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By Dan Ackerman, CNET.com
Apr 09, 2008

While the ASUS Eee PC and Intel's Classmate and Netbook platforms have convinced us that low-cost, low-power laptops can be genuinely useful, we still long for something a little more upscale than the plastic construction of those systems. HP's bold entry into the mininotebook market comes in the form of the 2133 Mini-Note PC, a 9-inch laptop with a tailored look and magnesium alloy chassis that starts at US$599 for Windows (or US$499 for Linux) and tops out at US$749 with extras including Bluetooth, a Webcam, a 7,200rpm hard drive, and 2GB of RAM.

Editors' note : This review is based on tests done by our sister site CNET.com. As such, please note that there may be slight differences in the testing procedure and ratings system. For more information on the actual tests conducted on the product, please inquire directly at the site where the article was originally published. References made to some of other products in this review may not be available or applicable in Asia. Please check directly with your local distributor for details.

Design

The 2133's greatest asset is its unique keyboard which manages to fit in full-size keys by eliminating dead space on the keyboard tray, but we're less enamored of the pokey VIA processor, especially when Intel's Atom CPUs, seemingly designed specifically for systems like this, are right around the corner. Still, the HP 2133 Mini-Note works well enough for basic Web surfing and office productivity tasks, and it's quickly become our new favorite pick-up-and-go laptop.



Based on our initial impression of the 2133 Mini-Note, which we first saw under wraps at a New York steakhouse several weeks ago, we expected a much more expensive machine. Compared to most laptops in this price range, the 2133 looks like it should cost a good deal more, with a solid brushed aluminum lid and a magnesium-alloy chassis. The system weighs a bit less than 1.5kg, but due to its small size, feels heavier than you would expect. The 7-inch ASUS Eee PC has a slightly smaller footprint and weighs less, but its plastic construction feels positively toy-like compared to that of the 2133.

The 2133's biggest selling point is its fantastic keyboard, which HP claims is 92 percent of the size of a full-size laptop keyboard. Both inexpensive mini-notebooks and high-priced UMPCs have been plagued by tiny Chiclet-like keys, which make typing a pain and typos plentiful. By expanding the keyboard right to the edges of the system, HP was able to fit bigger keys into the tray. The result is a comfortable typing experience. It also presents a unique, eye-catching look.

The touchpad also has an unusual shape, stretched into a letterbox-like wide rectangle. The touch surface is a little small, and the mouse buttons have been moved to the left and right sides of the touchpad, but this permits the system to have a minimal amount of wasted wrist rest space, and seems to be a fair tradeoff, even if it takes a little getting used to. There are no quick-launch or media control buttons, but a Webcam and speakers are mounted around the screen.

Features

We felt constrained by the Eee PC's 800 x 400 resolution, so the 2133 Mini-Note's 1,280 x 768 resolution felt positively spacious in comparison, and is very close to the 1,280 x 800 resolution found on many 15-inch mainstream laptops. Text and images may be a bit small for your taste at this resolution on a 9-inch screen, but we found it acceptable. The screen also has a scratch-resistant finish, which is very glossy and susceptible to glare and reflections. We generally prefer matte screens.



While the 2133 lacks some high-end extras, such as optional mobile broadband or 801.11n Wi-Fi, it does have a welcome ExpressCard slot, so adding an after-market mobile broadband card from your favorite provider is a possibility. It also shows you can add a decent number of connections without sacrificing portability, something we hope Apple will note in the next-gen MacBook Air.

While we looked at the highest-end US$749 configuration, with 2GB of RAM, Vista Business, and a 120GB 7,200rpm hard drive, there are three less-expensive configurations available. For US$599, you get bumped down to 1GB of RAM, Vista Home Basic, and a 120GB 5,400rpm hard drive, while the US$549 version is the same, but with Linux substituted for Windows Vista. The cheapest version, at US$499, has Linux and drops the hard drive completely for a 4GB SSD unit, similar to what's in the ASUS Eee PC. A version with Windows XP, which requires less computing overhead than Vista, may be a good idea. Barring that, running Vista Basic will also help with performance.

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