HP 2133 Mini-Note

Just when you thought you'd never find the perfect small form factor notebook for less than $1,000, HP comes to the table with the all new 2133 Mini-Note. This ultra mobile subnotebook features an impressive 8.9-inch screen, a remarkably large keyboard, a full-sized notebook hard drive, and plenty of impressive specs.

The HP 2133 Mini-Note has a great design. It has a solid chassis and attractive look. The brushed aluminum and plastic casing is durable and hides fingerprints well. It also keeps the Mini-Note lightweight, only weighing in around 2.86 lbs as configured. It has that sleek business appeal, but is targeted toward students as well. One look at the Mini-Note and I can see why. I mean who wouldn't want an inexpensive subnotebook to tote back and forth to class, especially one that pretty much has a full-size keyboard. Is this the perfect road warrior machine? Let's take a closer look and find out.

HP 2133 Mini-Note features the following specifications:

* Operating System: Genuine Windows Vista Business, Genuine Windows Vista Home Basic 32, FreeDOS, or SuSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10

* Processor: VIA C7-M ULV Processor (up to 1.6 GHz, 128 KB L2 cache)

* Chipset: VIA CN896NB and 8237S SB

* Memory: DDR2 SDRAM, 667MHz, one SODIMM memory slot, supports up to 2048MB

* Internal Storage: 120GB/160GB 5400 rpm SATA, 120GB/160GB 7200 rpm SATA with HP 3D DriveGuard; or 64GB Solid State Drive; optional 4GB PATA Flash Module with SuSE Linux

* Display: 8.9-inch diagonal WXGA (1280 x 768)

* Graphics: VIA Chrome 9

* Audio: High Definition Audio, stereos speakers, integrated stereo microphones, stereo headphone/line out, stereo microphone in

* Wireless support: Broadcom 802.11a/b/g, b/g, optional Bluetooth 2.0, HP Wireless Assistant

Communications Broadcom Ethernet Integrated Controller (10/100/1000)

* Expansion slots: (1) ExpressCard/54 slot, Secure Digital (SD) slot

* Ports and connectors: (2) USB 2.0 ports, VGA, power connector, RJ-45/Ethernet, stereo headphone/line out, stereo microphone in, optional VGA webcam

* Input device: 92% full-sized keyboard, touchpad with scroll zone

* Software: HP Backup and Recovery Manager, Roxio Creator 9, Microsoft Office Ready 20078

Security Kensington lock, Symantec Norton Internet Security

* Dimensions (H x W x D): 1.05 (at front) x 10.04 x 6.5 inches

* Weight: 2.63 lb (with 3-cell battery and 4 GB Solid State Drive, 3.23 lb with 6-cell battery and 160GB hard drive, 2.86 lb with 3-cell battery and 160GB hard drive.

* Power: 6-cell (55 WHr) or 3-cell (28 WHr) Lithium-Ion battery, 65W HP Smart AC Adapter with HP Fast Charge

* Warranty: Limited 1-year and 90-day warranty options available, depending on country, 1-year limited warranty on primary battery

Pricing for the HP 2133 Mini-Note range from as little as $499 for the 1.0GHz VIA processor, 512MB of RAM and a 4GB PATA Flash module with Linux, to $749 for the 1.6GHz VIA processor, 2GB of RAM and a 120GB 5400 rpm hard drive running Windows Vista Business.

HP will also be offering a version of the Mini-Note with a 160GB 7200 rpm hard drive (which is the configuration we received for review) but that pricing was unavailable at the time of this writing. Still, it's safe to assume the price for this configuration will be more than $750.

For more information about this product, visit notebookreview.com.

Sony - Vaio VGN-Z11WN/B

Sony's Vaio Z series is not for the faint hearted. Even the least expensive notebook in the range will set you back £1,399 inc. VAT and if you want the top notch specifications you are able to spend well over £2,000. Which is an awful lot of money for a laptop, whatever it happens to be capable of.


But put the money out of your mind and the Z series Vaio is a very desirable notebook. I was sent the Z11WN/B variant which runs an Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 and has 4GB of RAM. Wi-Fi supports a, b, g and Draft N, Bluetooth and Ethernet are here and there is support for HSDPA data communications. A 30-day trial of T-Mobile's service is included.


There is a webcam built in so you can make those all important video calls easily, and a 250GB hard drive is on board. There's room in the small chassis for a DVD +/- RW drive. The notebook runs Windows Vista Business with an install CD for XP Professional should you prefer that.

None of this is what really grabs you about this notebook, though. The crucial factors are its size, the keyboard and the screen.

This is a small notebook at just 210mm x 314mm x 33mm and it weighs 1.5kg. It is no problem to carry around at all. The carbon fibre in the chassis makes it strong while helping to keep it light.

The keyboard is what Sony calls an ‘isolation keyboard'. In Mac style, individual keys are raised through the aluminium backplate and are well separated from each other. This looks distinctive and there's no negative effect on key action. But the keys are a little further apart than usual, so the design won't be to everyone's taste and some people may never get the hang of typing at speed.

Where this notebook really wins out, though, is the screen. It measures 13.1 inches on the diagonal and offers 1600 x 900 pixels, giving a 16:9 aspect ration that lets you easily open two or even at a pinch three documents at once, and view movies in the right aspect ratio too.

The finish is semi-reflective making it clear and sharp without being too much of a mirror when there is a light source behind it. The screen dimensions and quality are what is going to make you want this notebook.

Graphics are handled by an Nvidia GeForce 9300M GS chipset with 256MB of dedicated video memory. You can switch this off if you like using a button above the keyboard area. Doing so reverts to Intel's integrated graphics chipset and conserves battery power.

It is unfortunate that there are only 2 USB ports, but other than that the range of ports and connectors is reasonable. There is a hardware switch for the wireless LAN along with two stacked flash card readers; one for Memory Stick formats and the other for SD and compatible formats. There are also microphone and headphones jacks, a Firewire ExpressCard slot, HDMI port and VGA out port.

Sony - Vaio VGN-Z11WN/B features - Verdict

The screen of this notebook is superb and the overall design standards and capabilities are high. If you can afford it, the Vaio Z is an outstanding machine.via