HP has just released a super small $499 laptop in their push to tap the ultraportable “education” laptop market - a relatively new market with very little competition (for me there are only 2 other ultraportables worth noting) and with high growth potential.
It’s called the HP 2133 Mini-Note PC (pictured above: as you can see, it’s smaller than a hardbound book). The ultraportable measures just 10 x 6.5 x 1 inches (25.5 x 16.5 x 2.7 cm). Compared to a normal laptop, let’s say a Dell Inspiron 1525, which is 14 x 10 inches (36 x 26 cm), that’s pretty small.
Aside from that, is also weighs in at only 2.8 lbs (1.3 kg). The basic Inspiron setup starts at 5.9 lbs (2.7 kg), more than double the weight of the Mini-Note.
The Mini-Note’s small aluminum shell body fits a crisp 8.9 inch, scratch resistant, WXGA (1,280 x 768 pixels at the very least) screen display, a built-in VGA camera, 2 USB 2.0 slots, an SD card reader, and Ethernet, 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity.
It runs on a 1.2 GHz VIA C7 processor with 512 MB of RAM. It will ship with a Linux OS (SuSE Enterprise Desktop 10) and, much to our dismay, zero software.
Also, there is no DVD drive, CD drive, or hard drive (it has a flash module that can use up to 4GB only)!
But it’s ok. It wasn’t made for that function anyway.
The Mini-Note’s main selling point is the portability of the device – 10 by 6.5 inches could easily fit in any backpack (even the smaller ones could easily fit three of these). Besides, the main market for ultraportables are students in lower education, who have less need for optical discs and storage devices – and more need for basic reading and writing functions.
True, the $499 is a bit pricey for a “kids only” device, but volume sales are sure to decrease the price as HP looks to sell directly to schools and other educational facilities.
Although, if you do have an extra $100 to spare and you are not one of those kids, you can buy the upgraded version for $599 – which will be “working” enough to be a second laptop for older users who are looking for portability more than anything else. The upgraded version will have a serviceable 2 GB hard drive, a six cell battery, and a sucky (but still way better than Linux) Windows Vista Business operating system.
As I mentioned earlier, there are only 2 noteworthy ultraportables out in the market that can easily kick the Mini-Note’s butt – the 2nd generation Intel Classmate PC and the Asus Eee PC. Pictured below are the 1st generation Classmate (left) and the Eee PC (right).
The new Classmate boasts of a 30GB 3,600 rpm hard drive – unquestionably better than HP’s non-existent hard drive at $499.
As you can see below, the 2nd generation Intel Classmate also has a bigger screen – from 7 inches in the original version to the 9 inches of the new generation model (same as the Mini-Note).
The setup is basically the same: webcam, USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc.
The price? $400!
It runs on a 900MHz Intel Celeron M353, 512 MB of RAM, and most importantly, a Windows XP Pro operating system. It even comes with preloaded education software which networks all the Classmate PC’s in a classroom.
But obviously, all that muscle doesn’t come at a price. The Classmate is slightly bigger than the Mini-Note at 9.4 x 10.1 x 1.5 inches (not much difference if you ask me) and it weighs in at 3.3 lbs.
The screen is definitely worse than that of the Mini-Note – it’s a nasty 800 x 480 resolution display.
Still better, though.
For me, the size and display tradeoff is very much worth it. I’d rather have more functions on a slightly bigger / blurry device; because at the end of the day the Classmate is still ultraportable – plus, it’s cheaper by $99!
But let’s not forget the other ultraportable to own.
The Asus Eee PC (pictured above) combines a lot of the features of the two previously mentioned ultraportables in the most ultraportable size!
It has the same power and price as the Classmate: 900MHz Intel Celeron M, 512 MB of RAM at $399!
It’s more portable at 8.8 x 6.5 x 0.9 inches and 2.4 lbs – even smaller than the Mini-Note.
The connectivity is basically the same for all three: Ethernet and 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi. No Bluetooth though; which really doesn’t matter to me much as long as there is Wi-Fi.
All that, plus the webcam, 3 USB ports, and the SD card reader.
The only “sub-standard” feature of the Eee is the 4GB hard drive and the Linux OS. But other than that, I’d say it can give the Classmate a run for its money.
The last two ultraportables are the front runners in this new age laptop race. It’s just a matter of pitting the storage capacity and functions of the Classmate against the ultraportability of the Eee. The choice will depend really on the intended use of the buyer.
As for the HP Mini-Note – let’s just say it’s been disqualified.
One Comment, Comment or Ping
John
Nice summary, except I don’t understand why “the Linux OS” is a “sub-standard” feature…. You can’t beat the price of “free” — both free as in beer, and free as in freedom.
I’m not some Linux zealot either. I’ve been a Windows user for most of my life, and still have it available in my dual-boot setup. However, I have really found no use for it as of late. I can do mostly everything, and more without the touching Windows or apps made for windows. I would rather not buy a computer where the price is inflated just because Windows is on it when a free alternative exists.
Apr 9th, 2008
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