HP 2133 Mini-Note PC
HP’s 2133 Mini-Note PC is small and lightweight, with wireless connectivity through Wi-Fi, though it’s built-in WAN for an Xpress Card slot. It is small enough to be thrown into a backpack, aimed specifically at students, and seems to need a niche audience to justify its existence (students, tech journalists, etc). It even steals some of the best aspects of a PC, like the full-blown desktop OS, while managing to toss some of the least successful, like the touchscreen, which most UMPCs haven’t quite figured out yet. It’s even a little more expensive than we’d like, starting at about $500 and working half-way to a $1000 when you start piling on the options. They will be used for surfing the Internet and doing other basic tasks like word processing. The company plans to have 50 million units available in the marketplace by 2011. Optical drives have been left out to prevent kids from playing ‘unauthorized games.’ Weighing less than 3 pounds with a tiny 8.9 inch screen, the machines start below $500 for a Linux-based model. Prices are expected to be higher for Windows Vista models.”