Hasta La Gadget!

Mr. Blurrycam never lies, so when he caught sight of a six-cell battery for HP’s Mini 1000 we knew one would be coming soon. Sure enough, three weeks later it’s up for sale on HP’s site selling for a bargain (gulp) price of $153.90. That’s almost half the cost of an entire machine (which currently start at $350) and as of now you can’t pay the difference to upgrade from the stock three-cell when customizing a new netbook. That’s an awful lot of bank for twice the battery life, but don’t let us rain on your parade if you’re looking to do your part to help the economy.

Filed under: Laptops

HP’s six-cell battery for Mini 1000 offers twice the battery life, a fraction of the value originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Jan 2009 09:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After arguably the biggest hype-fest of late 2008, HP’s Firebird with VoodooDNA was revealed as Rahul Sood’s ambitious little secret. The miniaturized gaming rigs began shipping out during CES, and we’ve no doubt that a few of you with space constraints and a lust of high frame rates have already chomped on the bullet. So, does the machine live up to the hype? Is it worth the asking price? What features weren’t included that should have been? Has it handled your gaming demands with ease? Feel free to sound off below — who knows, maybe Mr. Sood will tune in and hear you out.

Filed under: Desktops

How would you change HP’s Firebird gaming rigs? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jan 2009 23:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Looks like HP’s web monkeys are filling in the product pages for those unannounced Mini 1100s we spotted earlier — spec pages for the 1133CL, 1135NR, 1140NR and 1141NR have been posted, and those rumors of an ExpressCard/54 slot are apparently true. It sounds like the 1141NR is the Vivienne Tam edition — it comes with a “Vivienne Tam sleeve” — but apart from that and Bluetooth in the 1135NR and 1140NR, they’ve all got the same 10.1-inch 1024 x 576 display, 1.6GHz Atom N270, 1GB RAM, 60GB drive, and three-cell battery. No idea why HP’s got so many different confusing model numbers for what seems like the exact same product, but we’re guessing we’ll find out more soon — hopefully there’s a bit more sense behind this silliness than with the Eee alphabet soup.

Update: HP’s told Lilliputing that the ExpressCard listing is a mistake and that the 1100s are just minor variations on the 1000s, but the entries are all still up with no changes. Guess we’ll wait and see when these things go official.

[Thanks, Ricardo]

Read – 1133CL
Read – 1135NR
Read – 1140NR
Read – 1141NR

Filed under: Laptops

Specs for HP’s Mini 1100 pop up, ExpressCard/54 slot is a go Update: maybe not originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Jan 2009 00:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP’s very recently announced Mini 2140 is available now for you to get one of your very own if you so please. The handsome fella’s just been unleashed on the world, and if you don’t remember his stats, well, that’s what we’re here for. The business-aimed netbook features a 1.6GHz Atom CPU, with options for either an 80GB or 160GB hard drive, up to 2GB of RAM, and resolution options of 1366 x 768 and 1024 x 567 for the 10-inch screen, and of course the ExpressCard / 54 slot. Though a Linux OS has been announced, so far all we’ve seen are options for XP and Vista materialize, but we’ll keep our eyes peeled. Prices start at $499 for the base model, but run up to $799 for the tricked out Vista version. Now get back to work, slacker.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading HP Mini 2140 “business” netbook now available

Filed under: Laptops

HP Mini 2140 “business” netbook now available originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Jan 2009 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hewlett-Packard’s next netbook is shipping February, and you shouldn’t buy it.

That’s because HP plans to release an upgrade for the netbook just four months later, according to a Taiwanese publication.

DigiTimes cites "sources at notebook makers" who claim the HP Mini 2150 is set for release in June — just four months after the Mini 2140 hits stores.

Unlike its predecessor, the Mini 2150 will ship with a built-in 3G modem. That was the only difference disclosed.

Early January, HP showcased its Mini 2140 at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The Mini 2140 features a 10.1-inch widescreen LED display, a keyboard that’s 92 percent the size of a standard keyboard and a six-cell battery that HP says will last eight hours. Marketed for business users, the Mini 2140 starts at $500.

Price details for the Mini 2150 have not been revealed, but you can expect HP to keep it close to the same cost as the Mini 2140.

A 3G modem may not sound like a big deal, but I personally think it’s a feature worth waiting a few months for. Imagine a scenario where you’re in dire need for an internet connection but can’t find a Wi-Fi hotspot. With a 3G modem you could purchase a one-day pass to browse the web, and presto — problem solved.

And if you don’t wish to wait till June for a 3G-equipped netbook, you can always look at other options such as the MSI Wind U120, which is already shipping.

HP to add more members to its Mini-note family [DigiTimes]

See also:

• Review: HP Mini 2140

Photo: Jonathan Snyder/Wired.com