HP Introduces Five New Business Notebook Series
Two weeks ago, HP flew Hardware Zone to Seoul to attend a pre-launch preview of their latest business notebooks. Journalists from the Asia Pacific region were the first in the world to catch a glimpse of what HP will bring to the market by the end of May. Launched under the theme "The Computer is Personal Again", HP's new campaign aims to focus on the highly personal and individual relationship people have with their computers. In addition to that, HP will realign their approach to selling PCs - by making it more personal and with emphasis on empowering users and enterprises while putting less focus on the 'feeds & speeds' and technicalities.
Covering a broad range of notebooks from the ultra-light HP Compaq 2400 series all the way to the high performance HP Compaq 8400 mobile workstation, enterprises are assured of the widest range of choices available for all types of applications. These new notebooks will all feature the latest Intel Core Duo processor, giving them a lot more computing performance with the same power efficiency of yesterday's Pentium M processors. Besides that, all of the five new models will be Microsoft Vista-capable and will also feature HP's Professional Innovations, which is a set of hardware and software solutions designed to enhance security, improve ease of use and better reliability.
Although the HP Professional Innovations have been around for a while, there is no letup in the company's commitments to take it a step further. 10 new innovations have been devised and these can all be found in their new 2006 notebook lineup. Among the more notable features include :-
- HP ProtectTools Device Access Manager - This feature allows administrators to control devices such as optical drives and USB storage drives. Administrators can also selectively disable USB devices and other writable storage devices, thus preventing sensitive corporate data from being copied out.
- HP Disk Sanitizer - This easy-to-use OS-independent mechanism allows administrators to erase hard drive data and ensures that sensitive corporate data is permanently and safely deleted. This makes it easy for administrators to recycle their equipments without having to worry about exploitation of residual data that weren't properly erased.
- HP Privacy Filter - A security filter that narrows the display viewing angle, making it only visible to the user without any blurring or image distortion. An ideal feature for constrained or limited spaces such as in-flight environment. This security filter is only available on the HP Compaq nc6400 notebook only.
- HP OpenView Management Suite with Radia - An automated feature that manages the notebook software (OS, software, software updates, content and configuration settings) to ensure that each computer is always maintained in the correct configuration.
- HP Mobile Data Protection System 3D - The hard drive is mounted directly to the notebook frame, which helps to reduce the transmission of shock to the drive. On top of that, there is a three-axis digital accelerometer embedded within the notebook that acts as a motion detector to notify the system software of any sudden motion. Upon detection of sudden motion, it immediately sends a command to the hard disk to temporarily stop the hard drive and have the drive head parked to effectively protect the data in the event of an impact.
- HP Backup and Recovery Manager - This feature offers a simpler solution for data backup and recovery. It's designed to offer either an automatic or a manual backup for ease and convenience.
- All Day Computing - HP's new Ultra Capacity Travel Battery is a new business accessory solution that triples battery life by up to 10 additional hours for selected HP notebooks.
- LightScribe - Certain models with DVD writers would feature the LightScribe technology that enables professional labeling of DVDs using the optical drive's laser.
The New Business Notebooks (I)
The thinnest and lightest two spindle notebook to date is the HP Compaq nc2400. Weighing less than 1.3kg and less than 25mm thin, the notebook features a 12.1-inch widescreen display and an optional integrated optical drive. It comes with either an Intel Core Solo or Intel Celeron M processor and features HP's Mobile Data Protection System 3D.
Dennis Mark, Vice President of Marketing for HP Personal Systems Group (APAC and Japan) shows off the new HP Compaq nc2400.
The HP Compaq nc4400 is yet another thin and light notebook with a 12.1-inch widescreen display and durable glass writing surface for the table PC. It weighs 1.8kg and features either Intel Core Duo or Celeron M processors. The nc4400 is also compatible with HP's Extended Life and Ultra Capacity batteries for all-day computing.
Similar in specifications to the nc4400, the HP Compaq tc4400 is the convertible tablet model.
For users who want a combination of performance, connectivity and enhanced security, the HP Compaq nc6400 would be an attractive choice with its light 2.1kg and 29.1mm thin frame. It comes with a 14.1-inch widescreen display encased in a magnesium-alloy enclosure. Featuring either Intel Core Duo or Core Solo processors, the nc6400 also comes with HP Biometric Fingerprint Sensor, Smart card readers, TPM Embedded Security Chip v1.2 and HP Privacy Filter.
The New Business Notebooks (II)
The HP Compaq nx7400 comes with a larger 15.4-inch widescreen display for those who prefer to work with a wider desktop space. Weighing in at 2.7kg and measuring 30mm in thickness, the nx7400 will come with either Intel's Core Duo, Core Solo or Celeron M processor. It also features HP's Fast Charge Technology, which enables the primary battery to be charged up to 90% of its capacity in just 90 minutes.
Made for power users, the HP Compaq 8400 series (nw8440 shown above) provides powerful graphics with a wide 15.4-inch display. The notebook weighs 2.82kg and measures 29.1mm in thickness. Also utilizing a magnesium-alloy frame, the notebook features high-performance discrete graphics (ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 for nx8420 and ATI Mobility FireGL V5200 for nw8440). Other features include HP Mobile Data Protection System 3D, TPM Embedded Security Chip v1.2 and optional biometric fingerprint sensor.
All of HP's latest introductions are compatible with HP's current docking stations. With the docking station, one can expand the desktop working area by adding a secondary monitor using the additional VGA or DVI port located at the rear of the docking station.
Some of the additional ports found behind the docking station.
Model / Series | Starting Price | Availability |
HP Compaq nc2400 Notebook PC | US$1799 | End May 2006 |
HP Compaq nc4400 Notebook PC | US$1499 | Early June 2006 |
HP Compaq tc4400 Tablet PC | US$1699 | Early June 2006 |
HP Compaq nc6400 Notebook PC | US$1599 | End May 2006 |
HP Compaq nx7400 Notebook PC | US$1299 | End May 2006 |
HP Compaq 8400 Notebook PC series | US$1499 | End May 2006 |
HP's Consumer Notebooks Gets a Facelift
Besides its new range of business notebooks, HP also introduced two consumer models with a new and innovative industrial design. The finishing of these new notebooks, known as HP Imprint, uses an advanced in-mold lamination that gives it a refined high-gloss coating with a unique in-laid motif and a scratch-resistant surface. HP claims that its in-mold laminating technology would provide these new consumer notebooks with greater durability than notebooks finished with traditional paint processes. HP also claims that it is the first PC manufacturer to apply advanced in-mold lamination to an entire notebook - a finishing process traditionally used in luxury car interiors.
Explaining the two different HP Imprint designs of the notebooks, Mr. See Chin-Teik, Vice President, Consumer Products and Mobile Business, HP Personal Systems Group, Asia-Pacific & Japan, said, "The subtle wave pattern of the HP Pavilion dv2000 series Entertainment Notebook PC conjures a gamut of personal preferences, such as a Japanese Zen garden, the ocean's waves or sound waves. The other design, the digi-code imprint, featured on the Compaq Presario V3000 series Notebook PC, has a modern and minimalist feel to suit the fast-paced and productivity-driven lifestyle of a Compaq Presario consumer."
Besides its new design and finishing, the two new consumer notebooks also feature 'capacitive' touch technology, which essentially works to enable users to activate media applications (such as launching DVDs, photo albums or MP3s) with a single touch.
The new HP Pavilion dv2000 Entertainment series Notebook PC is based on the Intel Centrino Duo platform which offers dual-core performance, enhanced power saving for extended battery life and wireless connectivity.
The HP Pavilion dv2000 features a magnetic closure design which is latch free. The notebook is also available with integrated LightScribe DVD+/-R/RW SuperMulti writer with double-layer support.
The HP Pavilion dv2000 comes with a 1.3 Megapixel webcam and dual omni-directional microphones - making video-conferencing simple on this notebook.
The touch sensitive capacitive buttons are lined up in a backlit panel just above the keyboard. It gives users control to quickly launch multimedia playback for DVDs, photo albums and MP3s as well as volume control and mute functions.
The subtle wave HP Imprint on the notebook enclosure gives it that personal touch. (You have to look really hard to see it though)
The HP Mobile Remote Control is stored in the ExpressCard slot and it gives you control of the notebook from up to 10 feet away.
Other details of the HP Pavilion dv2000 Entertainment Notebook include :-
- Optional NVIDIA GeForce Go 7200 discrete graphics
- 5-in-1 media card reader
- Large drives up to 120GB
- ExpressCard 54 slot
- 6-cell standard and 12-cell battery available for additional battery life
- Weighs 5.3lbs and measures 1-inch in thickness
- Dual stereo headphone jacks - one with high definition audio support and one with S/PDIF
- Retail price starts at US$1,499 and available across Asia Pacific from 3rd quarter 2006.
Compaq Presario V3000 and the xb3000 Expansion Base
The new Compaq Presario V3000 series Notebook PC docked on the HP xb3000 Notebook Expansion Base.
Similar to the HP Pavilion dv2000, the Presario V3000 also features touch sensitive capacitive buttons just above the keyboard.
Both the HP Pavilion dv2000 and Compaq Presario V3000 are connected to the xb3000 Expansion Base through this proprietary connector.
Even the expansion base features touch sensitive volume control. Oh, did we not mention that the xb3000 Expansion Base comes with an integrated Altec Lansing stereo speakers?
The expansion base gives you more connectivity options such as more USB ports, component video jacks, S-Video jack, composite video jack, S/PDIF jack, external analog monitor port and RJ-45 Ethernet port.
More ports are located on the right side of the expansion base. On the left, there's a hard drive bay that lets you add external storage to your notebook. The additional hard drive however, is sold seperately.
Other details of the Compaq Presario V3000 notebook include :-
- Features either Intel Core Duo or Core Solo processors
- Available with Intel UMA graphics with up to 128MB shared video memory
- ExpresCard 54 slot (selected models)
- IEEE 1394 and up to 3 USB 2.0 ports (selected models)
- Available with integrated DVD+/-R/RW SuperMulti drive with LightScribe (optional)
- 5-in-1 digital media reader
- Weighs 5.3lbs and measure 26mm in thickness
- 6-cell standard and 12-cell Li-ion battery available for additional battery life
- Altec Lansing speakers
- Retails from US$1,299 and will be available across Asia Pacific from 3rd quarter 2006.
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