HP Compaq 2710p Ultraportable Tablet PC
In the Gadget world, reviewing PCs is always extremely difficult. We all have our own requirements and the plethora of options and models available from the various manufacturers makes an objective viewpoint a difficult task. HP recently released their flagship ultraportable convertible tablet PC, and it proved no exception. Steven Ambrose finds out what is cool in this HP Tablet.
The HP Compaq 2710p is an attractive and rugged looking convertible notebook with some ultra cool features. On the downside it doesn't have a very fast processor or an integrated optical drive, but as a result its battery life is fabulous and its LCD backlit screen is responsive and very high quality.
The 2710p is somewhat ruggedized, with a full magnesium alloy enclosure that gives the 1.6 KG unit a stylish, industrial look. HP claims that the glass screen top is chemically strengthened; the keyboard is also coated via special processes, in order to eliminate wear and tear. The hard drive includes a sensor which provides shock-protection for the data during a fall. The 12.1-inch, 1280-by-800, LED-backlit screen is very bright and viewable indoors or outdoors. White and other light colours on the screen look crisp and glare-free even in bright sunshine. Indoors, the screen doesn't have the same annoying sheen under office lights that some tablets can have.
The 2710p also works very well in the dark. There is a night-light on the top screen bezel which illuminates the keyboard so you can type in complete darkness if needed. This night-light is brighter than Lenovo ThinkPad models' ThinkLight and has a cooler design, as a spring-loaded barrel pops out of the centre of the upper screen frame at the press of a nearby button. To turn off the light, you simply push the barrel back in.
The basic unit, as supplied by HP, retails for around R16 995 and, as such, represents good value for the technology supplied. This price also includes a full three-year walk in warranty, and an inexpensive and highly recommended extension of the warranty to next business day, on-site, for around R1000.
There are a few key options offered by HP for expanding the 2710p. The test unit supplied did not include the ultra slim Expansion Base which costs around R2200; this base includes an integrated DVD±RW drive. An Ultra-Slim Battery (R1500) is also available. The battery slice attaches to the notebook first, and then the docking station attaches to the battery slice's pass-through connection. The base and the battery slice are each thin and light. The total weight of the 2710P, with AC adapter, standard battery, extra battery slice, and docking station was only 3.3 Kilograms – lighter than most standard 15.4 inch laptops.
The 2710p has a full-size, well-laid-out keyboard with a good solid stroke. For the mouse it includes a concave eraser head style pointing device that's easier to master than it looks, especially in cramped situations like economy class airline seats. There is no touchpad included, and this could be a negative for some users. HP’s similar 2510P laptop, although not a tablet, includes both a touchpad and the eraser head pointing device.
A touch-sensitive, backlit panel at the top of the keyboard lets you easily launch a presentation or control volume with a tap of a finger. Another cool bit of gadgetry is the integrated 2-megapixel Webcam, which has a macro setting that lets you photograph business cards and store them as contacts, using bundled software. Skype also found this camera immediately, and the quality was very acceptable.
Converting the laptop to a tablet takes only a couple of seconds; the lid rotates smoothly on its hinge and locks down against the keyboard with a gentle press. Tablet input is effortless and such fast, smooth input is crucial, because the 2710p has only two tablet shortcut buttons (both on the edges of the unit) and no auto rotation, so you'll be depending a lot on the pen to move around the screen.
The 2710p comes standard with Windows Vista Business edition, complete with tablet extensions. The performance of Vista on this unit was more than adequate. The review unit was not a speed demon, mostly due to the low voltage processor and the tiny 1.8” hard drive, which spins at only 4500 RPM. I did not however find this to be an issue at all for all my usual tasks, such as e-mail, web browsing, spreadsheets, and writing reviews. HP have wisely only made this model available in South Africa with 2 Gb of main memory, as they have found that this is the optimum amount for the best Windows Vista experience.
The overall tablet design is very good. Most of the features, such as the pen silo, the Wi-Fi switch, the fingerprint reader, one of the USB ports, and the attached optical drive, via the expansion base, are thoughtfully and conveniently located at the top. Pressing a small side button pops out the Wireless WAN antenna, for the optional 3G HSDPA card, for better reception. The build quality is impressive, and the unit gives the impression that it will take a good beating on the road and come back looking fresh.
For business users, the 2710P also includes some cutting edge security features. There is a sensitive fingerprint sensor, well placed on the side of the screen. HP also bundles a very functional and very comprehensive security manager suite, called HP Protect Tools, which controls all aspects of the built-in security, including the fingerprint reader and the embedded TPM chip. The TPM chip allows a level of hardware encryption which renders the unit absolutely useless if lost or stolen, as all data is as securely locked away as is possible using today’s technology. The setting up of the various elements of the security suite was relatively easy.
The battery life was outstanding, even when the notebook was not equipped with the additional six-cell slice attachment, lasting about 4.5 hours in our tests. The optional battery will add around an additional 3 hours, giving the Tablet almost a full day’s working without plugging in. The battery slice adds very little weight and size to the laptop, and is recommended if you do a lot of travelling away from the office.
In conclusion, the 2710p is not for everybody. If you require a tablet style laptop, the HP2710P is a very well-built, daresay almost a good-looking laptop. It looks far better than all the other dark grey and square HP business notebooks. The screen is very good and, once mastered, the tablet input is easy. Windows Vista performed flawlessly, with excellent letter and handwriting recognition and stylus functionality.
This unit is not for people who need a very powerful portable. It is, however, ideal for busy road warriors who need a light, rugged, and highly functional laptop that will not break the bank, or your shoulder, even with the optional battery and docking station.
Tech Specs
Intel Core 2 Duo ULV processor U7600 1.2 GHz
12.1" Illumi-Lite, WXGA UWVA, anti-glare with Digitizer
Windows Vista Business
Mobile Intel 965 Express Chipset
80GB (4200 rpm) hard drive
2GB basic memory + 8MB video memory
Intel HSDPA Broadband Wireless Network adapter as an option
Intel 802.11a/b/g
Blue tooth 2.0
SD slot, 2 USB Ports, VGA Port, Included Microphone, stereo microphone in, stereo headphone/line out, Firewire (1394a), power connector, RJ-11 Telephone connector, RJ-45 LAN Input
HP ProtectTools, TPM Embedded Security Chip version 1.2, HP Fingerprint Sensor, Symantec Norton Internet Security, optional Smart Card Reader, Kensington lock slot, HP Quick launch buttons, Win DVD – DVD Player
2.82 cm thin
Weight: 1.68 KG
-Steven Ambrose
The HP Compaq 2710p is an attractive and rugged looking convertible notebook with some ultra cool features. On the downside it doesn't have a very fast processor or an integrated optical drive, but as a result its battery life is fabulous and its LCD backlit screen is responsive and very high quality.
The 2710p is somewhat ruggedized, with a full magnesium alloy enclosure that gives the 1.6 KG unit a stylish, industrial look. HP claims that the glass screen top is chemically strengthened; the keyboard is also coated via special processes, in order to eliminate wear and tear. The hard drive includes a sensor which provides shock-protection for the data during a fall. The 12.1-inch, 1280-by-800, LED-backlit screen is very bright and viewable indoors or outdoors. White and other light colours on the screen look crisp and glare-free even in bright sunshine. Indoors, the screen doesn't have the same annoying sheen under office lights that some tablets can have.
The 2710p also works very well in the dark. There is a night-light on the top screen bezel which illuminates the keyboard so you can type in complete darkness if needed. This night-light is brighter than Lenovo ThinkPad models' ThinkLight and has a cooler design, as a spring-loaded barrel pops out of the centre of the upper screen frame at the press of a nearby button. To turn off the light, you simply push the barrel back in.
The basic unit, as supplied by HP, retails for around R16 995 and, as such, represents good value for the technology supplied. This price also includes a full three-year walk in warranty, and an inexpensive and highly recommended extension of the warranty to next business day, on-site, for around R1000.
There are a few key options offered by HP for expanding the 2710p. The test unit supplied did not include the ultra slim Expansion Base which costs around R2200; this base includes an integrated DVD±RW drive. An Ultra-Slim Battery (R1500) is also available. The battery slice attaches to the notebook first, and then the docking station attaches to the battery slice's pass-through connection. The base and the battery slice are each thin and light. The total weight of the 2710P, with AC adapter, standard battery, extra battery slice, and docking station was only 3.3 Kilograms – lighter than most standard 15.4 inch laptops.
The 2710p has a full-size, well-laid-out keyboard with a good solid stroke. For the mouse it includes a concave eraser head style pointing device that's easier to master than it looks, especially in cramped situations like economy class airline seats. There is no touchpad included, and this could be a negative for some users. HP’s similar 2510P laptop, although not a tablet, includes both a touchpad and the eraser head pointing device.
A touch-sensitive, backlit panel at the top of the keyboard lets you easily launch a presentation or control volume with a tap of a finger. Another cool bit of gadgetry is the integrated 2-megapixel Webcam, which has a macro setting that lets you photograph business cards and store them as contacts, using bundled software. Skype also found this camera immediately, and the quality was very acceptable.
Converting the laptop to a tablet takes only a couple of seconds; the lid rotates smoothly on its hinge and locks down against the keyboard with a gentle press. Tablet input is effortless and such fast, smooth input is crucial, because the 2710p has only two tablet shortcut buttons (both on the edges of the unit) and no auto rotation, so you'll be depending a lot on the pen to move around the screen.
The 2710p comes standard with Windows Vista Business edition, complete with tablet extensions. The performance of Vista on this unit was more than adequate. The review unit was not a speed demon, mostly due to the low voltage processor and the tiny 1.8” hard drive, which spins at only 4500 RPM. I did not however find this to be an issue at all for all my usual tasks, such as e-mail, web browsing, spreadsheets, and writing reviews. HP have wisely only made this model available in South Africa with 2 Gb of main memory, as they have found that this is the optimum amount for the best Windows Vista experience.
The overall tablet design is very good. Most of the features, such as the pen silo, the Wi-Fi switch, the fingerprint reader, one of the USB ports, and the attached optical drive, via the expansion base, are thoughtfully and conveniently located at the top. Pressing a small side button pops out the Wireless WAN antenna, for the optional 3G HSDPA card, for better reception. The build quality is impressive, and the unit gives the impression that it will take a good beating on the road and come back looking fresh.
For business users, the 2710P also includes some cutting edge security features. There is a sensitive fingerprint sensor, well placed on the side of the screen. HP also bundles a very functional and very comprehensive security manager suite, called HP Protect Tools, which controls all aspects of the built-in security, including the fingerprint reader and the embedded TPM chip. The TPM chip allows a level of hardware encryption which renders the unit absolutely useless if lost or stolen, as all data is as securely locked away as is possible using today’s technology. The setting up of the various elements of the security suite was relatively easy.
The battery life was outstanding, even when the notebook was not equipped with the additional six-cell slice attachment, lasting about 4.5 hours in our tests. The optional battery will add around an additional 3 hours, giving the Tablet almost a full day’s working without plugging in. The battery slice adds very little weight and size to the laptop, and is recommended if you do a lot of travelling away from the office.
In conclusion, the 2710p is not for everybody. If you require a tablet style laptop, the HP2710P is a very well-built, daresay almost a good-looking laptop. It looks far better than all the other dark grey and square HP business notebooks. The screen is very good and, once mastered, the tablet input is easy. Windows Vista performed flawlessly, with excellent letter and handwriting recognition and stylus functionality.
This unit is not for people who need a very powerful portable. It is, however, ideal for busy road warriors who need a light, rugged, and highly functional laptop that will not break the bank, or your shoulder, even with the optional battery and docking station.
Tech Specs
Intel Core 2 Duo ULV processor U7600 1.2 GHz
12.1" Illumi-Lite, WXGA UWVA, anti-glare with Digitizer
Windows Vista Business
Mobile Intel 965 Express Chipset
80GB (4200 rpm) hard drive
2GB basic memory + 8MB video memory
Intel HSDPA Broadband Wireless Network adapter as an option
Intel 802.11a/b/g
Blue tooth 2.0
SD slot, 2 USB Ports, VGA Port, Included Microphone, stereo microphone in, stereo headphone/line out, Firewire (1394a), power connector, RJ-11 Telephone connector, RJ-45 LAN Input
HP ProtectTools, TPM Embedded Security Chip version 1.2, HP Fingerprint Sensor, Symantec Norton Internet Security, optional Smart Card Reader, Kensington lock slot, HP Quick launch buttons, Win DVD – DVD Player
2.82 cm thin
Weight: 1.68 KG
-Steven Ambrose
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment