Emailing "HP's Mini-Note 2133 is Official"

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hp_mini-note_2133.jpgFinally!

Today is an exciting day for everyone glued to their favorite gadget site/blog for news on HP's ultraportable. You see, HP is officially offering the 2133 for sale with a ship date of April 15 (as of this writing) for a fully outfitted model.

Oddly, HP decided to publicize the Mini-Note (aka HP's UMPC) as a notebook to "help schools offer affordable computing to every student." Nothing casts a pall over technology reporting like a device that is positioned for the dreaded "education market" -- especially one as sexy as the HP 2133 Mini-Note PC.

“Education shouldn’t end at the bell,” said Jeri Callaway, vice president and general manager, Personal Systems Group – Americas, HP. “HP believes providing each student with an affordable, creative multimedia tool like the HP Mini will better prepare them to live, learn and work in an information-rich society.”
A noble sentiment, but NO! What about all those early adopters looking for power (and space) efficient computing?! In the next paragraph, though, they attempt to redeem themselves.

Business and mobile professionals value the same mobility, usability and cost concerns of the education market. The HP Mini provides mobile professionals a sleek, lightweight device that provides access to information and the ability to collaborate with others as well as to communicate via email, instant messaging or even blogging.
Now we're on the right track. But what geeks really want are specs (and the shopping cart). Tucked in the SMB store, you'll find that the Mini-Note 2133 can be had for $499 (SUSE Linux, 1 GHz VIA C7-M processor, 512 RAM, 4 GB Flash), all the way up to $749 (Vista Business, 1.6 GHz VIA C7-M processor, 2 GB RAM, 120 GB hard drive, Bluetooth). All versions have built-in a/b/g Wi-Fi and a VGA webcam.

So... is it enough to divert your gaze from the Eee?