HP 2133 Mini-Note PC review

HP 2133 Mini-Note PC Review

Reviewed by: Rory Reid

Reviewed on: 28 May 2008

Features
You'll find two main versions of the 2133 on sale: one that uses SuSE Linux, and one that uses Windows Vista Business edition. It's also possible to find versions of the 2133 with Windows XP on sale at selected retailers.

You get ExpressCard and SD Card readers on the machine's left side

The Vista and Linux versions have similar specifications. They both use a CPU that's the computing equivalent of a lame horse -- a 1.2GHz VIA C7-M. The Vista model gets 2GB of RAM -- 128MB of which is allocated to the graphics card, while the Linux model uses 1GB. It's worth noting that, alongside the 1.2GHz chip, American customers get to choose from a 1GHz C7-M, or the slightly faster 1.6GHz C7-M, which leads us to believe HP has something against the British.

UK buyers don't get much choice in terms of storage, either. While the Americans can choose between 120GB or 160GB 1.8-inch drives, or a 4GB solid-state drive, us Brits are only permitted the 120GB mechanical disk. These provide ample storage but they aren't as sturdy as their solid-state counterparts in the event of a fall. This particular feature makes the 2133 a less desirable machine for children and the chronically clumsy.

We've mentioned the 2133 comes with 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi, which is great. It lacks any sort of integrated 3G/HSDPA Web access, however, so you need to be within spitting distance of an open Wi-Fi hotspot in order to access the Internet. If carefree Web access is an important factor, you'll be better off buying an Eee PC in one of its 'Surf' variants.

Be aware that surfing outdoors isn't all that easy with a 2133. The 8.9-inch, 1,280x768-pixel screen uses HP's atrociously reflective BrightView coating, which makes it almost impossible to see anything if you're using it outside. It's actually pretty difficult to see what's going on if you're indoors, no matter how much you crank up the brightness. It's a world away from the matte coating on the Eee PC 900, which allows far more freedom in terms of where you use the machine.