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HP's Vivienne Tam edition Mini gets the hands-on treatment
Sure, the Vivienne Tam Edition Mini has been available for about a month, but it's taken that long for at least one red-obsessed netbook lover to give us a hands-on with HP's fashion-forward "Digital Clutch." The folks over at GearDiary loved the red and gold color scheme on the keyboard and the included silky sleeve. You know how we feel about HP's offering -- albeit the black counterpart -- but save for that red paint job and artsy design on the hood, it's essentially the same device. Be sure to hit the read link for even more pics of the floral-inflused Mini, and hit up HP's site with your $700 to snag one for yourself. Oh, and if you dig that matching mouse make sure you bring some extra cash because that baby's not included.
HP shows off Vivienne Tam-designed Digital Clutch -- the 10-inch Mini-Note?
HP's 8.9-inch 2133 Mini-Note is apparently a raging success, so it makes sense that the company would want to expand the line, and it looks like we might be getting a preview of what's in store with the Digital Clutch, a bright red 10-inch netbook that debuted last night during designer Vivienne Tam's fashion week show in NYC. Not much is known about the internals, but the case sports an Asian-inspired peony flower design, and the screen fills the entire lid with very little bezel. If we had to guess, we'd say that it's more likely that there's a VIA Isaiah chip in there instead of an Atom, given the C7M found in the current Mini-Note, but we'll see -- and hopefully soon, since at least one HP rep apparently confirmed that the machine is the next generation Mini-Note. Hit the read links for tons more pics.Read - First set of Laptop picsRead - Second set of Laptop pics
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]
Has your HP Mini-Note 2133 gone dark?
Generally speaking, HP's Mini-Note 2133 is pretty well loved the world over. Sure, there are a few things that could use tweaking, but what good gadget couldn't use even a small dose of overhaul? Nevertheless, a few reports have been trickling in suggesting that HP's netbook is suddenly going dark and refusing to start back up. Folks are apparently being told that it's a motherboard power failure, though it doesn't seem to have become widespread just yet... or has it? Let us know in comments below.[Via Chris Rue]
HP mulling lower cost Mini-Note laptop
It was inevitable, was it not? With the success of HP's 2133 Mini-Note, it was pretty obvious that the outfit would be working up a second edition, and according to Jerel Chong, HP Australia's Market Development Manager for Notebook PCs, it's already "looking at a similar device but at a lower cost." Reportedly, the lower cost low-cost laptop will be ready for budget-conscience consumers sometime before 2009, though we have no idea what corners will be cut in order to hack down the price. Mr. Chong did mention that the cheaper edition would be less "durable," but considering that we never viewed the original as a Toughbook replacement, we're not so sure what he's really getting at. Nevertheless, those looking seriously at the more business-minded 2133 may want to hold off, but good luck suppressing that insatiable desire to be instantly gratified.[Via TheGadgetSite]
New VIA drivers provide boost in HP Mini-Note 2133 performance
Not particularly thrilled with the performance of your HP Mini-Note 2133? If you're vigorously shaking your head up and down as that render chugs along in the background, take a listen at this. The folks over at HP 2133 Guide took the time to benchmark their Vista / XP systems and then apply VIA's recently released drivers for the CN896 chipset and Chrome9 integrated graphics. Not surprisingly, they found the update totally worthwhile. Based on pure numerical changes, there's not a lot to phone home about, but critics did note that "video playback was improved quite a bit on each OS," and that YouTube / Hulu vids were actually watchable post-update. Not a lot of downside to upgrading, so head on over and see what the new drivers have in store for you.[Via jkOnTheRun]
HP's 2133 now officially configurable with XP
HP's got some new 2133 configs out as of tonight, including options for "downgrading" to Windows XP on models over $700 -- more or less as expected. They're up to eight base configs ranging from $500 to $820, so if you've been thinking of picking one up you've certainly got plenty of options to choose from.[Via HP 2133 Guide]
HP 2133 XP configurations get priced
HP's Mini-Note 2133 is due to get all-new Windows XP configurations this month, and it looks like early pricing details are starting to leak out. If the numbers are accurate, a base 1.2GHz rig with 1GB of RAM and a 120GB disk will run you $729, and bumping things up to 1.6GHz, 2GB of RAM and a 160GB disk will set you back $819. That's pretty steep -- but remember, early pricing info on the currently-available models was a tiny bit off, so these numbers could change when these hit sometime next week.
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.
HP 2133 Mini-Note getting XP install option in mid-May
While there's of course nothing to stop you from doing a fresh install of Windows XP on your brand new HP 2133 Mini-Note yourself (assuming you're actually able to get your hands on one), those looking for a simpler solution will apparently be able to get their fix in mid-May, which is when the company will reportedly start to offer XP pre-installed on the ultraportable. What's more, according to Laptop Magazine, there could also be a fully configurable version available "in the coming weeks or months," although exact details on that possibility apparently haven't quite firmed up yet.
HP 2133 Mini-Note PC misses ship date for pre-orderers
Say it ain't so! Just a week after HP's totally adorable 2133 Mini-Note PC popped online for purchase, we've received word that pre-orderers aren't going to be seeing their new machine quite as soon as originally expected. Reportedly, HP has sent out notifications to customers who pre-ordered to let them know that their lappies won't be shipping today as promised, but there's no word on how long the delay will last. Hang in there, subnote lovers -- a tracking number is bound to come soon (er, we hope).[Thanks, Brian]Update: Some commenters are claiming that their unit did in fact ship today -- just keep those fingers crossed that you get lucky.
HP 2133 Mini-Note PC on sale now
Just in case you've been burying your face in those glowing reviews of HP's latest UMPC, here's a quick heads-up to inform you that the 2133 Mini-Note PC is actually available to order. As of this very moment, prospective buyers can select a unit of their own at HP's website, and with five models ranging from $499 to $849, we're sure there's a Mini-Note for you in there somewhere.[Thanks, Tharp]
HP Mini-Note 2133 officially official, reviewed
It's a full 24 hours after we expected it, but with looks this hot we're not surprised the HP Mini-Note 2133 is fashionably late. Specs are exactly what we'd heard and what was up on Amazon earlier: 2.6 pounds, Via C7-M processor, 1280x768 8.9-inch screen, full QWERTY keyboard that's just 8 percent smaller than normal, and a variety of configurations ranging from a $499 1.0GHz Linux-powered unit with 4GB of flash and 512MB of RAM to a maxed-out $749 config with a 1.6GHz processor, 120GB drive and Vista Business. Laptop managed to score some hands-on time, and from the video it looks like this thing might actually be as popular as HP is predicting -- except for those crazy side-mounted vertical mouse buttons, which are totally messing with our heads. Still no word on availability, but it seems like HP's ready to go -- anyone taking the plunge right away?Read - HP press releaseRead - HP specsUpdate: Plenty of early reviews are in. Things are looking good so far, check 'em out:Read - Laptop hands-on video (scroll down)Read - jkOnTheRun checks it outRead - Notebook Review, um, reviewRead - Notebooks.com blows it outRead - PC Mag review (4/5)
HP 2133 shows up on Amazon as the Mini-Note PC
It looks like the rumors of HP launching the sexy 2133 UMPC today were off the mark, but it certainly does seem like the diminutive laptop is coming soon -- placeholder pages for an "HP 2133 Mini-Note PC" have popped up at Amazon and other retailers. That's the first we've heard of the Mini-Note name, which is interesting in terribly uncreative way, but we're slightly more intrigued by the addition of a 1.0GHz SuSE model with 4GB of flash instead of a hard drive -- we'd originally heard that the 2133 would come in such a configuration, but none of the specs we'd seen so far had mentioned it. Of course, an empty Amazon product page with no pricing information doesn't make the 2133 any more official, but we've got a feeling it's pretty close -- come on HP, we know you're confident, let's see what you're hiding back there.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]Read - Amazon product page for the 1.2GHz / 120GB configRead - Amazon product page for the 1.0GHz / 4GB flash config Read - Product listing on compsource.com
HP UMPC 2133 specs revealed, street date of April 7th?
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.
HP so confident in the UMPC 2133 it's building 2m units?
HP apparently wasn't kidding when it said it expected people to buy that hot new UMPC 2133 sub-notebook "without a thought": DigiTimes is now reporting that the company has contracted Wistron to crank out two million units this year. That's an astonishingly high number -- almost 10 percent of HP's worldwide laptop sales last year -- and even wilder compared to the EeePC, which completely blew away expectations by selling 350,000 units worldwide last quarter, or Samsung's Q1, which has only moved a couple hundred thousand in two years on the market. Sure, the 2133 looks sexy as hell, but at a rumored $630, HP's going to have to put some serious sales muscle behind this guy to move that many -- it's just slightly too expensive to be an accessory, and probably way too underpowered to be your primary machine. On the other hand, while this is just a rumor and could be totally wrong, we'd actually like to think HP has a product so good it's going to roll the dice a little. Guess we'll find out soon enough, eh?[Via jkOnTheRun]
HP's new UMPC 2133 hotness to run VIA, not Penryn?
If that new HP Compaq 2133 is hitting your ultraportable sweet spot, there's more news on that front to drool over. UMPC Portal has word from a supposed industry insider that the computer is not running an Intel chip as previously suggested, but instead will rock the range of VIA processors. That means the computer could fight it out with Eee PC in the low-end with a C7 processor, or adopt one of those upcoming Isaiah chips and duke it out with Penryn ultraportables. If this is true it'd be a big win for VIA, and consumers might just get some budget-friendly excitement out of the deal as well.
HP's UMPC 2133 to cost $630 when shipping in April?
A report by the Commercial Times says that HP will launch its 8.9-inch UMPC in April for "more than" NT$20,000 or about $630 bucks. Sure sounds like the UMPC 2133 we showed you yesterday, eh? That's about right when you compare it to the $300, entry-level 7-inch Eee PC. The paper claims it'll run a "high-end" Penryn processor as well which is fine by us if true.
HP's UMPC 2133 revealed
We've just received these images of HP's rumored UMPC. Honestly, we have no reason to doubt their authenticity. The HP Compaq 2133 "lifestyle accessory" features a big, scratch resistant 8.9-inch 1366 x 766 (WXGA) display, ExpressCard/54 slot, Wireless LAN, nearly full-sized QWERTY (95% of full), integrated webcam, and optional SSD in a 2.5-pound anodized aluminum sex pot running Vista or Linux. Or so say the tipped images. Funny how the once keyboard-less UMPC-class device has now morphed into an Eee PC-like mini. Still, if this is what we can expect from the UMPC crowd come Silverthorne then you can count us in, HP.%Gallery-16391%