HP unveils EliteBook touch business tablet; military strength, executive ability
Hewlett Packard on Monday introduced its first multitouch convertible business tablet, the EliteBook 2740p, for healthcare, education, sales, field workers and the enterprise.
The HP EliteBook 2740p weighs just under four pounds and is rugged enough to meet military MIL-STD 810G specifications for vibration, dust, humidity, altitude, and high and low temperatures. It's got a hardened case and keys, metal hinges with steel pin axels and a reinforced display latch.
Inside, you'll find your choice of standard or low voltage Intel Core processors. The system also offers an optional 2-megapixel webcam with business card reader software, as well as a fingerprint sensor.
The system comes preloaded with a trial version of HP SkyRoom, which is high-definition videoconferencing software.
It also offers HP DayStarter, which displays the upcoming 12 hours of your Microsoft Outlook calendar and a battery life meter as the system boots Windows 7. As I mentioned in my previous post about the new HP ProBook S-series for SMBs, it's a nice touch of productivity that could eliminate the requisite morning coffee trip as your computer starts up.
Like the ProBooks, the EliteBook 2740p also includes HP QuickWeb, a quick-boot environment, and HP Power Assistant for power management. For IT folks, Central Management for HP ProtectTools allows for remote management, monitoring, auditing and wiping.
HP EliteBook 2740p full specs:
- OS: Windows 7 Professional, XP tablet edition, Vista Business, FreeDOS. SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 certified.
- CPU: Intel Core i5 or i7
- Chipset: Intel QM57
- Memory: 1GB/2GB/4GB (up to 8GB) DDR3 SDRAM 1066/1333 Mhz
- Storage: 1.8-inch bay; 160GB/250GB 5400rpm SATA II HD, 320GB 5400rpm HDD or 80GB/160GB SSD
- Optional external USB CD/DVD R/RW drive
- Display: 12.1-inch LED-backlit WXGA (1280x800); optional outdoor view display
- Graphics: Intel HD
- A/V: HD audio, stereo speakers, combo line in/out, dual-microphone array, integrated 2-megapixel webcam
- Wireless: 802.11 a/b/g/n or b/g; Bluetooth 2.1; optional HP un2420 EV-DO/HSPA mobile broadband
- Gigabit Ethernet
- Ports: 1 ExpressCard/34 slot, 1 SD/MMC slot, 3 USB 2.0 (one powered), VGA, 1394a, RJ-45 ethernet
- Input: Full-size spill-resistant keyboard with drains, touchpad with scroll zone, pointstick, digital eraser pen, Jog dial
- Software: Roxio Creator Business 10 (select models), Skype, WinZip 12
- Security: Integrated smart car reader, fingerprint sensor, TPM embedded security chip 1.2, disk sanitizer, drive encryption, LoJack, McAfee Security Solution
- Dimensions: 1.25 inches thick (at front), 11.42 inches wide, 8.35 inches deep
- Weight: 3.8 lbs
- Battery: 6-cell (44 WHr) or 6-cell "long life" (39 WHr); optional secondary 6-cell (46 WHr) 2700 ultra-slim battery
The HP EliteBook 2740p starts at $1,599 and will be available in the U.S. next month.
HP also announced the new 12.1-inch EliteBook 2540p, which it calls its lightest rugged notebook at 3.3 lbs.
The EliteBook 2540p offers several different battery options: a three-cell battery for up to 4 hours, a six-cell battery for up to 8.5 hours and a nine-cell battery for up to 12.5 hours.
The HP EliteBook 2540p starts at $1,099 and will be available in the U.S. next month.
Finally, HP announced an ultra-slim expansion base, the HP 2740, which offers an eSATA port and DisplayPort among others, as well as a DVD+/-RW drive. It starts at $299 and will be available next month.
Update, 3/1/2010: Battery life figures for the EliteBook 2540p have been corrected to allow for updated figures from HP. The six-cell battery was changed from 8.0 to 8.5 hours and the nine-cell changed from 10.5 to 12.5 hours.