We already knew that you could add a Broadcom HD video accelerator to a Samsung NC10 netbook to enable 1080p HD video playback on a machine with a low power Intel Atom processor. But what about the HP 2133 Mini-Note? This is a machine that shipped with a low power VIA C7-M CPU which is generally more sluggish than Intel’s Atom processor and while most Atom netbooks can handle video at 720p resolutions, an HP 2133 Mini-Note tops out at 480p.

Chris from HP Mini Note PC found that adding Broadcom’s Crystal HD Enhanced Media Accelerator helped… a lot. With the Broadcom card installed, he was able to watch 720p and 1080p video on his netbook. It’s also worth pointing out that the HP 2133 was one of the first netbooks with a high resolution display to hit the streets. It has an 8.9 inch, 1280 x 720 pixel screen.

He even found that he could play Blu-Ray video as long as he paused for a few seconds to let the video buffer first.

Chris doesn’t provide step by step instructions, so you’ll want to make sure you know your way around the insides of your netbook before attempting this hack, and you’d best be cool with voiding your warranty. But the video results speak for themselves. You can check out two videos after the break or find more at HP Mini Note PC.

While the HP 2133 Mini-Note has been discontinued, you can find used models going for as little as $250 on eBay.

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The HP Mini 2140 gets pretty decent battery life with a 3 or 6 cell battery. With a 3 cell battery, I figured you could get 3 to 3.5 hours of run time. And Laptop Magazine squeezed more than 7 hours out of a 6 cell battery. But if that’s not good enough for you, Mugen Power sells a 3rd party battery that offers enough extra juice to power an HP Mini 2140 for up to 10 hours.

Members of the MyHPMini forums have discovered that while the battery was designed for the HP 2133 Mini-Note, it works just fine with the newer HP Mini 2140. The biggest difference between the two netbooks is that the 2140 uses an Intel Atom CPU while the 2133 sported a VIA C7-M processor. But both computers use the same batteries, chargers, and other accessories.

The 7800mAh battery provides a bit more juice than the standard 6 cell battery. In a Battery Eater test, it lasted 7 hours and 15 minutes. But Battery Eater is designed to put stress on your system. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this battery last for 9 hours or longer if you’re just doing some light web browsing and other less CPU intensive tasks.

The HP Mini 2140 may look an awful lot like the HP 2133 Mini-Note. But it’s not quite identical. First, the newer computer replaces the VIA C7-M processor with the zippier Intel Atom N270 and offers an optional 10 inch display. But you already knew that. What you might now have known is that HP moved around a few vents, and according to HP 2133 Guide, the company may also have changed a few other bits of hardware.

The folks at HP 2133 Guide recently got an HP 2140 and stuck it next to the earlier model for a few photos. It appears the new model has quieter speakers and a brighter screen. But for the most part, it looks like HP’s first netbook and features many interchangeable parts. For instance, you can easily remove the battery from one computer and slap it into the other. I’d imagine the same goes for power supplies, but I could be wrong.

For more photos, make sure to check out HP 2133 Guide’s full article.

Just a few days after the guys at VentureBeat managed to cram Google Android onto an Asus Eee PC 1000H netbook, NewsAndroids have posted a YouTube video of an HP 2133 Mini-Note running the open source operating system.

In the video you can see that the OS is running from a USB flash disk, which means you don’t have to wipe out your netbook’s operating system to give it a try. The software seems pretty responsive and the animations are pretty fluid. But it looks like some of the hardware (like the WiFi adapter) probably aren’t supported.

I’m still not convinced that there’s a need for Android on netbooks which are capable of running full blown operating systems like Windows XP or Ubuntu. But given that the HP 2133 has a rather slow VIA C7-M processor and doesn’t handle some Windows or Linux tasks very well it might be interesting to see how well it performs with an OS like Android that was designed for cellphones with lower resolution displays and even less processing power.

You can check out the video of Android on the HP 2133 after the jump.

via UMPC Portal
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Amazon is now carrying some preconfigured HP Mini 1000 netbooks. And while the cheapest model you can order directly from HP sells for $360, the cheapest version I could find on Amazon costs $445.

But here’s the thing, the $360 computer that ships from HP has an 8.9 inch display, and an 8GB SSD, and lacks Bluetooth. The $445 model from Amazon has a 10.2 inch display, a 60GB hard drive, and Bluetooth. If you tried to configure a netbook with those specs at HP.com, you’d wind up spending $490.

I don’t know why Amazon doesn’t list any sub-$400 HP Mini 1000 units. But it looks like you might be able to save a few bucks on preconfigured netbooks if you order through Amazon. Or if you’re looking for a bargain (and don’t care that much about CPU performance), you can still pick up an HP 2133 Mini-Note PC with a 1GHz VIA C7-M CPU, 512MB of RAM,. 4GB SSD, and SUSE Linux on Amazon for $445 model from Amazon.

timparkinson/Flickr

In what I hope is becoming a monthly feature here at Liliputing, it looks like netbook makers are slashing prices in Taiwan yet again. While many of you live outside of Taiwan, it’s likely that some of these price cuts will be reflected in the global market int he not too distant future.

DigiTimes reports that Asus is dropping prices on several models including the Eee PC 701, 901, 904, 1000H, and 1000HD. The move is reportedly part of an effort to meet the company’s goal of shipping 5 million units by the end of the year and to clear out some older netbooks.

HP and Acer are also cutting prices in the Taiwan market.

The interesting thing is that HP is reducing the price of the HP 2133 Mini-Note, which makes sense since HP is now starting to push the newer HP Mini 1000. But Acer still has most of its eggs in one basket: The Aspire One netbook with an 8.9 inch display. Sure, it comes in Linux and Windows flavors. But Acer keeps cutting the prices on both models and offering incremental upgrades like larger hard drives or higher capacity batteries. But the company has yet to mention a next generation netbook. So while Acer and HP are cutting prices on older models and pushing new computers, Acer just keeps cutting prices in an effort to sell some of the cheapest netbooks around and sell as many of them as possible.