HP 2133 Mini-Note PC Review - notebooks.com

by Xavier

The HP 2133 Mini-Note is getting official today and I’m really excited to say that real mobile computing is coming to the masses. This tiny notebook can easily slip into a purse, but is easy on the wallet with a starting price of just $499. Its good looks, professional-grade finishes and respectable specs make it a notebook that you’ll want to show off.

I got the chance to sit down with a few of HP’s product managers for a demo and I’ve been using a pre-production HP 2133 for the past week. The HP 2133 blew away my expectations and I’d be comfortable relying on the HP 2133 while on short business trips or on vacation.

Until the HP 2133 there have been two kinds of notebooks in this size range. At the low end is the sub $400 Asus Eee PC, which has a display and keyboard that are too small for adults and an anemic 4GB of flash storage. On the other end of the spectrum is the uber-exclusive Sony VAIO TZ series that can cost upwards of $3,400.
Users who wanted something ultraportable, but were on a modest budget were effectively frozen out of the market. The HP 2133 Mini-Note changes that. There is finally a subcompact notebook that nearly every computer shopper can afford.

Built for Schools, Great for Almost Anyone

The HP 2133 was designed specifically for the education market, but it will also serve nicely as a secondary computer for both families and business people. A lot of the features, including the spill-resistant keyboard, aluminum case, magnesium components and scratch-resistant display, will help the HP 2133 stand up to both rowdy school children and clumsy adults.

I say great for ‘almost anyone’ because it does not have the horsepower to satisfy people who are looking to create multimedia on the go or enjoy even modestly graphically intensive video games. For the average user, who just wants to get online and edit documents the HP 2133 is just fine.

Check out the videos above and below if you’re interested in hearing more about the process of designing the HP 2133 Mini-Note for the classroom.

Specs and Pricing

The HP 2133 Mini-Note comes in four configurations, which range from $499 to $750. An external DVD burner is optional and extra batteries will be well under $100. A 2.5-inch notebook drive and user-accessible RAM means you can buy a mid-level 2133 and upgrade it yourself.

For $499 you get a Linux (Novell Suse) operating system, 512MB of memory, 4GB of flash storage and a 1.0GHz VIA processor. It comes with a 3-cell battery which is rated to last about two hours.

An extra $50 will get you a much more respectable 120GB (5400 RPM) hard drive, 1GB of memory and a 1.2GHz VIA processor. This $549 machine is much more substantial than its cheaper cousin.
Windows users will have to pay $599 to get the same hardware with a copy of Windows Vista Home Basic (1GB/120GB/1.2GHz).

The top of the line HP 2133 costs $749 and comes with a 1.6GHz processor, 2GB of RAM and 120GB hard drive that spins at 7200RPM. It also comes with a 6-cell battery that is rated to last for four hours. Paying the extra bucks gets you a Bluetooth adapter, webcam and Vista Business.

Any of the Vista HP 2133 Mini-Notes can be downgraded to Windows XP at no charge. A license for Windows Vista is included if you chose XP so you can upgrade when you’re ready.

The HP 2133 Mini-Note comes standard with an Ethernet port, two USB 2.0 ports, a headphone jack, microphone jack, VGA output, ExpressCard slot, SD card slot and a Kensington security lock. Of course the HP 2133 comes with a WiFi adapter.

Performance/Real World Usage

HP sent me a 2133 with the $749 configuration, except it had a 160GB 7200RPM hard drive. I used a HP 2133 for blogging and ‘developing’ about 100 photos from my digital camera over the past few days. Internet surfing was speedy, but I had to increase the font size to make reading more comfortable.

Microsoft Office 2007 performed well on the HP 2133 in general, but it did hang from time to time. I installed Google’s Picasa to edit some photos and it did a fine job of importing and editing my photos. This would be a great computer to bring on vacation in order to relay photos back home or stay in touch with work.

The HP 2133 Mini-Note has a relatively slow processor, but it doesn’t feel slow when it’s outfitted with 2GB of RAM and a 7200RPM hard drive.

The 8.9-inch WXGA screen is a bit small for everyday use in my opinion, but my cousin who’s in the 6th grade strongly disagreed. When I showed him the HP 2133 his face as if it was Christmas morning. The 1280×768 resolution helps make the screen seem not so tiny.

Watching web videos was a little choppy until I let Windows run an update.

One of my favorite things about the HP 2133 is its keyboard, which is 92% of the size of a standard keyboard. I have big hands, but found the keyboard comfortable to type on for a couple of hours at a time. I prefer full-sized keyboards, but the HP 2133’s keyboard is the best keyboard I’ve used in a notebook this small.

One HUGE surprise was the HP 2133 Mini-Note’s speakers, which are located in the display’s bezel. They are extraordinarily loud for such a tiny little notebook. This helps compensate for the small screen when you’re watching movies on the road.

The trackpad is flanked by the mouse buttons, which is an unusual configuration. I got used to it after a while, but this layout is not intuitive when you first pick up the 2133. My 6th-grader cousin had no trouble at all using the trackpad and buttons, which is probably much more comfortable with smaller hands.

With the 6-cell battery installed I was able to write and browse the web for just under four and a half hours. The extended battery juts out of the bottom of the notebook and rakes the keyboard forward for a more comfortable typing position, but it’s not as sleek as using the form-fitting 3-cell battery. If you’re going to be on the road I strongly recommend getting a 6-cell battery.

Cons

Like all notebooks, the HP 2133 has its weaknesses.

The HP 2133 runs hotter than I’d like, which means the fans are constantly spinning. HP really needs to address this because while I can deal with a single 2133, it will be a serious distraction in a classroom full of a couple dozen students and whirring notebooks.

I wish the hinges allowed me to tilt the display further back. A lot of notebooks don’t allow you to bend their displays all the way back, but it’s particularly annoying on this notebook because it’s so small. When using it on my lap I can’t get a straight line of site without slouching or tilting the notebook backwards. The problem is worsened because of the extended battery. This wouldn’t bea problem if I was a few inches shorter or I had really buff quadriceps to boost the HP 2133 up higher.

The keyboard is excellent, but to make it 92% of full size there are a few sacrifices. The ‘1′ key is about 30% smaller than the rest of the number keys, which is a problem because my big fat fingers occasionally hit the ‘2′ button.

Of course the ultra-low voltage VIA processor isn’t as snappy as I’d like, but sacrifices had to be made to keep the cost down. I asked one of the HP 2133 Mini-Note’s product managers about using Intel Atom processors and he said they’d consider it in the near future, but the VIA processor helped keep costs down.

Another thing that bothers me is that its SD card slot isn’t deep enough, which means the card sticks out just a little bit when inserted. Because of the positioning of the SD card slot, I’m worried kids will break or dislodge SD cards inserted in the 2133. This is of particular concern on the entry level HP 2133 because users are more likely to use SD cards since it only comes with 4GB of internal flash memory.

Why I’m Excited

I’m really excited about the HP 2133 because consumers will finally have an affordable option in the ultraportable space. More people will get a chance to experience truly anywhere/anytime computing without a backache.

If this product takes off you can expect other major manufacturers to follow suit. In February Mike Abary, told me that if HP introduced such a product it would hurt the PC industry and there’d be a “race to the bottom.” You can check out my post about my lunch with Mike here.

I understand Mike’s concerns because it’ll be much more difficult to justify a $3,400 computer when there’s a $749 alternative, but the HP 2133 is not about high performance and will be relegated to second-computer status for most users.

As with all notebooks, you can expect prices to drop over time, and HP’s sure to have seasonal sales. By Christmas I predict the top of the line 2133 will be available for about $600.

Best Value for a Compact Notebook

The HP 2133 Mini-Note is not the cheapest compact notebook you can buy, but it is the best value hands down. While other notebooks in this category look and feel like they should be sold at Toys R Us, the 2133 comes across as a serious business computer at a price that’s unbelievable.

Yes, the HP 2133 is more expensive than an Eee PC, but you get a true companion notebook that has a lot of features you won’t find on many notebooks that are triple the price.

The HP 2133 Mini-Note looks at home next to my MacBook Pro, which I may soon be leaving behind more often if I get a 2133 of my own. The HP 2133 Mini-Note is a great option for when you need a computer, but don’t want a computer to get in the way of the rest of your life.