swipes for paging works out very nicely and it doesn't break the immersion factor as much as other paging mechanisms.

Anyway, the thing I got is a pound too heavy, runs hotter than I'd like and is a convertible instead of a pure slate but the price was right (3 figures) and 3GB RAM, 250 GB HDD with a dual-core 2+ GHz AMD cpu is fast enough for 1080p video...

But if somebody made a $500 slate I'd be all over it just for reading. (Or if Amazon made a Kindle designed *primarily* for reading instead of selling books...) ;-)

I'm not shy about accumulating toys as long as I can rationalize it somehow...

Anyway, I know several folks that are weighing the eee PC Vs HP vs Dell Vs FIC Vs Gigabyte et all Minis...

Sooner or later, they'll all sort themselves out...

[Macguy59]

UGH. I was all hopped up about this unit until the poor CPU comment surfaced. How does this compare to the ASUS?

[Jason Dunn]

UGH. I was all hopped up about this unit until the poor CPU comment surfaced. How does this compare to the ASUS?

It's tough to say - the only Asus EEE I've tested was running Linux, so it's impossible to compare that to running Vista. I never attempted playing 720p video on the EEE.

My advice? Wait for the Mini Note with an Intel Atom processor - this CPU just doesn't cut it for anything beyond web, email, and word processing.

[Jason Dunn]

well, now, if you don't mind a convertible, Gigabyte has your number, right?...But if somebody made a $500 slate I'd be all over it just for reading. (Or if Amazon made a Kindle designed *primarily* for reading instead of selling books...) ;-)

I think pure slate for $600 or under with four hours of battery life would ROCK. Convertables are still laptops - bigger and bulkier than they need to be for scenarios where a slate would excel.

I have seen the future, and the future will involve lots of Star Trek PADD-like devices! :)

[Macguy59]

It's tough to say - the only Asus EEE I've tested was running Linux, so it's impossible to compare that to running Vista. I never attempted playing 720p video on the EEE.

My advice? Wait for the Mini Note with an Intel Atom processor - this CPU just doesn't cut it for anything beyond web, email, and word processing.

Vista is a dog even on decent hardware so this must be painful. I can live with the short battery life but not being able to play video at 720p is a deal breaker. Wonder what your Fujitsu is going for on ebay ? Maybe I'll get lucky and Apple will release something like this on Monday.

[Felix Torres]

It's tough to say - the only Asus EEE I've tested was running Linux, so it's impossible to compare that to running Vista. I never attempted playing 720p video on the EEE.

My advice? Wait for the Mini Note with an Intel Atom processor - this CPU just doesn't cut it for anything beyond web, email, and word processing.

The anandtech report on the Eee Box (earlier this week) suggested the mobile atom can handle HD video:

"While the Eee Box is fast enough to decode DivX/Xvid, it doesn't have the horsepower to do full 1080p H.264. I've found that low bitrate 720p H.264 is possible but with CPU utilization at around 90%. I would've preferred if ASUS had used the mobile Atom processor as its chipset has full H.264 decode acceleration, although I get the impression that it's not quite ready."

AnandTech (http://www.anandtech.com/weblog/showpost.aspx?i=451)

[Felix Torres]

I think pure slate for $600 or under with four hours of battery life would ROCK. Convertables are still laptops - bigger and bulkier than they need to be for scenarios where a slate would excel.

I have seen the future, and the future will involve lots of Star Trek PADD-like devices! :)

Kinda like this?

http://www.bookeen.com/ebook/ebook-reading-device.aspx

We're gettin' there...

OLED tech needs to come down in price and move to plastic substrates...

[Jason Dunn]

Kinda like this?

Yeah, kinda'. Has to be wireless and connected though, not just an eBook reader.

[Felix Torres]

Yeah, kinda'. Has to be wireless and connected though, not just an eBook reader.

Picky-picky...:rolleyes:

Give'em time...

At least they have the form factor right. And they work better than Trek PADDs which I'm pretty sure were *not* wireless; each PADD is a discrete document and had to be specially erased.

What you want is more like the Andromeda flimsies or the E.F.C Global.:D