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HP updates business, consumer notebooks

Today HP announced three new business laptop, one new consumer laptop, and a series of small changes across their notebook lines.

Michelle Thatcher Former Senior Associate Editor, Laptops
Tech expert Michelle Thatcher grew up surrounded by gadgets and sustained by Tex-Mex cuisine. Life in two major cities--first Chicago, then San Francisco--broadened her culinary horizons beyond meat and cheese, and she's since enjoyed nearly a decade of wining, dining, and cooking up and down the California coast. Though her gadget lust remains, the practicalities of her small kitchen dictate that single-function geegaws never stay around for long.
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Michelle Thatcher
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HP

At an evening press event in New York, HP announced a much-needed new look for its business laptop line. With a silver finish, drop-hinge panel, and scooped-out keyboard, the new models look more modern than the boxy corporate HPs of yore, though they'll still blend in with traditional business environments. Inside the redesigned cases you'll find all the component options you'd expect from a business laptop: Intel Core 2 Duo processors, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, DVD burners with LightScribe, and HP's ProtectTools support software. The three new models announced today include the 14.1-inch HP Compaq 6520s (price varies by region); the 15.4-inch HP Compaq 6720s (starting at $649) with a choice of antiglare or BrightView screen finishes; and the 17-inch HP Compaq 6820s (starting at $999) with ATI Mobility Radeon X1350 graphics as well as a full keyboard and 10-key number pad. All three models are currently shipping.

In other business news, HP announced that it will begin offering 64GB solid-state drives on its professional laptops and mobile workstations. Specific models to have this option include the HP Compaq 2710p, 2510p, 6910p, and 8000 series workstations.

It's not all business, though; the consumer-oriented Pavilion line will also see a few updates. Users who want always-on connectivity will have the option of adding built-in WWAN to their 14.1-inch Pavilion dv2500. New consumer laptops include the dv2500z, dv6500z, and dv9500z, which are AMD-based versions of existing Pavilion models. And the company announced a new variation on the existing 15.4-inch dv6500 model. The HP Pavilion dx6500 includes only Intel CPU and GPU options, as well as dual hard drives up to 320GB; it also lacks the fingerprint reader, HDMI support, and modem found on the dv6500 model. The Pavilion dx6500 will be available at retail outlets in October, at a starting price of $949.