News wires have been buzzing about HP's entry into the new mini notebook market and today we were given a hands on with the 2133 Mini-Note PC.
It's a handsome little beast with a brushed aluminium body, an 8.9-inch, 1280 x 768 screen with a scratch-resistant overlay and a very good QWERTY keyboard that manages to be 92% the size of a full-size keyboard.

Inside, HP have gone with C7-M processors from Via because of their low-voltage requirements and their thermal characteristics. This is a big win for Via considering Intel's Atom processor designed for laptops like the Mini-Note is only months away. 1.0GHz, 1.2GHz and 1.6GHz options are available.

Main memory configuration is 1GB or 2GB, video memory is 256MB, and you can opt for either 120GB or 160GB hard drives. HP New Zealand also intends to offer an 80GB solid state drive option when it becomes available but this will add significantly to the price.

Here in NZ, the Mini-Note will come loaded with Vista, or XP Pro with a Vista Licence. In some markets it is also possible to opt for a SuSE Linux installation, and an accompanying 4GB solid state drive, a configuration similar to the Asus Eee PC. HP New Zealand has not yet decided whether to offer the Linux option.

Another top feature is the HP 3D DriveGuard, found also on HP's other business notebooks ,that detects any sudden movement and will retract and lock drive heads to avoid impact failure.

Buyers will also be pleased to note that the Mini-Note comes equipped with just about everything except an onboard optical drive. USB 2.0 ports and Ethernet are provided along with an SD card slot and an Express Card slot. 802.11b/g wi-fi is standard and you can also opt fro Bluetooth 2.0.

Battery life is, of course, a primary concern with machines of this nature. It is possible to opt for a 6-cell 4-hour battery but the standard option is a 3-cell 2-hour version. As you can guess, the 6-cell version adds considerably to the Mini-Note's 1.19kg base weight.

The Mini-Note starts at $999