Coffee Break- first Mini-Note in the wild
So I'm sitting in Starbucks working on the HP Mini-Note and look what I saw walk in the door:
It's already started with the Mini in the wild. :) BTW, his is the $749 model same as the one I'm using on the left.
Funny thing is when I was snapping this picture of the two Minis and my friend and I were talking all about it another guy watching came up and asked us if the Via processor was stout enough to handle the Mini. After a minute he introduced himself as an employee of Via, who I didn't even know had an office in town, and he was excited about the Via being chosen by HP. Isaiah will be available in limited quantities in June he said.
In one of your previous writings, you said that you're located near an HP office. Is this guy an employee, or a regular, non-HP, Joe?
Posted by: Nate | April 29, 2008 at 03:04 PM
This guy is the regular guy that I mentioned a while back who ordered a Mini-Note right in SBUX here. He's gotten it and loves it. :) He does not work with HP nor is affiliated, just a regular guy.
Posted by: James Kendrick | April 29, 2008 at 03:12 PM
Cool.
I have yet to see a twin for my Eee in public.
Posted by: Nate | April 29, 2008 at 03:17 PM
did he just say Isaiah will be available in limited quantities in June or that it will be available in the HP?
Posted by: GOGORack | April 29, 2008 at 04:51 PM
Available in June in the HP Mini-note or generally? I doubt it will be in the Mini-note by June because the shipment of the VIA C7 Mininote has just started and we are only one month before June.
Posted by: Alex Wattanabe | April 29, 2008 at 04:56 PM
Amazing! I am still getting head turns when I bring mine to Starbucks here in NYC. What OS was he running?
Posted by: JStern | April 29, 2008 at 05:39 PM
I usually fight for a power socket with another 2 HTC Shift uers in local Statbucks.
Its great seeing less Macs with UMPC news flying around bring attention to general public
Posted by: Kirk | April 29, 2008 at 05:52 PM
I must be doing something wrong. I took my Mini out to the local Starbucks on Monday and no one even looked twice at it! Even sitting on my desk at work in a software development company and no one stops to admire it.
My Mini's getting a complex...where are all the admirers?
Posted by: Pam T. | April 29, 2008 at 06:36 PM
Don't worry Pam, I envy you for your Mini... but only until Friday.
Posted by: Nate | April 29, 2008 at 07:21 PM
>>>Amazing! I am still getting head turns when I bring mine to Starbucks here in NYC.
I was going to ask which Sbux, but then I saw the Joanna Stern signature! Bacon!
Besides, now I am lusting over the Lenovo Little Red Riding Hood computer. But god, that PRICE!!! Can't Lenovo see their way to giving me a Lust Discount?!!?
Posted by: Mike Cane | April 29, 2008 at 08:02 PM
We love you JAMES...thanks for the Insider INFO!!!
Posted by: Geancarlo | April 29, 2008 at 09:01 PM
JStern, he was running Vista Business, 2 GB of RAM, 120 GB HDD. He was actually doing the Vista first boot process in SBUX. What a geek. :)
Posted by: James Kendrick | April 29, 2008 at 09:05 PM
Isaiah is what's available in June, we won't see one in the Mini until much later if ever. HP still hasn't decided.
Posted by: James Kendrick | April 29, 2008 at 09:06 PM
what did you answer him when he asked you about the performance of the via processor
Posted by: Jaber Alshaya | April 30, 2008 at 04:46 AM
I am really tempted to buy one of these units. Things that I like:
1: The metal case/scratch resistant screen.
2: The overall form factor.
3: The keyboard size (currently working on an EEE 7")
Things I dislike:
1: Lackluster CPU
2) No option for XP "downgrade" currently.
I would really like to see HP use this form factor/Case and cram in the specs of something like the IdeaPad U110.
Posted by: Jeff | April 30, 2008 at 05:39 AM
I received my Mini on Monday. Whew. After being told 5/9 and 5/16 for ship dates it ended up arriving only 3 days later than my original est. arrival of 4/25.
So-Now I've got my Mini but no Starbucks or bookstore coffee shop for 50 miles so I took it to my doctors appointment with me yesterday and found that the staff wanted to ignore me at first. I realized later I looked just like a drug company rep.
Posted by: Jennifer | April 30, 2008 at 07:21 AM
BTW, My HP Mini-Note is the $749 Model.
What are we thinking on the Isaiah chip? Will we be able to maybe just swap out the C7 for it and do a little update and go?
That would be sooo cool.
Posted by: Jennifer | April 30, 2008 at 07:30 AM
User upgradable CPUs never happen so I doubt we'll see that.
Posted by: James Kendrick | April 30, 2008 at 07:37 AM
Bummer about not being able to swap CPUs. I haven't upgraded a CPU since the early Pentium days and then only desktops. Though I eventually take all my laptops apart I've never had occasion to want to upgrade a CPU in one of them. It was worth hoping anyway.
I do have to say I've been pleased with just how well the C7 is doing at carrying Vista around. I think I'll be switching this to XP soon though if the good news on making the switch continues.
Posted by: Jennifer | April 30, 2008 at 07:59 AM
>>>I would really like to see HP use this form factor/Case and cram in the specs of something like the IdeaPad U110.
Gotta have that engraved red lid too!
Posted by: Mike Cane | April 30, 2008 at 08:32 AM