As you all know, I don’t do many product reviews. I think this is my second one. I do like to buy gadgets and tools that help me be more mobile and complete my school work. When I find one worth a write-up, you can bet that I am impressed enough to share the information.
The mini-notebook market is new. It all started with the Asus eeePC several months ago. I bought one of those and if I remember correctly, I wrote a review of it here. Well, HP has come out with a new product that makes the eeePC look like something you’d buy at Toys R’ Us.
The HP 2133 Mini-Note is the latest computer specifically geared toward the education market, but is going to be snatched up by every market from home and personal use to corporate and small business.
I won’t go into a huge review of why it’s better other than to say that for a couple hundred dollars more than the cost of the best eeePC, you can get a “real” computer that is optimized for us distance learning students. If you are like me, you like to be able to go away and find some peace and quiet to get your work done. Carrying along a normal sized laptop might be cumbersome. With the new Mini-Note, I have all the functionality of a full size laptop in a package I can carry around in my hand.
Screen: Nice, glossy wide screen measuring in at 9”
Keyboard: The keyboard is nice! Unlike the eeePC, this one is almost full size and a pleasure to use. The keys on the eeePC are simply too small for people like me with big hands.
Processor: At 1.6gHz, it’s almost twice as fast as the eeePC
The wireless is fast as one would expect. It comes with Windows Vista, but also has Windows XP drivers for those who prefer to use XP.
Hard drive: The Mini-Note comes with a 120G hard drive. This is a LOT better than the 8G solid state drive in the eeePC.
I can’t say enough about the functionality for a distance learning student. This is why HP (and other manufacturers of these small PC’s) is targeting the education market! They are affordable and work well.
If you are into being mobile while doing your school work, I would suggest one of these! I originally ordered one directly from HP, but there was a 3-week wait time. I canceled the order when I found that out. A week or so later, I found them on Amazon.com and got it the next day (with overnight shipping).
There is a lot of positive news about this new product.
Check it out!
Scott Davis is a manager for a large media and communications company in Austin, TX. He has worked there since June of 2001. Scott has an Associates degree in Information Systems and a Bachelors degree in Management from Kaplan University. In 2009, Scott will have earned his MBA from Norwich University. He loves fan mail and feedback from his readers. His hobbies include distance education issues, educational research, organizational leadership, training, and photography. Scott's blog is titled "Divide by Zero". He enjoys fielding questions from people who are interested in distance education. So if you have anything on your mind, please feel free to drop him a line from the contact page listed below. All inquiries will be answered as soon as possible.
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