Our pre-production HP 2133 Mini-Note features the following specifications:rnrnOperating System: Genuine Windows NOTEBOOK Vista Business, Genuine Windows Vista Home Basic 32, FreeDOS, or SuSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10rnProcessor: VIA C7-M ULV Processor (up to 1.6 GHz, 128 KB L2 cache)rnChipset: VIA CN896NB and 8237S SBrnMemory: DDR2 SDRAM, 667MHz, one SODIMM memory slot, supports up to 2048MBrnInternal Storage: 120GB/160GB 5400 rpm SATA, 120GB/160GB 7200 rpm SATA with HP 3D DriveGuard; or 64GB Solid Say Drive; optional 4GB PATA Flash Module notebook with SuSE LinuxrnDisplay: 8.9-inch diagonal WXGA (1280 x 768)rnGraphics: VIA Chrome 9rnAudio: High Definition Audio, stereos speakers, integrated stereo microphones, stereo headphone/line out, stereo microphone inrnWireless support: Broadcom 802.11a/b/g, b/g, optional Bluetooth 2.0, HP Wireless AssistantrnCommunications Broadcom Ethernet Integrated Controller (10/100/1000)rnExpansion slots: (1) ExpressCard/54 slot, Secure Digital (SD) slotrnPorts and connectors: (2) USB 2.0 ports, VGA, power connector, RJ-45/Ethernet, stereo headphone/line out, stereo microphone in, optional VGA webcamrnInput device: 92% full-sized keyboard, touchpad with scroll zonernSoftware: HP Backup and Recovery Manager, Roxio Creator 9, Microsoft Office Ready 20078rnSecurity Kensington lock, Symantec Norton mini note Internet SecurityrnDimensions (H x W x D): 1.05 (at front) x 10.04 x 6.5 inchesrnWeight: 2.63 lb (with 3-cell battery and 4 GB Solid State Drive, 3.23 lb with 6-cell battery and 160GB hard drive, 2.86 lb with 3-cell battery and 160GB hard drive.rnPower: 6-cell (55 WHr) or 3-cell (28 WHr) Lithium-Ion battery, 65W HP Smart AC Adapter with HP Fast ChargernWarranty: Limited 1-year and 90-day warranty options available, depending on country, 1-year limited warranty on primary batteryrnPricing for the HP 2133 Mini-Note range from as tiny as $499 for the 1.0GHz VIA processor, 512MB of RAM and a 4GB PATA Flash module with Linux, to $749 for the 1.6GHz VIA processor, 2GB of RAM and a 120GB 5400 rpm hard drive running Windows Vista Business.rnrnHP will also be offering a version of the Mini-Note with a 160GB 7200 rpm hard drive (which is the configuration we received for review) but that pricing was unavailable at the time of this writing. Still, it’s safe to assume the price for this configuration will be more than $750.rnrnBuild and DesignrnrnThe HP 2133 Mini-Note has a great design. Everyone in our office agreed that it has a solid chassis and attractive look. The brushed aluminum and plastic casing is durable and hides fingerprints well. It also keeps the Mini-Note lightweight, only weighing in around 2.86 lbs as configured. It has that sleek business appeal, but is targeted toward students as well. One look at the Mini-Note and I can see why. I mean who wouldn’t want an affordable subnotebook to tote back and forth to class, especially one that pretty much has a full-size keyboard.rn(view large image)rnrnHP did not go wrong with the design. The 8.9″ WXGA display is beautiful and easy to read. It puts off a glare though because of the protective coating. Nothing about the Mini-Note feels cheap. I didn’t notice any signs of flex and enjoyed its good variety of ports and features. The Mini-Note also comes with different hard drive options, so hopefully this might help in the performance notebook section considering the Mini-Note sports a VIA C7-M ULV processor.rn(view large image)rnrnAs I mentioned above, the keyboard is almost full size. It is 92% of a full sized keyboard, which is quite impressive for such a small form factor. It is much more comfortable to type on compared to the Asus Eee computer. The touchpad can be awkward though, especially the placement of the right and left click buttons. As you can see from the pictures below it does have a neat power and Wi-Fi switch that lights up and changes from blue when on to orange when off.rn(view massive image)rn rn(view huge image)rnrn rnrnWhile some consumers might be upset at the absence of a DVD drive in the Mini-Note, that’s just one trade-off you’ve to make for such a compact design. In truth, there simply is not any room left inside the Mini-Note after everything is said and done. The photo below shows that the only empty spaces inside the chassis are where the hard drive and ExpressCard slot are located.rn(view massive image)rnrnIf you are interested in a quick overview of the HP 2133 Mini-Note we have provided notebook this short video below:rnrn rn rnrnScreenrnrnCompared to the screens on other subnotebooks priced below $1,000, the screen on the HP 2133 Mini-Note is beyond beautiful. Most notebooks that we review (regardless of size or price) would be lucky to have a screen like this. Contrast is excellent, backlighting is even across the surface without any bleeding around the edges, colors are saturated and crisp, and viewing angles are relatively nice.rnrnThe 1280 x 768 resolution is likewise exceptional given the small size of this notebook. Text is a little smaller than what most consumers would rather, but this is a minor inconvenience considering the fact that you can display a complete webpage on the LCD exactly as it was meant to be displayed.rnrn rncaused concern with the screen on the Mini-Note was the use of an additional protective layer of glossy plastic over the screen. While this extra layer of plastic helps protect the display, the unfortunate side effect is significant reflection. We are not speaking about a typical glossy screen. We’re speaking about a screen with a notebook totally notebook separate glossy layer applied over it.rnrnWhen viewing the display your eyes naturally shift focus between what’s being displayed on the screen and what’s being reflected in the glossy surface of the second layer over the screen. Since these images are on a slightly different focal plane you can easily develop eye strain and headaches from looking at this screen. I actually developed a mild headache after less than two hours of using this notebook.rnrnBelow are a few sample images to illustrate the screen reflections on the Mini-Note: rnrnThe reflections on the screen aren’t noticeable at all in a dark room, but most people do not use their notebooks in the dark unless they’re just watching movies. If you aren’t sensitive to reflections then the screen is beautiful when viewed notebook from straight ahead.rnrnKeyboard and TouchpadrnrnThe keyboard on the 2133 Mini-Note is great. To put it plainly, this is the best keyboard we have seen on a notebook this small. The keys have a silver finish and are smooth to the touch. There isn’t a textured feel to the keyboard. The ideal thing though is how big it is. I mean, it almost is a full-sized keyboard, so writing papers on this thing is a breeze. No spelling errors due to hitting the wrong keys. I didn’t notice any signs of flex and really liked that most of the keys were full sized except a few. The tilde key and the number one key are smaller than the rest of the numbers, which was quite odd. The space bar was relatively small too.rnrnThe touchpad was awkward. Response time was a little slow sometimes, but it is simple to navigate with. The right and left click buttons notebook are what get you. The buttons are located on the sides of the touchpad, which take some time to get used too. I forgot what I am clicking on sometimes. I would have liked the palm rest area to be a little larger, so the buttons could have been relocated below the touchpad like on standard notebooks or the Eee PC. The button above the touchpad is a convenient feature that turns the touchpad off and makes it inactive when you’re typing.rnrnOf course, one minor compromise you’ve to make with the ultra-mobile form factor of the Mini-Note is that the laptop can’t accommodate the standard array of ports you will find on other notebooks. HP did manage to include a notebook reasonable number of ports. The complete list of ports includes:rnrn1x ExpressCard/54 slotrnSecure Digital (SD) card readerrn2x USB 2.0 portsrnVGA outrnPower notebook connectorrnRJ-45/EthernetrnStereo headphone/line outrnStereo microphone/line inrnHere is a swift tour around the HP 2133 Mini-Note:rnFront view: Power switch, drive status light, Wi-Fi on/off switch. (view massive image)rnRear view: No ports here, just the hinges and battery. (view huge image)rnLeft side view: VGA out, heat vent, USB 2.0 port, microphone in, headphone out. (view big image)rnRight side view: ExpressCard/54 slot, SD card reader, notebook USB 2.0 port, Ethernet, power connector, and security lock slot. (view massive image)rnPerformance and BenchmarksrnrnAfter the impressive build and design of the HP 2133 Mini-Note we expected to see a likewise impressive level of performance coming out of this tiny titan. Unfortunately, performance is one area where the Mini-Note falls short.rnrnOn paper the 1.6GHz VIA C7-M processor should provide excellent speed for general computing tasks. In reality, web pages rendered slower than expected, multi-tasking was painfully slow, and most processor-hungry applications like Photoshop or video encoding software just did not like the VIA processor.rnrnOur standard range of synthetic benchmark tests likewise did not play very nice with the VIA processor and VIA Chrome 9 integrated graphics. While synthetic benchmarks don’t always give you an accurate measure of a system’s real-world performance, these benchmarks do give you a good idea of how the HP Mini-Note performs compared to other laptops currently on the market.rnrnWhile the benchmark numbers certainly aren’t “bad” it’s hard to get excited about these numbers when you factor in that this configuration of the HP Mini-Note costs more than $750. With that said, let’s jump into the benchmarks.rnrnPCMark05 measures overall system performance (higher scores mean better performance):rnrnNotebook PCMark05 ScorernHP 2133 Mini-Note (1.6GHz VIA C7-M ULV)  801 notebook PCMarks rnHTC Shift (800MHz Intel A110) 891 PCMarksrnAsus Eee computer 4G (630MHz Intel Celeron M ULV) 908 PCMarksrnAsus Eee computer 4G (900MHz Intel Celeron M ULV) 1,132 PCMarksrnEverex CloudBook (1.2GHz VIA C7-M ULV)rn 612 PCMarksrn rnSony VAIO TZ (1.20GHz Intel Core 2 Duo U7600) 2,446 PCMarksrnFujitsu LifeBook P7230 (1.2GHz Intel Core Solo U1400) 1,152 PCMarksrnSony VAIO VGN-G11XN/B (1.33GHz Core Solo U1500) 1,554 PCMarksrnToshiba Portege R500 (1.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo U7600) 1,839 PCMarksrnrn rnrnwPrime processor comparison results (lower scores mean superior performance):rnrnNotebook / CPU wPrime 32M timernHP 2133 Mini-Note (Via CV7-M ULV @ 1.6GHz)  168.697 seconds rnAsus Eee PC 4G (Intel Celeron M ULV @ 630MHz) 289.156 secondsrn rnAsus Eee personal computer 4G (Intel Celeron M ULV @ 900MHz) 200.968 secondsrnEverex CloudBook (VIA C7-M ULV @ 1.2GHz) 248.705 secondsrnFujitsu U810 Tablet personal computer notebook (Intel A110 @ 800MHz)rn 209.980 secondsrn rnSony VAIO VGN-G11XN/B (Core Solo U1500 @ 1.33GHz) 124.581 secondsrnSony VAIO TZ (Core 2 Duo U7600 @ 1.2GHz) 76.240 secondsrnDell Inspiron 2650 (Pentium 4 Mobile @ 1.6GHz) 231.714 secondsrnrn rnrn3DMark06 comparison results for graphics performance (higher scores are superior):rnrnNotebook 3DMark06 ScorernHP 2133 Mini-Note (1.6GHz VIA C7-M ULV, VIA Chrome 9)  93 3DMarks rnAveratec 2575 (2.2 GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-64, ATI RS690T) 377 3DMarksrnDell Inspiron 1525 (2.0GHz Intel T7250, Intel X3100)rn 545 3DMarksrn rnSony VAIO NR (1.5GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5250, Intel X3100)rn 504 3DMarksrnDell XPS M1530 (2.20GHz Intel T7500, Nvidia 8600M GT 256MB) 4,332 3DMarksrnDell Inspiron 1520 (2.0GHz Intel T7300, NVIDIA 8600M GT) 2,905 3DMarksrnDell XPS M1330 (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300, NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS 128MB) 1,408 3DMarksrnSamsung Q70 (2.0GHz Core 2 Duo T7300 and nVidia 8400M G GPU) 1,069 3DMarksrnAsus F3sv-A1 (Core 2 Duo T7300 2.0GHz, Nvidia 8600M GS 256MB) 2,344 3DMarksrnAlienware Area 51 m5550 (2.33GHz Core 2 Duo, notebook nVidia GeForce Go 7600 256MB 2,183 3DMarksrnFujitsu Siemens Amilo Xi 1526 (1.66GHz Core Duo, nVidia 7600Go 256 MB) 2,144 3DMarksrnSamsung X60plus (2.0GHz Core 2 Duo T7200, ATI X1700 256MB) 1,831 3DMarksrnAsus A6J (1.83GHz Core Duo, ATI X1600 128MB) 1,819 3DMarksrnHP dv6000t (2.16 GHz Intel T7400, NVIDA GeForce Go 7400) 827 3DMarksrnrn rnrnHDTune hard drive performance results:rn(view big image)rnrnAnother factor to keep in mind when judging the overall system performance is the operating system being used. Our pre-production review unit was using Windows Vista Business and, like most notebooks using Windows Vista, performance likely suffers as a result. Here is a short video comparing the startup time of the HP Mini-Note with Vista against the Asus Eee computer with XP:rnrn rn rnrnWhile you may argue our justification for comparing a notebook with Vista against a notebook with XP, this is a valid comparison because it demonstrates what consumers will experience “out of the box” with two notebooks targeted at similar customers.rnrnAudiornrnThe built-in speaker performance on the Mini-Note was quite better compared to other notebooks in this class. The audio is excellent for watching short video clips or web conferencing, but it’s also loud enough to like music or full-length movies with notebook distortion-free sound using the built-in speakers.rn(view huge image)rnrnOf course, for the best possible audio performance you will want to use external speakers or headphones. The audio output via the headphone jack is quite good and provides excellent, distortion-free sound for headphones or external speakers.rnrnHeat and NoisernrnThe ultra low voltage VIA processor in the HP 2133 Mini-Note generated far more heat than we typically expect from ultra low voltage processors. Temperature readings taken from the outside of the aluminum and plastic chassis spiked above 110 degrees Fahrenheit in multiple locations and the Mini-Note actually became uncomfortable to hold after 30-45 minutes of serious use.rnrnThe cooling fan ran at full speed most of the time and clearly struggled to keep temperatures under control. Most of the time the fan is only loud enough to hear in a perfectly quiet environment, but if you work in a relatively quiet office or classroom setting you should be prepared for coworkers and students to complain about the noise coming from the cooling fan.rnrnBelow are images indicating the temperature readings from the HP 2133 Mini-Note (listed in degrees Fahrenheit) taken inside our office where the ambient temperature was 75 degrees Fahrenheit:rn(view huge image)rn(view huge image)rnrn rnrnBatteryrnrnOverall, the HP 2133 Mini-Note did a reasonable job in terms of power management. With the Mini-Note connected to a Wi-Fi network and browsing the web on the “balanced” power setting with the display at about 50 percent brightness, we obtained 2 hours and 15 minutes of battery life with the standard 3-cell battery. Using the same settings we obtained 4 hours and 11 minutes of battery life with the 6-cell extended life battery.rnrnBottom line, the Mini-Note makes an excellent mobile companion with the extended life battery. The only possible negative to using the extended life battery is that the bigger 6-cell battery sticks out from the bottom of the notebook adding both size and weight. However, this also provides an advantage since it provides a more ergonomic angle to the keyboard for typing.rnrn rnrnConclusionrnrnThe HP 2133 Mini-Note is one of the most impressive subnotebooks we’ve ever seen. Unfortunately, the astonishing design and solid range of features are diminished by a sub-par processor and a price tag that places this notebook dangerously close to far better 12-inch notebooks such as the HP tx2000.rnrnHP managed to create the single most impressive ultraportable notebook on the market … and then decided to put a lackluster processor inside.rnrnDespite the poor processor performance, the HP 2133 Mini-Note is a remarkably solid machine that could be a perfect fit for students, teachers, or mobile business professionals. If HP decides to replace the VIA processors with the new Intel Atom processors or alternative processors from Intel, the Mini-Note would become the undisputed champion of the subnotebook market.rnrnProsrnrnThe most attractive 8.9-inch notebook we have ever seenrnExcellent build qualityrnGreat keyboardrnExpressCard slot offers fantastic expansion possibilitiesrnMultiple configuration optionsrnConsrnrnVIA processor just doesn’t perform wellrnWindows Vista might be too much for the VIA processor and graphicsrnStrange location for touchpad buttonsrnScreen is too reflective due to second notebook glossy protective layerrnAluminum and plastic casing gets a little too hotrnPrice is a little too much for what you get