Vivienne Tam-designed Mini-Note

If anyone still doesn't believe some subnotebooks are being sold as fashion accessories to help make fashionistas appear smart, the photo above (from Engadget) shows a Vivienne Tam-designed MiniNote nicknamed the Digital Clutch. The unit appears to be a bright red 10-inch model with the case sporting an Asian-inspired peony flower design. Of course no specs was given. You really think it is actually going to be used? :)

More photos here.

Strong sales growth for HP Mini-Note

From Digitimes -

Per Apple Daily, the Mini-Note is seeing strong global monthly shipment growth at 50% rate with Asian sales including Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore seeing the best sales. However, the markets with consumers still focusing on buying their first PC, such as China, were not showing great acceptance.

You can check out the MiniNote's specs here.

HP reveals plans for a second ‘low-cost’ mini-note

From APC Mag -

HP has announced plans for its second mini-note which will be closer to the conventional netbook in functionality than the original 2133 and nearer to competitors from Asus and Acer in price.

The reason for this split? The 2133 sits at the top end of the nascent market, which is north of where many retail opportunities lie. HP differentiated the 2133 from the pack by pre-installing Vista Business and using commercial notebook features such as an anodised aluminium chassis, a spill-resistant keyboard and a shock-proof hard drive fitted with a 3D accelerometer.

While these features clearly positioned the 2133 as a mini-note for the business mobility set, they also translated into an $899 price tag in a market where the latest mainstream mini-notes cost $599-$699. HP intends to close that gap with the new mini-note which might use Intel's Atom instead of the underpowered VIA of the current 2133.

Source article here.

HP Mini-Note and Asus Eee PC boot Windows XP

New Mini-Note Models coming on Monday and Thursday?

From HP2133 Guide - An HP rep sent this chart

Part Num	CPU	HD	RAM	Wifi	Cam	OS	Batt	ILP
KR939 UT#ABA	1.2GHz	120GB	1024 1D	abg (B)	yes	VB/ XPP OR	6 cell	$729
KR948 UT#ABA	1.2GHz	160GB	2048 1D	abg (B)	yes	VB/ XPP OR	6 cell	$789
KR954 UT#ABA	1.6GHz	120GB	1024 1D	abg (B)	yes	VB/ XPP OR	6 cell	$749
KR964 UT #ABA	1.6GHz	160GB	2048 1D	abg (B)	yes	VB/ XPP OR	6 cell	$819

HP: Eee PC Missed the Mark, We’ll Take It from Here

From Laptop Mag -

Kyle Thornton, HP’s product manager for the Mini-Note, claims that ASUS “missed the mark” with its 7-inch Eee PC and that the HP MiniNote has a better configuration, including its VIA processor.

You can read the full article here.

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Honestly, when I first glanced at the article's heading, I read it as HP Missed the Mark and incorrectly assumed it was a review criticizing the MiniNote's use of the slow VIA CPU. It was only after reading it that I realized the HP guy was complaining about the Asus Eee PC's 7" LCD.