Koobten – Netbooks and moreNetbook reviews

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.

More observations today. I’ve updated Windows Vista with the latest online updates (which include updated drivers for the graphics chipset) and it still seems to boot up slowly. It takes about 2 minutes from power-on to usable state. One minute from cold boot to login screen, and then another minute or so for startup settings and programs to load. I don’t think it’s Vista per se, because my Presario b1200 loads up Vista in under a minute.

On a plus side, though, the Mini note seems to consume very little power when in standby mode. And resume from standby state is also quick–quicker than on my other laptops even. So this could compensate for the long cold boot time. You can just put it to standby, and slip it into your bag (or sleeve, or whatever) and wake it up, for on the go computing.

Still, the system feels sluggish overall. I usually hand the Mini Note over to my wife when she needs to do some quick browsing, and she complains about the speed!

Next task: I’ll be installing a copy of Windows XP, to see if that helps in the speed department. I’ve been reading reports that the Mini Note does very well on XP in terms of bootup time and responsiveness.

I’ll report on the results as soon as I finish the install process.

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.

Liliputing reports that Asus has announced two new upcoming models in its EeePC line: the 1000HD and the 904HD.

The Eee PC 1000HD is pretty much just like the Eee PC 1000H, but instead of an Intel Atom CPU, it features an Intel Pentium M Dothan CPU running at 900MHz … you get a 10 inch screen, 80GB hard drive, 1.3MB camera, 6 cell battery, and Pentium processor.

But then Asus goes and names another new model the Eee PC 904HD. And while that model has a 9 inch display and a hard drive, as you’d expect from the name, it features a 900MHz Intel Celeron CPU. I’m so confused!

I am with Liliputing that the “HD” suffix likely means “hard drive” and “Dothan,” which the Pentium-M and Celeron-M. What I’m wondering about is why Asus chose to use The Pentium-M and the Celery (err, celeron) on these models rather than the new Diamondville “Atom” chipsets? Perhaps due to shortage in Atom chip supplies?

Still, with 5-hour marketed battery life, the 904HD and 1000HD seem to be able to use the P-M and Cel-M chipsets quite efficiently.

Yugatech recently published a roundup of 9-inch netbooks that are on retail in the Philippines market. These include the Acer Aspire one, HP Mini Note and the Asus EeePC 900.with the addition of the MSI Wind 10-incher for reference.

According to Yuga, the Acer Aspire one comes out the winner, considering the price factor, with the MSI Wind also a “nice option.” The EeePC and HP Mini Note are lagging here, perhaps particularly because they are already dated models. Asus has reportedly chosen to forego selling the 901 in the Philippine market, but will instead launch the 10-incher 1000 next week.

Yugatech has a similar round-up of 7-inch netbooks here.

(image credit: Yugatech)

koobten.com is all about Netbooks. You may notice the name koobten = netbook in reverse.

Now what exactly is a “netbook”? These are small networked devices that are used for various tasks that may not necessarily require large amounts of computing power, but rather portability and accessibility at a low price.

The term Netbook was introduced by Intel in February 2008 to describe a category of low-cost and scaled-down subnotebooks used primarily for surfing the Internet and performing other basic functions like word processing. These may be carried out using applications installed on a solid state drive or by the use of cloud computing services.

I’ve always had a fondness for gadgets. And since the day I got my first ever netbook–the Asus EeePC 701–I have always been fascinated by how quickly this industry has grown. Today you see a ton of netbooks from various manufacturers and brands. Here at koobten.com we will explore all of these.