HP 2133 Mini-Note vs ASUS eeePC

This is my first post with my new HP 2133 Mini-Note Model KX870AT) and what a pleasure it is to write with this thing! Instead of simply writing a review on the 2133, I want to compare it with the Asus eeePC 701 (both of which I have). Suffice to say that the eeePC will soon be sold on eBay or Craig’s List sometime soon.

If you want the short version of this blurb, comparing the HP 2133 mini-note with the Asus eeePC 701 is like comparing apples and rocks.

I had originally bought the eeePC because it was new. It was cool. What a great concept. But like most gadgets I buy, it’s usefulness wore out quickly and it has lived in my floor or on my desk, unused for several weeks. I had upgraded it to Windows XP and 2G of RAM. It didn’t make much difference.

I didn’t like the keyboard and it was slower than I had hoped. Multitasking was a rough proposition, and without running the browser at full screen, it wasn’t very functional. Furthermore, the resolution and screen size didn’t mesh well. Yet people are still buying these things like crack. More power to them!

HP has now taken that concept and made the eeePC look and feel like something you would buy at Toys R’ Us. For a device that takes up about the same physical space and costs a couple hundred bucks more, I have a “real” computer! There is so much to compare and I have yet to see one thing that makes the eeePC stand out against the HP 2133.

When the mini-note was first released, I placed an order directly with HP. When my lead time grew from 2 weeks to almost 4 weeks, I canceled it. I couldn’t justify spending the cash at the time, and I wanted to see if I could convince myself that the eeePC 701 was more functional than I thought. Not long after I canceled my order, they showed up on Amazon.com. Not having an ounce of restraint in my body, I paid for overnight shipping and had it the next day.

Here are some of the highlights of the 2133 Mini-Note vs. the eeePC 701

Keyboard: This is the primary reason I don’t like the eeePC. I have big hands and the keys on the eeePC are small. I ended up attaching a small USB keyboard to it, which defeats the purpose of having a small computer. The keyboard on the 2133 is almost full size and is a delight to use. Hands down, this is one of the most significant differences.

Screen: Far superior. Glossy mini wide screen with a resolution that is out of this world! The eeePC 701 doesn’t touch this. I can run Firefox and still have plenty of real estate on the screen. With the eeePC, you nearly have to run everything at full screen just to be semi-functional.

Speed: The eeePC is only 800mHz. The 2133 is 1.6gHz. At almost double the speed, you can certainly (and obviously) tell the difference. I’ve heard some complaints about not being able to multi-task. I am not sure what those people were doing, but I am not having an issue.

Storage: The 2133 has a 120G hard drive. I understand the attraction of the 8G solid state drive in the eeePC, but after XP and Office 2003, there was hardly any room left for applications. I had to use a 16G SD card just to be able to install my programs.

Touch pad: The touch pad on the 2133 is great.

Heat: The 2133 does get a little warm, but it’s certainly tolerable. It’s a real computer, after all.

The bottom line is that the mini-note costs a couple hundred more than the best eeePC, but it is worth every penny! If you have a chance to get one, do!

HP 2133 Mini-Note Delayed

Well, I broke down and ordered the HP 2133 Mini-Note last night. As you can see, the ship date is about a week and a half after the order was placed. Not a huge deal.

After I ordered the system, I realized that I had put the wrong phone number on my order. I called HP this morning to get that corrected and was told that the ship date had been moved to May 9. This sucks. The only thing I can hope for is that the information the rep had was incorrect. I had this thing shipped to a location where I will be on the estimated delivery date. If it is delayed, that means I will have to cancel the order and re-order, or hope someone can change the delivery address (which isn’t likely)

Maybe this will be a situation similar to when I bought my Dell XPS M1710 laptop. The system arrived at the house before the original estimated ship date. Seeing as how the mini-note is new and hot, that probably won’t happen.

Commodore 64 Commercials

Feeling a little nostalgic today, I went out to locate some vintage Commodore 64 commercials. I grew up with this computer. It hit the market when I was 11 years old. I got one a couple of years later, I think. One thing I remember was the after-market products that were available for it, like the Enhancer 2000 floppy drive. It was an after-market replacement for the standard 1541.

At one point, I also had a Commodore SX-64. The Commodore SX-64, also known as the Executive 64, or VIP-64 in Europe, was a portable, briefcase/suitcase-size “luggable” version of the popular Commodore 64 home computer and holds the distinction of being the first full-color portable computer. It was a demo/eval unit (read: free) and it didn’t work very much, but I had one. That’s all that mattered. Broken or not, I was the only teenager in my neighborhood with more than one computer. 3l33t!

Or the Commodore VIC-20 commercial with William Shatner

BTC 6300CL is Very Cool

Picked up one of these the other day. Great keyboard. Very cool with the back lighting. You should get one too.

I’ve always been a fan of BTC keyboards. They feel just like a good laptop keyboard, and doesn’t feel like you are typing on cookie dough. I just place it right over the existing keyboard on my Dell M1710 notebook. Works like a charm. The back light is very geeky.

Wal-Mart PC a Very Hot Item

Either we have a supply-chain / mass production problem, or the Linux geeks are sucking this up like a free lap-dance!

Wal-Mart has been on the radar in tech circles lately because of their $199.00 PC that evidently runs Linux very well. The reviews for this product have been spectacular. But after a little searching, this thing may be hard to get.

They are currently out of stock for online purchases, so I did a search (Find In Store) by zip code to see who might have one. The results are stunning.

We found 1 store within 100 miles of 77089 (Houston, Texas). Only stores that carry this product are shown below. (In-stock status is approximate and was last updated on 11/11/2007 at 7:37 AM, E.T.) Store was OUT OF STOCK.

We found no stores within 100 miles of 78758 (Austin, TX) that carry this product. Please try a new search. (In-stock status is approximate and was last updated on 11/11/2007 at 7:37 AM, E.T.)

We found no stores within 100 miles of 75214 (Dallas, Texas) that carry this product. Please try a new search. (In-stock status is approximate and was last updated on 11/11/2007 at 7:37 AM, E.T.)

We found 3 stores within 100 miles of 20110 (Northern Virginia). Only stores that carry this product are shown below. (In-stock status is approximate and was last updated on 11/11/2007 at 7:37 AM, E.T.) ALL 3 stores are OUT OF STOCK.

We found 4 stores within 100 miles of 90210 (Beverly Hills, California). Only stores that carry this product are shown below. (In-stock status is approximate and was last updated on 11/11/2007 at 7:37 AM, E.T.) All 4 stores were OUT OF STOCK.

We found no stores within 100 miles of 98106 (Seattle, Washington) that carry this product. Please try a new search. (In-stock status is approximate and was last updated on 11/11/2007 at 7:37 AM, E.T.)

We found 6 stores within 100 miles of 10011 (southern NY, northern NJ). Only stores that carry this product are shown below. (In-stock status is approximate and was last updated on 11/11/2007 at 7:37 AM, E.T.) All 6 stores OUT OF STOCK.

Looks like I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue!

Gizmodo talks about it here …