Toughened to Mil-Spec 810F against extreme temperatures, humidity, dust, bumps, and other torture, it also has DOD-grade file deletion. HP got rid of the Vista-only SideShow app launcher QuickLook from last year's laptop in favor of building its own startup OS. QuickLook 2 runs e-mail and other apps without starting the full OS, and it boots in just 10-12 seconds. (It runs on XP too.)

The 6930p's webcam doubles as a business card reader. Tilting the camera at a card wedged near the trackpad initiates a scan. The software loads the data from the business card into your address book automatically.

All that goodness is packed in a brushed aluminum body with a 14.1" display.

And that's just the beginning. You can read more about the 6930p and the rest of HP's business laptops, available in July, down below. [HP]

HP Fuses Style and Mobility for Consumers and Business with Its Largest-ever Notebook Introduction BERLIN, June 10, 2008 - HP today marked the broadest and most innovative notebook rollout in its history with the introduction of 16 new models designed with new materials and software features that enrich the user experience. Unveiled at its Connecting Your World event, the newly redesigned notebook families are available in an array of sizes and configurations - including the all-new HP EliteBook premium series - providing a broad selection of mobile computing options to meet the personal style and performance needs of most anyone. "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's new lineup of consumer notebooks features the sleek new liquid-metallic HP Imprint 2 surface design, while the durable, aircraft-inspired HP EliteBook is one of 10 additions to the company's business notebook portfolio. HP notebooks are designed with the environment in mind, with energy-efficient features and select materials for easier recycling. For example, several HP notebooks are available with the choice of an optional mercury-free Illumi-Lite LED display,(1) which is lighter and more energy efficient than standard notebook display technology. HP has set a goal to remove all mercury - a material commonly found in notebook screens - from its entire notebook line by the end of 2010. The HP notebook lineup is also one of the first to offer a choice of the latest processor technologies, including AMD Turion™ 64 X2 Ultra Dual-Core Mobile Processors(2) and the Intel® Centrino® 2 and Intel Centrino 2 with vPro technology.(3,4) HP consumer notebooks deliver exquisite design and powerful entertainment HP Pavilion Entertainment notebooks set a new standard in notebook design with unexpected innovations such as invisible "magic chrome" controls that light up and become fully interactive upon power up, and intuitive, one-click access to high-definition TV,(5,6) photos, movies and music from nearly any location through HP QuickPlay. Smooth lines, optional HP BrightView Infinity Widescreen flush-glass screens, along with color-matched keyboards and touch pads create a frameless, thin and elegant appearance. Previously available only in HP business-class notebooks, HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection is now built into the new HP Pavilion notebook series targeting consumers. This technology automatically detects if a notebook has been dropped and, while the notebook is on its journey to the floor, automatically stops the hard drive from spinning, helping to prevent the loss of files and data. The series also offers consumers the option of a high-speed eSATA interface for backing up data to external storage drives. Elite mobile professionals For the mobile professional who wants to make a statement, the premium HP EliteBook features the sleek and durable HP DuraCase - a brushed anodized aluminum exterior casing combined with a magnesium alloy chassis engineered to meet MIL-STD 810F military-standard(8) durability tests. The HP EliteBook is built for the corporate road warrior, with a protective coating of anodized aluminum on the palm-rest surface that is six times more scratch-resistant than that used in previous notebooks. These materials also are highly recyclable, facilitating environmentally responsible disposal at end of life. Designed with the latest mobile technologies, the HP EliteBook also features HP QuickLook 2 software, HP SpareKey and HP File Sanitizer for the ultimate in convenience and security, as well as shock-resistant hard drive and spill-resistant keyboard to help protect data against bumps, drops and spills. The initial ENERGY STAR® qualified HP EliteBook configuration weighs only 4.7 pounds (2.1 kilograms). It features a 14.1-inch diagonal widescreen display and is available with an optional mercury-free Illumi-Lite LED display.(1) Setting a new standard for on-the-move productivity, the HP EliteBook 6930p provides up to 15 hours(9) of combined battery life with optional Ultra Capacity battery.

Business-critical mobility
The newly redesigned business notebook "b"-series is distinguished by its silver finish and magnesium alloy support structure. The new design offers an ideal combination of features for mainstream business mobility, in a choice of 14.1-inch or 15.4-inch diagonal displays with Intel or AMD processors.
The standard "s"-series features a satin, reflective, black-on-black finish to modernize the look and feel of the classic business notebook. HP s-series notebooks are loaded with strong security features, including HP ProtectTools Security Manager. Drive Encryption for HP ProtectTools encodes information on the hard drive to make sensitive information unreadable if a notebook is lost or stolen.
For added data security, s-series notebooks feature HP File Sanitizer as well as HP 3D DriveGuard, which uses a three-axis accelerometer to detect sudden movement and initiate protective action, helping protect the notebook's hard drive against bumps or drops.
Customers can shop for the new HP Pavilion and Compaq Presario notebook PCs by calling +1 888 999 4747, via chat, online or at retail outlets nationwide.

(1) Sold separately or as an add-on feature.
(2) This system requires a separately purchased 64-bit operating system and 64-bit software products to take advantage of the 64-bit processing capabilities of AMD technology. Dual core processing available with AMD technology is designed to improve performance of this system. Given the wide range of software applications available, performance of a system including a 64-bit operating system and a dual-core processor will vary.
(3) Some functionality of Intel Centrino Pro and Intel vPro, such as Intel Active management technology and Intel Virtualization technology, requires additional third-party software in order to run. Availability of future "virtual appliances" applications for Centrino Pro and vPro technologies is dependent on third-party software providers. Compatibility of this generation of Centrino Pro and vPro technology-based hardware with future "virtual appliances" and Microsoft Windows Vista operating system is to be determined.
(4) Dual core is designed to improve performance of certain software products. Not all customers or software applications will necessarily benefit from use of this technology. 64-bit computing on Intel architecture requires a computer system with a processor, 64-bit computing on Intel architecture requires a computer system with a processor, chipset, BIOS, operating system, device drivers and applications enabled for Intel 64 architecture. Processors will not operate (including 32-bit operation) without an Intel 64 architecture-enabled BIOS. Performance will vary depending on hardware and software configurations. More information is available at www.intel.com/info/em64t.
(5) High-definition content (for example, WMV HD files) is required to view high-definition images.
(6) Availability of signals limited by the strength and accessibility of the originating TV signal, location and other factors. Performance issues may arise, and do not constitute defects in the product.
(7) Wireless access point required and is not included. Availability of public wireless access points limited. Wireless Internet use requires separately purchased Internet service contract.
(8) Testing was not intended to demonstrate fitness for U.S. Department of Defense contracts requirements or for military use. Test results are not a guarantee of future performance under these test conditions.
(9) Optional Ultra Capacity battery required and sold separately. Battery life will vary depending on the product: model, configuration, loaded applications, features and power management settings. The maximum capacity of the battery will decrease with time and usage.

Three percent of all the electronic components in the world become obsolete every month. When you imagine all the shit coming out of China, it's pretty staggering. The problem is actually worse for the military, which spends about $10 billion a year on keeping up obsolete electronics parts. Ironically it's because they've switched to using off-the-shelf consumer electronics for 90 percent of their components—with a much shorter service life, four years at best—rather than "military-spec" gear, which was designed to hang around for a decade or more.

IEEE Spectrum lists a couple of egregious examples: The B-2 Spirit, one of Jesus' favorite planes, started flying in 1989, and by 1996, lots of its electronic components were obsolete. And in the Navy's new sonar system, 70 percent of the parts were obsolete when they started installing it.

Finding the parts isn't just difficult, it's expensive as hell, so the cost of maintaining obsolete but very necessary wares basically keeps you from upgrading. In the NYC subway case, instead of moving to a new, modern computerized system that would probably be cheaper in the long run, the Metropolitan Transit Authority has had to focus its limited budget on maintaining the frail, antediluvian network, trapping New Yorkers into an transit system light years behind, say, Japan's. (There have been stories in the recent past about the subway's upgrades, but they have mainly been superficial.)

Not all of you depend on the subway, or fly B-2 bombers, so here's a closer to home example: Windows vs. OS X. The latter is lighter, faster and springier, because it dumped all of the Classic OS's code. A fresh start, with a transition eased by the Classic emulation scheme. Windows Vista, on the other hand, is burdened by 20 years of legacy code, code that it could be argued is essentially obsolete. So we pay the price with a bloated operating system that struggles under its own massive girth. Dumping all that dead weight for Windows 7 and starting fresh—while painful—would be the best thing Microsoft could do. But it's not that easy, or they'd have done it, obviously. Maybe. You got any better examples of painful obsolescence? [IEEE Spectrum, NYT]

Unlike other aircraft fuel efforts, like hydrogen-fueled planes or vodka with Red Bull, the synthetic fuel used in the B-1B is actually derived from natural gas using the Fischer-Tropsch process. The 50% synthetic fuel and 50% petroleum gases mixture, however, is as capable as regular fuel, feeding with ease the B-1B's four General Electric F101-GE-102 augmented turbofans and pushing the variable sweep-winged bomber at Mach 1.25 to its objective, where it can launch AGM-69A short-range nuclear missiles, drop 24 Mk84 bombs or spread a lot of good will and clean air.

According to the USAF, the fuel is still under test after trying it successfully in this B-1B and the subsonic B-52 Stratofortress. They are aiming "to have every aircraft using synthetic fuel blends by 2011," according to Maj. Don Rhymer from the Air Force Alternative Fuels Certification Office. My favorite quote, however, comes from Captain Rick Fournier, the B-1B commander:

It's great to be part of an Air Force initiative that is also helping the environment, Captain Fournier said. "Using a fuel that is cheaper and cleaner ... what could be better?"

Rick, if Senator McCarthy was still around, you would be in jail by now. Damn you hippies in the military! Damn you! [Military.com, Boeing and Wikipedia]

512MB and 1GB versions
HDD
Chip: VX700 (3D support)
1024 x 600 pixel resolution
4.8" WSVGA Touchscreen
Integrated 2 Channel stereo speakers (1.0W)
HSDPA/UMTS - 850/1900/2100 MHz
GSM/GPRS/EDGE - 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
Mobile WiMax, 802.11b/g, Bluetooth, Webcam
1 x Universal Serial Bus (USB 2.0)
Microphone in
Headphone jack
24PIN connector
Pointing Device:
QWERTY 50 thumb keys
Touchpad with scroll capability
A/C adapter: 4Cell Lithium Ion Battery
100-240V / 50-60 Hz
Physical Features Size:
7.56 x 3.23 x 1.10 inches
1.12 lbs / 510g
Operating System: A/C adapter; standard battery; English manual
Windows XP Home (English)
[Dynamism]