Accessories

Nearly perfect (for its intended purpose)
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 1280x768, 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.

Great little computer
For the most part, I love this computer. I had tried the Asus eee, but ended up selling it to a friend. The keyboard was just too small and difficult to type on.
The HP mini note's keyboard, on the other hand, is much easier to use for anyone with "normal" sized (or larger) fingers. The promotional language talks about its size being 92% of a standard sized keyboard. In real world language, that means that the distance from the left side of the "q" key to the right side of the brackets key is 8.75" on a normal keyboard; on the mini note that same distance is 8.25". Some of the other keys along the edges (shift, caps lock, enter, etc) are smaller on the mini note, saving even more space. The space bar is a little shorter, but that's not a big deal. Other keys that would normally be off to the right (delete, insert, page up, page down, etc) are relocated to either the top row or the bottom. Finally, the edges of the keyboard run right up to the edges of the computer's chassis. All in all, a very productive use of space intended to minimize the mini note's footprint.
One major positive note: There are two USB ports, but they are on opposite sides of the unit. This is important because if you've ever used a wireless USB modem, you'll know their bulk often blocks access to the adjacent port on many other laptops.
Some of the criticisms in other reviews on this page are unwarranted; this computer's strength is not in its power, it's in the size. It's extremely portable. If you want something that can handle power point and video, then by all means feel free to lug a full sized laptop around with you.
Some of the other criticisms are justified, however. The unit does get hot on the bottom very quickly, so you don't want to place it directly on your lap. Plus, you'll want to leave the vents open, so a hard flat surface is advisable. The warming problem is probably a result of the small size; there's just not enough space to effectively dissipate the heat.
Battery time is not terribly impressive; a full charge on the standard 3 cell will get you somewhere between an hour and a half and two hours, depending on the screen brightness. There is a 6 cell but so far it's hard to find.
Finally, the Vista package IS pathetically slow. It's slow to boot up, slow to load pages, and slow to shut down. Much slower than the Asus' XP. If turtles used computers, the Vista package would be well suited to their lifestyles. In fact, the speed is the only reason I'm not giving it five stars. The Linux version is supposedly much faster, but my understanding is that most wireless USB modems won't work with it.
Still, given the pluses of the mini note, I'm willing to put up with the slow speed.

An OK compromise if you run XP
I bought the computer when it came out with Vista pre-installed. The computer is a nice small package and ideal for frequent travelers. It fits nicely in your lap or on an airplane table. You get roughly 3 hours of battery time from the standard battery if you do standard word, outlook, powerpoint work.

The hardware is beautiful and overall a sturdy design. The screen is reflective and in serious lighting it will tend to be a bit too much of a mirror but under normal circumstances this should not pose a problem.

The pre-installed vista is TOOOOO SLOOOOOWWWWW. I down grades to Windows XP. It is fairly simple to do and you get complete functionality and a much better performance. Now it is actually a pretty good computer. It is ideal for traveling but it is not a full desktop replacement as you would imagine. I have used it with WXP for more than a month and run everything from Microsoft Office over Photoshop to MATLAB on the computer.

The size factor makes it ideal for business trip and there are veyr few products that are not running well. I would have loved to have a real Pentium inside the box but the VIA is OK for standard work and the extended battery time is appreciated when you are on the road.

best gadget ever !
Unpack, get rid off Vista (immediately).. and Use Xp ( some nlite edition )

Full XP support at HP website ( all drivers )

There are a couple of forums arround the web , with great info ...

This Mini-note (1.6ghz) leaves behind and beats in all performance benchmarks the actual Asus Eee's ( 701 / 900 ) on the market ..

I can tell , cause I had an Asus Eee 701 4G ( sold it a couple of weeks ago )

Perfect for what it is
I've had the computer for about a month now, and I couldn't be happier with it. Here's how I would address the complaints:

Performance: Use Linux or XP. Vista is usable, but this machine sings with XP. If you don't have a spare XP license or don't feel like spending $50 for one, go ahead and load SUSE Desktop.

CPU: I'm not sure what people mean by "underpowered". Sure, the intel chips are faster at similar clock speeds, but the user experience (on XP) is almost identical between the Eee PC (at 900MHz) and the 2133 (at 1.2 GHz)... the Eee pc would buckle under Vista, too. (though I realize putting Vista on there in the first place is a huge mistake by HP).

Heat: It does get warm. So does my Powerbook :)

I'm running OpenOffice 2.0 on it, and it's great. Youtube, Pandora, Skype webcam, and other web tasks are fine. DivX movies run great.

I wanted a small computer for my daughter, and the Eee PC was a little too "toy-like". I didn't want her learning to type on a dinky keyboard, so she'll have to relearn on a full size keyboard later. The screen is gorgeous. The hard drive has plenty of room, and I store lots of DivX video on there. The speakers are better than most laptop speakers (of any size) I've heard.

Other kid-safe features: the 3D Driveguard, and a spill-proof keyboard.

So in short, this is one heck of a computer for $549. If you really need a desktop replacement, Sony will be happy to sell you their version for $2000 :)