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HP has launched the successor to the mini note, dubbed the Mini 1000. And for those closely following the Mini Note, you might say this is both an upgrade and a downgrade in many respects.

The Mini 1000 has a faster and better (arguably) processor, with the Intel Atom N270. You also have the option to go for a larger screen, but without sacrificing chasis size, since the original Mini note had a large bezel around the 9-inch screen.

Some disadvantages, however, according to Liliputing:

For me, the loss of the ExpressCard slot is not a deal breaker. Same with the other “downgrades” which I think are necessary to achieve this thinner form factor. The biggest gripe I would have is that HP no longer uses an aluminum chassis, which had set the original Mini note apart from all other netbooks.

I guess you have to have tradeoffs!

Computerworld reports that HP and Acer are engaging in a price war, with the US school opening season upcoming this fall.

Acer slashed prices on its Aspire One netbooks on Friday to as low as $329 for one version, while HP revealed new prices for Mini-Notes on its Web site.

The price of the HP Mini-Note 2133 KR948UT has been slashed to $789 from $949, according to HP. The device has an 8.9-in. screen, uses a 1.2-GHz Via C7-M microprocessor, and has 2GB of DRAM and a 160GB hard disk drive (HDD) for data storage.

The lowest-priced Mini-Note running Windows Vista Home Basic is the KX868AT, which costs $599, down from $786, according to HP.

The lowest-priced Mini-Note is the HP 2133 KR922UT at $499 on Amazon.com and elsewhere, but a better version of that netbook, the Mini-Note 2133 KX869AT, offers a lot more for $549.

The education sector is being targeted by the netbook manufacturers, with portable, lightweight and small devices that cost less than full-sized notebooks being viewed as ideal for students of all ages. For me I would say that the big issue here would be battery life, given that schools and libraries may not always have wall outlets available for charging. Asus’ concept of whole-day computing comes into mind here.

When I first got my HP Mini Note, it came pre-loaded with Windows Vista Business. Sure, I like Vista on my other, faster, machines. But on the Mini Note, Vista really crawled. Startup was about 2:30 minutes, and the system was generally lagging in terms of responsiveness.

And so I decided to install Windows XP. I called up HP support to ask if this was possible, and they said they did provide free XP “downgrade” discs, but that they were out of stock at that time. So I just used an old copy of Windows XP Home lying around (which I installed on my old computer which I was no longer using), installed the drivers, and the system was running smoothly. Bootup time was about 50 seconds (up to usable state!), with some tweaks and fixes. And the system was generally more responsive than with the original Vista installation.

I got two discs with the package that the courier dropped off yesterday: the XP install disc, and the driver/application disc.

HP mini note XP discs

I decided to overwrite the existing XP installation, since I thought the new XP install woudl come pre-loaded with the drivers. sure, I don’t like the usual stuff that pre-loaded OSes come with, like Antivirus software, apps, utilities, and the like. But I was in for a surprise to learn that the HP install disc was just the usual Windows XP Service Pack 2 installation. The OEM version didn’t even say “HP” (whereas on my other netbooks, like the EeePC 900, it said “ASUS”).

Installation was quick - at about 45 minutes. I then stuck in the driver/app DVD and installed all the drivers. I was a bit selective with the add-on apps I installed, since I didn’t want some of them, particularly because they just added to bloat (like Norton Antivirus).

One gripe I have is that when Windows Setup formatted the new partiiton for installation, it renamed it as drive D. So now, the Vista restore partition is drive C, while the system drive is drive D.

But overall, the “downgrade” process was painless, and Window XP is very usable on netbooks.

Okay, so I didn’t really get to post my observations for the past couple of days. Been busy with a whole lot of things. Let me just list down some points I noticed.

I’ve been playing with the Mini Note’s accelerometer, and I’m pretty much surprised it works as well as it’s supposed to. If you try jerking your Mini note around while turned on, the hard drive LED will turn amber, which means the drive is automatically parked to prevent the heads crashing. I don’t think you need any additional software or drivers for this, but HP’s 3d drive guard driver lets you control whether the accelerometer is on or off.

I do have “drive guard” markings on my B1256, but I can’t figure out how to turn it on, or if it actually exists on my bigger laptop.

Also, I notice that the touchpad isn’t as big as it appears. The surface area is small enough as it is (compared to my EeePC 900’s). But the actual tracking area is even smaller. You have to touch the touchpad about one centimeter from the edges before it detects movement. And I thought it was the whole area! I think I’ve been spoiled by my EeePC’s touchpad, with its size and multi-touch functionality. The EeePC’s touchpad plus the Mini note’s keyboard would definitely make a winer out of any netbook.

I also noticed that you don’t have the option of turning off the bluetooth only or the wifi radio only with a switch or even with software settings. On my B1256, HP gives you the option to switch on or off either WiFI, bluetooth, or both at the same time. This translates to added battery juice when you’re using just one. One could turn BT or WiFi only off in BIOS, but that would be too much of a hassle, having to reboot the computer.

Lastly, I’ve been scouring local retail stores for sleeves that would fit the Mini note, to no avail. HP’s Mini note is one of the more expensive netbooks around and you’d think that they would include carrying accessories. Both my EeePCs came with sleeves. Acer’s Aspire one has a sleeve. The MSI Wind comes with a zip-up sleeve. The Mini note? Nada.

I’ll be returning this review unit soon. Perhaps I’ll get myself my own Mini note one of these days.

So I got to install Windows XP on the HP Mini Note as I wrote I wanted to, yesterday. Installation was a breeze. I had a USB combo drive which I got when I bought my Asus EeePC 701. The installation actually lasted a shorter time than I remember it did on my other computers. It was about an hour or so, including copying of files and actual setup.

I didn’t remove the Windows Vista Home recovery partition, so I can always just revert to default settings before returning the Mini Note. It is, after all, a review unit. That’s unless the next one in line would agree to receive the Mini Note with XP loaded.

As expected, XP is amazingly nimble on this machine. Startup is about 1 minute and 10 seconds. About 1 minute from cold boot to login screen, and another 10 seconds to load startup programs. Vista is, after all, a resource hog. Even with the 2GB RAM, the system has other bottlenecks that Vista simply cannot handle well.

So far, I would say that the HP Mini Note + Windows XP (or perhaps the Suse Linux version) + the 6 cell battery pack = great netbook.

I picked up HP Philippines’ review 2133 Mini Note unit last Friday and I’ve been trying to explore the ins and outs of this well-hyped netbook. For one, judging from various and mixed reviews online that the Mini Note is slow, I didn’t set my expectations too high. Opinion was that the choice of processor, mated with Windows Vista, made the Mini Note sluggish. Also, the Mini Note heated up to more-than-comfortable levels.

Above: laptops and netbooks stacked for size reference. Asus EeePC 900 12G, HP 2133 Mini Note, HP Compaq Presario B1256TU, Compaq Presario V2617TS

Above: laptops and netbooks rounded up for size reference. Clockwise from left: HP Compaq Presario B1256TU, Compaq Presario V2617TS, Asus EeePC 900 12G, HP 2133 Mini Note

I guess I’ll be reviewing the Mini Note with these assumptions always in mind. After all, perhaps the strongest point of the Mini Note is its durable anodized aluminum housing and its excellent almost-full-sized keyboard.

I guess you can’t win ‘em all.

Here are my observations so far:

• Screen resolution is great. It’s the same as with my regular-sized (12″, if you call that regular-sized) Compaq Presario at 1280×768 pixels. This means you can fit in more, but the pitch is small. The pixels are all packed in the 8.9″ widescreen. First thing I did was increase the DPI setting to 120+ and install a no-squint Firefox extension that increases text and image size by default.
• Keyboard is excellent for typing. While I’ve already grown used to my EeePC 900’s tiny keyboard, the Mini Note’s keyboard is definitely an improvement. I especially like how the right shift key and other non-letter keys are sized just right. With other netbooks, these are positioned and sized differently. Heck even on my Presario B1200 the right shift key is just as big as the letter keys–sometimes I miss the shift key and press the UP button instead. Here on the Mini Note I don’t experience such accidents.
• Touchpad is terribly small. The placement of the clickers is also non-intuitive. I would’ve also preferred if the touchpad were placed smack in the middle of the computer instead of a bit to the left (and center-aligned with respect to the space bar). This is the case in my Presario and even my Asus EeePC. The placement of the clickers requires two-handed operation. I usually click with my left thumb or forefinger instead, which is actually a good way to start learning touchpad use for mouse users.
• It’s large, relative to other netbooks I’ve encountered. While the larger form factor and the heft are forgivable, I can’t seem to understand why HP chose to bundle in a full-sized brick for charging. It’s actually the exact same brick as my Presario B1200’s. So the total weight of the Mini Note + charging brick + AC plug would be about 4 pounds, or approximately as heavy as my 12″ laptop.
• Battery life leaves much to be desired. The Mini note comes with a 3-cell battery pack, which will give you up to 2 hours of life. In contrast, my old Asus EeePC 701 gave me 3.5 hours uptime. My Asus EeePC 900 gives me the same 3.5 hours (which I’m able to extend up to 6 hours with the use of the 701’s battery which I sometimes use as spare. the 6-cell pack can be bought as a separate accessory, but that would add to the (already high) cost, and of course the weight and size of the unit. Note that some netbook models (like the EeePC 901) have battery uptimes of 7-8 hours.

Really, there are lots of ups, and there are lots of downs. And that’s just the first day. Or actually the first few days, as I’ve actually summarized my observations throughout the weekend. Let me post more as I try everyday tasks (and living) with the HP Mini Note.

Liliputing reports that HP may be planning to create an inexpensive version of its 2133 Mini Note ultraportable. Citing an APC interview with an HP executive, it seems HP is having a stab at the lower-end to mid-range netbook market.

“From a retail perspective we’re looking at a similar device (to the 2133) but at a lower cost” said Jerel Chong, HP Australia’s Market Development Manager for Notebook PCs, at today’s launch of HP’s business mobility products for the second half of 2008. “It won’t be as durable but it will be cheaper”.

There is no clear information at this point, though, whether HP will stick with Via or switch to other chipsets, like the recently-introduced Intel Atom. Recall that the current Mini Note has been considered underpowered (even compared to the mobile Celeron-M processors that first-generation EeePCs use). With a new generation of Mini Notes, it is possible that HP will switch to other technologies.