Customer Reviews

HP 2133-KX868AT 8.9-Inch Netbook - 3 Cell Battery

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(42)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(23)

 

 

Firstly, this review is being written on the 1.6Ghz, HP2133 Mini Note with 2Gb RAM and Vista Home Basic (which was installed at the factory). I have also read the myriad comments in the other reviews about poor CPU performance and warm operation. Therefore, I'll avoid similar statements, only to say that I have also noticed these issues under certain circumstances.

Nevertheless, I have turned off most of the useless bells and whistles in Vista and customised the OS to work adequately for the tasks I perform. And what I do isn't necessarily trivial. I have Office 2007 installed and it works fine to write university assignments and work reports, etc. Word, with the screen set to "page width" view is readable and as functional as my desktop. I also installed Adobe CS3. Yes, it can be slow at times, but it performs well enough to get the job done (using InDesign, Photoshop and occasionally, Dreamweaver). However, I understood when I bought the Mini Note, that it was not designed for multimedia production, but more for multimedia presentation and for basic computing. It is NOT a desktop replacement and was never intended to be.

The more I use my 2133, the more I love it. That doesn't mean I haven't noticed some negative issues (other than those highlighted in other reviews). I'll outline these below.

I won't comment on the touchpad, because I rarely use it. Most of the time, I use the Mini Note on a desk or on my briefcase (placed on my lap), so I plug in a laptop mouse. I would do this with ANY laptop or notebook. However, the Mini Note does allow for more space to use a mouse than a conventional laptop. Once I have finished using the Mini Note, it fits in my briefcase with all my other stuff.

Talking of placing the Mini Note in a briefcase; I am astonished that there isn't a case or bag for it. Most laptop bags are too big and would defeat the purpose of buying the Mini Note. As a result, I use a cloth bag I got with a mixer tap (faucet) I bought for a renovation. It is the perfect size to protect against scratches and marks. This is not to say the nice brushed aluminium (aluminum) case is susceptible to scratches; it's not, I just like to protect my equipment.

The Mini Note's screen hinge and battery design prevents any connectors from being located at the back of the unit (where I'd like them). Hence, all the connections are on the left and right sides of the machine. I usually plug the notebook mouse into the left USB port and run the cable around the back of the Mini Note to the right side. This keeps the cable out of the way and gives me more room on the right for the mouse. This is OK if I am working off the battery. But when the Mini Note is connected to mains power, the huge power plug that sticks out the right side is quite annoying and can get in the way of the mouse. HP, take note; please redesign the next series to have an "L" shaped connector to keep it out of the way.

Some other reviewers mentioned the lack of battery life. I agree with this, too. Nevertheless, there are configuration tweaks you can apply to help maximise battery life. In the BIOS I turn off the hardware I don't regularly use, such as Bluetooth, LAN, Express card, web cam, etc. If I need them, I just turn them back on.

Now, the screen; I love it. At 1280x768, it is bright and sharp, therefore, usable. Yes, it presents some text and menus in tiny fonts, but at the distances most people would use this machine, the screen is readable. Most web sites fit within the browser view port without horizontal scrolling. I'd prefer this over the offerings from other UMPC manufacturers.

I know I said I wouldn't mention the temperature issues, but, I feel compelled to state that after an hour or so spent writing this review (I was distracted by a phone call) the Mini Note is hardly warmer than the ambient room temperature. Of course, this is just running Word 2007. But, as far as I am concerned, this is the sort of thing the Mini Note is designed for; simple productivity tasks.

Additionally, one reviewer stated that the CPU fan runs flat-out all the time. He obviously missed the setting in the BIOS that lets you turn this "feature" off. Normally, the Mini Note runs very quietly, as is the case with mine right now. Although, I must admit that twice now, when waking from "sleep" mode, the fan in my Mini Note seemed to get stuck on full speed. A reboot fixed this, which implies it is an OS problem, not the hardware.

What would make the Mini Note perfect? OK, a faster CPU would definitely be welcome. Secondly, the 225mm (8.9") screen is fine; however, the lid has a lot of wasted real estate. After moving the speakers, it could accommodate a screen 50mm (2") larger (275mm or 11"). Even at the same resolution, this would make the Mini Note considerably better.

That seems to sum up all my main thoughts on the Mini Note. But suffice to say, after another hour using it, I love it even more. Highly recommended.

This computer has both pros and cons. The design is attractive with a comfortable key board for typing and the design gives the computer an excellent slant for typing. It is much more comforable than computers that sit flat. The portabilty is excellent. The screen is clear, easy to read (after fonts are changed to a bigger size for people who need a litle help seeing up close)The hard drive is a good size. No complaints there.

The mouse pad took some gettig use to. I found it hard to adjust it so it could be controlled without frustration. The right and left keys being split on both sides of the mouse is inconvient but liveable.

I found it to be a bit slow, which supprised me with the memory it has, and desided to remove Windows Vista Business(which I don't like anyway)I put XP Professional on the computer. It made all the difference in the world. It sped up the computer greatly. The processor may just not be equipped to run Windows Vista well. At any rate the trade off was alright as Vista in my opinion is nothing but problems anyway.

Videos run fine on it. The sound is good. I did not have the issue with videos that another person has complained about in his or her review.

The machine gets a bit warm so be aware that operating it in your lap means being mindful of not blocking the vents on the bottom. It also has a vent on the left side but I would not recommend ignoring those bottom vents with the way the computer becomes warm.

It has Office 2007 on the computer but it is only a trial version which runs out. I simply put my 2003 version on the computer and uninstalled the 2007 version. I don't find this to be a con as hardly any computers come with Office to begin with.

For the manner in which I will be using it for my business travel I find it to be an overall nice computer. It is a travel computer only as I have a 17 inch HP for home use. I am happy with this computer after the change I made in operating systems and will look forward to using it on the road.

I read the reviews on this before I decided to purchase. I am an amateur photographer and wanted something small and light to display my pictures on and also to use browsing the web. It did a good job with both of those things. My pictures displayed beautifully on it. Web browsing was OK, not that it was slow, it is just that on a 8.9" screen the text was a bit small for these 50+ eyes. Keyboard was great and the touch-pad was easy to get use to. I loved the fact that I could pair my PDA with this unit's Bluetooth connectivity to surf the web. The SD slot eliminates the need for a card reader. The speed issue really wasn't that bad provided you turn off all that useless eye candy Vista provides. However the heat issue was a real killer. Not only was it burning hot on the bottom, but even the keys on the top were uncomfortably warm. Only 3 days after I got it, I decided to reboot it. It comes back up to the HP POST screen and freezes. Restarted it again and nothing. Only after it had completely cooled down did it come back on. After a few days of this it just stopped booting all together. HPs online help was no help. I am sure I could get HP to fix this, but even if they do, I think the heat issue will greatly shorten the life span of this unit. Mine is going back.

My advice is to pass on this. I hear there a new processors for these UMPCs that run cooler and better powered.

This is a real shame. This is a good size at a great price point. The eee pc is too junky and the Sony offering is too pricey.

I purchased a mini-note in May 2008 and I have been quite pleased with it! I have used it on several trips and it's used in our game room on a regular basis.

I have noticed a lot of the reviews slam the mini-note for being slow. I noticed that the people complaining about speed (or lack thereof) have the Windows Vista version of the mini-note. I do NOT recommend running Vista on this machine even though a friend of mine does and he's happy with it... but it seemed slow to me when he showed it off.

I run the same OS that comes with this system: SuSe Linux Enterprise Desktop 10. It has everything I need on a regular basis -- web browser, music player, email, open office and other applications I've added -- and it doesn't suffer from the lag that the Windows systems seem to have.

My mini-note does not run any hotter than any other laptop I've had, but then I am careful to keep the vents unblocked. It definitely runs much cooler than the iBook I had not too long ago! I can and do use it on my lap but I tend to put it on a lap tray for longer sessions because of the ventilation issues.

I have noticed that the battery life is not as good as stated -- I'm averaging 2.5 - 3 hours on a charge, which works for me. If you need longer battery life, I believe there's an upgraded battery that you can get.

It didn't take me long to get used to the keyboard (92% of normal size), but the touchpad definitely gives me fits. To be honest, I usually have issues with touchpad use, but this one seems worse than usual. I now carry a travel mouse with me so I don't have to deal with the touchpad.

I bought the mini-note with a targus retractable phone/network cord and I highly recommend that accessory if you travel and need to hook up. It was a life saver on a recent trip to Mexico - the hotel's wireless didn't reach my room and I had to rely on the ethernet connection.

I did not invest in a case when I bought my mini-note because I thought I would look around to see what I could find. I have found that the mini-note can easily be slipped into a variety of portable dvd cases. I grabbed a really nice one that was on sale for just a few dollars at a local discounter and it not only protects the mini-note, but also provides ample storage for codes, a travel mouse, and other accessories.

All in all, I think the mini-note with the Linux OS is an excellent value. However, I would definitely pass on the Windows version.

I had done extensive research/comparisons between this HP 2133, the Asus EEE and higher end ultra mobile portables such as the Dell Laititude 430, or stripped down Thinkpad X61. I was fully aware of the trade offs that would be associated in using a lower cost HP 2133 or Asus EEE. I wanted something that could give me basic functions such as web browsing and the ability to work on office docs in places such as class or when I travel. I took into consideration battery life, screen size and most important price. I arrived at the HP 2133 thinking it would be a decent compromise of what I wanted. It's an ultra portable but would still offer features such as a bigger screen/keyboard and 120 gig HD over the Asus EEE but wont cost $1200 or more like a Thinkpad X61 type notebook.
Sadly within the first few minutes of using the HP 2133 I could tell I had made a mistake. In the professional reviews when they say this computer is slow that might just be an understatement. This computer also heats up very fast, battery life is not impressive and you will need to purchase a license for Office 2007 if you wish to use the program past 60 days. When you add all these factors up plus the extra price of office your getting a poor performing laptop pushing $1000 or more. Finding a cooling pad to fit the footprint of this laptop is also impossible. I am going to return mine as the performance of this computer is like pulling teeth.

Pros-
Solid and sturdy feel
Screen is great
Keyboard compared to Asus EEE

Cons-
SLOW
Costly
Runs very warm
3 pounds vs. @ pounds for the Asus EEE

Bottom Line- If your looking to make a purchase between the HP 2133 and the Asus EEE I would choose the Asus $300 surf model. You can easily double the memory capacity with an SD card and there is pre-installed software that can easily import/export files into Office. The extra keyboard size and screen size is not worth the extra money I thought it would be.

If your looking for a computer such as a Thinkpad X61 or Dell Latitude 430 and try to get away with using this like I did it's probably a mistake. I knew it would be slower and I would be sacrificing keyboard/screen size but it's not a sound investment. I am going to return this an look into replacing it with 12.1 inch notebook.

I've had my mini for a few days now and absolutely love it.

I have been looking at umpcs for a while now. When Dell came out with there mini, I immediately placed an order for the Linux version. The next day, I canceled it. As attractive as an SSD drive is, I'll wait until >128GB is cost effective.

What initially got me looking into these was the desire to have something small to bring with me when on vacation. Lugging around my Dell 17" laptop isn't fun.

Pros:
* Small - easy to carry around, even with the large battery
* Awesome resolution - 1280x768. Others in this class only provide 1024x600. In this day of widescreen LCDs, I don't want to have to scroll back and forth in a browser like it's 1990.
* 120GB 7200rpm hard drive (specs here state 5400rpm)
* Surprisingly good sound quality
* Keyboard is easy to type on after spending some time getting used to it. What was Dell thinking when they designed theirs?

Cons:
* Runs HOT. Don't use this on your lap!
* Pain in the you-know-what to install XP without a USB DVD drive (you have to create the image from an XP or Windows NT system). Linux was a breeze and allows you to re-size an existing partition.
* Via processor. It's not bad, but I'd rather have an Intel Atom CPU

This comes with Vista Business. I use Vista Ultimate exclusively on my PCs and 17" laptop (I'm a C#/C++ developer), so I used it for a day. Vista isn't really the best choice for an ultra-portable. It works, but wasn't quite as snappy as it could be, even after tweaking.

So, since I was going to dual boot Ubuntu anyway, I wiped it clean and installed XP, Office 2007, and all my usual day to day stuff, excluding my development software and CPU-hungry apps like Photoshop. Now it runs more to my satisfaction.

I brought this to work on Friday and everybody gathered around and ooohed and ahhhed over it.

In a nutshell, this is a fantastic ultra portable if you don't do anything too CPU demanding on it (this applies to all of them with the exception of the fantastically expensive Sony). These aren't made for gaming or developing. They're made for day-to-day tasks like email, IM, watching movies, etc.

Like most who probably bought one of these 2133 Mini-Notes, I carefully considered the competition (both the cheap competition like the Eee, and the high-end Sony TZ series). It would be wonderful to have an inexpensive notebook the size of the Eee that runs Vista & Office and has a large hard drive, but as I found out, the HP mini-note just isn't that computer.

Suffice it to say that it seems like HP rushed this to market and didn't consider exactly what they were doing. Sure, this machine COULD run vista and office, but doing so transforms the mininote into a slow, lumbering, awkward notebook that could easily double as a panini-press (i.e., it gets very hot). This thing plods along much more slowly than the Eee, even though it has twice the ram. After a long time searching the internet and reading forums, it became clear that this machine is simply not capable of running Vista and Office smoothly, and, as a result, it feels sluggish and unresponsive. The only remedy is to install Windows XP and some lighter-weight applications on it.

So, faced with the prospect of spending even more money to install the software that should have probably come with it in the first place (XP), I simply decided to return it.

I figure that these sub-notebooks are taking off in popularity, so this year should see the launch of dozens of competitors to this HP. I will be waiting for the right one to come along, since this HP is not even close.

(I should note that the Sony TZ series is amazing--small, light and ultra-fast, but they cost 2-3 times as much as the HP.)

I am a Linux zealot, so I immediately turned my Mini-Note into a dual-boot system by running Linux Mint's installation from a USB drive. Most people have gripes about how slow this machine is; however, they are using Vista primarily, which is a notorious resource hog. If you run Linux on this machine and, like me, use Windows only to run Windows-only aps, then the Mini-Note can blaze through almost anything that you throw at it: you can boot into the OS in just under 2 minutes, run Compiz desktop effects, and experience few, if any, lags when opening and running programs.

The keyboard is the main draw of this machine. I can type comfortably and quickly thanks to the near-full-sized keyboard, which really benefits a student like myself. Also, the 6-cell battery elevates the notebook slightly to provide an ergonomic position. The screen is clear and crisp, which further improves usability, but prepare to read tiny fonts by default. The touchpad buttons flank the touchpad, which is awkward, but this arrangement is not so weird that you won't get used to it.

I never understood why reviewers would criticize the Mini-Note for the faults of its software; one mustn't confound hardware performance with OS capability. If you know which operating system to run, then the Mini-Note will be a pleasure to use. Because this machine is built so well, I can find no glaring flaw to deter anyone from buying this and enjoying it for a very long time.

My mini-note arrived all packaged up on Monday night. I opened it up, and the first thing I noticed was the absolutely astounding build quality. The thing is made of high quality aluminum alloy, and it feels just amazing to touch and look at.

When you open up the notebook, you are going to notice a couple of things right off the bat. The screen is extra glossy, and the speakers are large, providing scratch resistance as well as clear sound to both pieces of the unit. Upon listening to some videos, the audio quality was crisper than I would have thought, and rivals some expensive, larger notebooks. It is also very loud (this can obviously be adjusted). The screen is absolutely magnificent, and isn't too reflective so that work can be done in all but the brightest rooms and sunniest days. The native resolution is 1280x768, providing unsurpassed clarity when compared to other UMPCs and netbooks. Text is extremely small though, so the resolution might want to be lowered for older folks or people with not-so-keen eyesight.

The keyboard is magnificent, and one of the reasons why I didn't go with the EEE PC. It is a wonder to type on, and if you are used to the non-raised keys of standard notebooks, you shouldn't have any trouble using the keyboard on the mini-note. The keyboard is 92% full size, and provides enough room for touch-typers to have their way with. It is also spill resistant.

The track pad is much more wide than it is tall, but this shouldn't be a problem for people used to notebooks. It also features a scroll bar. The left and right buttons flank the track pad, which might need some getting used to for people that use notebooks frequently, but for everyone else, it should be fine. There is also a built in 1.3MP Camera, which is nice.

The 6-cell battery adds some weight to the system, but not much as it clocks in at around 3-3.5 pounds with everything equipped. It doesn't jet out of the back, but does give the unit a bit of tilt providing better ergonomic support for typing.

There is no hinge that keeps the laptop closed, but the screen hinge is sturdy enough to keep it from opening up.

Note that I have the top model, with the 1.6ghz Via C-7m Processor, 2gbs of DDR2 667 RAM, a 6-cell battery, and a 120gb 7200RPM hard drive.

Upon turning on the system, I didn't even attempt to set up Vista. I went right in and installed XP Pro w/ SP2. When that was done, I noticed that the boot time was over a minute. I then installed all the drivers and booted her up for the first time while fully-functional. The boot time was less than a minute, and once I installed SP3, it dropped to around 30-50 seconds (I have not clocked it). That is a HUGE improvement over Vista, which would range from 1:18 seconds to over 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Windows opened up as fast as my core2quad q6600 (With Vista Home Premium 32 bit and 3gbs of RAM), and Web Pages rendered around the same speed as my Pentium IV 3ghz.

I tried out Youtube, and videos played full screen with no drops in frames. I then tried playing 2 Youtube videos at the same time, and received the same result. Then I tried 3 and noticed a slight drop in frames while all 3 were playing. Then I closed all windows, went to IGN, and played a High Def video. It worked perfectly until I upped it to full screen. At full screen, it lost some frames, but was still watchable. Keep in mind that I was using the WMP codec. Gametrailer HD Videos in their full aspect played smoothly too, with occasional pauses and drops in frame rate. A 720p video from Microsoft worked find with the K-lite Codec, though audio did noticeably stutter even though frames did not drop at all. I also tried out Hulu and everything was perfect except for a couple of pauses here or there.

Next I installed and tested out the notoriously slow office programs. Word was ready to type on in a couple of seconds, and Powerpoint instantly switched between frames. Installation speeds were not up to par with my quad core, or even my Pentium IV, but they were adequate. Wifi preformance rendered web pages very well, though download speed was noticeably slower with the built in Wifi adapter than with my linksys adapter (note that I was running Broadband Cable), but not nearly as bad as dial up or low-end DSL.

I then opened up Word, Excel, and Youtube, played Youtube at full size without frame droppage, and then instantly switched between the different applications. They all closed instantly as well.

Note that applications open up as fast as my Pentium IV opened them.

Flash does function at full speed with XP installed.

I have not yet tested any games on the system, but all 2D games will function on it, and War Craft 3 will also function. Those are the only games that I can confirm will function at the moment. Note that it will not be able to play Call of Duty 4 or Crysis at all. Razz

In terms of Skype, though video calls are unusable in Vista as noted by everyone who owns an HP mini-note, in XP they worked fairly well. The video quality wasn't that great, and frames did noticeably drop, but it was functional. As for audio calls, those were great too. Note that audio stayed consistent whenever frames dropped with any of my tests.

My model has a 6-cell battery, as stated before, and it gets around 3-4 hours depending the min-note's the brightness, volume, and work-load.

People say that the Unit doesn't go to sleep when the lid is closed, but if you have XP on the system, it does. To wake it, you flip the power switch so that if the mini-note were to open up in your bag (because of the absence of the hinge, the power still won't drain).

It does get noticeably hot on the keyboard and even more on the bottom of the unit, but it won't burn you. The fan is constantly going for some reason, but people say after a couple of reboots, this will stop. The fan isn't very loud anyway.

Rumors and negativity aside, with XP the Mini-Note preforms basic tasks just as well as any mid-range laptop. If you're the kind of guy or gal who needs an ultra portable laptop for word processing, internet browsing, spread sheets, video watching (in 720p or less), or even light graphical editing, this is the notebook for you. The competition might be a bit faster, but they can't beat the astounding build quality of the Mini-note.

1. The keyboard has no distance between pinky keys like A or P and control keys. I takes a lot of effort to retrain if you are a touch typest.
2. It runs very hot...you are told not to use this in bed or on your lap.
3. It is vastly underpowered. It cannot play mpg videos from a usb stick or from an external DVD.
4. What takes 2-4% of the CPU on a modern Intel Core 2 Duo at 2.4 Ghz, will take 70-100% on this machine.
5. The fully charged, heavy, 6-cell battery reads 2 hours and 40 minutes...not four hours as claimed.

This is an expensive web browser that cannot play YouTube without hickups. Do not even think about Powerpoint Animations for Video!!!

I am returning mine!

Addendum May 9

If you turn off everything, including indexing and Aero, the unit will play video using 70-100% of CPU. Turn off the sidebar as well for this purpose.


I had read that installing XP fixes performance issues. However, getting the downgrade is not simple and not automatically provided by HP (if I am wrong here please add a comment to the review). I have no intention of paying over $100 for XP a new license to install.

Addendum May 21

I have tried the Eee PC 900. This is a much more chinsy and filmsily constructed machine. It does not run as hot. The keyboard is far worse than the HP 2133.

However, it runs 2.5 times faster with XP and the standard configuration than the HP 2133. Videos under any number of players never break up or take more than 20-30% of the CPU...whereas on the VIA chipset it always pegged at 100%.