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What's better than being mobile ? Why, being ultra-mobile of course.
As mobile phones become more like computers that fit into the jeans pocket, computers are also becoming part of the incredible shrinking act, to fit not into your shirt or pants pocket, but pretty close.
In recent years, computing firms have been secretly down sizing - at least in terms of consumer hardware.
The latest is HP, with its Mini-Note.
This new device won't draw the same hyped-up, snaking crowds that hailed the arrival of the iPhone but it will easily find itself as the device of choice for every other tech-loving person, and then some.
Unveiled on Tuesday, the HP 2133 is the smallest notebook PC to date from HP, and is designed for a new generation - - the ultra-mobile users who want to bring their PC everywhere they go.
HP has ambitiously targeted both business executives and students.
And it's highly likely that the target group will target HP's Mini-Note.
A first peek at the device had me pretty much sold, and that was just based on looks!
Maybe it was the brushed metal look from casing to keyboard, to touch pad and wrist-rest that was the attention grabber.
Or maybe it was the size.
The Mini-Note offers an 8.9 inch diagonal WXGA screen, flanked on either side by a panel of speakers standing flush as they all run seamlessly into the casing making the entire laptop some 9 inches plus.
If you're one to carry a novel in your hand or bag, this won't be a great departure from the routine since it's as large as a book and as light, weighing just 1.19kg.
The anodised aluminium casing makes sure the HP Mini-Note stays light and at the same sturdy. You won't want to throw it about as it's really too good-looking to be treated badly. But if you have butter-fingers, the 2133 has been built to withstand a fair amount of knocks and shocks, including falling off the table, so you can safely take it everywhere with you.
But if the looks and build don't grab you, then maybe the pricing would.
Expect prices starting at US$499 (Linux OS) and US$599 (Windows-based OS) when the HP 2133 starts shipping to the Asia Pacific later in April.
The price tag is indeed as small as the device, but without any compromise, as Philip Devlin, Product Marketing Manager (Asia Pacific & Japan) points out.
The HP comes with a 1.6 GHz processor and a 120 GB HDD which makes it a fully functioning PC no matter which environment it's used in, whether a classroom, internet cafe or on a plane.
In fact, having a small 'foot-print' says Devlin, is an advantage when the HP 2133 has to sit on an airline tabletop or cramped school-desk.
Add to that, the long battery-life of the Mini-Note and a full-sized keyboard which will allow users to do more.
As Chin Hon Cheng , HP's Vice President for the Notebook Business Unit in Asia Pacific and Japan sums up, "Connectivity and productivity doesn't get any more mobile than this." - CNA/sf
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