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Firstly, this review is being written on the 1.6Ghz, HP2133 Mini Note with 2Gb RAM and Vista Home Basic (which was installed at the factory). I have also read the myriad comments in the other reviews about poor CPU performance and warm operation. Therefore, I’ll avoid similar statements, only to say that I have also noticed these issues under certain circumstances.
Nevertheless, I have turned off most of the useless bells and whistles in Vista and customised the OS to work adequately for the tasks I perform. And what I do isn’t necessarily trivial. I have Office 2007 installed and it works fine to write university assignments and work reports, etc. Word, with the screen set to “page width” view is readable and as functional as my desktop. I also installed Adobe CS3. Yes, it can be slow at times, but it performs well enough to get the job done (using InDesign, Photoshop and occasionally, Dreamweaver). However, I understood when I bought the Mini Note, that it was not designed for multimedia production, but more for multimedia presentation and for basic computing. It is NOT a desktop replacement and was never intended to be.
The more I use my 2133, the more I love it. That doesn’t mean I haven’t noticed some negative issues (other than those highlighted in other reviews). I’ll outline these below.
I won’t comment on the touchpad, because I rarely use it. Most of the time, I use the Mini Note on a desk or on my briefcase (placed on my lap), so I plug in a laptop mouse. I would do this with ANY laptop or notebook. However, the Mini Note does allow for more space to use a mouse than a conventional laptop. Once I have finished using the Mini Note, it fits in my briefcase with all my other stuff.
Talking of placing the Mini Note in a briefcase; I am astonished that there isn’t a case or bag for it. Most laptop bags are too big and would defeat the purpose of buying the Mini Note. As a result, I use a cloth bag I got with a mixer tap (faucet) I bought for a renovation. It is the perfect size to protect against scratches and marks. This is not to say the nice brushed aluminium (aluminum) case is susceptible to scratches; it’s not, I just like to protect my equipment.
The Mini Note’s screen hinge and battery design prevents any connectors from being located at the back of the unit (where I’d like them). Hence, all the connections are on the left and right sides of the machine. I usually plug the notebook mouse into the left USB port and run the cable around the back of the Mini Note to the right side. This keeps the cable out of the way and gives me more room on the right for the mouse. This is OK if I am working off the battery. But when the Mini Note is connected to mains power, the huge power plug that sticks out the right side is quite annoying and can get in the way of the mouse. HP, take note; please redesign the next series to have an “L” shaped connector to keep it out of the way.
Some other reviewers mentioned the lack of battery life. I agree with this, too. Nevertheless, there are configuration tweaks you can apply to help maximise battery life. In the BIOS I turn off the hardware I don’t regularly use, such as Bluetooth, LAN, Express card, web cam, etc. If I need them, I just turn them back on.
Now, the screen; I love it. At 1280×768, it is bright and sharp, therefore, usable. Yes, it presents some text and menus in tiny fonts, but at the distances most people would use this machine, the screen is readable. Most web sites fit within the browser view port without horizontal scrolling. I’d prefer this over the offerings from other UMPC manufacturers.
I know I said I wouldn’t mention the temperature issues, but, I feel compelled to state that after an hour or so spent writing this review (I was distracted by a phone call) the Mini Note is hardly warmer than the ambient room temperature. Of course, this is just running Word 2007. But, as far as I am concerned, this is the sort of thing the Mini Note is designed for; simple productivity tasks.
Additionally, one reviewer stated that the CPU fan runs flat-out all the time. He obviously missed the setting in the BIOS that lets you turn this “feature” off. Normally, the Mini Note runs very quietly, as is the case with mine right now. Although, I must admit that twice now, when waking from “sleep” mode, the fan in my Mini Note seemed to get stuck on full speed. A reboot fixed this, which implies it is an OS problem, not the hardware.
What would make the Mini Note perfect? OK, a faster CPU would definitely be welcome. Secondly, the 225mm (8.9″) screen is fine; however, the lid has a lot of wasted real estate. After moving the speakers, it could accommodate a screen 50mm (2″) larger (275mm or 11″). Even at the same resolution, this would make the Mini Note considerably better.
That seems to sum up all my main thoughts on the Mini Note. But suffice to say, after another hour using it, I love it even more. Highly recommended.
This computer has both pros and cons. The design is attractive with a comfortable key board for typing and the design gives the computer an excellent slant for typing. It is much more comforable than computers that sit flat. The portabilty is excellent. The screen is clear, easy to read (after fonts are changed to a bigger size for people who need a litle help seeing up close)The hard drive is a good size. No complaints there.
The mouse pad took some gettig use to. I found it hard to adjust it so it could be controlled without frustration. The right and left keys being split on both sides of the mouse is inconvient but liveable.
I found it to be a bit slow, which supprised me with the memory it has, and desided to remove Windows Vista Business(which I don’t like anyway)I put XP Professional on the computer. It made all the difference in the world. It sped up the computer greatly. The processor may just not be equipped to run Windows Vista well. At any rate the trade off was alright as Vista in my opinion is nothing but problems anyway.
Videos run fine on it. The sound is good. I did not have the issue with videos that another person has complained about in his or her review.
The machine gets a bit warm so be aware that operating it in your lap means being mindful of not blocking the vents on the bottom. It also has a vent on the left side but I would not recommend ignoring those bottom vents with the way the computer becomes warm.
It has Office 2007 on the computer but it is only a trial version which runs out. I simply put my 2003 version on the computer and uninstalled the 2007 version. I don’t find this to be a con as hardly any computers come with Office to begin with.
For the manner in which I will be using it for my business travel I find it to be an overall nice computer. It is a travel computer only as I have a 17 inch HP for home use. I am happy with this computer after the change I made in operating systems and will look forward to using it on the road.
I purchased a mini-note in May 2008 and I have been quite pleased with it! I have used it on several trips and it’s used in our game room on a regular basis.
I have noticed a lot of the reviews slam the mini-note for being slow. I noticed that the people complaining about speed (or lack thereof) have the Windows Vista version of the mini-note. I do NOT recommend running Vista on this machine even though a friend of mine does and he’s happy with it… but it seemed slow to me when he showed it off.
I run the same OS that comes with this system: SuSe Linux Enterprise Desktop 10. It has everything I need on a regular basis — web browser, music player, email, open office and other applications I’ve added — and it doesn’t suffer from the lag that the Windows systems seem to have.
My mini-note does not run any hotter than any other laptop I’ve had, but then I am careful to keep the vents unblocked. It definitely runs much cooler than the iBook I had not too long ago! I can and do use it on my lap but I tend to put it on a lap tray for longer sessions because of the ventilation issues.
I have noticed that the battery life is not as good as stated — I’m averaging 2.5 – 3 hours on a charge, which works for me. If you need longer battery life, I believe there’s an upgraded battery that you can get.
It didn’t take me long to get used to the keyboard (92% of normal size), but the touchpad definitely gives me fits. To be honest, I usually have issues with touchpad use, but this one seems worse than usual. I now carry a travel mouse with me so I don’t have to deal with the touchpad.
I bought the mini-note with a targus retractable phone/network cord and I highly recommend that accessory if you travel and need to hook up. It was a life saver on a recent trip to Mexico – the hotel’s wireless didn’t reach my room and I had to rely on the ethernet connection.
I did not invest in a case when I bought my mini-note because I thought I would look around to see what I could find. I have found that the mini-note can easily be slipped into a variety of portable dvd cases. I grabbed a really nice one that was on sale for just a few dollars at a local discounter and it not only protects the mini-note, but also provides ample storage for codes, a travel mouse, and other accessories.
All in all, I think the mini-note with the Linux OS is an excellent value. However, I would definitely pass on the Windows version.
