[NBLUG/talk] HP 2133 Mini-Note PC- models

[derf at sonic.net]

With my Asus EEE 4g I do a lot of scrolling around on certain websites,
and excessive flash websites are sometimes a pain. Luckily, the ratio of
Useful Content to Flash is still pretty constant on the web so I don't use
a lot of those (exceptions: homestarrunner.com and youtube. Youtube works
fine, as does homestar with browser running fullscreen)

I do kind of wish I could improve the resolution on my laptop, but it is
still working fine for me. My Asus EEE is still my only computer in my
life, I do absolutely everything on it. If I was doing graphic
design/layout it would not be workable at all, but I'd probably need a
desktop for that hassle anyways. The other thing I've noticed is that I
love my matte screen; I find it very easy to read in different lighting
conditions although of course direct sunlight is tough. It's so workable
for reading for me that I read all of Paradise Lost on it last quarter for
school. No, I do not recommend that, but more because of the experience of
the reading rather than the quality of the screen...

The next-gen EEE is intriguing to me; I don't regret my purchase of the
4g, but a bigger screen would be a little nicer. I've decided that if Asus
or other manufacturers continue making little machines like this I'll
probably buy a new one every two to three years, especially if they
continue to offer Linux natively on them.

I've never had a computer that is more _useful_ than this one - I use it
all the time, wherever I go. Never thought I'd really be one of those
asshole laptop guys in the coffee shop, but here we are - except I'm That
Guy on the bus, in class, outside class, at lunch, etc etc

Derf

> About a half-year ago  I had some fun rehabilitating an ancient Sony Vaio
> Picturebook that my work was tossing.  I wanted to see just how minimal a
> install I could run on it that would still be usable for web browsing
> *and* run off of a CF card without wearing it out too quickly.  I ended up
> using a 2.5" IDE to CF adapter and modifying PuppyLinux to run on it;
> Puppy runs in RAM and only flushes to disk every now and then; most of the
> work was already done for me.   Even with an old Netgear WiFi card and
> most of the power management not optimized I'm getting four to six hours
> on the ancient batteries.  Part of that is due to eliminating the HDD, but
> also remember that when you eliminate half the screen, you half that power
> draw as well.  (Hmmm...plenty of room in the bezel to replace the CCF's
> with LED's...).  Resolution on the Picturebook is 1024 x 400, a really
> nice compromise in my opinion.
>
> Six months later, I still find myself grabbing that little box rather than
> any other portable in the house when I just want to do a little reading or
> catch up on email out in the backyard.  Problem is, it was just a fun
> mini-project and only has a P1-266, so I've been very interested in the
> ASUS / Everex / OLPC boxes.  However, despite the hype they all seem a
> gigantic step backward in terms of screen resolution.  I was starting to
> think I'd have to settle for one of the later Transmeta-powered
> Picturebooks off of fleabay, but now it seems that one of these HP's just
> might be the sleeper I'm looking for...
>
> By the way Kyle,  the Fujitsu P1610 is beautiful, but I just can't see
> leaving one laying around  with a three year old and a toddler!  I'd also
> be a little more reluctant to break into it and make modifications...
>
> -Frank
>
>
>
> Kyle Rankin <kyle at nblug.org> wrote: On Fri, Apr 11, 2008 at 10:38:40AM
> -0700, Steve Johnson wrote:
>> On Fri, Apr 11, 2008 at 9:49 AM, steven smith  wrote:
> [..]
>> I think it is cool that there is now a market for linux based laptops,
>> but these things are tiny.. 8.9" screens.. Yikes,  My Dell XPS M1210
>> as a 12.1" screen and I can't imagine trying to use anything smaller
>> than that.
> [..]
>> Is this new market of tiny laptops just a fad? or is there really a
>> use for these little boxes?
> [..]
>
> It probably depends on the person, but my Fujitsu P1610 has a 8.9" screen
> at 1280x768 and it works fine for me. I think the resolution is important
> though, anything below 1024x768 these days can be difficult to use with
> some websites/programs.
>
>
>
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