Win an HP 2133 Mini Notebook
Posted in: Today's ChiliThe HP 2133 Mini notebook is the perfect companion for those who want to travel light, or the very space concious. Its a perfect travel companion weighing in at only 1.3Kgs and being slightly larger than an A5 sheet of paper – and that’s not its only trump card.
Read the rest of this review and then enter the competition to win our review unit valued at around R8,000.00.
The Details
- Processor: 1.2GHz VIA C7-M ULV
- Memory: 2GB, 667MHz DDR2
- Hard drive: 120GB 7,200rpm
- Chipset: Via CN896NB
- Graphics: Via Chrome 9 HC IGP (integrated)
- Operating System: Windows Vista Business
- Dimensions (WDH): 16.5 x 26.4 x 2.7 Cm
- Screen size (diagonal): 8.9 inches
- System weight / Weight with AC adapter: 1.3 / 1.6 Kgs
First impressions
HP clearly know that a first impression is important and its clearly visible in the build quality and brushed metal finish of the notebook which starts you off impressed. It get even better when you open it up and discover its got an almost full sized keyboard (HP say its 92%) – so typing doesn’t require a whole new skills set.
The touch pad does however require some adapting as it is wide and shaped like an envelope. The left/right click buttons are on the left and right (respectively) which also make using it a little slower than when the buttons are in the normal position.
Putting it to good use
On the software front it doesn’t disappoint either – shipping with Windows Vista Business and once booted its not overloaded with useless software that would be un-installed anyway. The screen is sharp and runs at a resolution of 1280×768 which is leagues above all other competitors in the Ultra-Portable department.
Even though this notebook doesn’t have a built in CD/DVD drive it does come with 802.11a/b/g (WiFi) and a host of extra ports (LAN, 2 USB, SD Card reader, VGA Out and an express card) above and beyond the normal headphone and microphone ports. You shouldn’t need the headphone port though as the built in speakers are far superior to any other notebooks in this category and are clear and crisp enough to listen to video clips or your favourite music.
The battery was slightly disappointing only lasting around 2hours when running on 50% screen brightness and using the HP power saving setting. This said though on the higher end notebook you can get an extended battery which will double the time you get with the flush battery.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Lightweight and ultra-portable
- Brilliant screen, viewing angles and brightness
- Large HDD – 120Gig in a notebook this small!
- Outstanding build quality and finishing
Cons:
- Battery life – could have been a little longer
- Processing power. I feel this is a slight under spec from HP.
Conclusion
This is a fantastic notebook in the Ultra-Portable series and will set the bar for competitors to strive towards.
Pricing and availability
The HP 2133 Mini Notebook is available exclusively from the HP Experience Store in Sandton City and retails for around R8,000.00.
Win our review unit
The competition closes on the 10th of October 2008 and will be notified by email.
Question: What is the size of the Hard drive in the unit we reviewed.
Please note that due to shipping restrictions this competition is only open to people living in South Africa.
