Customer Reviews
Nearly perfect (for its intended purpose) 
2008-06-22
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 2008-06-20
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 2008-06-14
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 ! 
2008-05-24
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 2008-05-22
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 :)
Nice idea but flawed design 
2008-07-19
I read the reviews on this before I decided to purchase. I am an amateur photographer and wanted something small and light to display my pictures on and also to use browsing the web. It did a good job with both of those things. My pictures displayed beautifully on it. Web browsing was OK, not that it was slow, it is just that on a 8.9" screen the text was a bit small for these 50+ eyes. Keyboard was great and the touch-pad was easy to get use to. I loved the fact that I could pair my PDA with this unit's Bluetooth connectivity to surf the web. The SD slot eliminates the need for a card reader. The speed issue really wasn't that bad provided you turn off all that useless eye candy Vista provides. However the heat issue was a real killer. Not only was it burning hot on the bottom, but even the keys on the top were uncomfortably warm. Only 3 days after I got it, I decided to reboot it. It comes back up to the HP POST screen and freezes. Restarted it again and nothing. Only after it had completely cooled down did it come back on. After a few days of this it just stopped booting all together. HPs online help was no help. I am sure I could get HP to fix this, but even if they do, I think the heat issue will greatly shorten the life span of this unit. Mine is going back.
My advice is to pass on this. I hear there a new processors for these UMPCs that run cooler and better powered.
This is a real shame. This is a good size at a great price point. The eee pc is too junky and the Sony offering is too pricey.
mini wid da hemi .....vrrrrmmmmm 2008-07-18
i have tried way to many umpc's or small wifi tablets. some i have enjoyed for their size and connectibility. especially the nokia 8110?
Anyway this is the "mini note" not too big and not too small as someone once told me.
I am using it to type now, lounging on the couch with the dog and i can move around, get up and down and do what i want without worrying about the unit. and my fingers feel at home on the large keyboard with large flat keys that must be only barely smaller than a regular laptop. Those two things were most important to me. even though my laptop is very portable or even though things like the Jornada were perfect 7 years ago for what you could expect, this is small, light, sleek, smart and intelligent design. It has great speed and memoryand I actually like windows vista.
Before, I have always sold my umpc. I had the current little sony that is cute for two handed action, i tried a nice small asus that ran on linus? and it was nice but i just didnt make the transistion and it was still bigger and not as slimline as this HP.
I originally priced it on HP's site where I could do more of the building but I don't do that stuff or read about processors and memory and details. I just want a super convenient computer for writing and for wifi access that i can carry as easily as my mobile phone without giving up the comfort of a laptop keyboard and windows. (never thought i would say that) (windows...) but i got what i wanted and all i had to do was 1-click buy and with the Preferred Membership, had it next day for 3 bucks or something. So for me this was a dead on perfect machine. oh --and the battery life seems good. which is another great thing. and it cleans up at night, feeds the cat and waters the plant before doing the dishes
Machine is nice, SUSE a bad choice 
2008-07-12
I love the machine size, keyboard and display. The SUSE Linux as installed is a very limited version and appears to require a service fee to maintain and upgrade. The wireless does not work. An external USB drive does not auto mount and there is no sdb entry in the /dev directory. HP dos not include an install disk as is required to install additional software. Example: gimp and locate are not included in the as delivered install. Yes I can call HP for an install disk -- but I have no time for going through their phone mail etc.
My plan is to purchase an external USB DVD drive, blow away SUSE and install Ubuntu.
Bottom line this machine shows a lot of promise. My advise is do not buy one unless you are comfortable with either putzing with SUSE and paying their subscription fees or installing another option like Ubuntu from scratch.
--- One added note -- The HP mini-note users guide is unreadable under linux due to the extensive use of "\" rather than "/" for the directory symbol. To me this implies that the product was rushed to market without sufficient quality control and feedback from test users.
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Love it 2008-07-12
Wow this thing is amazing. I have to admit that the processor is a little slow and the initial set up took about an hour but for its size it is a great PC. I haven't had any trouble playing video with it. It doesn't have a optical drive so if I want to add programs i have to load them on a thumb drive or from my home wifi network. I have a pocket pc that I payed 750 for and it runs Windows Mobile 2005 and has 1 gig storage with a storage card so this PC just amazes me with full Vista and 120 gigs. I love it. However if price is a concern and you are looking for a primary PC you might want to look for something with a faster processor.
Vista is too much for this 
2008-07-09
With all of the coverage about poor Windows Vista performance on conventional (aka more powerful) hardware, it is surprising the anyone would think that an ultra-portable form-factor could run it successfully.
Other ultra-portables from ASUS and others are shipping with far leaner and more stable operating systems like Windows XP or Linux.
I love this form factor, but we're a long way from ever seeing Vista run well on any of the units in this class.
