Hewlett-Packard on Tuesday introduced the ProBook 5310m lightweight business laptop, which features a low-power chip from Intel traditionally used in inexpensive home PCs.
The new laptop has the portability of a netbook and adequate performance to run most desktop and high-definition multimedia applications, HP said. Intel earlier this year announced new inexpensive, low-power chips for such ultrathin PCs, which are typically priced starting at US$400.
The ProBook costs $699 with a low-power single-core Intel Celeron SU2300 chip, an HP spokeswoman said. The chip runs at 1.2GHz and includes 1MB of cache. The laptop can be configured to include a standard Core 2 Duo chip usually found in mainstream laptops. A Core 2 Duo chip is more powerful than the Celeron chip, but uses more power. The standard-voltage Core 2 Duo SP9300 runs at 2.26 GHz with 6MB of cache.
The laptop is 3.79 pounds (1.72 kilograms) and is 0.93 inches (2.36 cms) at its thinnest point. It comes with a 13.3-inch screen, and storage capacity of up to 320GB. It offers with Intel integrated graphics, integrated webcam and optional wireless broadband modules. A four-cell lithium polymer battery will give up to 6 hours of battery life depending on the processor and configuration, the spokeswoman said. A six-cell could give a battery life of up to 8 hours.
The laptop has features not found in consumer laptops, the spokeswoman said. For example, the laptop has a lightweight metal case built with a magnesium alloy bottom to protect it from the rigors of mobile use. Buttons next to the keyboard provide one-touch access to e-mail, calendar, contacts and tasks. A USB docking station can attach to the laptop and it also has instant-on capability for users to quickly surf the Web or check e-mail without a full boot up.
The laptop is HP's first to be made without hazardous substances like polyvinyl chloride plastic and brominated flame retardants, the spokeswoman said. This is an early step by HP to remove such substances from all of its hardware by 2011, the company said.
