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7 Days with the HP 2133 Ultra Portable Netbook
Conclusion:
Currently on the market there are several competitive choices in the Ultra portable segment:
- EeePC (and all the sub models)
- Acer Aspire One
- HP 2133
- MSI Wind
- Dell Ultra Portable
- Lenovo IdeaPad S10
- Gigabyte M912 (Sorry not in the USA, What are they thinking?)
- ECS G10IL
- Everex Cloudbook Max
- Kohjinsha SCC
- Medion Akoya Mini (Rebranded MSI Wind)
- Noahpad (Absolutely weird keyboard layout)
- Proview Handbook PC-81001
- Sungjut TangoX (Touchscreen Display, Via Openbook Design)
This does not even cover all of the options available in the market but only some. With all of the sub-notebooks available it becomes increasingly difficult to select one with the right choices. HP has done an excellent job in separating themselves from the rest of this growing market by investing into the overall design and usefulness of the 2133. The keyboard layout, size, and design are perfect for a laptop this size and indeed should be integrated into all of their designs. The screen while hi-res should have been made larger but still looks georgeous. We love the addition of a card reader and its positioning which curves into the side instead of being otherwise flat. The PCI-Express slot is a welcome addition and promises the ability to add mobile broadband, add-on sound, or graphics to the 2133 at a later date. The on/off button for the touch pad is a feature common to many HP laptops but few others on the market and will become one of your favorite features.We even liked how HP integrated the webcam into the screen bezel so that it is there but doesnt stand out like it does on all other sub-notebooks currently available. While our initial reaction to the touchpad and right/left click mouse buttons was negative we did find that over the course of the week their use was almost natural. It did require two hands to use properly with ease though.
As we said though, functionality wins, though in this case its more about performance. While the 2133 can certainly do the job the fact remains that with the Intel Atom on the scene with its good performance, and the relatively high cost of the HP 2133 we expect to see much more sales of Atom equipped laptops than with the HP 2133. If HP lowers the price of the 2133 you may easily see many mobile professionals be swayed to this laptop for its much better design. Recently American Express has begun using a commercial that pits their credit card being used in public against another credit card with a fancy "comic book" design in public. The essence of the commerical is that both make a statement about the person using the card while both are equally capable of paying the bill. The same holds true with the HP 2133. As a professional the HP 2133 is a laptop that you want to be seen in public using just to make a statement about who you are. As opposed to the EeePC which you don't want to be seen in public using.
Taking a closer analytical look at the market of all notebooks we see that while Lenovo, Sony, Toshiba, and Acer are falling behind in the design and appearance category, Gateway, HP, and Dell are continuing to come out with new inspired and very appealing designs. Of the three I am most enamored of the HP designs and colors. Their Special Edition Laptops have solid construction and are beautiful.
Of all of the designs on the market currently available HP has done the absolutely best job of integrating the Via C7-M platform into a notebook. It has the hands down best appearance, design, and functionality.
I had some debate with several users and members of my staff over the award for the HP 2133. Initially I was leaning towards our Awesome Hardware award, but it simply falls short in the performance category. However, for sheer design and appearance brilliance and stand alone quality of the HP 2133 its is nearly a perfect product. So it consequently receives my Editor's Choice Award as a laptop I will keep and use happily.
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