Want a spare battery for your HP Mini-Note? You'd better have $200 or so to spare, because HP is charging $191 for a spare/replacement 6-cell 55Wh battery. Yep, a single battery will cost you almost 2/5ths the price of the cheapest Mini-Note laptop.

But wait, there's more. The 3-cell 28Wh battery actually costs more, with ridiculous price tag of $207.10. Now, its not unusual for computer makers to charge what seem like unreasonable rates for spare batteries. But it seems especially obnoxious when you're talking about batteries for computers that sell for as little as $499.

There was a fire in a major battery manufacturing plant earlier this year which has affected the global supply of laptop batteries. But it's not clear whether it's also affecting the prices for these batteries, especially since HP is accepting orders but doesn't actually have the batteries in stock yet. In other words, I see no evidence that HP will lower the prices for spare batteries later.

The moral of this story: If you want the higher capacity 6-cell battery, spring for a more expensive computer configuration up front, because adding a battery down the road is just going to make your wallet cry. Well, until cheaper knockoff batteries start showing up eBay anyway.

[via MiniNote User]

The Computex technology trade show starts on Tuesday, and while there will be over 1700 exhibitors, there are some companies and products that are worth keeping a closer eye on than others.

Asus

Asus will probably introducing a few dozen devices at Computext. OK, that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but over the past few weeks the company has let loose with some limited amount of info about its upcoming Eee PC desktop, two new laptops, and a Wii-mote inspired remote control.

• Eee PC 901 - This will be the first mini-notebook from Asus sporting an Intel Atom CPU. We haven't seen an official price or list of specs yet, so I suspect that Asus will release those this week. The 901 is rumored to have a price as high as $650, which is a far cry from the mythical $200 laptop the company first promised last year. But you get what you pay for, and in this case that could mean longer battery life and better performance.
  
• Eee PC 1000 - Asus will also be introducing its first mini-laptop with a 10 inch display. No word on the processor, price, display resolution or release date.
• Eee Box - A few web sites have already gotten their hands on the upcoming Eee Box or EBOX. This desktop computer will likely come in Windows XP and Linux varieties. Both will be tiny by desktop standards and lack an optical disc drive. While it might be tempting to stick one next to your TV and use it as a media center, the noisy fans and relatively slow CPU will limit their utility for home media center use. Plus, you know, that lack of an optical drive. On the plus side, hard drives will range from 80GB to 250GB. There's no need for solid state memory if your PC is going to be sitting in one place most of the time.

Acer

We've heard next to nothing about the Acer Aspire One -- the upcoming low-cost laptop from Acer. A few leaked photos hit the web last week, but that's about all we have to go on. No word on pricing, availability, or specs. Stay tuned.
MSI

The MSI Wind laptop is probably the most exciting subnotebook since the Asus Eee PC. The computer sports an Intel Atom CPU, up to 7 hours of battery life (if you believe the official specs), a full sized keyboard, and a 10 inch 1024 x 600 pixel display. The computer weighs less than 3 pounds, which means it's a bit heavier than the competition, but still small by today's notebook standards. And best of all, the Linux model will reportedly cost just $399 while the Windows XP version will sell for $549, making the MSI Wind one of the most affordable computers on the market without sacrificing performance. MSI also plans to release a desktop version of the Wind.

Dell

We've known for a while that Dell was going to be entering the low-cost ultraportable market. It's still not 100% clear whether Dell's upcoming subnotebook will be available in developed markets or if it's just meant for distribution in developing nations (think the OLPC XO Laptop). But we do know one thing for certain: It sure looks pretty. Gizmodo's Brian Lam talked CEO Michael Dell into letting him snap a few photos last week, and the company followed up with a few press shots of its own.

HP

Last we heard, HP doesn't plan to offer an updated version of the HP 2133 Mini-Note for another 5 months or so. But with the Intel Atom CPU coming out in June and the VIA Nano processor set to launch not long after, I wouldn't be surprised to hear a little something from HP next week. While the Mini-Note has the most attractive screen and keyboard of any existing low-cost subnotebook, the sluggish VIA C7-M CPU really drags down the computer's performance. If HP can upgrade that chip soon, it should be able to hold its own against Asus, MSI, and Acer in this space.

I'm sure there will be a few other exciting announcements. At the very least, we can be certain that some of the less well known computer makers I've been covering for the past few months will be presenting their PCs at Computex. But for now, I'd say Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, and MSI are the companies to keep a close eye on. What do you think? What computers and companies are you hoping/expecting to hear more from next week?

Update: As Josh points out in the comments, Dell and HP are not on the exhibitor list. I wouldn't put it past either company to make an announcement to coincide with Computex. But it's kind of wishful thinking on my part that HP might announce anything this week. Dell, on the other hand... yeah, that might be wishful thinking too. But it does look like they at least have a prototype, since Michael Dell was carrying one around with him last week.

Tired of watching Japan get all the cool new gadgets before they're available in the US and Europe? Well, sometimes we actually get a first crack at new toys in the west. Case in point, the HP Mini-Note has been available in the US for weeks, but it's just now starting to ship in Japan.

The top of the line model with Windows Vista Basic, a 160G hard drive, and 2GB of RAM will set you back the equivalent of $800 US, with cheaper models going for under $600.

[via jkOnTheRun]

Update: Upon closer inspection, this is not a restore disc image. Rather, it's a disc image that contains the software HP added to SuSE Enterprise Linux for the Mini-Note. Theoretically you could download and install SuSE on your own and then use this disc to restore your system to the state it was in when you bought it. But if you're not married to SuSE, I'd recommend checking out MinBuntu instead.
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HP has finally posted a disc image you can use to install SuSE Linux on a Mini-Note. That means the Mini-Note support page is starting to look like it should have the day HP released the Mini-note.

The two lowest priced Mini-Note models come with SuSE preloaded, but up until now there's been no way to restore your system to factory settings. While HP has offered Windows Vista drivers since day one, and began offering Windows XP drivers recently, there was no Linux support section on the company's web site until today.

This comes as good news for anyone who ordered one of the SuSE models, but might not be that familiar with Linux. I can't count the number of times I've been experimenting with an unfamiliar Linux distribution when I mucked things up enough that the simplest solution seemed to be a fresh install.

This is good news for Linux enthusiasts too, since the disc image includes not just SuSE, but all of the drivers you need to get it to work properly with a Mini-Note. While you can install Ubuntu and other Linux distributions on a Mini-Note, not all of the features will work out of the box. You'll typically have to spend some time tweaking your settings to get things like WiFi to work properly.

And while HP only offers SuSE on its low-end models right now, I don't see any reason why you couldn't use this disc to install the open source operating system on one of the higher end machines with a 1.6GHz processor, integrated Bluetooth, and higher capacity battery. Now if HP would just offer SuSE as an option on every model so you didn't have to pay the Windows tax on the top of the line units.

[via HP Mini Note PC]

HP has three new options for anyone who wants to order a pre-configured Mini-Note. The low end machines are pretty much the same, but once you're willing to spend $729 or more you get the option to "downgrade" from Windows Vista Business to Windows XP Pro. I won't get into all the specs, but the prices now range from $499 to $819.

The company has also started to give customers the option of choosing their own configuration. But I have to say, the customization options are a little limited. You can choose Windows Vista Home Basic or Windows Vista Business/XP Pro. There's no option to choose SUSE Linux. You can select a 1.2GHz or 1.6GHz VIA processor. The 1GHz chi is out of the running. And you can select 1GB or 2GB of RAM, but not 512MB.

You can choose from any of the hard drive/storage solutions available. That means you can select the 4GB flash module, a 120GB 5400rpm disk, a 120GB 7200rpm disk, or a 160GB 5400 disk. But the baffling thing is that if you choose the 4GB module, there's nothing stopping you from choosing Windows Vista Home Basic (without the downgrade option) as your operating system. While you can squeeze Windows Vista onto 4GB if you try hard enough, I can't really imagine why anyone would want to do so.

There's also a good chance you'll wind up with a pricier Mini-Note if you try to configure your own than if you go with one of the pre-configured options. I'm hoping HP adds a few more customization options, like the ability to add/remove Bluetooth. And I'm hoping they fix their pricing. Right now if you enter the specs for the $599 model, HP will tell you the PC costs $839.

Update: As lightweight points out in the comments, you can only get a 3 cell battery if you purchase one of the pre-configured units for less than $599. If you customize your order, you'll automatically get a 6 cell battery and integrated Bluetooth, which at least partly explains why the customized units cost more than the pre-configured models.

[via HP 2133 Guide]

A few days ago HP started posting Windows XP drivers and software for the Mini-Note on the company's web site. But there were a few things missing, most notably the audio driver. Sure, you could configure Windows XP to use the Windows Vista driver with a little tweaking, but it's not a perfect fit.

But now it looks like HP's got a full set of drivers and support software available for download. That includes an audio driver, a BIOS image, Bluetooth, WiFI, flash card reader drivers, a system update for Windows XP SP2, and even a copy of WinDVD 8 SE (which is kind of funny considering the Mini-Note doesn't have an optical disc drive).

There are a couple of other goodies on the support page too, so whether you've already installed Windows XP on your Mini-Note or you plan to, you should probably check it out. Keep in mind, you don't need all of these files to install Windows XP. But I'd recommend using the audio, chipset, network, and storage file at the very least.

I've been using my HP Mini-Note for a bit over a week now, and while there are a few areas where the Asus Eee PC still excels, for the most part, I think its fair to say that the Mini-Note has become my portable computer of choice. It's the PC I'd rather throw in my bag when leaving the house. It's not perfect by any means, and you can also check out my list of gripes with the Mini-Note. But here are the top 5 areas where the Mini-Note shines when you compare it to the Eee PC 701. Yes, I know this isn't entirely a fair comparison because the Mini-Note costs at least $100 more than the Eee PC 701, and because Asus is now bringing the upgraded Eee PC 900 to market. But since the two computers I've had a chance to spend some time with are the 701 and the Mini-Note, please bear with me.

1. Let's start with the obvious. The HP Mini-Note screen blows away the Eee PC 701 screen, and the Eee PC 900 screen for that matter. It's amazing how crisp, clear, and well lit the Mini-Note display is. In fact, it's so sharp that at first I was worried it would drive me crazy. But after spending some time tweaking the display settings, I'm amazed at how much easier it is to produce documents and read web pages on the Mini-Note.
2. The keyboard is much, much larger. HP describes the Mini-Note keyboard as being 92% full keyboard sized. The interesting thing is that I haven't really decided if it's easier to type on the Mini-Note keyboard. I was pretty fast on the Eee PC keyboard, partly because my fingers had less distance to travel. But my fingers definitely got tired more quickly on the Eee PC.
3. The battery works like a typical laptop battery. This is a blessing and a curse, but mostly a blessing. The Eee PC 701 is designed to be ultraportable more than efficient. The battery charger looks more like a cellphone battery charger than a computer power brick, and fits easily into any bag. But it takes a really long time to fully charge an Eee PC 701, especially if the unit is powered up. Asus has reportedly addressed this by using a larger, higher voltage power brick for the Eee PC 900. But HP skipped this headache by releasing a standard battery and charger. While the 3 cell Mini-Note battery will only last about 2 hours (compared with 2.5-3 for the Eee PC battery), you can fully charge the battery in about 1 hour, even if you're using the computer. And unlike Asus, HP made a high capacity 6-cell battery available immediately so you could get a 4-5 hour battery the day you buy your computer. The Mini-Note also does a better job of tracking how much battery capacity you have remaining. While the Eee PC power meter counts down in increments of 10, the Mini-Note wil let you know if you have 92%, 27%, or some other odd bit of your battery power left.
   
4. While the Eee PC 900 includes a large, multi-touch touchpad, the Eee PC 701 touchpad is incredibly tiny and has a difficult to master rocker button instead of separate right and left click keys. While I found it didn't take that long to get used to the touchpad, many users have complained that it's just too tiny. HP has a nearly full-sized trackpad, with the unusual design decision to include the left and right click buttons on the sides of the touchpad rather than below it. I thought this would be horribly inconvenient, but it turns out it's not. You use the left click key far more often than the right, and it's easy to hit. But it also takes just a fraction of a second to hit the right key if you need it.
5. Finally, let's face it. The HP Mini-Note is far more professional looking than the Eee PC. Sure, they're both made of cheap plastic, but the Mini-Note has a sleek metallic look, The Mini-Note case is made of aluminum, not the cheap plastic you'll find on the Eee PC. And the Mini-Note's keys don't look like they were designed for toddlers, and a glossy, high resolution display. While not everyone likes a glossy screen, I think the shiny display in the pretty black frame makes the HP look a lot more attractive than the Eee PC.

Again, the Mini-Note is far from perfect. Like the Eee PC, it has a sluggish processor. Unlike the Eee PC, the Mini-Note doesn't come with a restore disc, slip cover, or anything but a warranty and user guide. But in a lot of ways, HP shows that they learned from Asus, and then improved upon the Eee PC concept.

Good news for anyone who was planning on buying a Linux version of the HP 2133 Mini-Note and installing their own operating system instead of paying a few extra bucks to get a Windows Vista version. Notebook Review forum member jckaylis says he was able to install Windows XP and almost everything worked right away. Jckaylis is the same forum member who first reported that his Mini-Note running OpenSUSE was locking up and that he was having problems installing software.

Apparently he had to download a Broadcom Ethernet driver, but Windows Update found almost everything else he needed -- except for a good sound driver. So far he's been unable to get sound working.

This all comes as excellent news. I ordered an OpenSUSE model thinking I would partition the hard drive and install Windows XP on one partition and OpenSUSE or Ubuntu on another. I was expecting to get my HP Mini-Note this weekend, but I got an email from HP on Saturday morning letting me know that my order has been delayed. I was starting to think that this presented me with a good opportunity to call HP and ask if I could spend the extra $50 to get Windows Vista installed, but now that I know XP will work I think I'll let my order stand and wait for my notebook to arrive.

There's still no sign of any XP or Linux drivers or other support software or information on the HP web site. Once HP begins to officially offer XP as an option, I expect/hope that we'll be able to find drivers online. In the meantime, it looks like you can install Windows XP without waiting for HP. If you don't care about sound drivers. Which I kind of do, but I'm holding out hope that I'll be able to find a driver that works.

Update: It looks like you can install a Windows hotfix to enable support for an audio driver. I won't be able to confirm this until my Mini-Note arrives, but it looks like a promising solution.