How would you change HP's 2133 Mini-Note PC?

Sure, ASUS' Eee PC may have done quite a bit to spark the subnote revolution, but HP's 2133 Mini-Note PC has received an incredible amount of fanfare on its own. As soon as HP's order page went live, however, we began to hear grumblings like "Where's my option for XP?," and "I'm stuck with a VIA?" Nevertheless, reviewers found an awful lot to love about HP's first foray into the land of bargain-priced wee lappies, but we know the critical sect is out there keeping 'em honest. Now that the machines have been shipping for over a fortnight, we're interested to hear from you early adopters. Is it everything you hoped it would be? How on earth could the next model be improved upon? The floor is yours.

[Mush @ May 2nd 2008 6:35PM]

put an atom chip in there

[kev @ May 2nd 2008 6:49PM]

You do realize that the Atom is meant for embedded systems, right? It doesn't have a lot in the way of on-die cache, and so its performance with random addresses and heap allocation will be fairly bad, and on par with an old Celeron. Unless it's paired with DDR3 (or faster) RAM, the Atom will be a chugger thanks to all the capacity misses.

[fressshhh @ May 2nd 2008 6:55PM]

Change
-Atom/Isaiah CPU
-XP
-Bigger Screen/Smaller Speakers (would be nice)
-3g/EVDO (would be nice)

Love
-Form Factor
-Keyboard
-Screen

[nscreated @ May 2nd 2008 7:03PM]

I thought the Atom Z (Silverthorne) was for embedded, and Atom N (Diamondville) was more powerful and meant for PCs. http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/04/03/idf_inside_silverthorne/

[Mush @ May 2nd 2008 7:09PM]

there are two kinds..
Diamonville...meant for portable laptops etc
in any case....since the Asus is planning to put the Atom chip into the eee..why cant HP?

[conor @ May 3rd 2008 9:11PM]

Isiah is faster than atom... Mine would have 2ghz Isiah nvidia integrated graphics and 2gb ram with 16gb SSD

[Cassini @ May 3rd 2008 8:10PM]

I'd give it magical powers and the ability to talk and fly.


OK, seriously, though... I'd like to see the following changes/additions - and I realize that while some of these things should absolutely be standard, others could simply be options (but should definitely be available):

1.) An Intel Atom processor
2.) Cooler operating temperatures without it sounding like a jet fighter taking off
3.) 4GB RAM capacity
4.) Better integrated graphics
5.) Add WiFi b/g/n, not just b/g
6.) Backlight the keyboard (And why not? My cell phone has it; other laptops and UMPC's have it. Why not this unit? And no, it's not about battery life - we're way past that. If that were an issue, no mobile device would have it, and the batteries running those have much less capacity. So there's no reason for this unit not to).

7.) Integrate WWAN (GSM please, not CDMA. I want to deal with SIM cards and I want it unlocked so I can use it with any GSM carrier in the States or overseas - not just AT&T).
8.) Integrate GPS (SiRFstar III / Prima or MTK Chipsets)

9.) 1mp video camera (VGA is old), and make it swivel (I don't want to have to adjust the whole screen or ruin its angle just to get the camera at a proper angle).
10.) An HDCP-enabled HDMI port (again, VGA is old)
11.) Add a third USB 2.0 Hi-Speed port and make all the ports powered - not just one.
12.) Maybe a Firewire port (wouldn't take up much space and would lend even more flexibility).

13.) The indicator lights need to be completely re-worked. First of all, why on earth is the battery light located on the right outer-side of the computer, and the HDD light on the front edge? That makes no sense.

Considering the current specs of this system, along with the additions I mentioned above, this Mini-Note should have six indicator lights (all with their appropriate icon shapes for easy recognition):

- Battery (Green, orange, or red based on status)
- HDD (White)
- WiFi (Green)
- BT (Blue)
- WWAN (Purple)
- GPS (Gold)

The only one of the above lights that should ever flicker at all, should be the HDD light, but all the rest should just glow steady when in operation, so they don't serve as a distraction. The different colors (along with the icon shapes) would aid in acknowledging activity and status.

And they should all be placed side by side in one location so they can actually be seen, easily, and all at once (not in weird locations like on the side of the computer, and so forth). Place these indicator lights on the inside on the computer, side by side, just below the screen.

14.) Place the power and wireless switches on the inside, above the keyboard where they're safe and won't get accidentally bumped (e.g.: while in a bag, etc.).

15.) Keep the trackpad (and the button to turn it on and off), but place the mouse buttons below the trackpad - not on either side of it. Yes, this will increase the depth of the computer, but so what? It's already so small to begin with - another half an inch isn't going to bother anyone.

Then add in a Trackpoint as well.

Trackpads are great for speed and scrolling, but Trackpoints are best for precision, and when you're working with such a small screen, precision is paramount. So I'd like to see both pad and point integrated simultaneously (not just one or the other).

16.) Put in a Multi-card slot, not just an SD slot.


OK, so that's a lot. But those are the changes/additions/options I'd like to see. And yes, it would increase the price. But so what? Especially when considering that some of those things could and would be options. After all, what we choose to spend is up to each of us as individuals and I want a portable system like this that's decked out with all of the above.

These things would fly off the shelves if they offered all that.

[Benson @ May 6th 2008 8:19PM]

WRT indicators... I recommend throbbing be permitted; it's not too distracting in those situations involving atypical activity, such as actively scanning networks. Just sitting connected and transferring data should be steady though, I suppose.

[DIrEctQL @ May 2nd 2008 6:35PM]

They're still not on sale at retails stores. I won't buy one until I see one in real life.

[lcchoops @ May 2nd 2008 11:19PM]

I agree.

[Patriks7 @ May 3rd 2008 3:16AM]

the question is WHY would you change it? i like it tbh :x

[Baz @ May 3rd 2008 9:23AM]

Nor are they available yet in Canada - virtually or in bricks and mortar.

What? They think they're iPhones?

[Peter @ May 2nd 2008 6:36PM]

Remove the speakers from the screen section.

Add XP

Loose the rounded corners

Larger HDD

Make the trackpad more centered

[Nick V @ May 2nd 2008 6:38PM]

Allow custom orders so I can strip out Vista and swap the HD for a SSD out of the high end config.

[tomarlowe @ May 2nd 2008 6:41PM]

Blue Tooth is only available on the most expensive unit. They need to make it an option on all 4 versions.

[ChillyWilly @ May 2nd 2008 8:52PM]

The form factor is perfect, but I would echo others in having an XP Pro option. Or better yet, wait for someone to get OS X Leopard running on it, like they have for the Eee PC

[Warner Young @ May 2nd 2008 6:41PM]

It seems to be the easiest change to make that would improve it is to chuck the VIA C7-M and replace it with an Isaiah CPU. That should make this thing actually viable on the CPU front. An option for SSD instead of a HDD might help with the heat, assuming that's where most of the heat comes from.

[ralphg @ May 2nd 2008 6:42PM]

Replace the hard drive with a 40GB SSD.

Max out on RAM.

[tnkgrl @ May 2nd 2008 6:43PM]

- Make Windows XP Pro option
- Allow customization at order time (like add Bluetooth to the $550 version, replace 6-cell battery with 3-cell battery for the $750 version)
- Switch to Intel processor

[doudOSX @ May 2nd 2008 7:04PM]

it already has a intell cpu stupid

[Sime @ May 2nd 2008 11:00PM]

@ doudOSX

Are u daft!? it runs on a Via processor which is why everyone wanted them to switch to intel. get ur facts straight

[doudOSX @ May 6th 2008 4:48PM]

@Sime
its a spin off of intel .. you get your facts strate!
p.s i wwlod give it a core 2 duo out of a air and id fix the crappy trake pad ... my i book kiks this things but!!

[Benson @ May 6th 2008 8:23PM]

Umm... NO!
It was founded by a guy who _left_ Intel. You get your facts and your spelling straight.

[Tony @ May 2nd 2008 6:43PM]

Give it the ability to make cookies.

[jason @ May 2nd 2008 10:10PM]

I like cookies!

[JAmerican @ May 2nd 2008 6:44PM]

Replace C7-M with Isaiah chip (cheapest alternative to redoing the mobo layout with Atom).

Allow for XP option.

Allow for Large storage Linux option

Remove reflective display

Increase screen.

Move speakers below screen near HP logo.

[happy_penguin @ May 3rd 2008 1:00PM]

The speakers are fine where they are. Look at the keyboard. The cover is going to have that space available anyway so why not use it for the speakers?

[Zoesch @ May 2nd 2008 6:44PM]

I wouldn't change:

Form factor
Case shape
Weight

I would change

Wider screen with no speakers
Beefier CPU (Dothan/Atom/Core Solo ULV)
Beffier Graphics (GMA950/X3100)
Docking connector for a decent slim docking station with options for an extra battery, ultra slim DVD-RW and additional USB ports.

Otherwise, HP has a hit with the design, I'm an Apple guy mostly but I'd definitely get a Mininote for business if they address those issues, oh, and no Vista, keep it with XP.

[happy_penguin @ May 3rd 2008 1:04PM]

A wider screen would be nice but they are trying to keep cost down. A larger screen would probably add cost.

[Bryant @ May 2nd 2008 6:53PM]

Too many replies to the first comment; Jesus.

I'd create a more expensive version with a core 2 duo ULV while keeping the VIA in the cheaper ones. Then, I'd expand the screen real estate and add wimax to all of them. That's about it

[Bryant @ May 2nd 2008 6:53PM]

oh oops, must've been a rendering bug. all but the last few comments looked like they were replies to the first one.

[Nick V @ May 2nd 2008 7:32PM]

Exactly, I want Bluetooth and the fastest CPU but not Vista or the HDD.

[Tired_ @ May 2nd 2008 6:53PM]

Provide video playback test results. The only thing keeping me from buying one of these is not knowing how well it does video playback.

[Travis @ May 2nd 2008 9:26PM]

You are not looking very hard.

[xmodfreak91 @ May 3rd 2008 12:18PM]

I use Media Player Classic to play my DVDs and it plays them seamlessly. I don't get any kind of lag or hesitation and I have the 1.2Ghz model

[JBarkMBA @ May 3rd 2008 12:50PM]

I use it to play back Netflix vids on my TV. Verdict: Pass.
Playing 720p dl vids. Verdict: Pass.
Editing a 480p vid in Premier Pro. Verdict: Epic Fail

[ldrn @ May 2nd 2008 6:56PM]

If they can't make the orange wifi disabled light turn off when the wifi turns on in Linux, remove the orange led.

Heck, a tiny bit of polish on their Linux package would be nice -- I like debian systems, but just updating to the latest version of SuSE fixes a lot of problems.

Hardware wise, I love the resolution, but maybe have an option to skip the reflective protector on the screen and let the screen go back further for lap use.

[Solarix @ May 2nd 2008 6:58PM]

Get the Via chip out and how about a screen that isn't so reflective in all but dark conditions?

[Tuffgong @ May 2nd 2008 6:59PM]

Give me Isaiah and I'm cold...that's all I'd change.

[c-attle @ May 2nd 2008 7:00PM]

make it a mac

[billy @ May 2nd 2008 7:21PM]

macs suck

[giuliop @ May 2nd 2008 7:27PM]

So that's "make it suck"?

[BiggerX @ May 2nd 2008 8:28PM]

macs only suck cause you dont have one. Your like a child who has a good toy, but not the best. So you have to dog on all the rich kids to make yourself feel better.

[beryl @ May 2nd 2008 10:00PM]

I didn't think Mac could equate a childish analogy of toys to the formalisms of modern day computing. True though, Mac is the best toy there is*. But I am not a child and XP/Linux are not toys.

*vista comes pretty close

[lcchoops @ May 2nd 2008 11:20PM]

Macs rock! (ROCK) LOL

[Avram @ May 2nd 2008 7:00PM]

At LAPTOP, we've done some exhaustive testing and playing with the Mini-Note and I have a few observations:

1. The thing gets incredibly hot after a short period of time. I'd up the fan speed dramatically. It's just unpleasant to type on something that is burning hot.

2. I'd lower the native screen resolution to 1024 x 600 or 1024 x 768 or something. The native res is way too high for an 8.9" screen. It's blinding.

3. The 6-cell battery (pretty much a must) gives the system an odd slope which makes it hard to type on.

4. We know HP is coming out with an XP system; that's good b/c Vista is way too heavy of an OS for this thing.

5. Give users a better Linux option than SUSE and/or support Ubuntu with drivers. Yes, there are complicated driver hacks out there, but this should be made easy.

6. The processor is really slow.

7. The touchpad is awkward.

[cmonkey @ May 2nd 2008 7:11PM]

There is no such thing as too high of a resolution.

[Johan S @ May 2nd 2008 8:32PM]

How can a high resolution be blinding? If you have problems seeing, you can always scale up or zoom. Or, you must must be talking about the font size? Ever heard of font scaling? Truetype fonts (which are specified as vectors) look better with more resolution when you scale it up.

[Charlie @ May 2nd 2008 11:39PM]

The screen resolution is the one major thing that attracts me to the Mini-Note. Well, that and the size, I like how they didn't waste any space.

Use a faster processor (I don't care what type), fix the heating issues and I'm sold.

[LarryLarryLarry @ May 3rd 2008 1:46AM]

Yes, battery life is a huge problem. The battery you want doesn't last nealy long enough, the batter you need destroys the whole form factor.

Back to the drawing board.