Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Tuesday, 08 April 2008 10:31
Opinion and Analysis
Page 1 of 2
Watch out ASUS – HP’s Mini-Note PC might be a bit more expensive, but
it’s squarely aimed at knocking the Eee PC off its perch as the most
desirable sub-notebook computer out there. It comes with Linux or
Windows, too – will the Mini-Note be the one for you?
I just read an article over at CNET about HP’s upcoming
Mini-Note PC, an ASUS Eee PC style sub-notebook due to launch in the US on Tuesday, which is Wednesday the 9th of April for us here down under.
Predictably, there is no information about it yet at HP’s US
site, but a quick check of Google Checkout shows
plenty of places seemingly ready to sell one to anyone that stumps up the cash.
It’s was previously codenamed the Compaq 2133, but it’s now called the HP Mini-Note PC and has some ASUS Eee PC busting specs, as it tries to offer more than the Linux or new Windows XP powered Eee PC that has come onto the market in the last few weeks to the same kind of acclaim the original Linux version still wildly enjoys.
The device has an 8.9-inch screen, a Via C7-M processor that starts at 1.0Ghz and goes up to 1.6Ghz, has 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, USB ports, an Ethernet port and a 3-cell battery.
It also has a full-size spill-proof QWERTY keyboard that’s only 8% smaller than regular ‘full-size’ keyboards (an important factor for those who think the Eee PC keyboard is too small), comes with a 4GB flash SSD drive – and can also be equipped with a 120 or 160GB hard drive.
According to CNET, the Mini-Note was designed around the keyboard – not the other specs first. This is because a lot of other sub-notebooks, like the ASUS Eee PC, the XO OLPC, Intel’s Classmate PC and others have keyboards that people complain are simply too small.
So, kudos to HP here for thinking of the keyboard first – the most often used interface of the PC besides, I suppose, the screen itself, which one only needs to look at.
So, what other specs does the HP Mini-Note PC offer – especially when it comes to the screen? And how much will it cost? Please read onto page 2.
