Since my HP 2133 is a new purchase and I'm still in the first flushes of love with it, I'm doing a lot of work and research to ensure my latest tech buy will have a long and fruitful life.
My HP 2133 Mini-Note was an impulse buy that was a long time in the making. I had plans of getting my own personal laptop, seperate from the one provided by the office but for reasons unknown to myself, kept putting it off. The opportunity to buy this netbook presented itself at the end of January and with an affordable price tag, I took the bait. I got the most basic model that came with FreeDOS with plans to do some upgrades. The specs of my HP 2133 are as follows but with an upgrade to 2 gig of ram and a genuine installation of Windows XP Pro SP3:
My HP 2133 Mini-Note was an impulse buy that was a long time in the making. I had plans of getting my own personal laptop, seperate from the one provided by the office but for reasons unknown to myself, kept putting it off. The opportunity to buy this netbook presented itself at the end of January and with an affordable price tag, I took the bait. I got the most basic model that came with FreeDOS with plans to do some upgrades. The specs of my HP 2133 are as follows but with an upgrade to 2 gig of ram and a genuine installation of Windows XP Pro SP3:
Operating System: Windows XP Professional Service Pack 3
Processor: VIA C7-M ULV Processor (1.2 GHz, 128 KB L2 cache)
Chipset: VIA CN896NB and 8237S SB
Memory: 2048MB DDR2 SDRAM
Internal Storage: 120GB 5400 rpm SATA
Display: 8.9-inch diagonal WXGA (1280 x 768)
Graphics: VIA Chrome 9
Audio: High Definition Audio, stereos speakers, integrated stereo microphones, stereo headphone/line out, stereo microphone in
Wireless support: Broadcom 802.11a/b/g, b/g, Bluetooth 2.0, HP Wireless Assistant Communications Broadcom Ethernet Integrated Controller (10/100/1000)
Expansion slots: (1) ExpressCard/54 slot, Secure Digital (SD) slot
Ports & connectors: (2) USB 2.0 ports, VGA, power connector, RJ-45/Ethernet, stereo headphone/line out, stereo microphone in, optional VGA webcam
Input device: 92% full-sized keyboard, touchpad with scroll zone
Dimensions (HxWxD): 1.05 (at front) x 10.04 x 6.5 inches
Weight: 2.63 lb (with 3-cell battery)
Power: 3-cell (28 WHr) Lithium-Ion battery, 65W HP Smart AC Adapter with HP Fast Charge
Besides the hardware and OS upgrade, and the search for a functional yet stylish laptop bag, other netbook related issues that have me concerned are the effects of my rough and tumble way of life (this just means I am super klutzy and am accident-prone). To maximize the aesthetic longevity of my netbook, I decided to get a skin decal to cover the top and keyboard panel. I have been researching the various companies that offer tailor-made HP 2133 skins for the past month, trying to decide which seller offered value for money and finally made a purchase an hour ago on ebay from a German outfit. I picked skins4u because the overall price was reasonable, I paid about USD20.19 for the skin and USD5 for shipping. Some other places charges less for the skin but the shipping costs were simply ridiculous. This one seller listed the shipping cost at USD14, non-insured. The decal is a slim, practically weightless sheet, why would the shipping cost as much as the item itself?
The ebay seller, skins4u, offered various designs to suit your personal style and I had a hard time choosing which decal best represented my personality. I like clean lines and something not too busy. I like geometric patterns and I'm also partial to fleur de lis designs. Although I quite liked the idea of putting a bright colour on, I have an insane need to match my stuff and they don't say black goes with everything for no reason. So I was decided that I would be going with a black background. There was a solid black decal but I figured I wanted to make it more personal and finally narrowed it down to 3 choices, as seen in the image below (l-r): radiosity, drama and b&w fleur. I took another day to weigh each designs pro & cons and made up my mind that I would get the drama.
Looking at the design, drama does a pretty good job of representing me. The predominantly black background teamed with the geometric circles appeal to the straight-laced part of me while the splotches of gray and white as well as the pop of bright pink shows I have this other quirky side. Ok, maybe I am more quirk than straight-laced if I can find parallels of myself in a laptop skin decal :P The point is, the skin decal will play an important role of protecting my netbook from scratches and other aesthetic deformities, eliminating, hopefully, any occasions in which I would feel disheartened should an unfortunate incident lead to a mar on my mini-note's surface. The plus side is the decal allows a modicum of self-expression.....as much as you can get from a mass produced decal that is :)
