HP’s 2133 Mini-Note (photo: HP)
A commenter on my post about why Windows XP might be a bit bloated for the limited storage space of the Eee PC 900 asked if there are any other similar-sized laptops with a little more horsepower that might be better suited to handle such a voluminous operating system.
I’m actually hoping to get just such a machine in for review this week: HP’s 2133 Mini-Note.
The Mini-Notes are available with either Linux or Windows Vista, and do include — on the higher end models — beefier specs than the 900, such as 120-gigabyte hard drives. A four-gig Flash drive is available on the cheapest Mini-Note model.
The Mini-Note is an upgrade over the 900 in other ways, as well:
For example, the 8.9-inch screen on the Mini-Note is the same size as that on the Eee PC 900, but has a higher resolution (1280×800 on the Mini-Note versus 1024×600 on the 900).
Then again, whereas the Eee PC 900 with either Linux or XP costs $549, the Mini-Notes run up to $749.
UPDATE: HP has rolled out some new configuration options for the 2133, including the ability to downgrade to Windows XP, if Vista doesn’t float your boat.
