Another Netbook under $300

I previously pointed out a couple of Asus Netbooks selling for less than $300. Now, one of the HP Mini-Note series has joined the elite group of really cheap Netbooks.

Liliputing, a Web site dedicated to Netbooks, reported Saturday that the HP 2133 Mini-Note just fell in price to $299 at Amazon.com.

This the bottom-of-line machine from HP's initial Netbook foray back in April.

Originally, HP sold it for $500.
On September 24, it was $432, after a rebate.
On October 20, it sold for $380.
A couple of days later, it was $330.
Now, October 25, it's $299.

The machine runs Suse Linux, has 512MB of RAM, a 4GB solid state disk and a keyboard that everyone says is great. (I have not used it myself.) The screen is 8.9 inches and runs at a higher resolution than other Netbooks. Thus, if you don't have the eyes of a hawk, this isn't the computer for you. I've read elsewhere that it gets fairly hot.

Interestingly, HP was the only company to offer Vista on a Netbook and reviews said it was slow, as you might expect, especially considering HP includes a VIA C7-M processor.

HP's cheapest Vista-based model comes with the same screen and keyboard, 1GB of RAM, and a 120GB hard disk. According to Amazon, pricing started at $630. At the end of September is was $530, after a rebate. Now, it sells sells for $404 at Amazon.

This is not meant to be a recommendation, just an observation on the pricing.

[frasercrane]

Whether recomendation or observation on pricing, what is this doing in a defensive computing blog? You tell us nothing about the security measures on or not on these netbooks. Will you write about the prices on women's lingerie soon?

[mattumanu]

Frasercrane, Stop being such a whiner. It doesn't take a genuis to figure out that the net book trend is directly related to defensive computing because they are so small, easy to conceal and easily lost or stolen.

And what's more, the author is not under compulsion to offer you content based solely on your preferences. He can blog on what he wants to blog and if you don't like it you can go to a website where they cater to low IQ readers such as yourself.

[frasercrane]

mattumanu: If you're right that the tie in to defensive computing is the small size of these netbooks...what does the blogger say about the size and security ? Did you read something I didn't? I may have a low IQ, and you're obviously a psychometrician who's on LSD and hallucinating.

The author has clearly taken advantage of his Constitutional right to publish on any topic he feels like. And I'm exercising my right to criticize someone for not living up to advertising "DEfensive Computing." If you wandered into a drug mill that advertised LSD for free and then inside you were forced to pay for it you should be complaining it that it was false advertising which violates most consumer laws, except maybe where you live.

Now, could you point me to these low IQ sites which you seem to know about?

[mhinnewyork]

I started a posting on how Netbooks relate to Defensive Computing but haven't finished it. I'll move it to the top of the list ... Michael Horowitz

[mattumanu]

"If you wandered into a drug mill"...

That has to be one of the most embarrassing analogies I've ever read. You read the blog for free. No one forced you to pay for it. No one forced you to read it. No one misrepresented the nature of the blog or the blog post. You simply chose to misunderstand and complain. Incesent complaining can be a sign of low IQ.

You haven't made your case that the blog post was without merit under the current title, prima facie or otherwise. Insces

[frasercrane]

mattmanur: no need to be embarassed, you simply miscomprehend the analogy...it takes a minimum level of you-know-what (or maybe you don't). "incesent" [sic] complaining is what this blogger does. I don't have to make my case...Big Guns and tech crazy[who, unlike you, are not related to this blogger] made it for me. Furthermore, in case you missed it, the blogger himself remarked his blog was only his" observation on pricing"--nothing more.

As requested: if you read in a blog that your favorite supermarket was "open 24 hours" and you had shopping to do, but find it closed when you got there, that's the misleading sort of banner/headline that "defensive computing" is. Versteht, mein herr? Still embarassed?

So,where are these low IQ sites you frequent? (Also, invest in a dictionary and learn to spell.) Incensed.

[tech_crazy]

Nothing personal against any CNET bloggers, but CNET's reporting quality has plummeted over the years. Blogs replacing actual news, "news" piggybacking on the latest fad things - primarily Apple's just to catch eyeballs, no real "news content", financials discussed on tech sites like these, bloggers talking about their sexual orientations .... the list goes on and on. This is not the CNET that I started with many years ago. I guess, it may be time to abandon it in favor of other tech-only/finance-only sites.

I agree, this particular article had nothing to do with defensive computing.

[BigGuns149]

I have to agree that the quality of writing has declined dramatically on Cnet. It isn't completely worthless, but increasingly most of the articles are written poorly. ArsTechnica and other sites seem to have pushed CNET into increasing irrelevance.

I wouldn't say the article is worthless, but I think the article is clearly is in the wrong section.