Acer Aspire One Vs. HP Mini-Note 2133 (READ SPECS) Look Pls.

Hello I'm currently debating between two netbooks.
The first is the Acer Aspire One With the following specs:
Acer Aspire One Notebook PC - Intel Atom Processor N270 1.60GHz, 802.11b/g Wireless, 1GB DDR2, 120GB HDD, 8.9" WSVGA, Integrated Webcam, Linpus Linux Lite or Windows XP for CDN $500

or HP Business Notebook 2133 - VIA C7-M 1.6GHz - 8.9" WXGA - 2GB DDR2 SDRAM - 120GB - Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth - Windows Vista Business or SuSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10
for CDN 770

these prices aren't too much of a matter

please advise

the onlything i despise about the hp 2133 is that the speakers or w/e on the side on the screen make the pc look ugly

 

I am not sure you will get unbiased replies here

Your key point is that the HP is "ugly", I think you have made your choice.

 

The three key reasons I've chosen an Aspire One are a) The price - not a big deal breaker admittedly, b) The processor. Had the HP come equipped with an Atom CPU, I would have been very very tempted and c) The SSD. I'm simply not interested in old school HDDs any more - the shock proofing and lack of mechanical parts in an SSD appeal to me greatly. The technology is still developing, and reliability certainly isn't guaranteed, but it's where I want to be. I'm not sure if there are plans to offer the Mini-Note with SSD, but my preferred supplier didn't offer it, so Aspire One here I come

 

What made me choose the One?
I had to go down the path of UMPC, but for me the early eeepc's didn't have a sensible screen size/resolution.
But as I fly way too much for work, I was way beyond being fed up with carrying leadtops, I needed to get something sorted.

The main reasons for the One were:
Expandability (not the ram, the SSD), connectivity, Atom cpu, SSD not just HDD, and finally it looks like a real machine.

What has surprised me:
The keyboard is nice to use, the wireless range is amazing, Linpus is easy enough to work with (as a noob who has been helped by this forum).

Joe90, I am with you on the SSD v HDD issue, on the One, dropping a 16gb or a 32gb SDHC in the left slot is just so easy.
My "drive" is currently 24gb (8+16gb), when the 32gb SDHC arrives 40gb will be a sensible size
Of course when I need to offload files, I use pen drives because they are inexpensive now (8gb £14.95 - Kingston), no carrying tons of junk for me any longer With the One I can even meet the carry on limit for Ryanair !

 

I was very excited about the 2133 when it was first announced: good and reasonably sized keyboard, integrated Bluetooth and above all: an express card slot. When I looked closer it became clear that it is not for me: The only model with an SSD has only 4GB which is way too small (even the 8GB of the AA1 ist tight) and it has a very slow processor. I think the C7 is substantially slower than the Atom, even at the same Clock speed. Would like to see benchmarks, though. Then it is heavy with 1,3kg and that is with a small (probably too small) 3 cell battery. With a better battery it will be closer to 1,5kg which is too much for me.

The Linux distribution is Suse - this is fine for many things and I have been using Suse for almost 10 years now. But it ist too fat and too slow for such a machine IMHO. Installing a different distribution can be a challenge, because some components in the 2133 are only supported with binary only drivers. This will bite you sooner or later. Another reason why I didn't get: it's not available yet and it will probably be very expensive.

Some of these deficiencies might not be interesting for you, if you want to use Windows and have a hard drive. But it is still heavy, expensive and likely to be slow. Is it true that they only supply Vista as Windows variant? Thats going to be an experience in patience!

 

from what i've read, HP mininote gets really hot. Besides, VIA is not really known for processors these days so unless you're an HP fan or a very adventurous gadget buyer, then you go for it.

What I like about the Mininotes though is the design and color. If only HP made it with an Atom.

 

Personally, I think THE one key point about an EEE-style Netbook is three things: the price, the price and the price. Needs to be significantly lower than a regular notebook or there's no point.



After all, if a 'regular' notebook with a Celeron or similar and 15-inch screen etc. is about $ 599, there's not much point buying a Netbook that's about the same price. Unless you want something really small and less powerful, you'd just buy a regular one. :geek:

For a Netbook to become attractive relative to normal notebooks, it has to be at least $ 100 - $ 300 cheaper imho. Otherwise you might as well buy a normal 'book. To me, a Netbook shouldn't therefore be more than about 299 euros (about $470) and preferably cheaper still.


Then, I'd take the smaller CPU, screen and keyboard into consideration. Of course, it has to run Linux too - not much use overloading such a lightweight machine with ditto hardware with a bloated OS like XP. Defeats the point of having a Netbook instead of a regular laptop, imho. :roll:

Besides, the difference in usability can be huge - just look at this side-by-side Netbook test; at the end of the film, the Acer absolutely kills any other one and especially the slow-as-sloth HP in the bootup / reboot times!


So so me, HP just missed the point with its mini-note: it's too expensive and it's not the lightweight Linux subnotebook it's supposed to be - if you want to offer a 'real' Netbook, an Asus EEE-type competitor, that is. So in all those respects, the Acer won out for me (and so far, it's been doing fine).

Regards, R

PS. Also, a Netbook for me means the return to the original notebook / laptop - at last. The very first ones from 1981/1983, like the Tandy Model 100 and 200, and the Epson HX-20 and PX-8 were conceptually pretty close to the current crop of cheaper netbooks: A4-size, software in ROM, no harddisk, extra-easy to use and very portable. Ok, in those days you had to get your data out through a serial RS-232 cable, the screen wasn't backlit and there was no Internet yet... Fortunately, that's all been improved. Only their battery life was much better: such little notebooks used to run for DAYS on two or four AA-batteries.

 

Actually, VIA's latest processor, the Nano, is alleged to be quite a bit more powerful than the Atom. Unfortunately they haven't started shipping it yet, so HP is still using the older C7 processor, which is inferior to the Atom in just about every respect.

 

Found some Benchmarks: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/int ... 947-9.html
If real world performance is comparable, then the Atom is roughly 1,5x as fast as C7-M at the same clockspeed (albeit very roughly). The only SSD Version from HP has the 1,0GHz C7-M - compared to 1,6GHz Atom this will be a 2x Speed difference. This would be very noticable. Real world tests would be better, though - Benchmarks are sometimes misleading.

IMHO the only point the HP has going for it is the full sized keyboard. But it is too heavy, too large and too expensive for an ultra portable computer. For a cheap and tiny subnotebook the screen is too small, performance too low and most probably the battery too weak. The MSI Wind fits this category better IMHO.

Putting ultra-fat operating systems like suse and vista on such an underpowered machine is idiocy IMO. What have they been thinking?

 

my 2c

I notice you had picked the 2133 version with Vista...

Having the modern OS does have some advantages, especially if you are a Vista fan (ok, I am...). But I'm well aware that Vista needs a modern desktop system to run at ease ... dual CPU, 2GB mem, decent graphics accelerator. The VIA CPU isn't horrendously bad, and you do have the memory, but the the graphics and even the CPU horsepower isn't really up to the task. So its going to be s-l-o-w, run hot and drain your battery.

I think people in general should calm down and view the situation out of the hype and initial rush to be first. As yourself what you really need this device for, and that should basically dictate your choice of OS, storage requirements, screen size and so forth.

If its just browsing, skype, mail etc. then a Linux distro and small flash drive should be fine... you do not need Vista for this!!

If you are going to use it for "work" ask yourself how much "work" you are likely to want to do on a 9" screen and mini-keyboard regardless of whether the machine has the CPU horsepower to run the software!

Finally don't paint yourself into a corner by artificially making it a binary choice... there are plenty of options to choose from, including a very prudent one: wait!

 

I saw some benchmarks because I was seriouslly considering it instead of the one, mainly because of its 120GB HDD but its still only marginally bigger than the one. But I read reviews on the eee 900 series, the Mini-Note and the Acer Aspire one, and the consensus was the One is pretty amazing, but they were more previews than reviews, the eee was not much worth an upgrade from the 700 series, and the mini-note suffered form having a shit processor.
And one review did use language that strong about it.
Now I've got my One, and it will soon be 80GB 1.5GB Vista Home Premium, as opposed to the original 8GB 0.5GB Linpus.
Rory

 

I detest Vista (you may not agree but most people seem to ) so that would be enough to put me off on its own, but the real killer is the processor.

All the reviews I have read suggest that the 2133 is sloooow. A combination of a slow processor and an OS that really requires a very fast machine is not a good one.

Clearly you are not going to get many people sticking up for the 2133 here but the only really good thing about it is the screen (which I would readily admit is much better).

 

VIA C7-M + Vista = SLLLLOOOOWWWW


that said though, the mininote is very attractive with its magnesium casing

 

I personally think that the MSI Wind is the best option. BUT, I had a preorder from buy.com for the 6cell and they just cancled my order because I guess they either weren't getting a shipment or MSI raised the price. I will not give my money to resellers and suppliers that take preorders and then cancel later. I didn't even care if it took another two months.

The best alternative to the Wind for the price is the One. My full sized laptop has literally burned my leg from being too hot and I wanted to avoid that with my new netbook (this disqualified the mininote). I also wanted to touch type (which disqualified the EEE 900's). Last thing left is the EEE1000, but I felt it to be just a bit too much money.

I am happy with my decision.

 

If HP actually ups the MiniNote's CPU to a VIA Nano at the end of this year or early next year, the HP would best the One hands down.

The HP is the best looking netbook out there. Of course, by then, the Dual Core Atom will also be out. However, the Nano will be 64bit.

Check here for a comparison of the current 1.6Mhz Atom: http://www.flickr.com/photos/13815526@N02/2714456330/ (not mine)

At that point, it will be about power usage. If this 6-cell battery does provide the claimed 7 hours, a dual core atom would suck it down to maybe 5 hours?

Honestly, for being what the current Atom is, I would stick with the 1.6 just to get 7 hours.

However, the Nano is supposed to sip power. If you had an HP with a Nano CPU, and the same mAh as the AAO 6-cell, you're looking at close to 8 1/2-to-9 hours of battery life. …Maybe more?

 

IMO the main advantage of the HP is the aluminium case, it looks really slick on the pictures. But since the AAO is here right now and the HP isn't, it's an easy choice, at least for me.

 

I noticed that you quoted Canadian prices. If you have the time, go to a staples/business depot and actually type on them. The staples downtown Toronto has both on display. I love the HP keyboard but I'll wait for the Atom and a price drop. If I had to do a lot of typing on the acer one, I'd kill myself. The enter and backspace key location and size made me mad as I stood there trying it out :evil: . I will only consider the one when I find out more about the touchscreen mod viewtopic.php?f=7&t=286. Then it'd rock!

 

i think the atom uses less power than the via nano.