14 DAY TRIAL // Remember the rumors about an ultra-mobile personal computer from Hewlett-Packard? It seems that the device is as real as possible and will come with some nifty features that will make it yet another worthy MacBook Air killer - supposing it will finally come out on the market.
The mystery notebook got itself a name - it's called the HP Compaq 2133, and, as far as the leaked pictures reveal, the notebook will be love at first sight. According to the device's technical sheet, the ultra-mobile notebook from Hewlett-Packard will come with a scratch-resistant 8.9" WXGA LCD display, running at 1366?766, that puts an end to Eee's uncomfortable 7-inch 800x480 screen. Another worth-mentioning feature is an almost fully-fledged keyboard.
The connectivity chapter is as generous, and mentions an on-board Gigabit Ethernet port alongside the standard wireless networking and an ExpressCard slot for a 3G modem. Moreover, the unit will include a screen-mounted webcam for video-based chat. The HP Compaq 2133 seems to come with a mechanical hard drive rather than a solid-state drive, but the spinning platters will feature company's "HP 3D DriveGuard" proprietary technology.
The whole bunch of goodies will be neatly packed into an anodized aluminum and extremely chic chassis. The ultra-mobile PC will weigh only 1.13 kilograms, which fits into the ultra-mobility specifications. However, Asustek's Eee PC weighs 200 grams less and allows it to boast that it is a sub-kilogram UMPC.
Pricing and availability details are still out of discussion, although rumor has it that HP's UMPC will arrive somewhere in April. However, it is alleged to come in both Linux and Windows Vista flavors, which should hint us that it will be way more powerful than the cheap and clumsy sub-notebooks on the market.