First Look at the New HP Notebooks Discussion

Today HP took the wraps off its latest batch of consumer and business laptops and we have some hands-on photos to give you a closer look at what you can expect to see. The nestest HP notebooks and netbook include:

Read the full content of this Article: First Look at the New HP Notebooks

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• HP EliteBook 8740w Review
• HP Pavilion dm3t Review
• HP Mini 1103 Review
• HP Pavilion dm1z Review
• HP ENVY 14 Review
• HP Mini 210 HD Review

 

Very nice write-up. The 5330m looks great but I question the decision to make "Beats Audio" a big deal on - what is supposed to be - a business notebook. The addition of eSATA, ExpressCard, and backlit keyboard are big improvements over my first-generation ProBook 5310m. I wonder how that new keyboard feels.

The dv4 doesn't look like that high quality of a machine, IMO. $599 starting isn't bad, I personally would spend a few extra bucks and get a dm4x.

I wonder what kind of screen HP is using in that 2760p tablet PC. Hopefully not TN ...

 

Not bad at all. The new ProBook looks quite nice, especially as they're sold at a much lower price point than the Elitebooks. Wonder why they didn't bother refreshing the Elitebook tablet other than the CPU boost, though, seeing as they updated all the other Elitebooks

 

Depends on what the graphics options are. In other countries, the dv4 comes with an AMD6750, which destroys the 6470 in the dm4x. The dv4 also has a backlit keyboard option

 

My guess on the point of the dv4 is that it should be launched with the 6750m in the US, as it has happened in Asia. Thus filling the family of the dv4, dv6, dv7

 

I found this in a Thinkpad thread. It isn't about HP, but I think they are introducing more consumer oriented features into business notebooks for the same reason Lenovo is.

Lenovo adding 'X' factor to its laptops - Times Of India

 

Excellent link, thanks for sharing.

I have a work-issued Dell Latitude E5510 for business, it is about as generic/bland as it gets. It discourages me from doing anything other than work on it.

 

What are the disadvantages/advantages does the 12" have over the X220?

And also, does the 13 inch have any bigger battery options?

 

One big advantage for many people (personally to me, a disadvantage) is that the 12" Elitebook has an optical drive, while the X220 does not. Another advantage is that it seems to use a standard 9.5mm hard drive, whereas the X220 uses a 7mm drive.

 

As Pseudorandom pointed out, there is a big push right now among the manufacturers of "business" technology to make it more consumer-friendly or "end user friendly" these days.

In previous decades, decisions about the technology being used in large companies came from the top. CEOs, VPs, and guys at the top of the IT pyramid chose what PCs and other devices were being used at work. That dynamic has really been turned on its head in the last few years.

Today many entry-level and mid-level employees at large companies are pressuring their bosses to incorporate better (and more appealing) tech at work. When a new college grad comes to work at a big company and he/she has been using an iPhone, iPad and a high-performance multimedia laptop at home they aren't happy when their new boss tells them to use an old Dell Latitude D510 from 2005.

Employees are pressuring their bosses and IT departments at work for better tech and that "bottom up" approach is translating into PC manufacturers developing "business tech" with "consumer appeal."

 

Like everything about the 2560p but Futura (or Luz Sans as HP seems to call their "custom" version of it) seems permanently tied into HP's brand identity and that sends me right back to browsing the ThinkPad store. Love the font; hate it on a keyboard. ctrl, shift, alt, enter, et al. all lower case only compounds the agony.

 

Is there a way to purchase the base, $1099 model with a 9-cell battery for just a little bit more?

And does HP give good coupons out for their Elitebook series?

 

The best way to purchase a new EliteBook is to call via phone. EliteBook 8740w purchasers, including myself, were able to get anywhere from 20-28% off by doing so.
I am not sure how willing they are to give out discounts on new models, however. You'll have to call and find out.

The preconfigured models are the best value; you can customize EliteBooks but that adds a few hundred to the price (typically). By calling and getting that discount, you can nullify that though.

 

I can't speak for HP with regards to the different configuration/price options, but I can comment on your second question about coupons.

HP's historically hasn't been as good about offering coupons and deals on its business lines of notebooks compared to the consumer notebooks. HP does a lot of direct sales to businesses and offers bulk discounts based on a number of factors.

Unfortunately, if you're a typical consumer or small/home business owner who wants to buy a single HP EliteBook or ProBook you usually can't find impressive coupons that offer the same huge discounts as HP's consumer notebooks.

That doesn't mean you'll never see a good discount price on an HP EliteBook or ProBook, but based on HP's history you're unlikely to see coupons that seriously drop the price ... particularly not so soon after the announcement of the product.

Now that HP is trying to make its business notebooks more appealing to consumers I hope that HP will try some of the same coupon/discount tactics that they use on HP Home with the notebooks they sell on the business side.

 

14" 16:10 LCD could easily fit into the 13 incher model. I would buy it right away if it was the case. 13" incher with that huge bezel is no-sale for me. Thank you PC industry for making "smart" choices.

 

What about vs the 12in Samsung Series 4? I would also agree I still use the optical drive on my Vaio.

 

The ODD would only be a disadvantage in the 12.5" if the bay is too small to swap it for an aftermarket HDD caddy.


I'm personally waiting to see what HP will do with Llano, as they're the most likely to have a full line up of notebooks using the AMD APU, including one or two models that should pair Llano with a discrete GPU.

 

I personally doubt they would be put Llano in the Elitebook line, which is a shame because a Llano powered 2560 would be work well for me(specially if there is no real drop in battery life vs the SB models).

 

I haven't heard anything from HP about Llano (but that's not surprising since all manufacturers are keeping quiet until the "official" release of Llano).

Still, based on HP's previous track record with AMD it wouldn't surprise me if HP decides to put Llano in the ProBook line as well as in some of the consumer notebooks.

 

Well the ProBook and consumer line is a given, but if they put it on some of the Elitebook models(the 2560, and the 2760), that be a very nice option and a good way to under price the competition.

 

Most business notebook speakers though kinda suck. Not ideal if you have to say do a impromtu presentation or something that involves sound/video and you don't have speakers handy. A rare occurrance but still.

Also, I think it'll be nice for "dual-use" people who use their notebook's both in the office and at home, as well as consumers who choose a business notebook for the lengthy warranty and higher quality but want key features like decent sound.

 

Nice advertised battery life for the 2560p there....

 

http://www.fudzilla.com/notebooks/item/22837-llano-powered-hp-notebook-listed

Llano A6-3410MX with a discrete HD6750M. Hopefully HP put them in Crossfire.

 

Indeed, although I wonder if it can truly offer at least 5 hours of battery life.