HP 2133 Mini-Note

As I mentioned earlier, the HP Mini-Note is based on the VIA C7M CPU clocked at 1.2 GHZ, and comes with 1GB of RAM and a 120GB HDD. Its graphics are powered by the VIA Chrome 9 chipset. While on paper these look like decent specifications, the real-life performance was far from perfect. The VIA processor is simply underpowered, and the paltry 1GB RAM and a highly demanding Window Vista Business means you have a sure-fire recipe for disaster on your hands.

Right from the beginning the device felt like a crawl-show, taking 75 seconds to boot up, 35 seconds after login for the desktop to appear. It generally restricts multitasking to no more than 3-4 windows before it starts gasping for breath. A downgrade to Windows XP might improve performance, but not significantly, I feel. The battery life is not all that great either. Despite having a 6-cell battery it topped out at 4½ hours, which is a good deal lower than most other netbooks. The audio capabilities are none too impressive. Sound was muffled and tinny, and unsuitable for anything beyond very low volumes.

The HP 2133 feels like an incomplete, lackadaisically designed product.  Though it has a brilliant body finish and great keyboard, it loses points for its touchpad, its battery life and its absolutely atrocious pricing of Rs 39,999.  At this price point it’s ventured into the realm of normal laptops and becomes completely unworthy of a purchase. We don’t recommend it at all, as virtually any offering from MSI or Acer or ASUS can not only easily surpass it in performance and battery life, but also cost up to 75 percent less!