We'd been hearing that HP's slick UMPC 2133 was going
sport VIA processors, and now we've got some more info to back that up -- we just received what appears to be a full spec list for the upcoming machine, and it's VIA C7-Ms all around, with graphics courtesy of a VIA Chrome 9 chipset. According to our source, these will hit on April 7th, and it looks like those pricing whispers were pretty accurate as well: $600 will buy you a 1.2GHz C7-M, a 120GB drive, 1GB of RAM and Vista Home Basic, while $749 bumps you up to 1.6GHz and Vista Business and adds Bluetooth, another gig of RAM, and a bigger battery. There's also a mysterious $849 Vista Basic model listed as having "regional" availability (the others are listed as "Smart Buy") with Bluetooth and bigger battery, but we don't see why it's more expensive than the Vista Business version. Regardless, what really caught our eye was the $549 model that shares the same specs as the $600 unit, but looks to be running SuSE Enterprise -- another
rumor that's come true. That could be the one that HP expects to
sell like hotcakes -- after all, the goal is to have people buy these "
without a thought," and that's certainly not going to happen at $749. We'll see soon enough, we suppose. Full spec sheet after the break.
posted Mar 26th 2008 8:23PM
Um, 5.26 pounds? What kind of ultraportable is that? I'll stick with an Eee.
I am pretty sure those are shipping weight and dimensions...those dimensions are on par with a 14-15 inch laptop and WAY too thick.
That's what I thought as well...if it weights 2.4kg, calling it "ultra-portable" is a bad joke.
And 5+" of height just *can't* be right.
But.... Will it blend???
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uZr3JWYdy8
I'd go with the $749 Deal All the other deals would be horrible prices. Don't be dumb no one hardly knows about Linux, go with Vista business, not basic. $749 would be the best deal, whoever goes with the $849 Deal is getting "RIPPED OFF!!!"
I'll take the 2133 with Linux, to go please.
Awesome - give me Vista Business please!
I think that refers to the net weight of the package itself...
uh huh huh huh. huh huh huh. you said "package"
Balls.
Can those dimensions and weight numbers be correct? 5.281" thick? Maybe these are for the box...
Oh yeah, the dimensions are correct, all right. The 5.2" thickness is with the extended-life battery, dual optical drives, printer, and mini-Xbox 360 all built in.
120GB HDD???
GigE???
5.26 pounds???
Raise your hands if you think this is a UMPC...anyone? Bueller?
The model with the 3 cell battery weighs the same as the one with the 6 cell battery?
Exactly what I was thinking... Strange.
no ssd, no buy.
You aren't going to get SSD for that price point.
yes you are....look at the eee 900 it has a 12GB SSD
Muah: It doesn't have SSD, it has a embedded flash memory.
Do you even know what an SSD is or do you just think its trendy to say you won't buy a laptop without one?
he's right, the eee pc doesn't use an SSD, they just tell you that so it will sell because SSD drives are more durable, less power consuming and are faster, people love to see the letters SSD listed under the specifications for their computer, but you can easily go onto google images and look up the eee pc's SSD and you can see that it's really a bunch of camera memory sticks that were pretty much broke open and the memory chips pryed off and re-sauldered into the motherboared. but it isn't bad, it just means that you can't upgrade the storage memory. but SSD's are essentially the same thing, just in a little metal box and has a place to plug it into your computer, but with the "real" SSD's, you can upgrade the storage memory while keeping everything else in your computer the exact same, and it's less expensive than upgrading to an entirely newer system (like a newer eee pc with more storage)
I doubt the linux model that HP expects to sell like hotcakes...
Afterall, look at the Wal-Mart experience. The American consumer is not ready for linux.
For an extra $50 it is a no-brainer to get Windows. You can always get a free copy of linux and have the best of both worlds.
Do you think the general mindless button-mashing population will ever select an option that doesn't have a huge shiny Windows logo burning into their retinas?
It's not only American consumers who aren't ready but mainstream consumer in general. People don't like hassle and inconvenience especially with tech product. Linux bring is more bad than good for most people because of the following reasons:
1. Consumers hate change and learning Linux takes take, energy and effort.
2. Compatibility with software sitting on the shelves in Walmart.
3. Very few people have a close friend who's good with linux and can help when something needs resolving.
This is seriously the type of ultra portable I'm in the market for. Light, compact and offers decent specs. No hate towards the Eee but to me it's more like an expensive toy than a portable PC. The design is too primitive and the specs are too low-end for it to be a productive machine.
I have a bevy DV9074ea which I love to death but would like something on the opposite end and this 2133 HP has got going on, it perfect. The $599 version is on my wish list but it's a shame it only has a 3 cell battery. Either way I'm glad I know what to spend my tax return money on this summer. I guess there won't be a international vacation for me then.
meh, you can get a decent real gaming laptop for that price.
actually, i'd say the opposite.
Buy the linux option, most people have at least one version of windows floating around their house, and the people that don't can usually "borrow" one from a friend.
I have to agree.. until linux distros have pluggable displays, the tickless kernel, and very pleasant bluetooth usage you're simply better off using windows for a notebook.
I'd save the $50 and instal an illigal copy of widnows xp.
but that's just me.
and every last person I know. (including the ones with legal copies)
@huh - you commented about bluetooth being hard. kdebluetooth stuff, at least in suse10.3 with kde, is pretty painless.
everything works as you'd expensejust click on the bluetooth icon in system tray and it lists all discoverable devices, you can drag and drop files to transfer them, and receive them from mobile phones etc.
FYI SLED 10 is aimed at businesses (hence "enterprise" in the name) not mainstream consumers. Now if it was Suse 10.1 that's a whole different story (www.opensuse.org). Also, when you purchase SLED (or if it's bundled with your laptop purchase in this case) you get support, whereas if you just download it you have to pay for support. Anyways, sweet laptop, I think I'll Pick one up for the wife so I can use my m1330 again (tried to talk her into an eee, but she doesn't like the design, this she likes though).
Will we be able to drop an isaiah chip in there eventually?
Hopefully. The C7 is rather crappy afaik...
3 cell battery....last one hour?
how powerful is the VIA processor compared to the Intel ones?
:\
For General Word Processing and Internet, you won't know the difference with a same-speed celeron.... anything more and you'll probably be crying tears of pain....
UMPCs have never looked appealing to me. For one, i want raw power, for two i have big meaty sausage fingers.... those little keyboards are too damned tiny...
...
SAUSAGE FINGERS?
A VIA processor clocked at 1.2 GHz, like on the CloudBook, is half as powerful as a Celeron M clocked at 900 MHz, like on the Eee [http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4282]*.
Note that the Cloudbook does not have integrated graphics, so it fails even worse in actual usage.
P.S. Just so everyone knows, the Eee's Celeron isn't the same Celeron from years ago. Celeron isn't an architecture, but a line of cheap processors. Previous Celeron Ms used Mobile Pentium IVs with the Northwood architecture. Current Celeron Ms use low-cache single-cores with the Core 2 Duos' architecture. That's why the Eee is so much faster than the CloudBook in benchmarks focusing only on the CPU.
If they made something with these same specs, slider/touchscreen UMPC format, and finished "Origami experience", only then would I buy this "without a thought."
And, honestly, is 5 pounds that heavy?
"And, honestly, is 5 pounds that heavy?"
ahem. i have a win95 dell laptop to sell ya.
a macbook pro weights just over 5 lbs.
anyway, those weights are definitely not going to be the machine itself. probably the shipping weight, as someone mentioned earlier.
9" screen + 5lbs would be bad...14" and 5lbs would be reasonable to good.
I have an older 15.4" HP with big (for a laptop) harmon kardon speakers that take up the whole front edge of the laptop and it 6.xlbs and it is not fun to carry around. for a 9" device 5lb would be a fricking tank. 5lb for shipping weight does make more sense.
They blew it by going with VIA processors over the new ATOM line.
Vista on an ultraportable with 5200 HD and 1GB RAM. Wow, HP, you really screwed that one up.
Looks like the Linux model with an Nlited XP install for me.
When will computer makers realize that we want functionally mobile devices, not just phsyically mobile? I think that ten years from now, no one will even consider a mobile computer that takes a couple minutes to boot up just to check email or jot down some notes. Silly.
screen size?
oh wait nevermind i found it. my bad =)
$50 OFF FOR LINUX OVER VISTA!!!!!!
I'D PAY A $50 PREMIUM FOR LINUX OVER VISTA
Would've been funnier if you used caps lock carefully or not at all.
LOUD NOISES
NO, SORRY MATE, CAN'T TALK RIGHT NOW. I'M IN THE LIBRARY. OH I KNOW, IT'S RUBBISH!
quiet noises
But linux is free. If you send me $50 I'll provide you with a special DL link.
I like the price tag... I was never a big fan of HP computers but in the last year I bought the HP all in one media desktop and the tx1220 laptop and I have been super impressed with both of them... I have been considering a UMPC for a while now but price has been holding me back... It looks like I will pick this up or look into a eeePC...
Same here man...
First laptop i ever bought was a COMPAQ. What a piece of shit!! Futureshop had to replace it within 6 months (lucky my dad got suckered into buying the warranty. I was 15, didn't know much back then)
They replaced the Compaq with a SONY. That lasted about 3 years and ended being replaced also under the Futureshop extended warranty. That was replaced with a COMPAQ again (my biggest mistake - should've never picked Compaq again).
That Compaq lasted me about 2 years with A LOT of trouble and was replaced by Futureshop AGAIN under the warranty.
Then i FINALLY took the HP. Have had it for 2 years without any problems. It's a really well made machine and am very happy with it! My next laptop would DEFINTIELY be an HP.
This one looks tempting, but i want to know how it would do playing movies!! I have a 45 minute commute every morning. I want to be able to watch some episodes of family guy!
stop with the huge bezels already! freakin a'.. add some nerf padding and it's Puterz 4 Kidz
Rather a big bezel than a thicker base and a discomforting cramped keyboard.
Suse??? Hmph. Wish they had gone with Ubuntu.
it doesn't really matter what they go with. wiping the drive and installing whatever you want is pretty trivial. the important thing is that they offer one with linux, meaning that all the hardware is fully supported.
It does matter, because you don't know what they've added on to handle various specific hardware they've used, and whether that software might have something that prevents it from running on another distro other than the blessed vendor supplied distro.
Further, there's the old "oh, you installed X on it, we don't support X, so we're not going to replace your completely unrelated component Y." Vendors love to pull that crap (and HP isn't a company that fills me with warm fuzzies in this regard). I wouldn't want to have to take my Ubuntu 2133 in for service, because I'd be constantly aware that they might either wipe ubuntu and install suse, or refuse to service it while it has ubuntu installed (or refuse to service it ever after they've recorded in their database that you installed some OS other than the one they sold you).
Oh, and, wonder if you can get upgrades on the Linux version for the extra battery, bluetooth, extra memory, and extra disk?
1280x768 is quite nice for a 9 inch screen. Though on closer inspection there is a fairly large bezel around the display. Would think you could fit something 10-11 inches... but maybe that's being greedy (and would raise the price even further out of the "secondary" computer target that this is already stretching).
Eventually a side by side with an Eee PC would be nice. Seems like the HP is a bit larger.
But 1280x768? Why not go for the extra 32 pixels and make it a nice standard resolution?
I think they also have the speakers right next to the screen. If they make the screen bigger they might not have any space to put the speakers.
I like the concept of the UMPC, but how does this processor stacks up against existing processors? It's nearly as expensive as a regular laptop, and I'm not bothered enough by size and weight considerations to choose this over a full-sized laptop. In a UMPC I want something small enough to be carried by me most of the time, functional enough to be truly useful and keep me connected, and cheap enough that I won't worry about loosing it all the time.
The 2133 will be significantly slower than other laptops in the $600 range. It's using a processor that benchmarks half as fast as a $400 laptop, the Eee [http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4282].
And I don't know whether or not HP integrated graphics, but even a crappy card makes the Eee leaps and bounds ahead of the CloudBook. Most people won't be gaming at high-quality or anything, but it makes a difference when watching videos or using any aspect of the OS's GUI.
Another Laptop....wow.
a laptop that has a 9 inch screen and weighs over 5 pounds sounds like something from 1992. Please tell me that is a mistake or else you can guarantee this will be a flop. You can buy a 5lb + laptop with a core 2 Duo processor for well under $700 with better specs
I've said the same thing about what Asus is doing to the Eee, these prices are getting too high for a machine like this.
Asus had a good thing going at the 350-400 mark. Now that these machines are getting into the 600 dollar range, I'm starting to lose interest. I think they're going to kill this market by going back to business as usual, as far as pricing goes.
I'm not sure you've noticed, but the USD has been devaluating against pretty much every currency..
When it was first talked about its weight was 2.5 lbs
Yep, the weight is a bit high. Plus it uses Vista and VIA. Uh, yeah. I guess I'll be keeping my EEE PC afterall.
this is stupid at 750$. i saw the tx1400(ie the HP tablet pc) on sale at 850. heloooooo touch screen 13" 2gb ram TL-60 cpu. let me make a prediction for this series of ultraportables. they will be released. nobody will buy them, prices will go down a bit, and by that time Asus will be making the EEE 1000 which will be cheaper then this POS. just my 2 cents
Wow, a 2.5" HDD in this form factor, 7200rpm options?
Dang, why can't the 8.9" Fujitsu Lifebook P1600 get this or my 11" Vaio TZ!?
I have no experience with Via, but just hear their performance is very slow, I hear this 1.2ghz chip of theirs is even slower than the 900mhz Celeron M in the EEE.
I really wish these would have an option for Intel processors, same with HP's TX2000 tablet, I don't mind paying a bit extra for more performance and battery life.
Still 160gb HDD keeps major overkill for this considering my much more expensive TZ only has a 100gb HDD. : (
April 7th is very close and no real actual pictures of this? Any word on the ports it will have? I hear it'll have an Expresscard slot.
Is this targeted for business or consumers? I'm thinking the former because of seeing Linux Enterprise as a choice OS.
I'm still waiting for my Origami UMPC that can play Halo. I'd buy the hell out of that.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=EKzp3a-u49k
you'd "buy the hell out of that"?
is that like exorcism, but through bribing?
Why does it have to cost so much to have bluetooth in these devices nowadays? $600 would have been sweet, but no bluetooth?
Give me the Foleo anytime...
Yeah, I don't get it either. You can get a Bluetooth USB dongle for $10. The actual hardware is tiny, and costs virtually nothing to integrate.
Damn, Missed the bet on this one.. I have a 32gb SSD 1.8" IDE drive In my tablet I was planning to transition to this.. but if they went 2.5" SATA then thats right out.. Guess I'll have to wait for the 9" EEE and stick it in there..... That is unless this thing will use a 2.5" IDE drive.. then theirs hope :-P.
The EeePC doesn't have a drive, so you won't be putting your 32GB SSD in there. The EeePC's storage is soldered onto the board and not upgradeable, unless Asus is doing something different with the 9" than the 7".
This will certainly be using SATA, like any modern laptop with a 2.5" drive. Nobody uses 2.5" PATA anymore. The only time you don't see SATA on new laptops is when 1.8" drives are used.
Actually, that's not true.
The Eee has a free mini-PCI slot that can accomodate an SSD there, and becomes a slave drive.
Check out the 8G. It's used there for that purpose.
At that price and weight, I'd get a Lenovo.
If you ask me, both asus and Hp have got it wrong. Hp have certainly blown it using a VIA cpu for sure. And the EEEPC 900 will simply not have enough storage.
If it was me making a similar machine this is what I would go for:
8.9 Inch 1280x800
Pentium M ULV (1.2/1.4ghz)/Intel Atom
80GB (5400rpm/7200rpm) 1.8 inch hdd / 16gb flash options
6 Cell Battery
1024mb 667mhz DDR2 RAM
Wireless 802.11 a/b/g
XP PRO/ Linux variant Options
SDHC slot
3 USB ports
retail >>>> $525
Am I right or am I right?
add in a touchscreen, gps, and bluetooth and im sold at that price
needs a 8800GS.
Mr. Corsini:
You're almost right...
Problem is, 1.8" drives are not available (yet at least) in 7200 rpm. Most 1.8" HDs run at 4200 rpm, which is their main problem. They cause a MAJOR bottleneck. 5400 rpm drives have recently become available, but still very slow compared to a 2.5" drive.
I'm confident that in the near future faster 1.8" HDs will become available (unless manufacturers just give up on "mechanical" drives and just focus on SSDs).
I like the fact that the HP comes with a 2.5" HD, but thats the only thing I like about it.
My dream: an Asus eeePC w/ a 2.5" HD & a TrackPoint (which would basically make it an updated IBM s30/31)
A hp dv6700z, with 1.9 ghz amd cpu, 15.4 screen,large trackpad, nice keyboard, and great design only costs $599
if you must have a small umd laptop, get a $250 ssd eee pc.
Way Cool!
VIA Isaiah or bust. C7-M? :=/
Hopefully this thing will be updated in a few months.
cant quite understand the size of this thing, and it would be odd if it were the package size. also for fun in comparing the size of this cinderblock.. -> http://www.sizeasy.com/page/size_comparison/11523-EeePC-vs-HP-2133-has-to-be-an-error-
At least HP got the vertical screen resolution right at 768. Some web sites assume you're using a screen with a minimum of 768 pixels.
Ok...my litmus test is...can I take it to an NFL game with my EVDO Rev A card (Sprint because it is unlimited data, of course) and watch my SlingBox or DirecTV.com and NFL Sunday Ticket???
With the dimensions of this machine, I will stick with my Fujitsu U810 with its 1GB of RAM and 800Mhz processor and 40GB hard drive...did not have any problems carrying the 1.5 pound package in my binocular case...and watched every game in the NFL without any problems whatsoever.
This machine is a bit big for a UMPC, even at 2.5 lbs.
Are U freakin kidding! Its 5lbs. How is that a UMPC?!?!? My 12 inch power book weighs less.
This looks great... the EEEpc is simply too small for my large hands, and I would suggest that the weight and size on that form there would be the SHIPPING weight and size. (for all those people who thought otherwise, really a 5 in thick laptop?)
One thing with the VIA processor is how much power comsumption it has. I'll take a guess and say this processor on average won't use more that 2-5Watts, maybe peaking at around 10-15Watts when your pushing it, the 3-cell batteries may last longer that you think...
Yeah, I think it looks a lot nicer than the EEE PC. Plus I think the feature set is much better.
Though, I kinda wonder what would happen if you pulled the motherboard out, and put a MacBook Air motherboard in it. The MBA's main board is a lot smaller than the device's footprint would imply. I don't know what kinds of glue logic you'd have to come up with, though. But, I still wonder if it'd work, and how much effort it would require.
"...and how much effort it would require."
A shitload.
I don't doubt it would require a shitload of effort. The question is: would it be too much? On the one hand, I think it'd be cool to have a Mac UMPC in a nice case (as opposed to the guy who made a mobile brick out of a Mac Mini) ... but Apple doesn't appear to agree with me.
I'll be ordering one. The specs on the leak could only be packaging dimensions. Actual dimensions are probably 10"x7"x1.5" and 3.5 lbs. which is pretty good for the hardware specs.
Comparing this to the Eee is like comparing apples/oranges. For $200 more you're getting twice the RAM, a bigger, higher res screen, 30 times more storage, and a full blown OS in what I would consider a much more attractive package. If you put this and the Eee side by side with the same version of linux this thing would blow it out of the water.
This is much more appealing to the masses as opposed to the early-adopting linux lovers who got a hard on over the Eee, which in my opinion is only even semi-attractive because of the price tag. Plus, HP has the U.S. presence and marketing power to make this thing a hit. My only concern is battery life. And damnit they should have added GPS!
how easy would it be to put in more ram from 1 gb to 2 gb and change the linux to xp?
HP failed by using VIA C-7M CPU, which is a twice slower comparing to ant other x86 CPU. If you want to compare them, imagine Celeron and cut by half VIA CPU speed, and you have Celeron with 600Mhz.
The current EEE PC is underclocked at 630Mhz. Make the same assumption for the new higher resolution EEE 900. So, HP and EEE are running at similar speeds. If you use the VIA 1.2Ghz performance factor of 0.5, then HP 2133 and EEE have similar processor performance.