Update: Latest info, specs, news on the HP 2133 product page.
The HP UMPC news is everywhere and I think it’s obvious from the response that this UMPC represents something special. The comparisons range from the Eee PC to the MacBook Air. Just think about that for a minute. Is this a single device that could compete in multiple markets? I think so. The sizing is spot-on. The styling is spot-on. The brand is spot-on. This could be the VW Golf of personal computers if the marketing is done correctly. Entry-level at $499 with Linux and a decent hard drive. Mid level with Windows Vista for families at $650. High-level with faster processor and more memory and then Pro-level with SSD and a high power processor and 3G integration at a MacBook Air-beating price. [*1] The question is, what silicon platform spans this range?
Since yesterday’s news I’ve been working hard to track down information on the device and I’ve been following a theory that in order to cover the multi-market scenario it would have to have VIA inside. Their single-platform C7 to Isaiah processor path. The DX7 Unichrome to DX10 Chrome400 graphics offering and total focus on ‘small is beautiful’ stands out as being the obvious choice and a few hours ago I cracked the nut with an industry insider who told me that this is definitely a VIA-based device. The source is very reliable too so I’m happy to go out on a limb and say that the Digitimes story this morning is wrong. Its not an Intel based device at all.
This is huge, huge news for VIA. Up until now they haven’t really managed to secure a big win with a quality brand but now it looks like they not only have a big brand win but they also have a stylish device that could span multiple markets successfully. It also means good news for users. Using the existing platforms the HP UMPC could be quick to market, sell at $500 and still make a profit for everyone. With a few changes of components on the motherboard the processing and graphics power could be tweeked way up to a healthy Isaiah-driven 2.0Ghz/DX-10 performance. One small change in the screen mounting and the addition of a touchscreen and you’d have a convertible tablet PC too. The other thing I like is that the unit looks big enough to take 40 or even a 50wh battery without any ugly bulges. A well-engineered 1Ghz version of this device could easily have a 4 hours in-use battery life.
Quite honestly, this could be an amazing partnership for VIA and HP and a very popular device. We’ll be tracking all the news and updating the specifications and adding important news links to the HP 2133 UMPC product information page as we get it. If you’re really keen, you’ll see new news items appear in the ‘River of Links’ or you can subscribe the RSS feed.
Update: Take a look at the port layout in the gallery. (HP here, Easynote here), The layout already appears to match the layout you find on the Nanobook-based devices with the LAN, power and USB’s on the right and what could be the Nanobooks unique DVI-OUT on the left.
Update: If you need an overview of the CPU options available, take a look at the CPU overview article here.
*1. Let it be clear that the model line-up listed is based only on my thoughts and experience.
