Hewlett-Packard (HP) chose a relatively obscure processor from Via Technologies for its high-profile Mini-Note 2133. An HP marketing manager explains why.
The HP 2133 Mini-Note PC starts at $499 and weighs only 2.7 pounds
(Credit: Hewlett-Packard)The Via C7-M offered what HP needed now, according to Robert Baker, a notebook product marketing manager for HP. "Via gave us that right mix of performance and price for the type of environment that this product is going into--content consumption." And the chip's low power requirements were a plus too. "Their power (efficiency) is where we needed it to be for this platform. Web surfing, creating Power Points," Baker said.
CNET Reviews said the 2133 Mini-Note performed at "an acceptable level" when "surfing the Web and working on office documents" but "doing very much more than that, or open too many windows at once, and things will start to bog down." And CNET Reviews added this: "We won't kid you--this CPU (1.6GHz Via C7-M) did not perform well at all on our standard benchmarking tests."
Via C7-M processor
(Credit: Via Technologies)Timing also factored into HP's decision to go with Via's C7-M. Intel's low-cost Atom processor--which will compete directly with Via chips--is not shipping yet from Intel. Though Baker did not cite the Atom explicitly, he alluded to timing exigencies. "The other key thing was we were designing for education. We had to bring the product to the market now. A slip of a month kills you," he said. Educators need to get their hands on units "so they can make decisions for purchases they'll roll out during the summer when they're doing the vast majority of their purchases."
HP will, however, consider other processors such as the Atom when it's time to refresh the lineup. "There will be an interim refresh about six months in. If the Atom is the right processor, that's what we'll go with. We'll look at everything in the market at that time," he said. Via is slated to bring out a higher-performance "Isaiah" processor in the June time frame. HP will also look at that, he said.
The design for the 2133 was not driven by the wow factor, which is an Apple forte. "We didn't say, hey, we want something cool." The design was a result of a long process of "taking feedback from our customers. All those conversations were well over a year ago. This has been in development for a year now."
Whether ultra-compact, low-cost notebooks like the 2133 (starting at $499) and the Eee PC constitute a sea change in notebook buying habits nobody can say yet. To date, small, fully-functional notebook PCs--which the 2133 is intended to be--have carried a high premium. Look no further than the MacBook Air, said Baker. The Air starts at about $1,700 and jumps to above $3,000 with a solid state drive (SSD). The svelte, 2.8-pound HP 2510p subnotebook for corporate customers starts at about $1,500.
If this class of notebooks does take off, "you'll see more and more bang for your buck baked into these small machines," Baker said.
(Credit:
Engadget)
If you're not making a cheap and tiny laptop to compete with the Asus Eee PC, what are you doing? Hewlett Packard's forthcoming mininotebook will use Via processors (not Isiah, however) and start at $549, according to a spec sheet that Engadget got its hands on. The entry-level HP 2133 Mini-Note PC will use Linux (SuSE Enterprise) and have a 1.2GHz Via C7-M processor, 1GB of RAM, a 120GB hard drive, a 3-cell battery, and a 8.9-inch screen with a 1280x768 resolution. Another $50 nets you the same configuration with Windows Vista Home Basic. A $749 model serves up a faster 1.6GHz CPU, 2GB of RAM, a 7200rpm drive, a 6-cell battery, Bluetooth, and Vista Business. We're not sure what to make of the "Regional" model listed, which costs $849 for a weaker configuration than the $749 unit.
Engadget reports the Mini-Note PC will hit on April 7.
Don't pay too close attention to the weights and measures listed on the spec sheet; they appear to be for the system and the box in which it ships. It's a safe bet that the HP 2133 will weigh less than 5.26 pounds. A friend of Crave has seen the Mini-Note and says it looks and feels much more expensive than it is--very sturdy and less toy-like than the Asus Eee PC. He also said it felt a bit heavier than he expected.
(Credit:
Engadget)
Features not found include solid-state hard drives, Draft N Wi-Fi, a touch screen, and GPS. Also, we can't help but be disappointed at the C7-M processor, which we've tested in the OQO Model 02 and the Wibrain B1 and have been less than impressed. Perhaps the first revision of the 2133 will bump it up to Via's Isiah chips or introduce Intel's Atom CPUs.
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