Mini-Note 2133 going back ...

I was looking at an Eee PC but decided the small screen wasn't going to work for me. Then I saw the 9" Eee model coming so I was planning on getting that ... but the price was announced at $550 - no longer a truly cheap notebook - so it encouraged me to look around at alternatives that might offer more.

The HP 2133 looked like a good alternative - similar size (at least close enough), similar price, better keyboard, better screen, better build quality. After consideration I figured if I was going to buy this I might as well get the best model with the better battery and bluetooth etc. You know how it goes

The Mini-note arrived yesterday and overall it is a mixed bag. I love the fit and finish - it does look and feel like a quality device. The screen is small but the resolution is superb. However the super-reflective finish is a bit over the top - I have a Sony VAIO with a similar glossy screen but it doesn't reflect nearly as badly - but I figure I could live with that.

Size and weight were a bit more than I had hoped - with the 6-cell battery this is no lightweight - but I can live with that also.

Keyboard is excellent - I love it - best I have ever used, period.

Performance is unfortunately very weak - I tried Aero mode and it struggled with pretty much everything, so I disabled it. To boost perf a little I put the machine in high performance mode but it was still noticably sluggish even at scrolling complex web pages (!!). Uninstalling Office took over an hour. Slingplayer was unwatchable and in high performance mode the battery life was clearly going to get compromised.

Touchpad turned out to be a problem but not in the way I expected - the button placement is actually not too bad - I got used to them pretty quickly - the issue was that not only is the pad small but the top and bottom edges of the touchpad don't work, i.e. there are "dead zones" and the actual usable area is even smaller. I was constantly finding the pointer just "stuck" and required me to reposition my finger again. This was very frustrating.

Comfort - with the machine on my lap the lack of rests for my wrists meant I was getting pain and had to rest every few minutes. The 6-cell battery prevents the screen from folding back far enough - combine this with the screen reflection issues and the lack of palm rests and I found myself constantly adjusting the position of the machine trying to get comfortable.

I had a plan to install XP to try to get perf up/battery down but frankly the other issues (comfort especially) have convinced me that this isn't the machine for me (and neither is an Eee PC for that matter).

So now I am using my trusty 4 year old VAIO S270 - apart from the keyboard I can't say I miss anything about the Mini-note and plan to send it back next week - too many compromises for me at least.

Sometimes less is less.

 

Let's hope HP learns from this and listens to consumers. I'm sure they will get it right next time around. I agree with you, it is an awesome looking laptop. Just not good enough inside for the price they are asking.

 

I think what you need is a Sony TZ

 

Mandingo - Good info - Thanks. I am still thinking about either an EeePC 900 or Mini-Note. Your report confirms what I have seen elsewhere - it appears that the older VIA/Vista combination isn't so hot.

 

Thanks for the post, Mandingo, you make some good observations.

I've had a Mini-Note on order for a couple of weeks already, and I hope that I can make it work for me. I actually selected the cheapest 1.2 ghz model with small battery and fully anticipate doing a new Linux install and possibly compiling a new kernel specifically for this hardware. I figure that if I can get snappy performance out of a P3/500 with Linux, I have a pretty good chance of likewise getting a Mini-Note to work okay.

I was a little disappointed to see that Bluetooth is available only on the top-end model with the big battery but note that Kensington has a tiny USB bluetooth adapter which barely sticks out from the port at all, so I may give that a try.

As for the screen, I wonder if there's any problem with simply taking a hobby knife and cutting away the clear plastic portion of the lens.

 

I think HP is going to do a respin of the mini note but with an Via isiah instead. That CPU is actually socket compatible so you can buy one today with via C7 and replace it with an isiah later if you don't mind taking the laptop appart.

EDIT: On a second note, the mini-note is so cheap that there is a high risk that the CPU is soldered onto the motherboard.