Most current netbooks have a lot of similarities--with the same processor (Atom N270), similar size hard drives (most new with 160 GB) and similar LCD panel resolutions. The HP Mini-Note 2140 is no exception to most of these base tech specs except for the LCD panel resolution of 1024x576 (instead of 1024x600 like most others in the 10" range).So why is this 2140 my current marginal favorite in comparison, after trying out friends' and those available in stores?
Unlike most manufacturers, HP really got the keyboard right. The shift keys and enter key are large and where you expect them to be. Unlike other manufacturers, things are in place for productive touch typing and the 92%-size of standard laptop keyboard is pretty easy to adjust to.
The exterior casing is made of solid-feeling aluminum instead of plastic. The netbook feels more durable and looks beautiful in comparison to most netbooks which can look a bit cheap in my opinion. The aluminum adds a few ounces to the weight, but mine is still under 3 pounds with the 6 cell battery.
The netbook has a good selection of ports and connectors on the outside. It comes with an ExpressCard/54 slot which no other netbook currently does as far as I'm aware. Most of the other connectors are similar to other netbooks. It also has 2 USB ports, an analog (vga) monitor out jack (see below for my complaints about it), an SD card slot and separate mic and audio out jacks.
You would think I would be raving about this netbook, but I ran into some problems with my computer that make it less usable.
I am unable to get any resolution above 1024x768 on any of the three external monitors I've tried it on. Two of the monitors are 1280x1024 resolution and one is 1440x900. This is even with ONLY the external monitor enabled. At the same time, my 4 year old notebook and my desktop detect and make correct resolutions available for the 1280x1024 monitors (my other monitor is a slightly odd resolution). Updating drivers seems to make no difference (the one from HPs site or the Intel drivers). The monitor will not detect correctly and free software (Monitor Asset Manager) that bypasses the windows registry to query the plug'n'play monitor properties directly cannot detect the external monitors correctly on this piece of hardware (works fine on both my other computers).
It seems other people are not having the same kinds of problems that I am encountering, so I was either the lucky recipient of a computer with some highly ingrained software or hardware problems, or it has difficulty playing nice with some monitors that have pretty standard resolutions.
Unfortunately, HP support is somewhere between awful and abysmal and has not chosen to make any reply to my support request email aside from an automatic confirmation they received it (and it has been over two weeks).
A more minor quibble is that the built-in LCD panel resolution is only 1024x576 instead of 1024x600 like most other netbooks. Though it's only a 24-line difference, on this small of a screen every pixel counts more than on a larger monitor. At least the resolution is properly advertised so you know what you're getting.
The touchpad also has it's buttons on the side, which some people dislike but didn't bother me.
It's overall a good netbook. If HP would fix my external monitor issues, I'd probably think it was the best one currently available. As it stands, it's a good, but mine is flawed and my experience with HP's support has been very poor so far.
Now the software package was limited but did offer a 30 day trial version of the MS Office 2007. I had no issues connecting to my draft N wireless network and printer setup completed in less than a minute. I do recommend the larger 6 cell battery which is rated for about 8 hours. Depending on how you use it you may get less than 6 hours like me.
In conclusion I really like this unit. I did my research prior to purchasing. According to Cnet reviews, this was the unit to beat and I have to say they are right. The screen size is nice and the 160 gb is plenty of storage for me. My unit came with a free Netbook sleeve to carry it in and yes you can still use the sleeve with the 6 cell battery attached. I may add another gb of ram for a faster multi tasking experience. The web cam seemed to work well with Skype. Picture quality was ok. As mentioned by other users the mouse button location had a slight learning curve but wasn't bad.
Note: I have yet to test the vga out connection and its resolution as I heard someone mention was a negative. Will update later.
Buy HP Mini-Note PC Intel 1.6GHz 10.1 Now
Bought one of the first 2140s that shipped in February 2009. Have already taken it on a 1 month trip to China. This is my 1st netbook, and 5th notebook that I have owned since 2002.The portability and convenience of the 10" form factor is great. The screen is bright, and when compared to other netbooks the HP Mini 2140's metal exterior makes it a stand out. I had a chance to sample and feel many other netbooks while in Hong Kong and while some of them may have a few things in their favor, I realized the HP 2140 was the best choice for me.
No problems connecting to any wireless / wired networks in hostels / hotels / coffee shops. The split trackpad button layout has not been a problem to adjust to. Both buttons have a nice rubbery feel/response. The quick battery recharge to 90% has been good. 6-cell battery provides a good tilt, now I don't need to bring a CoolPad to angle the keyboard!! The 1024x576 is a minor quibble. I can't imagine reading the text on the high-resolution 1366x768 display. Contrrary to some opinions, I prefer the coating/glass/whatever that is on the screen easy to clean, and I don't worry about touching it.
I have not tried an external monitor or printing with this netbook, so I am unable to comment on those aspects.
Soon I will test the ExpressCard 54 slot with a Creative Labs audio card that I am using on another notebook. UPDATE X-Fi Audio Xtreme card has been tested and works!
Performance wise only issues are a little lag if running too much video and a couple of blue screens when too many Google Chrome tabs were open along with other programs. Memory overload of some sort. But easy to avoid, once one knows the limitations of the processor. Used the netbook to talk with a handheld SkyPE Ipevo phone in many places. Handy!
One annoyance (That I was aware of before buying) is that to use the PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN keys one must use the FN key at the same time. Which is swappable with the LEFT corner CTRL key (Not the RIGHT CTRL key, which would make it a one handed motion unless I missed a setting) in the BIOs but still annoying as the smaller screen requires more scrolling. The trackpad scroll works well though. Other netbooks have dedicated PAGE-UP/DOWN keys.
I also own an HP DV6000 series limited edition white notebook which is slick but - after experiencing the aluminum/metal feel of the the HP Mini I will say that more note/netbooks should be built with metal over plastic. Enjoy!
NOTE: This review is of the 6-cell version. This review is attached to the 3-cell version on Amazon. Both are identical except for the battery size/life.
Read Best Reviews of HP Mini-Note PC Intel 1.6GHz 10.1 Here
BE VERY CAREFUL IF YOU PLAN TO PRINT FROM THIS TO AN HP PRINTER....IT WON'T WORK WITH SOME HP PRINTERS YOU MAY OWN.All in all, this is a great little device. Powerful, compact, well thought out. BUT--and this is a BIG but....could not get the HP Mini 2140 to print to an fairly new HP Photosmart C6180 printer. Even after spending literally days on the phone with HP's engineers in Bangalore, this is a nonstarter, and I ultimately returned the device. There's just no excuse for this, particularly since the printer accepts jobs on our home network from our Macbook Pros and from our Thinkpads, but NOT from this nice, new handy, dandy HP Mini.
BE VERY CAREFUL.
Want HP Mini-Note PC Intel 1.6GHz 10.1 Discount?
I wanted a 2140 high-rez for a long time and finally bought one just before it was discontinued by HP. I was soooo excited to get it as it is a sexy and slick looking little machine. I wanted to like this machine so bad, but the 2140 has serious connection issues, in terms of WI-FI, and does not connect to many different signals and routers. You can't just take it to a coffee shop, because there is at least a 50% chance it won't work with their router. It is a useless machine, as it has terrible WI-FI. Just do a search on Google that reads "2140 wireless problems", and you will find large forum discussions of 2140 owners that have this same problem, or inability to connect wirelessly to the internet, and there is NO FIX available. The machine is fundamentally flawed and I believe it was discontinued because of this flaw. HP took the machine back, and I still believe they are a good company, but this machine is a dud.
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