It’s either a great time or a horrible time to pick up an HP Mini-Note. Amid speculation that HP could launch an updated model sporting a shiny new VIA Nano CPU by the end of the year, Amazon is offering rebates for up to $100 off selected Mini-Note models.
All of the models below have 8.9 inch, 1280 x 768 pixel displays and excellent keyboards.
$403.49 after rebate – HP 2133 Mini-Note with 1.2GHz VIA C7-M CPU, 1GB RAM, 120GB hard drive, SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop
$432.58 after rebate – HP 2133 Mini-Note with 1GHz VIA C7-M CPU, 512MB RAM, 4GB Flash storage, SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop
$529.99 after rebate – HP 2133 Mini-Note with 1.2GHz VIA C7-M CPU, 1GB RAM, 120GB Hard Drive, Windows Vista Home Basic
$643.99 after rebate – HP 2133 Mini-Note with 1.6GHz VIA C7-M CPU, 2GB RAM, 120GB Hard Drive, Windows Vista Business
Of course, if you wait a little while longer, you might be able to pick up a virtually identical machine with a significantly faster CPU. But there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to get it for a price like this.
via Small Laptops
Virtually identical? Why don’t they add a 10-inch screen to go with their 1280 x 768 resolution? It’s always struck me as ironic that only 9-inch netbooks come with higher resolution. Am I the only one who doesn’t know that there aren’t any 1280 x 768 10-inch screens and no one wants to make any 😕 If they cause extra battery drain, I could live with it.
Also, I’ve only used intel processors for the last 20 years and am nervous about switching to VIA 🙁
Put in a faster processor than the current POS Via and this could easily be the best netbook on the market. Unfortunately I would be willing to bet that it will sell for more than the $650 1.6GHx Via C7 model listed above. A bit rich for a netbook IMO. Will be interesting to see what HP comes out with.
Yes, it will probably be high end price wise, but I hope it stays in the practical netbook arena and away from the shiny, glitzy, fashionable trend.
While I’m dreaming, maybe a cheap, fast 16/32/64GB SSD would not be too much to ask…. but, with the hard drive option available, there would probably be no passive cooling.