HP Mini 2140 reviewed, very loved
By Ross Miller 
posted Jan 6th 2009 10:38PM
posted Jan 6th 2009 10:38PM
No sooner does HP announce the Mini 2140 than we get reviews from two lucky outlets who seemed to have fallen in love with the netbook. While it retains the sturdy case, ExpressCard / 54 slot, and not-quite-full-sized keyboard that reviewers loved with its predecessor, it also has the awkward, narrow touchpad and side-mounted vertical buttons. Performance is said to be on par with other Intel Atom N270 machines, and while high marks go to the larger screen, Computer Shopper says the 1024 x 576 resolution gave some smaller letters a bluish "halo" effect when compared to the Eee PC 1002HA's 1024 x 600 screens. Also, the $30 optional six-cell battery sounds like a must-have, as that added bump gave Laptop Magazine over 7 hours of web-browsing time. Both sites are heralding this as one of the best netbooks on the market -- is that enough to get your attention?
Read - Consumer Shopper review
Read - Laptop Magazine review
Read - Consumer Shopper review
Read - Laptop Magazine review
1024 x 576 resolution? That's odd...
oled? hopefully?
I don't think 16:9 is an odd display ratio...
1024 / 576 = 1.77777778
16 / 9 = 1.77777778
I'll take the 1024x600 resolution on my little Lenovo S10 netbook over this HP. I've got nothing against HP either as my laptop is an HP. I guess I'm just really in love with my Lenovo S10 (just like the girl in the Sprint Samsung Instinct commercial). Friends call my S10 my newborn. One calls it my preemie. I've already gone and spoiled her with a 2GB stick of RAM. For her birthday I'm going to surprise her with a 6-cell battery. I'll stop bragging now. I guess I'm just a proud papa.
but do we need 16:9 on a netbook?
Why do people dislike resolutions ?
"I'll take the 1024x600 resolution on my little Lenovo S10 netbook over this HP"
I'm sure those 24 pixels make you life complete !
Computer Shopper says the 1024 x 576 resolution gave some smaller letters a bluish "halo" effect when compared to the Eee PC 1002HA's 1024 x 600 screens
Yes because it's a different screen with a different backlight and colour range, BLUE HALOED ICONS HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE RESOLUTION
@Major4Play
That's 24 lines or 24,576 pixels.
When the resolution isn't especially high to begin with, a little extra helps.
that's sweet.
ive played with a hp 2133, and the only thing that kept me from buying it was the processer, with an atom, I can safely say that this netbook will kick some ass
My thoughts exactly regarding the Atom processor. Unfortunately...I already bought the Mini 12 with Ubuntu. Not complaining about the Mini 12...but the Mini 2140 on Atom with optional 1366 x 768 display (expected in Mid March) should really rock.
I can't believe Apple is still sitting out on the netbook trend...
As a recent owner of the 2133 (1.2ghz, 1gb RAM, 120gb hdd, WinXP Pro), I have to say that I love this netbook and use it a lot. My pet peeves are that it's slow at times and battery life (w/ the included 3-cell battery) is somewhat dismal.
I wonder if the 6-cell battery for $30 will work with the previous models? That could help battery life a lot.
Unless Apple comes out with a netbook this year, I'm sure I'll be an owner of the 2140. The form factor, the case and the keyboard make it one of the best netbooks around.
While I was taking notes in class with the ol' paper and pen, all I could think about was this HP Mini. Me wants one of them ;)
Sometimes, though, there's no substitute for a paper and pen. Many times, you learn things better if you draw them out several times. It's a more active way to involve your brain in the learning process.
Ya know... I like my eee 1000. Yeah, the tiny right shift key bugs the crap outta me, but that's pretty much the only thing wrong. Everything else with it is super. This HP seems alright but not something that makes me doubt my eee 1000 purchase back in October.
I also love my 1000H, but the 1366x768 version of the 2140 is mighty tempting...basically solves all my Eee complaints (so-so keyboard, low-res screen, cheap-feeling plastic). I guess I'll wait a year or so till I'll upgrade though - if the 2140 and the Vaio P are any indication for 3rd gen netbooks, I can't wait for the 5th gen or so ;)
so i guess that this is pretty much just like the mini 1000 just with a metal body and express card slot
I'm still waiting for these netbooks to mature before grabbing one. Hopefully the nVidia Geforce 9400M will get them to the performance needed to decode 1080p video making for a cheap, mobile HTPC.
Why do you want to decode 1080p video on a screen that's not even 720p?
Well, as a HTPC, maybe to display to a TV at times?
And also if the content you want to display is in 1080p, whether it helps you or not...
I love the keyboard layout on it, even though i am not a fan of side buttons, i use a portable mouse so thats not really an issue
But i dont know about the screen res seems really odd
I own an Aspire One and believe me, the side buttons and narrow trackpad are a pain in the ass to use. This dumb trackpad & button layout only make sense for species without thumbs.
me wants.
Once that res upgrade is out, I think I might have to get one.
This is seriously the best netbook out now, it's totall crap that I just got the mini1000 for Xmas lol but ima return it and get this one insted ^-^
It's a great design. I had a Jornada 820 back in the day, similar concept from HP. They're great at this.
However, while I think I could learn to live with the weird touchpad/button configuration, the screen is a friggin' mirror. That's why I think I'm sticking with the MSI Wind, but I really hope they make a business-class one in the future.
Not so fast...My wife's Samsung NC10 maybe just as good, and the HP DV2 that was just announced is kick azz IMO...
Yes, for the next 72 hours, this one is absolutely the best.
I prefer the 768 vertical resolution of the 2133.
"one of the best netbooks on the market" is good but I want touchscreen/tablet/hybrid with a small price tag.
The side-mounted buttons on this and the previous Mini don't deserve such a bad rap.
They're actually quite easy to press, unlike those from a certain other brand of top-selling netbook *cough*
"Over 7 hours of browsing time" on what? 3G modem or Wi-Fi?
Plugged into the phone jack in the wall.
they didnt get a higher resolution version? isnt there one?
> However, HP will also offer a higher definition 1366 x 768 display option starting in mid March.
Wow - how many times are HP going to screw up the launch of this machine?
ugh. I HATE 16:9
Wonder how much more time you would get with a SSD HD out of the extended battery pack.
NICE.....but i'm still in love with my mini 1000
meh, too many of the same. Waiting for dual core and windows 7 equipped netbooks.
Still doesn't beat my NC10. I've squeezed out & hours 45 minutes out of it and the specs are identical.
I was digging the HP until I saw that huge azz battery. I prefer the one on the NC10...
On the LAPTOP Battery Test (continuous Web surfing over Wi-Fi), the system lasted a very impressive 7 hours and 19 minutes. This runtime blows away the mini-notebook average of 3:48, and it beats out even the Samsung NC10, the longest-lasting mini-notebook to date, by 45 minutes.
SONY JUST GOT AN ASS KICKING ALL OVER THE NET :)
NC10>all
Not to mention the NC10 3 year warranty...
Meh samsung nc10 is good but it looks stupid IMO and the 2140 has identicle if not better specs and it looks nicer so 2140 > nc10
You're a dumbass. The Mini-Note 2140 will be more expensive, has a stupid small screen and the battery sticks out waaay over there.
You wont be worrying about how pretty it is when the warranty runs out while the NC10 will still be under warranty.
Is there a big difference in the rpm speeds of 5,400 and 7,200?
How does this thing have a small screen? You'll also get an optional 1366 x 768 pixel screen. With that screen resolution, this thing is pretty much the perfect small laptop, ignoring the much pricier Sony TT.
The nc10's and the 2140's base price is the same, the bigger battery is 30 or so more dollars, alot of people like it because it elevates the back end of the keyboard. All 6 cell batteries are like this, u can always buy a longer guarentee I suppose but it's whatevr imo the 2140 is great :) and I like the whole 16:9 display ratio :D
Donno... higher res sounds good but 1366x768 on a 10" screen??? that's about 155 PPI/DPI and higher than on the original 2133 which was already problematic for many people.
And yes, I know you can play with the DPI and font size with the OS but not all applications recognize that and web pages would still be a problem.
I think 1024x768 is the sweet spot for 10" - anything higher is too much eye strain and not
good for general browsing/word processing (but great for games and movies).
Personally, I find the 1024x600 VERY acceptable and prefer the larger pixel size for readability (F11 come in handy, too)
actualy i quite like the vertical side buttons - if you are typing using all 10 fingers and so you keep your forefingers stadily on F/J keys, you can move cursor using your thumbs and with a bit of practice, you can even click the buttons, without leaving F/J keys, whyt is impossible with keys at the bottom. But the best would be to have keys on the top, just bellow the spacebar
Anyone know if this will have the same super reflective screen as the mini 1000? I had to return one of those because it was driving me crazy reflecting the office lights...
Wish I could order it.
This computer also has the VGA port that the mini 1000 was missing, and 100 gb of hdd and this hard drive is 5400 rpm instead of 4200 rpm, with 7200 still an option. I will say though that the 80gb ssd that costs more than most versions of this computer is pretty funny.
I can't wait for the HD version. 1388x768 is odd, and would prefer 1280x800, but anything is better than 1024x600 (or less) Why do net/notebook makers keep moving away from the accepted 16:10 ratio? 16:9 is for TV, not for computers. The nVidia 9400 is looking nice, but Intel parts usually do much better for me in the long run. Slower and more stable makes more sense to me. Besides the 9400 will only help in games, which is not a big thing in this size of computer anyway. The 9400 will also raise the price $100. No thanks. But, once the HD screen and a better SSD drive are out ($500 for the 80Gig SSD option here! ACK!) like a good cheap fast 64 Gig and I'm getting one of these asap.
wow... that resolution is B.S.
seriously, and for all of you supporting freaks (excuse my foul language)
...introducing...
the 16x9 PIXEL NETBOOK BY APPLE
wow, never thought I could catch em' all...
.,|,,