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Photos: HP 2133 'Eee killer' mini laptop is official

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The race to the bottom has a new driver. HP has just announced its 2133 mini laptop -- its alternative to machines such as the 8.9-inch Asus Eee PC, Packard Bell EasyNote XS and that OLPC thingy.

Judging by these pictures, it's absolutely gorgeous -- more so than any of its rivals. The silvery chassis and contrasting black elements knock the Eee PC's design into a cocked hat. We're also keen on the 8.9-inch 1,280x760-pixel WXGA display, and the relatively large keyboard, which HP claims is 92 per cent the size of a 'full-size' one.

The rest of the laptop is a little worrying though. It weighs a hefty 1.27kg, which isn't much lighter than the far larger 1.36kg MacBook Air. It's also based on the rather anaemic Via C7-M 1.2GHz CPU, the same one that struggled to run Windows XP in the EasyNote XS. The HP 2133 uses the far more demanding Windows Vista Business edition, or Novell SuSE Linux, but with 2GB of RAM on offer, we'll definitely be opting for the latter OS.

Other components include a 120GB 1.8-inch hard drive with anti-shock sensor, a 56K modem, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi and a Bluetooth adaptor. There's a choice of either 3-cell or 6-cell batteries that deliver -- according to HP -- 2 hours 15 minutes, and 4 hours 30 minutes of power respectively.

We'll reserve judgement until we get one in our hands, but safe to say -- and this is despite the potential pitfalls -- we want one. Badly. You can get yours from May for £299. Click through for more pictures. -Rory Reid

Update: you can now read our preview of the HP 2133, and watch our HP 2133 video

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Comments

AnonymousWed 9 April, 2008 11:42am

reading the reviews of this thing, has got me interested, but I think I will wait for the atom refresh before jumping in.

still gunning for the EEE PC 900 though.

AnonymousWed 9 April, 2008 11:44am

... and the ECS G10IL too. That one might still sneak in at the line for a photo finish! ;D

DavidRGilsonWed 9 April, 2008 5:36pm

Review this thing ASAP. It looks good, but I've a feeling the Eee is still going to get the loyalist following.

AnonymousWed 9 April, 2008 11:40pm

It won't see to same crowd as EEE PC. $600 for a low end laptop? I can buy a dell with a dual core with 2 gigs of ram with an ati/nvidia card, dvd drive for $550-$600. Well that is when dell runs a deal; once a month typically.

HP is missing the point; even their own line up has a beefier machine at the same price point; not to mention not that much heavier. Hmmm. remove features, make the machine slower but charge the same amount for it.

Dell is hitting the market soon with their own umpc very soon. I eager to see what is going to happen with their price point. Especially since they typically use Intel and some AMD's on their machines.

In my humble opinion; wait before a purchase:
1) You may get a better machine for the same price or less
2) Potential price war. :-)

Regards to all,

AnonymousThu 10 April, 2008 1:08am

From HP's website, they ship different versions of the Via C7-M depending on the OS selected: from 1.0GHz with Suse to 1.6GHz with Vista Business.

AnonymousThu 10 April, 2008 1:50am

I have had the HP2133 in hand, also the eeeMachine and the OLPC thingy. I sold the OLPC on eBay. I'm not a fan, because the GUI is too different than "real world." I bought an eee and I like the GUI and ruggedness (I work for a school.) The local HP salesman brought me an HP 2133 yesterday. I like the HP keyboard size and screen sizes, but it still looks a little fragile for my 10-13 year old crowd. It also is too "pretty" and therefor more likely to be stolen. The eee Linux is good, and it has no HDD to break. And the HP 2133 price is alot higher!

AnonymousThu 10 April, 2008 9:40am

I was definately gonna opt for the EEE- it's got linux

but apparently this lil things got it too

hmmm

AnonymousThu 10 April, 2008 1:48pm

> isn't much lighter than the 1.36kg MacBook Air

When you can get a MacBook Air for £299, I'll care how an EEE class machine compares with it.

AnonymousThu 10 April, 2008 3:12pm

@ Two comments up: What do you mean it's 'got linux'?

Anything 'has' Linux if you install Linux on it, surely?

J RiversMon 14 April, 2008 11:14am

I was under the impression HP were going to ship a Windows Free version of this Laptop? The keyboard certainly looks like would spank the EEE for any real typing work...

AnonymousFri 18 April, 2008 12:21pm

I am going to New York next week - can anybody tell me where I can get HP 2133?

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