HP Mini-note 2133 was the company’s first mini laptop and was primarily aimed at business users, although as it turns out it became more of a consumer notebook. One of the problems with the HP 2133 was that the manufacturer initially opted to ship the netbook with Windows Vista instead of XP or a lightweight Linux distribution – a big mistake and one that has since been corrected. The person responsible for choosing Vista for this otherwise very nice-looking and well designed mini laptop computer is probably not working at HP anymore.
Another potential deal-breaker for some is the VIA processor that HP decided to put in the mini 2133 instead of the more common intel Atom processor. The difference between the two mini laptop CPUs is actually very slim, but nonetheless it’s still the Atom that comes out on top in most benchmarks in spit of them both having the same clock frequency. It will however not have a noticeable effect on regular office apps or web browsing.
Features and Battery Performance
The computer ships with a 120GB hard drive in its standard configuration, which should suffice for most users. Handling the graphics is the VIA Chrome 9 chip – not a high performer whatsoever but fully adequate for the uses this mini laptop is intended for. Just like the integrated graphics varieties from Intel, this chip has enough capabilities to handle non resource intensive tasks, but not much more.
Otherwise the 2133 is a real looker in its all-aluminum chassis and it feels very durable if a tad heavy. The keyboard is actually very good – one of the best in these small mini laptops. It is nearly full size, and the keys provide just the right amount of tactile feedback. The trackpad might take some getting used to, as the keys are placed on either side of the pad instead of below it, but once you have used it for a while you stop thinking about it. Of course there’s as always the option to not use the buttons at all but just tap on the trackpad instead.
The hp 2133 battery lasts for 2-2:30 with the smaller 3-cell battery and medium power savings, which is quite short but not unexpected with a 3-cell. With the optional 6-cell battery you will get about twice that.
Conclusion
If you can find an HP mini 2133 notebook without Windows Vista but with XP instead, that is definitely preferable. With Vista you are bound to have performance issues due to the operating system’s steep hardware requirements. With Linux or XP on the other hand, you will have no such problems.You will also get a lenghthier battery life.
In all, the Mini 2133 laptop is a well-rounded and capable computer provided the above requirements are met, and a pleasant traveling companion. But don’t expect it to perform as a mainstream-size laptop or desktop PC.
No related posts.
