HP 2133 Mini-Note (XP) as Cheap Laptop

When we first reviewed the Vista version of the HP 2133 Mini-Note as cheap laptop, we praised the system for its excellent keyboard, crisp display, sturdy build, and wealth of connectivity options. Now we’ve gotten our hands on the XP configuration, and although it provides roughly the same user experience, it’s a welcome addition for those who want the familiarity and snappier performance of XP. The Mini-Note ($729 as configured) is a bit more expensive and weighs more than competing mini-notebooks, but the system’s unique strengths make it a good investment for students, mobile professionals, and anyone else looking for an affordable, highly portable computer.
Design

As with other mini-notebooks, such as the CTL 2go PC, the Mini-Note is nominally aimed at the education market, but it looks far more grown-up than other notebooks in its class. Measuring 10.0 x 6.5 x 1.1 inches and weighing only 3.2 pounds, the Mini-Note is a tad bulkier than its competitors but makes up for it with an attractive brushed silver aluminum case over a magnesium-alloy chassis, giving the system a durable foundation.

Beneath the lid is a bright 8.9-inch display framed by a shiny black bezel. We didn’t experience any window-sizing problems as we have with other mini-notebooks, thanks to the screen’s 1280 x 768-pixel resolution; we enjoyed browsing our favorite Web sites as we would on a larger notebook. Colors were vibrant, and the viewing angles were quite good, but users with weak eyes may find text and icons too small.

Despite its compact dimensions, the Mini-Note features a 92 percent—size keyboard treated with a special coating that HP claims makes the keys 50 times more resistant to visible wear than a standard keyboard, and it’s spill-resistant. We loved the springy, responsive keys—easily the best of all mini-notebooks—and the wide-aspect touchpad. Unfortunately, the mouse buttons are flanked to the left and right of the touchpad and are oriented vertically, which was awkward. Double-tapping the touchpad was far simpler than acclimating ourselves to the mouse button positioning.
Loading Up on Features

Along the perimeter of the machine is a power switch, drive indicator, Wi-Fi toggle, Ethernet, VGA, headphone and microphone jacks, two USB 2.0 ports, and ExpressCard/54 and SD Card slots. Unlike competing systems, such as the ASUS Eee PC and Everex CloudBook, you can configure the Mini-Note with your choice of processors, RAM, and hard drives. Plus, you can plug in an ExpressCard mobile broadband modem, so you don’t have to rely on Wi-Fi hotspots, which makes the HP Mini-Note attractive to business customers. (Sure, you can plug a USB modem into other mini-notebooks, but they protrude from the side of the system more, making them easier to accidentally dislodge or break.)

Positioned above the display is a camera and microphone embedded in the upper bezel. The HP Mini-Note doesn’t come with a webcam utility, but Meebo immediately recognized the camera, which provided adequate image quality for video chatting. The built-in stereo speakers were surprisingly loud, but as with the majority of notebooks in this class, they lacked sufficient low-end punch.

Our Mini-Note came with Windows XP Professional installed on a 5,400-rpm 120GB hard drive (which is protected by an accelerometer); you can configure the system with Vista Business, Vista Home Basic, FreeDOS, or the SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 operating system. HP offers several drive choices as well, including a 4GB solid state drive for the Linux version (starting at $499), and 120GB and 160GB drives that spin at 5,400 rpm. These latter configurations start at $599.

Gateway T-6828

If the Gateway T-6828 is to be remembered for something, it would be for including a two-year warranty in a value price: $800 (street). Adding an extra year on top of the one-year standard warranty is a game changer for budget laptops. Otherwise, apart from a few features like the 3GB of RAM and a 250GB hard drive, the T-6828 offers little to distinguish it from low-priced systems by vendors such as Dell, HP, and Lenovo.

The T-6828 isn't embarrassing to take out in public, and it doesn't have a drab design like that of the Acer TravelMate 4720-6727 or the Fujitsu LifeBook A6120. Yet coating the exterior and palm rests with red paint is an old concept; the paint should have been applied with more imagination to have any real impact, given the interesting things that are happening in laptop design. Laptops like the HP Pavilion dv6500t and the Toshiba U405-S2830 are experimenting with decorative laminates, while the Lenovo IdeaPad Y510 impresses consumers with a textured surface. Another problem is weight. This 14-inch laptop weighs 5.7 pounds, as much as the 15.4-inch HP dv6500t. Gateway would have been better off going with a 13-inch form factor, as many manufacturers are currently doing.

The 14-inch screen is very pleasant to look at, but it has the modest 1,280-by-800 resolution found in many inexpensive laptops. By contrast, the Dell Inspiron 1420 gives you the option of a 1,440-by-900 resolution. The mouse buttons, like those of the Gateway M-152XL, make a noise that's noticeable in a quiet setting, but I really enjoyed typing on the keyboard. Above the keyboard, the river of multimedia buttons is another example of how Gateway is falling behind in terms of design. Touch-sensitive buttons would have been a better choice, as they are much easier to press.

These days a company—especially one that's not at the top of market—needs to throw in more in the way of features than people would normally expect. Yet with the T-6828, Gateway gives you just enough to get by. For instance, it omitted an HDMI port to cut down on costs. The T-6828 also lacks a FireWire port and an S-Video-out. The three USB ports and dual-layer DVD burner are no better than average for a 14-inch laptop. The T-6828 gives you 250GB worth of storage, but I can't really applaud Gateway for this, because adding storage capacity is cheap these days. Lenovo, by contrast, went the extra mile with its Y510 by offering a five-speaker system with a subwoofer. (The T-6828's speakers are decent, but ordinary.) The only thing that makes the T-6828 stand out is its two-year warranty, since the extra year alone is typically worth over $100.

Where the T-6828 really stands out is in performance. Kudos to Gateway for giving customers 3GB of RAM. The 1.83-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5550 is an aging processor, but still, its SYSmark 2007 Overall Preview score beat those of both the HP dv6500t and the Dell Inspiron 1420, by 21 and 25 percent, respectively. Because it has more system memory, the T-6828's Photoshop scores also dominated the HP dv6500t and the Lenovo Y510. At this price point you won't get a good graphics card for gaming, but at least Dell and HP offer one as an option.

Battery scores produced by the T-6828's 49-Wh battery surpassed those of the Lenovo Y510 by 15 minutes, though the T-6828 lagged behind the Dell 1420 by 18 minutes. In other words, it meets expectations.

Performance is one area where Gateway, as usual, didn't disappoint. But as an overall package, the T-6828 doesn't do enough to stand out among laptops from bigger and more successful names like Dell, HP, and Lenovo. Oddly enough, this particular laptop can't be bought directly from Gateway; it's available only at your local Costco or some other third-party retailer. If you're paranoid about your computer breaking down, buy this laptop for the two-year warranty—but don't think you're getting a steal.

Sony VAIO VGN-NR310E

Thanks to its svelte, silver finish and overall good looks, the Sony VAIO VGN-NR310E looks more expensive than its $599 price tag. But while you get a large and bright glossy display and a DVD burner for a bargain-basement price, don’t expect more than basic productivity performance. This laptop is best for word processing, checking e-mail, and browsing the Web. Anything more causes it to wheeze.

Design

We don’t typically expect much in terms of pizzazz from a $599 notebook. But the VGN-NR310E stands out with its classy, modern look and sturdy feel. The VGN-NR310E measures 14.2 x 10.6 inches and is 1.2 to 1.5 inches thick. Its full-size keyboard sits below a 15.4-inch widescreen display and has good punch to it; typing felt natural. The trackpad continues the silver, brushed-metal design, and we appreciated its large size.

The VGN-NR310E has two USB 2.0 ports on the left, along with a 8X DVD±RW drive. On the front of the unit are two card-reader slots: one for SD Cards and one for Memory Sticks. On the right is a 34mm ExpressCard slot, two more USB 2.0 ports, an i.LINK Interface (FireWire port), headphone and microphone jacks, and a VGA output. The Ethernet, modem, and power inputs are on the back. There are few bells and whistles on this value-priced VAIO, which means no webcam or quick-launch media buttons.

Display and Audio Quality

While the whole of the VGN-NR310E feels sturdy, the DVD±RW drive felt flimsy, and we needed to push a bit aggressively to close it. Once we had Two for the Money playing, the picture looked quite good on the 15.4-inch display (1280 x 800 pixels), so long as we were sitting right in front of the system, though we noticed some graininess. The screen will serve its purpose for just one or two on a love seat, though: Vertical viewing angles were good, but if you’re sitting eye-level with the display and lean just 20 degrees left or right of center, the image begins to turn negative. The speakers were loud, but as is typical with laptops, the sound was tinny and thin on bass.

ASUS Eee PC 901 12G XP

It’s finally here. After months of speculation, rumor, and leaked photos, the Eee PC 901 was officially unveiled at this year’s Computex. The official North American version’s release date is yet to be revealed, but that didn’t stop us from combing the computer markets of Taipei to get our hands on the much-anticipated Intel Atom-powered update to the Eee PC 900.

The Eee PC 901 12G XP shares many of the same features of its Windows XP predecessor (a 12GB solid-state drive, a 1.3-megapixel webcam, 1GB of RAM, and a multi-touch interface), but there are a few new additions both on and under the hood that make the 901 the best Eee PC to date. However, advances by other mini-notebook manufacturers prevent us from making this machine our Editors’ Choice.

Slick New Appearance

We never had any major complaints about the aesthetics of previous Eee PCs, but we welcome the visual update. The matte lid found on previous models has been replaced with a smooth, glossy lid with Eee PC branding in cursive script in the upper-left corner. Despite the shiny top, the lid, thankfully, doesn’t attract many fingerprints. Where the display meets the deck (which also features the glossy coating) is a new circular, silver hinge, which, in tandem with the new lid, gives the 901 a far more sophisticated look; the Eee PC 901 is the first in the line that doesn’t scream “budget.” Unfortunately, neither does its price: When the Eee PC 901 hits the North American market in late June or early July, it will cost $599.

The 8.9-inch screen looked sharp from a variety of angles when we watched episodes of Arrested Development on Hulu, but the colors were somewhat muted. Above the display is a 1.3-MP webcam that served up bright images and solid colors when videoconferencing with friends and colleagues using Meebo.

Improved Audio Punch

The inclusion of Dolby Sound Room stereo speakers to the 901 gives the Eee PC 901 surprisingly good sound despite being located on the bottom of the machine. Bass (understandably) was a bit lacking, but while streaming music from Slacker’s blues station, we enjoyed crisp, clear audio that had enough punch to fill a small room. When we plugged in a pair of Sony MDR-V150 headphones, a program launched that let us tweak audio settings.

ASUS Eee PC 1000H (Windows XP)

Like a set of Russian nesting dolls, each successive Eee PC from Asus seems like it can encapsulate the previous mini-notebook in its portfolio. The latest, and the largest of these matryoshkas is the Eee PC 1000H, which shares many of the same features of its predecessor, the Eee PC 901 (including a 1.6-GHz Intel Atom processor, a 1.3-megapixel webcam and 1GB of RAM) but has a larger 10-inch screen, more spacious keyboard and 80GB hard drive. But in comparison to other similarly sized mini-notebooks, like the $499 MSI Wind, we wish the $649 price tag was lower.

A Fresh, Larger Look

Similar to the Eee PC 901, the 1000H has an updated look and feel from earlier Eee PC models. The glossy black “Fine Ebony” lid is accented with the new Eee PC logo in cursive script. Add in the improved silver hinge and the black-on-silver combination and you have a high-fashion look. Unlike the 901’s shiny white lid, the 1000H is not immune to fingerprints; ASUS includes a cloth for wiping down the system.

With its larger 10-inch screen, the Eee PC 1000H is the largest mini-notebook to date: Measuring 10.5 x 7.5 x 1.0 to 1.5 inches, the system is bigger than the 10-inch MSI Wind NB, and at 3.2 pounds is about half a pound heavier. However, the 1000H still slid nicely into a shoulder bag and felt extremely light in a backpack. ASUS has also kept the power brick slim, bringing the total travel weight to a manageable 3.6 pounds.

Improved Screen Real Estate, Audio Punch

The 10-inch screen allowed us to keep two windows open side-by-side. The matte screen looked sharp from a variety of angles when we watched clips of The Daily Show on Hulu, but colors were still somewhat muted. Compared to the MSI Wind NB, the horizontal viewing angles were better and vertically tilting the screen caused only a bit of glare. Above the display is a 1.3-MP webcam that provided clear images and solid colors in a videoconference over SightSpeed.

Similar to the 901, the 1000H includes Dolby Sound Room stereo speakers. Despite being located on the bottom of the machine, the speakers delivered strong and solid sound. Streaming music over Pandora was loud enough to fill a small living room.

Toshiba Satellite Pro L300D-EZ1001V

Toshiba’s Satellite Pro L300D-EZ1001V is a no-frills $649 laptop for small business users who want to use their computer for work and play. Sandwiched between the company’s consumer-friendly Satellite line and business-driven Tecra series, this notebook is not as fun or feature-rich as the former, nor is it as secure or durable as the latter. Nevertheless, the Satellite Pro L300D-EZ1001V 15.4-inch notebook is worth a look for buyers on a tight budget who don’t want to take the time to clean away crapware.

Bare-Bones Design

Like the Satellite L355D, the Satellite Pro L300D-EZ1001V is as straightforward as they come. Underneath the matte silver lid is a matching deck with a black keyboard and bezel. The keys are ample, shallow, and easy to type on, if a tad noisy. Likewise, the touchpad is large and the touch buttons loud, but we like the frictionless surface. The Wi-Fi switch, headphone and mic ports, and 4-in-1 memory card reader are all located on the front side. Even better, at 5.8 pounds, this system feels light for a mainstream notebook.

With the exception of a lone power button, the area above the keyboard is blank: no launch buttons for Web surfing, configuration settings, or tech support and no multimedia keys, which would have been a nice addition for a notebook that’s touted as equally friendly for work and play. The new Vostro 1310, for example, has a more modern design and multimedia controls.

Display and Sound

When we watched Bobby on the 15.4-inch, 1280 x 800-pixel display, we were pleased with the color, brightness, and, in particular, the viewing angles (we were able to push the screen forward and backward, and watch from the sides). Toshiba’s TruBrite technology does a decent job of making movies look glossy without being overly reflective. Although not terribly powerful, the sound coming through the speakers was loud enough for watching movies in a quiet room.

Basic Ports, No Webcam

The Satellite Pro L300D-EZ1001V’s port list is pretty basic: three USB ports; a VGA port; Ethernet and modem jacks; headphone and mic ports; an ExpressCard slot; and a memory card reader, which works with SD, MMC, MS, and MS Pro formats. Too bad this notebook lacks a webcam, a feature we’ve seen on increasingly more notebooks, including budget models.

Business Features (Or Lack Thereof)

As a hybrid work-and-play machine, the Satellite Pro L300D-EZ1001V doesn’t have many business features, either. TPM circuitry, spill-resistant keyboards, shock-mounted hard drives, and 3D accelerometers are all standard in the Portege and Tecra series, but only 3D accelerometers, in addition to Computrace support and fingerprint readers, are yet offered in select Satellite Pro models. Our configuration came with Windows Vista Home Basic; Vista Business would have been a better choice for the target market, however.

Refreshingly, the Satellite Pro L300D-EZ1001V comes with less crapware than Toshiba’s consumer machines usually do—just Norton 360, Microsoft Office 2007, Google Picasa, Google Desktop, and Google Toolbar. That’s good news for those who want a clean image out of the box.

Performance

The Satellite Pro L300D-EZ1001V’s 1.9-GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core Processor scored a subpar 2,211 on PCMark Vantage. That’s 1,000 points below the mainstream category average. In real life, this low score translates to mixed results. Out of the box, it took 2 minutes to start up; that’s twice as long as a Vista notebook should take, particularly one that’s not bogged down with copious amounts of crapware. Then again, we had no problem watching a movie while running Norton 360 in the background.

The integrated ATI Radeon Xpress 1250 graphics card scored 1,312 on 3DMark03. Although that’s more than 3,000 points below the category average, the target buyer of this notebook likely won’t mind that you can’t play the latest 3D games or use multimedia-intensive programs, such as video editors.
Despite having an 802.11g—not n—wireless radio, the Satellite Pro L300D-EZ1001V showed strong throughput of 17.1 Mbps and 14.7 Mbps at 15 and 50 feet, respectively.

Battery Life and Warranty

The L300D’s battery life is also subpar: It lasted 1:40 on our DVD rundown test, whereas the average mainstream notebook lasts 2:18. Because this test drains the battery more than everyday usage, we estimate that if you were surfing the Web and using productivity software instead, the battery would last a little over 3 hours. The one-year warranty is standard and includes toll-free, 24/7 phone support.

The Verdict

Despite what Toshiba says, we suggest you think of the Satellite Pro L300D-EZ1001V as a consumer machine: With the exception of a crapware-free desktop, it has no features tailored for mobile professionals. Before you buy, consider the Fujitsu LifeBook A6120: for $150 more, it offers a larger hard drive, sleeker design, Windows Vista Home Premium, five USB ports, a webcam, and plenty of durability features, including a spill-resistant keyboard, shock-mounted hard drive, and a 3D accelerometer. If money is tight, however, the Satellite Pro L300D-EZ1001V offers a better keyboard, a less reflective display, and comparable performance.