HP unveils new notebooks, PCs and a billion-color LED monitor 10 June, 2008 By Erin Bell

PromoPipeline Exclusive Channel Promotions Find Out How You Can Make Money Today! ENROLL FREE! >> Underpromising William Vanderbilt - Innovative Learning Channels Services: I Can See Clearly Now Beth Vanni - Amazon Consulting Cutting the margin so many times William Vanderbilt - Innovative Learning Channels The Sign of Success - High Maintenance William Vanderbilt - Innovative Learning Channels Question for the Times: Build or Resell? Gary Bixler - AMD

"Making the computer 'personal again' is our commitment to customers and the driving force behind our customer-experience decisions," said Todd Bradley, executive vice president, Personal Systems Group, HP. "From design elements that make a personal statement and an intuitive touch interface that delivers real innovation, to the breakthrough display of 1 billion colors, we're working to show a broad and global set of industry segments what our hardware and software engineering capabilities and scale can do for them."

HP unveiled the second generation of TouchSmart PCs, which feature high-definition, touch-sensitive 22-inch widescreen displays combined with Intel Core 2 Duo processors in a single form factor. The interface allows users to perform certain functions (like watching TV, manipulating photos and videos, listening to music and checking the weather) without using a mouse or keyboard by simple tapping or dragging their finger. The TouchSmart IQ500 Series ($1,299 US) and IQ504 Series ($1,499 with TV tuner) will be available July 13.

"The introduction of a touch computer with such a strong focus on digital entertainment opens the door to an entirely new way for consumers to engage with their content," said Stephen Baker, vice president, industry analysis, The NPD Group. "HP TouchSmart PCs will allow people to interact with their photos, videos, music and games in unique ways, plus they do everything that you'd expect from a traditional PC."

HP also greatly expanded its notebook portfolio across the business, consumer and luxury categories.

On the business side, HP added the Compaq 6930p, 6830s, 6730b and 6730s, 6530b and 6530s, and 6535b and 6535s Business Notebook PCs, as well as the Compaq 6735s and 6735b Business Notebook PCs and the Compaq 2230s.

The redesigned "b" series of business notebook feature silver finish and magnesium alloy supported structure with a choice of 14.1-inch or 15.4-inch displays. The "s" series comes loaded with security features including HP ProtectTools Security Manager, HP File Sanitizer for permanently deleting files, and HP 3D DriveGuard

HP also introduced the new HP EliteBook premium series, designed for rugged mobility. The EliteBook 6930p offers up to 15 hours battery life and durable features designed to military standard for repelling dust, humidity, temperature and other environmental factors.

HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection, which locks the hard drive if the notebook falls to reduce the risk of data loss, was previously only available on business notebooks but is now included in the new line of HP Pavilion consumer notebooks (dv4, dv5 and dv7 models).

Additionally, the Compaq Presario CQ45, CQ40 and CQ50 Series' were added to the Compaq Notebook PC consumer line.

The line-up is the first to offer a choice of processor technologies, including AMD Turion 64 X2 Ultra Dual-Core Mobile Processor, and the Intel Centrino 2 and Intel Centrino 2 with vPro technology. Several of the notebooks also offer optional mercury-free Illumi-lite LED displays, which are lighter and more energy efficient. HP's goal is to remove all mercury from its entire notebook line by the end of 2010.

"HP is creating notebook computers that captivate users with striking design and the right features to deliver a great user experience," said Ted Clark, senior vice president and general manager, Notebook Global Business Unit, Personal Systems Group, HP. "Our new lineup further enhances our brand leadership with notebooks that are tailored for the ever-changing mobile lifestyle."

HP has expanded its luxury Voodoo PC brand with the Voodoo Envy 133 ultraportable, which weighs less than 3.4 pounds, is 0.7-inches thin, and starts at $2,099. The Voodoo Omen PC, which features integrated copper liquid cooling pipes, an auxiliary LCD, an all-aluminum chassis and support for up to four GPUs, starts at $7,000. The Omen will only be available initially to customers who have previously purchased a Voodoo PC, with general availability to follow later in the summer.

HP's new DreamColor Display technology, co-developed with DreamWorks Animation, is capable of delivering more than 1 billion colors, which is 64 times the colours available on mainstream LCD displays. Blacks are four times darker, and whites are adjustable. The first color-critical display to incorporate the technology, the HP DreamColor LP2480xz, is priced at $3,499, which is less than a quarter of the cost of competing offerings.

Color-critical displays are geared towards professionals in industries such as animation, game development, graphic arts and video post-production, for whom accurate color management is essential. HP said the technology is expected to disrupt the economics of color management, making it possible for such companies to have a color-critical display on every desk, which would make color checks, redesigns and multiple proofs a thing of the past.

"Until now, accurate and standout color has been out of reach for the majority of digital content creators," said Jun Kim, vice president and general manager, displays, Personal Systems Group, HP. "Our DreamColor display advances color accuracy for the world's storytellers -- our most demanding of customers of performance technologies."