HP 2133 Mini-Note Review

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by Jerry Jackson and Tiffany Boggs

Just when you thought you'd never find the perfect small form factor notebook for less than $1,000, HP comes to the table with the all new 2133 Mini-Note. This ultra mobile subnotebook features an impressive 8.9-inch screen, a remarkably large keyboard, a full-sized notebook hard drive, and plenty of impressive specs. Is this the perfect road warrior machine? Let's take a closer look and find out.

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Our pre-production HP 2133 Mini-Note features the following specifications:

• Operating System: Genuine Windows Vista Business, Genuine Windows Vista Home Basic 32, FreeDOS, or SuSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10
• Processor: VIA C7-M ULV Processor (up to 1.6 GHz, 128 KB L2 cache)
• Chipset: VIA CN896NB and 8237S SB
• Memory: DDR2 SDRAM, 667MHz, one SODIMM memory slot, supports up to 2048MB
• Internal Storage: 120GB/160GB 5400 rpm SATA, 120GB/160GB 7200 rpm SATA with HP 3D DriveGuard; or 64GB Solid State Drive; optional 4GB PATA Flash Module with SuSE Linux
• Display: 8.9-inch diagonal WXGA (1280 x 768)
• Graphics: VIA Chrome 9
• Audio: High Definition Audio, stereos speakers, integrated stereo microphones, stereo headphone/line out, stereo microphone in
• Wireless support: Broadcom 802.11a/b/g, b/g, optional Bluetooth 2.0, HP Wireless Assistant
  Communications Broadcom Ethernet Integrated Controller (10/100/1000)
• Expansion slots: (1) ExpressCard/54 slot, Secure Digital (SD) slot
• Ports and connectors: (2) USB 2.0 ports, VGA, power connector, RJ-45/Ethernet, stereo headphone/line out, stereo microphone in, optional VGA webcam
• Input device: 92% full-sized keyboard, touchpad with scroll zone
• Software: HP Backup and Recovery Manager, Roxio Creator 9, Microsoft Office Ready 20078
  Security Kensington lock, Symantec Norton Internet Security
• Dimensions (H x W x D): 1.05 (at front) x 10.04 x 6.5 inches
• Weight: 2.63 lb (with 3-cell battery and 4 GB Solid State Drive, 3.23 lb with 6-cell battery and 160GB hard drive, 2.86 lb with 3-cell battery and 160GB hard drive.
• Power: 6-cell (55 WHr) or 3-cell (28 WHr) Lithium-Ion battery, 65W HP Smart AC Adapter with HP Fast Charge
• Warranty: Limited 1-year and 90-day warranty options available, depending on country, 1-year limited warranty on primary battery

Pricing for the HP 2133 Mini-Note range from as little as $499 for the 1.0GHz VIA processor, 512MB of RAM and a 4GB PATA Flash module with Linux, to $749 for the 1.6GHz VIA processor, 2GB of RAM and a 120GB 5400 rpm hard drive running Windows Vista Business.

HP will also be offering a version of the Mini-Note with a 160GB 7200 rpm hard drive (which is the configuration we received for review) but that pricing was unavailable at the time of this writing. Still, it's safe to assume the price for this configuration will be more than $750.

Build and Design

The HP 2133 Mini-Note has a great design. Everyone in our office agreed that it has a solid chassis and attractive look. The brushed aluminum and plastic casing is durable and hides fingerprints well. It also keeps the Mini-Note lightweight, only weighing in around 2.86 lbs as configured. It has that sleek business appeal, but is targeted toward students as well. One look at the Mini-Note and I can see why. I mean who wouldn't want an inexpensive subnotebook to tote back and forth to class, especially one that pretty much has a full-size keyboard.

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HP didn't go wrong with the design. The 8.9" WXGA display is beautiful and easy to read. It puts off a glare though because of the protective coating. Nothing about the Mini-Note feels cheap. I didn't notice any signs of flex and enjoyed its good variety of ports and features. The Mini-Note also comes with different hard drive options, so hopefully this might help in the performance section considering the Mini-Note sports a VIA C7-M ULV processor.

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As I mentioned above, the keyboard is almost full size. It is 92% of a full sized keyboard, which is quite impressive for such a small form factor. It is much more comfortable to type on compared to the Asus Eee PC. The touchpad can be awkward though, especially the placement of the right and left click buttons. As you can see from the pictures below it does have a neat power and Wi-Fi switch that lights up and changes from blue when on to orange when off.

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While some consumers might be upset at the absence of a DVD drive in the Mini-Note, that's just one trade-off you have to make for such a compact design. In truth, there simply isn't any room left inside the Mini-Note after everything is said and done. The photo below shows that the only empty spaces inside the chassis are where the hard drive and ExpressCard slot are located.

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If you're interested in a quick overview of the HP 2133 Mini-Note we've provided this short video below:

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Screen

Compared to the screens on other subnotebooks priced below $1,000, the screen on the HP 2133 Mini-Note is beyond beautiful. Most notebooks that we review (regardless of size or price) would be lucky to have a screen like this. Contrast is excellent, backlighting is even across the surface without any bleeding around the edges, colors are saturated and crisp, and viewing angles are relatively nice.

The 1280 x 768 resolution is likewise exceptional given the small size of this notebook. Text is a little smaller than what most consumers would prefer, but this is a minor inconvenience considering the fact that you can display a complete webpage on the LCD exactly as it was meant to be displayed.

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The only issue that caused concern with the screen on the Mini-Note was the use of an additional protective layer of glossy plastic over the screen. While this extra layer of plastic helps protect the display, the unfortunate side effect is significant reflection. We're not talking about a typical glossy screen. We're talking about a screen with a completely separate glossy layer applied over it.

When viewing the display your eyes naturally shift focus between what is being displayed on the screen and what is being reflected in the glossy surface of the second layer over the screen. Since these images are on a slightly different focal plane you can easily develop eye strain and headaches from looking at this screen. I actually developed a mild headache after less than two hours of using this notebook.

Below are a few sample images to illustrate the screen reflections on the Mini-Note:

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The reflections on the screen aren't noticeable at all in a dark room, but most people don't use their notebooks in the dark unless they're just watching movies. If you aren't sensitive to reflections then the screen is beautiful when viewed from straight ahead.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The keyboard on the 2133 Mini-Note is great. To put it plainly, this is the best keyboard we've seen on a notebook this small. The keys have a silver finish and are smooth to the touch. There isn't a textured feel to the keyboard. The best thing though is how big it is. I mean, it almost is a full-sized keyboard, so writing papers on this thing is a breeze. No spelling errors due to hitting the wrong keys. I didn't notice any signs of flex and really liked that most of the keys were full sized except a few. The tilde key and the number one key are smaller than the rest of the numbers, which was quite odd. The space bar was relatively small too.

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The touchpad was awkward. Response time was a little slow sometimes, but it is easy to navigate with. The right and left click buttons are what get you. The buttons are located on the sides of the touchpad, which take some time to get used too. I forgot what I am clicking on sometimes. I would have liked the palm rest area to be a little bigger, so the buttons could have been relocated below the touchpad like on standard notebooks or the Eee PC. The button above the touchpad is a convenient feature that turns the touchpad off and makes it inactive when you are typing.

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Input and Output Ports

Of course, one minor compromise you have to make with the ultra-mobile form factor of the Mini-Note is that the laptop cannot accommodate the standard array of ports you'll find on other notebooks. HP did manage to include a reasonable number of ports. The complete list of ports includes:

• 1x ExpressCard/54 slot
• Secure Digital (SD) card reader
• 2x USB 2.0 ports
• VGA out
• Power connector
• RJ-45/Ethernet
• Stereo headphone/line out
• Stereo microphone/line in

Here is a quick tour around the HP 2133 Mini-Note:

Front view: Power switch, drive status light, Wi-Fi on/off switch. (view large image)

Rear view: No ports here, just the hinges and battery. (view large image)

Left side view: VGA out, heat vent, USB 2.0 port, microphone in, headphone out. (view large image)

Right side view: ExpressCard/54 slot, SD card reader, USB 2.0 port, Ethernet, power connector, and security lock slot. (view large image)

Performance and Benchmarks

After the impressive build and design of the HP 2133 Mini-Note we expected to see a likewise impressive level of performance coming out of this tiny titan. Unfortunately, performance is one area where the Mini-Note falls short.

On paper the 1.6GHz VIA C7-M processor should provide excellent speed for general computing tasks. In reality, web pages rendered slower than expected, multi-tasking was painfully slow, and most processor-hungry applications like Photoshop or video encoding software just didn't like the VIA processor.

Our standard range of synthetic benchmark tests likewise didn't play very nice with the VIA processor and VIA Chrome 9 integrated graphics. While synthetic benchmarks don't always give you an accurate measure of a system's real-world performance, these benchmarks do give you a good idea of how the HP Mini-Note performs compared to other laptops currently on the market.

While the benchmark numbers certainly aren't "bad" it's hard to get excited about these numbers when you factor in that this configuration of the HP Mini-Note costs more than $750. With that said, let's jump into the benchmarks.

PCMark05 measures overall system performance (higher scores mean better performance):

Notebook	PCMark05 Score
HP 2133 Mini-Note (1.6GHz VIA C7-M ULV)	801 PCMarks
HTC Shift (800MHz Intel A110)	891 PCMarks
Asus Eee PC 4G (630MHz Intel Celeron M ULV)	908 PCMarks
Asus Eee PC 4G (900MHz Intel Celeron M ULV)	1,132 PCMarks
Everex CloudBook (1.2GHz VIA C7-M ULV)	612 PCMarks
Sony VAIO TZ (1.20GHz Intel Core 2 Duo U7600)	2,446 PCMarks
Fujitsu LifeBook P7230 (1.2GHz Intel Core Solo U1400)	1,152 PCMarks
Sony VAIO VGN-G11XN/B (1.33GHz Core Solo U1500)	1,554 PCMarks
Toshiba Portege R500 (1.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo U7600)	1,839 PCMarks

wPrime processor comparison results (lower scores mean better performance):

Notebook / CPU	wPrime 32M time
HP 2133 Mini-Note (Via CV7-M ULV @ 1.6GHz)	168.697 seconds
Asus Eee PC 4G (Intel Celeron M ULV @ 630MHz)	289.156 seconds
Asus Eee PC 4G (Intel Celeron M ULV @ 900MHz)	200.968 seconds
Everex CloudBook (VIA C7-M ULV @ 1.2GHz)	248.705 seconds
Fujitsu U810 Tablet PC (Intel A110 @ 800MHz)	209.980 seconds
Sony VAIO VGN-G11XN/B (Core Solo U1500 @ 1.33GHz)	124.581 seconds
Sony VAIO TZ (Core 2 Duo U7600 @ 1.2GHz)	76.240 seconds
Dell Inspiron 2650 (Pentium 4 Mobile @ 1.6GHz)	231.714 seconds

3DMark06 comparison results for graphics performance (higher scores are better):

Notebook	3DMark06 Score
HP 2133 Mini-Note (1.6GHz VIA C7-M ULV, VIA Chrome 9)	93 3DMarks
Averatec 2575 (2.2 GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-64, ATI RS690T)	377 3DMarks
Dell Inspiron 1525 (2.0GHz Intel T7250, Intel X3100)	545 3DMarks
Sony VAIO NR (1.5GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5250, Intel X3100)	504 3DMarks
Dell XPS M1530 (2.20GHz Intel T7500, Nvidia 8600M GT 256MB)	4,332 3DMarks
Dell Inspiron 1520 (2.0GHz Intel T7300, NVIDIA 8600M GT)	2,905 3DMarks
Dell XPS M1330 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS 128MB)	1,408 3DMarks
Samsung Q70 (2.0GHz Core 2 Duo T7300 and nVidia 8400M G GPU)	1,069 3DMarks
Asus F3sv-A1 (Core 2 Duo T7300 2.0GHz, Nvidia 8600M GS 256MB)	2,344 3DMarks
Alienware Area 51 m5550 (2.33GHz Core 2 Duo, nVidia GeForce Go 7600 256MB	2,183 3DMarks
Fujitsu Siemens Amilo Xi 1526 (1.66GHz Core Duo, nVidia 7600Go 256 MB)	2,144 3DMarks
Samsung X60plus (2.0GHz Core 2 Duo T7200, ATI X1700 256MB)	1,831 3DMarks
Asus A6J (1.83GHz Core Duo, ATI X1600 128MB)	1,819 3DMarks
HP dv6000t (2.16 GHz Intel T7400, NVIDA GeForce Go 7400)	827 3DMarks

HDTune hard drive performance results:

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Another factor to keep in mind when judging the overall system performance is the operating system being used. Our pre-production review unit was using Windows Vista Business and, like most notebooks using Windows Vista, performance likely suffers as a result. Here is a short video comparing the startup time of the HP Mini-Note with Vista against the Asus Eee PC with XP:

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While you may argue our justification for comparing a notebook with Vista against a notebook with XP, this is a valid comparison because it demonstrates what consumers will experience "out of the box" with two notebooks targeted at similar customers.

Audio

The built-in speaker performance on the Mini-Note was quite superior compared to other notebooks in this class. The audio is excellent for watching short video clips or web conferencing, but it's also loud enough to enjoy music or full-length movies with distortion-free sound using the built-in speakers.

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Of course, for the best possible audio performance you'll want to use external speakers or headphones. The audio output via the headphone jack is quite good and provides excellent, distortion-free sound for headphones or external speakers.

Heat and Noise

The ultra low voltage VIA processor in the HP 2133 Mini-Note generated far more heat than we typically expect from ultra low voltage processors. Temperature readings taken from the outside of the aluminum and plastic chassis spiked above 110 degrees Fahrenheit in multiple locations and the Mini-Note actually became uncomfortable to hold after 30-45 minutes of serious use.

The cooling fan ran at full speed most of the time and clearly struggled to keep temperatures under control. Most of the time the fan is only loud enough to hear in a perfectly quiet environment, but if you work in a relatively quiet office or classroom setting you should be prepared for coworkers and students to complain about the noise coming from the cooling fan.

Below are images indicating the temperature readings from the HP 2133 Mini-Note (listed in degrees Fahrenheit) taken inside our office where the ambient temperature was 75 degrees Fahrenheit:

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Battery

Overall, the HP 2133 Mini-Note did a reasonable job in terms of power management. With the Mini-Note connected to a Wi-Fi network and browsing the web on the "balanced" power setting with the display at about 50 percent brightness, we obtained 2 hours and 15 minutes of battery life with the standard 3-cell battery. Using the same settings we obtained 4 hours and 11 minutes of battery life with the 6-cell extended life battery.

Bottom line, the Mini-Note makes an excellent mobile companion with the extended life battery. The only possible negative to using the extended life battery is that the larger 6-cell battery sticks out from the bottom of the notebook adding both size and weight. However, this also provides an advantage since it provides a more ergonomic angle to the keyboard for typing.

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Conclusion

The HP 2133 Mini-Note is one of the most impressive subnotebooks we've ever seen. Unfortunately, the amazing design and solid range of features are diminished by a sub-par processor and a price tag that places this notebook dangerously close to far superior 12-inch notebooks such as the HP tx2000.

HP managed to create the single most impressive ultraportable notebook on the market ... and then decided to put a lackluster processor inside.

Despite the poor processor performance, the HP 2133 Mini-Note is a remarkably solid machine that could be a perfect fit for students, teachers, or mobile business professionals. If HP decides to replace the VIA processors with the new Intel Atom processors or alternative processors from Intel, the Mini-Note would become the undisputed champion of the subnotebook market.

Pros

• The most attractive 8.9-inch notebook we've ever seen
• Excellent build quality
• Great keyboard
• ExpressCard slot offers fantastic expansion possibilities
• Multiple configuration options

Cons

• VIA processor just doesn't perform well
• Windows Vista might be too much for the VIA processor and graphics
• Strange location for touchpad buttons
• Screen is too reflective due to second glossy protective layer
• Aluminum and plastic casing gets a little too hot
• Price is a little too much for what you get

 

Interesting little thing.

The YT videos don't work btw

 

I can't deny that the concept is great and that in a few years these type of devices will be at the right price, but for now this one costs way too much.

 

what type of hard drive do they use? 2.5" sata?

 

Very nice review - been waiting for one. Any idea when we will see these in store / online? Trying to decide on a small form factor notebook that has a long battery life.

 

Seems like it, E. Though it says a PATA Flash SSD, which is kinda interesting, dual format?

 

Great review guys. I was really looking forward to seeing this machine released. After seeing the specs and reading the review I can sum up my feelings with one word. Meh. It is an awesome looking machine and has a lot of potential but HP failed in their execution. Have none of the HP engineers used an OQO or any other machine with a Via processor? They are absolutely junk. Then they slip in Vista on top of that? Morons. I'm sure that 7200 RPM drive is going to do a lot of good. That's like taking a Vette and transplanting a weed eater eingine into it. But hey the 3 foot high spoiler on the back adds 50 mph to the top end!!

 

I agree with duffy...I wonder why they went with Via especially considering the Celeron powers the EEe PC and pricing wise it should be quite similar. I hope they release an XP version now that MS has extended OEM's to use it in such ULPC's, it should make it much more attractive than with Vista even if it is priced slightly higher than EEe..

 

Just how bad was this? I like the 9-inch screen and better keyboard over the EEE, but it needs to have at least acceptable performance.

As much as I want to root for the underdog VIA processor and graphics, it sure isn't easy to. The processor is better than a Pentium 4 of comparable speed at least, but 93 3dmarks doesn't inspire much confidence.

And while HP chose liberally with the processor/IGP, they stuck with their superglossy screens as much as ever. And the decision to stay with Vista is questionable at best - considering most consumers wouldn't choose FreeDOS or Suse, an XP option on a machine such as this would seem to make sense. I'm curious what the real-world performance difference (in either XP or Linux, really) would be. But HP is more pro-Vista than anyone - even Microsoft it seems at times.

It's got potential, but it's not the ultraportable that will make me think they're worth the press they've been getting, either.

 

Is that a joke about 1.6GHz processor installed? It is not even close to 1.2GHz or 900MHz processors... What a disappointment.

 

Extremely impressive review. I always like reading your reviews. They honestly look at the equipment in question from all angles.

Personally, I am curious to see what other pricing options become available. I understand from other postings that a 64GB SSD option should be available. It will be interesting to see where they place the pricing on that option.

My opinion on the device with respect to its pricing is the same as the review. Not bad, but not *that* inexpensive. There are a large number of very powerful laptops that can be purchased at the $750 price point. On the other hand, there are very *few* laptops that can boast that level of mobility (size and weight) with those options at that price. In short, I think it's a good laptop with excellent mobility whereas you can find excellent laptops with good mobility (larger and heavier) on websites like Deals2buy.com.

Still, kudos to HP for the device, it looks sweet.

 

Crap, I had great expectation on this notebook. I guess I'll wait on the next generation mini-note or go for Ex3 pc 2 when next school year comes in.

 

Great review. Somewhat disappointed at the weight of the unit and the battery life. There are Pentium M ULV laptops that are way better than this and less expensive.

 

VIA processor performing poorly on an otherwise great alternative solution to netbook, where have I heard that before coughcloudbookcough.

Rule of thumb for me now is the netbook must sport an Intel processor, then we'll work out the details.

 

Sorry guys, I tried to move the two threads into one and it....uhhh, kinda went wrong. Andrew will come around and fix it, but until then this newb here apologizes

 

I agree. I think the price puts it into too small of a niche. I'm still looking forward to the 2nd gen eee.

 

I like how it looks. Very nice looking screen.
Looks more like a complete/mature product and makes the EEE look like a toy.

However, as you have said it yourself, given the price point and weight, i'm also wondering if a 12" subnotebook might be a better deal.

For comparison, i recently got a mint condition Outlet/ex-eval D420 for USD$750 and that comes with the mediabase and its Latitude warranty intact.


Weight : 3.3lbs (w/ 6 Cell) VS 3.5lbs with 6 Cell/no mediabase
Size : 1.5 inch smaller all around, thickness about the same
Price : About the same, Ok, so the Dell isn't technically "new", but its good value nonetheless

I expected a bit better battery life from the low powered VIA Cpu and smaller screen. For an UMPC to make sense, it has to be small. This is where the EEE makes sense, it's cheap, small and robust, the HP on the other hand, gets precariously close to 12" subnotebook territory.

 

wow... that is just sexual...

Shame about the performance and screen size though. They should've shoehorned an Intel in there...

 

Another one here really liking this notebook if it only this didn't have a fricking Via processor, argh! Why on Earth did they pick Via, they really had to have bribed HP to put their crud into this.

Otherwise, looks like a really great product, can't believe this has a 2.5" HDD whereas my larger Vaio TZ has a 1.8" HDD.

Please Intel, revise this with Intel processors later on because otherwise, it looks great. I'm not really a fan of Atom and they can fit a ULV Core 2 Duo into this.

Gosh, garbage performance and still emits so much heat? Looks like only Intel can make good LV/ULV processors at least.

By the way, you guys listed a 64gb SSD option for this, that has to be a typo right? The price would skyrocket and it makes no sense to have that and cruddy Via matched together.

I have no problem paying a bit more than the EEE to get this sort of notebook with a huge HDD, and larger screen and resolution.

 

The battery life is pretty disappointing for such an underpowered device. Also dislike HP's obsession with batteries that sticks out the bottom. They look very ugly and awkward on a table.

 

Man, this thing looks beyond impressive. Too bad Vista has to ruin everything with performance. They had better offer an xp or a Linux option with this notebook. And a lower price, too.

 

Really too bad about the VIA processor. If they'd gone with the Atom I'd be all over this. Now I'm back to being dissapointed in this, waiting for then 9" EEE, or waiting even longer for something totally new to come along.

Is it even worth hoping that HP will update this with the intel Atom once it's available?

 

For me the screen is the biggest disappointment -- I thought I found out the perfect mobile notebook but the risk of straining my eyes is not worth it.

CPU, battery, etc. are just technical terms, but come on, something that has influence on your health (negative) is a disqualification.

Thank you for the review ! Cheers

 

I really like it, but I'm drawn to its looks far more than its substance. The aluminum skin is amazing, the looks are great, the specs are excellent on paper, but it unfortunately lets down in performance. The fast drive, RAM and even graphics look like they are crippled by the dog of a processor.

I will have to check it out if it comes to Best Buy though. The keyboard being a bit bigger makes the notebook bigger, but fortunately it still looks very close to the Eee's dimensions.

In the end, the sales will determine whether I get one. I want Bluetooth for cellular internet and I want cheap.

 

For 499$ theyre basically offering the EEE 4G that was released last year for 399$ but with a VIA processor.

 

The C7-M is a really old CPU design. It was pretty bad two years ago (except in terms of power draw) and VIA have not done much to speed it up. Isaiah would have been a better choice if HP really wanted VIA.

Why not wait a few months for Isaiah or Atom? Hmmm... wasted opportunity.

Not sure about the pricing scheme either. The CPU is found in the cheapest computers around - the Everex gOS boxes. Seems to be a poor value.

 

Wait for the Atom version or unhappy early adopters who sell this way less than MSRP.

 

Now that HP is officially in the UMPC market, expect more brands to follow suit. I'd love to buy this, but since this is only the beginning, there is so much more room for improvement. I've had many regrets buying stuff that would only get a better version in a few months' time.

Good things come to those who wait!

 

Three comments:
1) Great choice on SUSE as the linux option
2) Looking forward to an Isaiah CPU version
3) Nice to have decent sound on a UMPC

 

This mini-laptop was supposed to be so close to perfection, and then they go ahead and ruin it with:

• Performance
• Poor battery life

I mean come on, my 4.2lb M1330 with a 6 cell (56Whr) gets 3.5 hours or more browsing the internet. For a laptop the size and power of the 2133, that sort of battery life is an absolute deal-breaker.

And to think, that sort of performance was with a 160GB 7200RPM drive as well, with a price probably in the range of $850.

 

I know, right?!

My countenance has fallen.

ISAIAH! Save us!

Hopefully along with Isaiah, HP will decide to add XP as an option and S3's Chrome 400 into that thing. I'll put up with some heat and glare if I can blaze through apps for 4 hours plus on the 3 cell batt.

Know what I'm saying?

 

Obviously this thing is not going to run aero 3d desktop or any eye candy. Why would HP want to cripple this little guy with mighty bloat of vista? Seems like a nice design but the vista option and excessive heat are definite deal killers. If manufactures start pairing up weak processors with vista like this there will be even stronger pressure from consumers and industry to find non MS alternatives.

 

This with Isaiah or Atom and Im there!

 

that is exactly what i'm thinking.

 

Nice review Jerry! Great pictures too.

As I was reading the review I was thinking to myself "wow, this is truly a great machine!" but then I got to the performance, battery life, and heat section and my impressions plummeted. The VIA processor is absolutely horrible, why on earth would they have put that in this machine? Even if the Intel processors would have caused the price to jump about $50, that is well worth it. At the already-expensive $750, another $50 probably won't matter. Battery life would probably be much better with the Intel CPU as well. And so would the heat . . . the VIA processor essentially nuked this machine. They could have killed three birds with one stone with the Intel.

I wonder how well this thing is going to sell at $750.

 

I think my TZ130 new for $1188 was a better value than this.

 

I'm going to go against the crowd here and argue that performance is definitely meh, but if the form factor is right (going to 12" is too big for you), the build quality and attractiveness matters more. According to reports a lot of programs run fine, so even if the machine isn't faster than a EEE, if it's acceptable, then the extra ram and hard drive space will compensate for performance and then its build quality features for the rest of the price.

Of course, with Acer's atom sub-notebook in the pipeline it might be worthwhile to wait.

 

I was strongly considering buying one of these until I read the review. Poor performance, ~2 hours of battery life, super glossy screen, crappy touch pad, and high temperatures ruined it.

I'm a college student and if I would buy something like this, it would be for two reasons: 1. Price. $750 is way too much and it looks like the $500 model would be incredibly slow. 2. Portability. This thing needs to weigh about a pound less and get a lot more than 2 hours of battery life to be portable.

In the future, if they could slap an Atom processor in there along with a standard screen and a multi-touch touchpad (like on the MacBooks, so they don't need the goofy buttons on the sides of the touchpad), it might be viable. But I think I'm going to wait for the 12 inch Dell Latitude E that will weigh less, get better battery life, and have a Core 2 Duo for ridiculously higher performance than this.

 

2 hrs for battery life? ugh...The 6 cell battery makes the whole weight and size factor go out the window.

Looks like I have to lean on the 2nd generation EEE

 

Performance is a moot-point, if and only if it satisfies the typical usage pattern of the device. In this case, judging by the review, it sounds like even web browsing gets sluggish. I'd imagine if someone purchased this for web browsing and found that it couldn't smoothly handle even that simple task, it will not become popular.

Remember, the $499 option has a 4GB flash card and 512MB RAM only. It's really saying something when the $749 + 7200RPM drive is only about as fast as the $399 Eee PC. The 2GB RAM and 160GB 7200RPM drive had better compensate for the difference of the CPUs (I'm not certain the CPU is necessarily terrible - wPrime doesn't look too bad).

Absolutely agree here. I don't know how much even the Celeron M in the Eee PC would cost, but short of giving them away, I'm not sure how VIA managed to land this order, unless they're promising/showing way more with Isaiah.

Just from a technical standpoint, I don't understand how the C7-M ULV can dissipate so much heat. The spec sheets show anywhere from 3.5W to 7.5W TDP for the ULV CPUs.

http://www.via.com.tw/en/products/processors/c7-m_ulv/index.jsp

However, based on the temperature readings and the poor battery life, there's definitely something awry here. Could it simply be a matter of the power management system not working in the pre-production machine?

Jerry, any notes on whether the CPU actually clocks itself/lowers voltage while idling?

 

I was waiting for this to come out but I settled on the XPS M1330 instead. Nicely done HP!

 

I would think the 7200rpm hard drive and Vista putting a strain on the processor add heat.

 

Here is Van Smith's review of the C-7M. Very smart guy.

http://www.viaarena.com/default.aspx?PageID=5&ArticleID=462&P=9

 

Great on paper, but overall I think the Asus still wins out, people don't buy a UMPC for massive computing power or loads of hard drive space, which is what the HP is trying to do. An UMPC is mainly for quick website browsing, maybe a small music/video collection and note taking in classes/meetings. You don't need 160gb for that, and the Asus/cloudbook did pretty well offering 4gb/30gb respectively since they know what their target market want, and an Asus EEE with 4gb + 8gb card or cloudbook with 30gb is plenty of space for thousands of documents and a small music/video collection (why you'd want to watch videos on such a small screen is beyond me though).

The HP has also tried to squeeze in a more powerful processor, and again its just producing more heat that people don't need since you really don't need a processor faster then 1Ghz for basic tasks. And a VIA processor instead of a Intel ATOM or something similar is another bad choice in my opinion, since they don't perform particularly well. And to top it off they put vista on it... I actually quite like vista for my desktop, but for an UMPC its wasting computing power and space you don't have.

Ultimatley I think it was a great idea, but it's flawed and I can't help but thinking the 6.9" Asus EEE coming soon will offer something better for a similar/lower price.

 

Hahaha, it's all great except when you consider the C7-M is not even close to comparable clock-for-clock in performance with the two compared processors.

Let's compare that to a Pentium M clocked at 900MHz or so.

Regardless, that's the point of a TDP rating - it should be the max power consumption of the device, regardless of if it's running Vista or Linux. Sure the 7200RPM drive will add to the problem, but I doubt that's the only thing contributing to the difference between the 2133 and the Eee PC.

 

Man, your TZ also has a 5.3" DVD burner in there...

If you want something 8.9", you can probably get a used Sony Picturebook C1 dirt cheap -- and maybe even faster than this.

 

Guess I'll have to hold out for the next EEE or for Lenovo to step up and produce a similar ultraportable with anything other than a C7-M...c'mon dual-core Atom...

 

It looks pretty cool. UMPCs are for on-the-go use and not for extensive use such as music & image manipulation. The small screen will be a pain with imaging programs. One thing I wished though is it shoud've had a swiveling screen like it's big brother the tx2k series. This UMPC would be nice with a GPS program (if it was a swivel). Since this is the first for HP they will be listening and improve the next model.

 

I've been waiting for this for the time it was leaked. Now I really appreciate it except for the speed,temp, and price. Really gorgeous design, I might as well get the Linux version and install Ubuntu or XP.

One question, if you bought either version would you be able to change the add-ons such as RAM, HDD, etc.?

 

It will take some work since there are no easy access panels on the chassis. You have to completely disassemble the Mini-Note to get to the RAM and HDD.

That said, if you're willing to do the work, you CAN get to them.