Then you get to the processing power: Editing a few photos and throwing them on Picasa is relatively quick, and playing YouTube videos-and even the higher-resolution 512kbps clip that accompanied my recent SCUBA tech review-worked, too. The Bottom LineĪs long as you're going to play with the Mini Note for word processing, Web surfing and email, HP's otherwise well-received micro machine will work just fine. So long as the air vents aren't blocked, it's not terrible-lay it on your lap with limited airflow, however, and the Mini-Note heats up real fast. Battery life is pretty solid-I've been getting an honest 3.5 to 4 hours out of the 6-cell battery-but the computer does get a bit hot. Elsewhere on the hardware front, the Mini-Note is too small for an optical drive, but there is an SD card reader and an ExpressCard slot. super-clear, seemingly super-bright display. cousin can keep pace with the Mini-Note's 8.9-in. Again, the Asus Eee is perfectly usable in this arena, but I doubt even its 9-in. The Mini-Note's screen is almost as show-stopping as its keyboard. The small and charming new mini-laptop has received just as much attention in both places. This is a keyboard for those who can touch-type, as I've discovered between sessions writing a book review at the local watering hole on the Mini-Note, and back at home on my Sony Vaio. And typing feels much, much more comfortable than on the Asus-actually pleasant rather than just serviceable. HP designed the machine around the keypad, which somehow feels bigger than its 92-percent-of-full-size span. And, for me, that keyboard is probably the crux of the Mini-Note's appeal. I've found some other nice touches, like a built-in Web cam and Wi-Fi (though the Asus has that, too), plus a spill-resistant keyboard. For electronic devices, that's as high a compliment as you can get in the looks category these days. As I've been blogging, grading, writing, browsing and drinking with the laptop out and about over the past week or so, several people who've spotted me think the Mini-Note is some sort of newfangled mini-Macbook. What's more, the Mini-Note features some nearly Apple-level design in its sleek and silvery package. And it's admirably free of "crapware," that annoying-and often intrusive-third-party stuff which PC manufacturers so often pack into their systems. And you get a lot more: a 120 GB hard drive, 2 GB of RAM, a Windows operating system (I got Vista Business, though to be honest I would have preferred XP) and, hence, compatibility with lots of standard software. At up to $749, it's more expensive than the Asus, but the Mini-Note still comes at less than half the price of most Windows ultraportables out there. Eee as I type, those flaws of confinement make Hewlett-Packard's Mini-Note 2133 laptop look pretty appealing. I've used it a good deal since (as have the thousands flocking to buy it), but even the Goliath-beating Asus can be frustrating: The keyboard is usable but a bit cramped, and the little guy comes pre-loaded with applications that are fine as far as they go-but it doesn't run standard software. version of Asus' Eee PC, and found it a solid Web-and-email tool-at a pretty affordable price. So while I've already tested some of the latest tablets for PM, now I'm fully invested in the new form-factor craze spreading through Gadget Land: mini-laptops.Īfter drooling over it at CES earlier this year, I got my hands on the tiny, 7-in. Trying to keep up my blog while grading finals means I need a serious to-go computer.
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