Hewlett-Packard, the world’s third largest seller of notebook PCs, jumped into the ultra-portable, ultra-mobile computer market today by launching its HP 2133 Mini-Note (below). The 2.6-pound notebook will go on sale on April 15 and is aimed at two specific markets: business travelers and schools.
The specs for the HP 2133 are:
- 8.9 inch screen with 1280 x 768 resolution
- 1.6 GHz VIA C7-M processor
- 512 MB RAM (upgradeable to 2 GB)
- 120 GB hard drive (160 GB optional)
- Full QWERTY keyboard (just 8% smaller than standard keyboard)
- Integrated 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi
- Integrated Ethernet port
- Two USB slots
- ExpressCard slot
- SD/SDHC card slot
- VIA Chrome 9 graphics chip
- Built-in stereo speakers
- Bluetooth (optional)
- Webcam (optional)
- 4 GB solid state drive (optional with Linux only)
- Extended six-cell battery (optional)
- Computrace (optional) to help IT pros track lost or stolen machines
HP will sell the basic version of the machine with SuSE Linux for $499. The same standard version of the system will sell for $599 with Windows Vista Basic. HP will also offer a $749 version aimed at business travelers that features Windows Vista Business, a Webcam, Bluetooth, 2 GB RAM, and an extended battery.
Further reading:
- Review: HP 2133 Mini-Note (Laptop Magazine)
- HP announces the HP 2133 Mini-Note PC (ZDNet)
- HP strikes chord with Mini-Note PC (CNET News.com)
- Note to HP: The Mini-Note PC rocks (iTWire)
Bottom line for IT leaders
While HP’s 2133 Mini-Note PC will get most of its ink as an educational machine that will compete with OLPC, Intel Classmate, and EeePC, Hewlett-Packard will also offer a $750 configuration aimed squarely at business travelers. This could be an attractive option for IT departments that support heavy road warriors because it is less expensive than most ultraportable laptops and UMPCs, and since it runs the standard Windows OS, IT can deploy its normal software package on this machine.
