Demand for HP's Mini-Note growing fast?

HP has always been confident that the 2133 Mini-Note would sell quickly, to the point where the company planned to build some two million units this year, and it sounds like that bet's paying off -- China's Apply Daily is citing sources at HP Taiwan quoting worldwide sales growing 50 percent monthly. That's pretty good for one of the more expensive small laptops on the market -- we'll see if that rumored cheaper edition moves even more.

[Via Brighthand]

[who? @ Aug 30th 2008 5:09PM]

Well, isn't that just peachy.

[Jash Sayani @ Aug 31st 2008 3:06AM]

Well, mini-note is a really nice notebook. But I just hate its touchpad button placement. The buttons are on the sides. How could people use that ???

[Mile @ Aug 30th 2008 5:13PM]

Fail.

[Muhammed @ Aug 30th 2008 5:20PM]

No, this is not apple's market now.

[matthew @ Aug 30th 2008 5:25PM]

sorry... fail is just as bad as first (or second in this case)

[Spork @ Aug 30th 2008 5:30PM]

The iPhone isn't a netbook....

[BoloMKXXVIII @ Aug 30th 2008 5:42PM]

Why are people buying these nettops with the horrible Via C7 processor when there are plenty of other makes/models with Intel Atom processors?

[Pumping_Iron @ Aug 30th 2008 6:22PM]

there was a test made...the results showed that Via C7 played 1080p video flawlessly on a similar netbook....while an Atom N270 had HUGE lags, u couldnt watch anything......so u might as well re think ur statement

[iofthestorm @ Aug 30th 2008 8:54PM]

Atom is weaker than the Celery in the original EeePC.

[Danny @ Aug 31st 2008 12:32AM]

Celery?! The atom can't even beat a vegetable now?

[snotvoid @ Aug 30th 2008 5:46PM]

It's still a shame that to find the Mini-Note on the HP website you have to go to the Small & Medium Business section. I'm sure many more consumers would buy it if it was on the Home & Home Office section, but large manufacturers can't go around having every average consumer knowing that they don't have to spend over 800 dollars on what they think is a "good" notebook.

[Information Central @ Aug 30th 2008 6:56PM]

HP is making the same stupid mistake as Dell?

WTF? Why would you force would-be customers to CATEGORIZE THEMSELVES before letting them shop?

Remember how Yahoo tried to force everything into categories? Yeah, Google kicked their ass with a simple textbox.

Good job, HP. Way to learn nothing and defy common sense.

[Rainier @ Aug 30th 2008 7:45PM]

Uhhhhh, the Mini-Note is managed by the BUSINESS notebook group. So, where on HP's site do you think they're going to sell it? Geez.

[gad get @ Aug 31st 2008 1:52AM]

@ Information Central

I think you mean, "FTW? Why would you force would-be customers to CATEGORIZE THEMSELVES before letting them shop?"

[Justin @ Aug 30th 2008 5:48PM]

Heads up for anyone working in IT considering purchasing these units:

These models have a particular problem with the HAL concerning imaging. If you use Vista in your environment, you're fine (thanks to Vista's HAL architecture). However, Windows XP uses ACPI-Uniprocessor for this machine, and that is apparently problematic.

Case in point: If you use Windows Deployment Services for creating and deploying images, it will capture based on HAL and then deploy to only similar HAL-compatible machines. While you may create an ACPI-Uniprocessor image and then deploy to the 2133 (which should be compatible), it will lock with a light blue screen and give you an Lsass.exe error (0xc0147, I believe). This is an actual Windows pop-up error, this isn't a Stop (BSOD) error, so it's a problem within Windows itself.

Oddly enough, Standard PC will boot on the machine just fine, but good luck using that with WDS and imaging, not to mention removing any advanced power-saving features (and half the reason to own a 2133). Worse still, if you try to update the HAL manually once you've deployed your Standard PC image, it will lock upon the first restart and give you the same error as listed above.

I've contacted HP in regards to the problem and so far their engineering team has simply told me that the chipset is incompatible with other chipsets and that the images need to be built on the 2133 to work with a 2133. That completely defies logic and goes against the reason Microsoft (and competitors) built tools such as WDS, the Universal Imaging Utility, and others.

Long story short: This is a pain in the ass for support and maintenance, and I just wanted to let you know before you take the plunge. As of BIOS revision F.03 the 2133 is broken for imaging, and unless you're willing to deal with the headaches, I suggest you heavily consider investing in them for your staff.

If you have questions on this, please feel free to contact me. I'm dealing with this nightmare, and I'm so grieved by it that I'm taking the time to post about it here.

I wish HP would acknowledge and resolve this issue.

[Ninjakamster (PS360 FTW!) @ Aug 30th 2008 5:48PM]

It is a good netbook except for the horrible Via processor and chipset.

At least get an Atom or Via Nano in there and then we will talk. Otherwise, I love the design, the quality of it, the Expresscard slot and 1280x768 resolution screen vs 1024x600 in most netbooks.

[wazd @ Aug 30th 2008 6:15PM]

These gasps bout VIA C7 proccessors are really ridiculous.Think about what you will be doing on a netbook. Playing Crysis? Rendering 3D cartoons? Converting videos? Watch 1080p movies? Don't think so.
You will: write documents, surf web, listen to the music, watch DVD-rips from the Pirate Bay, video skype maybe and play Diablo 2 and solitare (or something like that). And nothing else. And even 1.2 VIA (that I have) can handle it quite well. The only small issue is heat, but I don't know laptops that are staying cold whole time.
And ~30 minutes of bonus battery time isn't really huge deal to burn C7 like a witch.

[MJ @ Aug 30th 2008 6:26PM]

That's the whole point, I had one and you can't even watch Youtube videos without the processor packing in. Also tried watching a couple of Ipod video files (ones converted for it) and nope, no joy there either.

So as a word processor/internet browsing (but not video viewing) machine yes its not bad. The re-badged MSI Wind I have (the UK Advent model) with the Atom has no problems at all (and actually starts Vista up quicker than my iMac running bootcamp lol).

Soon as HP add the Atom I will be snapping another one up as the build, screen and keyboard are the best i've used on a 'netbook' so far!

[OzDJ @ Aug 30th 2008 6:49PM]

I have to smirk when I read comments about the apparent processor "fail factor". I'm sure the "if it's not Atom it won't do" probably frustrates, HP, too. Most, if not all, comments of this ilk are from people who have NEVER USED the device. Let me share a few tasks which I do on my HP2133 (XP SP3, 2GB RAM). It goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway, that I'm NOT doing all of these things at once.

-- Watching 720 and 1080 DIVX and XVID video - NO PROBLEM.
-- Playback and recording of 1080i broadcasts from a cheap USB DVB-T tuner - NO PROBLEM (Blaze TV)
-- Basic editing of pix from my D80 DSLR - NO PROBLEM (Photoshop CS aka v8.0)
-- Playing MAME ROMs (incl some of the meatier ones) - NO PROBLEM
-- Playback of YouTube and other streaming media in full-screen - NO PROBLEM (I use a HSDPA USB modem)
-- Full Office 2003 functionality - I even edit small (~600MB) Access databases on - NO PROBLEM

Keep on whingeing about device specs and, as you do, there are people in the real world who are using them every day without any qualms.

[wazd @ Aug 30th 2008 7:02PM]

Well, I really don't think that mini (even 1.6) can handle 1080i video, cause 1.2 barely handles 720p :)
But I still see no sense in watchinh 1080 video on such a small and lowres screen :) MAME is also laggy, but I think that's the problem of 1.2 GHz CPU, 1.6 can handle it probably. On other points, including YouTube and Photoshop - I totally agree and approve them, even smaller 1.2 handles high quallity youtube in fullscreen.

[Brian @ Aug 30th 2008 5:55PM]

put atom in it and I'll buy it!!!

[Pumping_Iron @ Aug 30th 2008 7:05PM]

yeah...u will...Via is better for me and other people though

[Jamma @ Aug 30th 2008 6:02PM]

The closest Apple has come to a producing a netbook is a laptop with a 13.3 inch screen, one USB port, and a £1200 price tag......

but it can cut cake...

[BigDaddyM @ Aug 30th 2008 6:12PM]

Edge to edge screen and a reasonable processor, then I will buy.
M

[Richard Lai @ Aug 30th 2008 6:13PM]

Just thought I should point out that Apple Daily is from Hong Kong (which IS part of China), but ironically banned in China.

[Ryan @ Aug 30th 2008 6:54PM]

Richard, your popped collar makes it look like you have two bananas resting on your shoulder.

[Richard Lai @ Aug 30th 2008 9:30PM]

Nice. :)

[Badger_badger_badger @ Aug 30th 2008 11:52PM]

Why have one popped collar when you could have five??

[老外 @ Aug 31st 2008 3:02AM]

Wrong... I get Apple Daily in Guangzhou.

[Richard Lai @ Aug 31st 2008 11:21AM]

@老外: censored edition? I'm sure there are certain sections that are missing (politics, entertainment, etc.).

[daliminator2000 @ Aug 30th 2008 6:19PM]

Dell has fanboys now?!

Btw I think HP's got some pretty damn good computers.

[Richard @ Aug 30th 2008 6:23PM]

Im not surprised the HP Mininote is s winner, it has both the price and the looks and functionality to make it work. If I were asked to isolate one thing that makes this netbook good I would say the keyboard is outstanding.

[OzDJ @ Aug 30th 2008 6:24PM]

I have been using a HP2133 (with 2GB of RAM) for a little over a month now. It's my third "not a notebook PC", having also owned (and sold) a Fujitsu U1010 UMPC and Asus Eee PC 901. It essentially stock-standard except that I ditched the factory Vista Basic install in favour of XP SP3. It is THE BEST "not a notebook PC" that I've owned to date. More than enough processing grunt for what I use it for including general email and web surfing needs; Office2003; watching DIVX (incl 720p); playing MAME ROMs; archiving and basic editing of pix from my DSLR when I'm on the road; and even running a HD USB DVB-T tumer (1080 broadcasts look sweet on the little screen!)

Unlike previous "not a notebook PC" devices, I've had no difficulties touch-typing on the HP2133. The keyboard is SUPERB and battles with the lush aluminium casing for the title of #1 user highlight. My HP2133 bounces around - without any protection - in my backpack, suitcase and floor of the car. It looks as good as the day I bought it.

It does have a few shortcomings which I'd like to see HP address in future models. No hardware buttons for volume control (FN + FN keys); should ship with two batteries (the included 3-cell is good for about 1hr 40mins of movie playback); the smudge-o-matic and reflect-o-matic screen has to go (can't use it AT ALL in direct sunlight).

[OzDJ @ Aug 30th 2008 10:02PM]

For the folks who still doubt the processing capabilities of this machine, or those who are just interested what it is capable of, I just shot and uploaded a very quick video using my cameraphone.

See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lp2ZLlNkmig

It's a clean XP SP3 install on a HP 2133 with 1.6GHz processor and 2GB of RAM). The USB DVB-T stick is an uber-cheapy and it forces the PC to do almost all of the work. As you'll see in the video, the MiniNote barely breaks a sweat for SD playback and copes with true HD (1080) streams without a drama.

[jawa_edan @ Aug 31st 2008 4:05AM]

http://www.umpcportal.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=3137&forum=28

#3 post there said XP took 150-180 secs to boot? is it really that bad? then there's the glossy screen, 3 cell, vista on 1GB, and AU$150 premium over 1000H. On top of that, they want $130 for a 6 cell upgrade. I like the keyboard and metal finish though, but why should I bother put up with the rest.

[cmj2405 @ Aug 30th 2008 6:28PM]

I would love a mini-note, but I would rather they put a Via Nano, Atom, or AMD in there.

[cmj2405 @ Aug 30th 2008 6:28PM]

Cake cutting is a desirable feature to me, my major is in baking

[giantenemycrab @ Aug 30th 2008 6:31PM]

Yeah, I can't wait for Apple's netbook! It'll probably have similar specs, and for only $1100!

[Jon Doe. @ Aug 30th 2008 6:38PM]

Correct me if I'm wrong on this but they are still using that VIA piece of junk for the CPU or have their upgraded to the better VIA CPU that was to come out this summer or better yet Atom? I was seriously eyeballing one of these units, until I read the review and how the performance was underwhelming.

[OzDJ @ Aug 30th 2008 7:04PM]

@John Doe - what make/model of netbook PC do you own (or have owned)?

[Jon Doe. @ Aug 30th 2008 10:14PM]

None yet. I want to wait on the Dell offering and see a review, before I dive into this genre of ultra portable. I've played around with several Winds. several OLPC's (IMHO Sucked.) and of course the veritable Eee PC 900 and 8G. If you REALLY want to get technical my first one was back in the mid maybe early 90';s with the Toshiba Libretto subnotebook. That sucker was awesome. But right now. I think people are getting hung up on individual models on these things. At the end of the day they all are functional with slight differences with their keyboard, screen, size. I think more then anything it comes down to personal taste of design then what some no name reviewer on a site has to say about benchmarks....However the last review I read on the HP suggested it was rather poky, even with normal app use. Which is a concern IMHO. whether that claim was legit, or if it was some elitist tech geek not happy with waiting a few extra seconds.....no idea.

[tbone @ Aug 30th 2008 6:49PM]

i'm also told that the mini-note has some pretty bad overheating problems. but tech shops will just add in mini fans to solve that issue. oh well, so far i'm happy with my macbook

[Information Central @ Aug 30th 2008 6:51PM]

Spelling "WTF" backward: not funny then, not funny now.

[Information Central @ Aug 30th 2008 6:59PM]

WTF, Engadget? How does this constitute an "article"? It's one paragraph of unsubstantiated crap, with NO PICTURES.

[Chris @ Aug 30th 2008 9:09PM]

All you had to do was read the title and not read it but aparently you hated it so much that you read the whole article and even bothered to post a comment.

[Jon Doe. @ Aug 30th 2008 10:15PM]

What part of blog don't people get? Let us all consider ourselves fortunate that it wasn't an iPhone post.

[gad get @ Aug 31st 2008 1:55AM]

@ Information Central

"FTW, Engadget? How does this constitute an "article"? It's one paragraph of unsubstantiated crap, with NO PICTURES."

So much for it not being funny, then or now, eh?

[James @ Aug 30th 2008 7:15PM]

Um. InfoCent, you do know that ftw and wtf are two different meanings right? FTW stands for For The Win. As in "Engadget For The Win" which would be a completely different meaning then say "Engadget, What The F***"

So either I didn't understand your post, or hopefully you understand this now.

Whatever.

[Ladislaio @ Aug 30th 2008 7:17PM]

@jamma
Remember, it took HP's innovation to shaw how it could cut cake!

[Fitz @ Aug 30th 2008 7:26PM]

ftw = "for the win", not WTF backwards

moron