HP’s update to its 2133 Mini-note keeps the best traits of the original model and upgrades the rest – including a bigger screen, better processor and six cell battery.
2009 is not even one week old and already there’s a new netbook raising the bar.
Well, the Mini 2140 isn’t
entirely new – it’s an update to HP’s original
2133 Mini-note, which debuted in April 2008 (before the term ‘netbook’ had entered out vocabulary).
The HP Mini 2140: a familiar face gets a make-over which is also a 'make-better'
But
what an update. HP has kept just about everything we liked in the 2133: the stunningly clean design and brushed metal finish, robust aluminium alloy chassis with magnesium screen hinge, nearly full-size keyboard, ExpressCard slot, fast 7200rpm hard drive with accelerometer-based drop protection, and a wear-resistant finish on the keys and lid.
The Mini 2140 has the same best-in-class keyboard as the original 2133 and the consumer-minded Mini 1000
HP has also retained the standard VGA connector, eschewing the oddball video port of the consumer-oriented
Mini 1000, so that mobile professionals can easily hook up the 2140 to an external screen or projector without needing to buy and carry around an adaptor.
The rest of the roster is pretty standard fare: two USB ports, Wi-Fi (now boosted to include 802.11n), a Webcam and SD memory card reader.
So what’s different? Predictably, the underpowered VIA processor has been dumped for Intel’s Atom N270. This is the same 1.6GHz powerplant in almost every netbook, and it’s proven to be sufficient to the task for just about everything you’d expect from such a machine.
While the Mini 2140 looks identical to the 2133, the bigger 10.1 inch screen is an immediate give-away
The screen also gets a bump in size, going from the 2133’s 8.9 inches to a 10.1 inch panel, with resolution boosted to a super-sharp 1366 x 768 – although HP also lists an optional 1024 x 567 panel (that’s correct, it’s listed as 1204 x 567 rather than the more conventional 1024 x 600). As with most spec variations, it’ll be up to HP to determine if Australian buyers get this choice or if we are instead served up with a single one-size-fits-all configuration.
Both three cell and six cell batteries will be available, which should be good for a respective three and six hours on the trot. HP lists the Mini 2140 as having a starting weight of 1.2kg when fitted with the three cell battery and SSD, which makes it about the same as the marginally smaller Mini 1000.
Tucked away under the brushed metal finish of the scratch-proofed lid are multiple Wi-Fi antennas for 802.11n
Not making an appearance on the menu is 3G. This initially struck us as rather a strange omission, considering that there’s room in the Mini 1000’s chassis for an HSDPA modem – and surely a business customer is more likely to want mobile broadband than a consumer. HP is of course betting that such needs will be sated by the ExpressCard slot.
The hard drive is another place for tick-a-box tech – HP says there’ll be a choice between an 80GB SSD and a 160GB 2.5 inch hard drive, with the later spinning at 5,400rpm or 7,200rpm.
This points towards the likelihood of the Mini 2140 being offered in two standard configurations: an entry-level system with the low-res display and slower hard drive, and a premium model with the pimped-out panel and faster hard drive (or for the same price, the SSD).
Indeed, HP has already nominated several off-the-shelf variants. Running Windows XP (another win, as the 2133 was sold only with Vista) and fitted with 1GB of RAM, the 2140 will sell for US$499. Choose either Vista Home Basic or Vista Business and the memory is bumped up to 2GB. A Linux edition running SuSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 will also be offered, although there’s no price for either this or the Vista versions.
So how much will the Mini 2140 cost when it reaches this land that’s girt by sea in the next few months? We’re tipping a starting price of $899 for the model with Windows XP and 1GB of RAM.