HP 2133 Mini-Note

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SUSE Enterprise Linux 10.1 (SP1, on our review unit) looks and feels like Windows XP – so much so, in fact, that you might wonder why Novell hasn’t been sued. But be warned – unlike the user-friendly Xandros distro of the Eee PC, this is the real thing and while seasoned Linux users may feel a frisson of delight at having to first find, then figure out how to add a distro-compatible online repository just to resolve the dependency errors that inevitably arise when installing program, we do not.

Unfortunately, HP hasn’t seen fit to supply Windows XP drivers with the 2133 Mini-Note, so losing Linux won’t be as straightforward as you might expect. There are almost certainly compatible Windows drivers available, so here’s hoping that some kindly user tracks all them down and shares their location.

We really, really wanted to love the HP 2133 Mini-Note and we’re tempted to claim that its superlative build quality, stunning screen, excellent keyboard and capacious storage more than outweigh the problems caused by the puny processor and terrible touchpad.

Alas, they do not and the overriding impression of the 2133 Mini-Note is that HP expended so much effort on the looks (and boy, did it succeed) that out of ideas when it came to the nitty gritty of its operation. A more powerful processor (even one from VIA) would probably do the trick but otherwise, the 2133 Mini-Note is nothing more than a good first effort from HP – Asus has nothing to worry about.

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