A big revolution hit the laptop market last year, when Asus released the EEE PC series. While the first model, the 701, had some serious flaws, including the low-resolution screen, the tiny keyboard and a slow processor, that was the moment that made big companies as Acer, Dell, Lenovo and HP to release similar products. The competition went strong and netbooks became better and better, but still kept a decent price tag.
HP was one of the first computer manufacturers to launch a netbook after Asus, which was called the Mini 2133. When it was released, the 2133 looked much more professional and durable than its only competitor, the EEE 701 did. The netbook had a magnesium alloy frame and a superb keyboard for its size.
However, many reviewers were amazed when they discovered that the Mini 2133 had a VIA chipset. On the other hand, the problem wasn’t the processor itself, but the fact that HP chose Vista as the laptop’s operating system. This led to a somewhat disappointing experience, as the netbook dissipated much heat and the laptop’s performance was well under expectations.
Many of these issues were addressed when HP launched the Mini 1000, which was quite similar with the 2133, but it was powered by the more robust Intel Atom processor. This thing alone made it a better netbook, as it had the most usable keyboard among all its competitors and it was also good looking.
At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, HP will release another netbook, called the Mini 2140. This new model is almost identical with the 2133 in looks, but it has an Intel Atom processor and many other features.
The 2140 retains the same excellent keyboard from its predecessors. However, this also means that the mouse buttons are still placed on the touchpad’s sides, which proved to be disappointing for some users.
An important addition for users on the go is that HP offers a six-cell battery options, addressing an old issue with its netbook range, which only lasted between two and three hours on battery power. HP claimed that the netbook would have “over” eight hours of use with the bigger battery.
There are many versions available for the Mini 2140. The base version comes with the 1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive with 5400rpm and it costs $499. Users can configure their own version of the netbook, as they can choose to fit in the six-cell battery for $30, 2GB of ram, a faster 7200-rpm 160GB hard drive and Bluetooth 2.0.
The netbook also has an 802.11n wireless card. Furthermore, Windows Vista is available as an upgrade, too. The most capable version of the Mini 2140 will cost $624, which is on par with other high-end netbooks, but cheaper than the Asus N10, which comes both with the Intel integrated GPU and an NVIDIA 9300M GS unit.
Another interesting feature is the option of a high-resolution 1366x768 screen, which is a first in the 10-inch netbook market.
