Fully certified for Windows 7, the L2105tm features 1920x1080 resolution, 1000:1 contrast, 5ms response, and VGA, DVI-D with HDCP connections. You'll only be able to use two-finger multitouch (or single-point stylus), but if you're buying a monitor anyway, it's smart that manufacturers are keeping the touch price premiums low...well...attainable. [SlashGear]

For a budget system, the CQ61 is actually a pretty sturdy notebook. It isn't all that slim or light, but inside its got older generation AMD Sempron processor and ATI graphics.

The Presario 4010f desktop PC has an overall nice simple black design for its $309 starting price. It is loaded with an AMD Sempron processor, NVIDIA GeForce graphics and a 250 GB hard drive. It doesn't come with a monitor but you can always pick up Compaq's 17-inch monitor for an extra $119. Both systems will be available on October 22 with Windows 7. [HP]

HP Delivers Affordable, High-quality Computing with New Compaq Consumer and Commercial PCs

PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 13, 2009 – HP today unveiled new Compaq PCs that provide families, students and small businesses the computing capabilities they need at price they desire.

Compaq products offer essential features, attractive designs and reliable performance at an affordable price, placing computing freedom and productivity within reach of more customers.

Available globally, Compaq PCs meet the needs of consumers and small business customers especially well in emerging and developing countries where first-time PC purchases are made on limited budgets after great consideration. In the United States, where the economy is more than ever a factor in spending, the Compaq brand provides consumers and small businesses flexibility in PC purchases.

"Everyone deserves access to a high-quality computer, and HP makes that possible with the Compaq brand," said Steven Hoffman, director of worldwide marketing, Personal Systems Group, HP. "The Compaq portfolio delivers great design, strong performance and reliability that customers need for ‘just right computing' at ‘just the right price.'"

Consumers will appreciate the design of the Compaq Presario CQ61z notebook PC. It features a piano black imprint finish with a silver panel that covers the palmrest and touchpad for a clean contrast. It balances mobility and performance and has a 15.6-inch diagonal high-definition display with 16:9 ratio and six-cell lithium-ion battery. Ideal for families and students looking for a mobile PC, the CQ61z starts at $399 after $100 instant savings available Oct. 18 to Dec.19.

The Compaq Presario 4010f desktop PC delivers all the productivity of a traditional PC in a sleek, streamlined desktop design. It comes fully loaded with essential features, including an AMD Sempron™ processor, NVIDIA GeForce integrated graphics and a 250 gigabyte (GB)(2) hard drive. Capable of storing up to 49,000 songs or 39,000 photos, this desktop PC is great for families and students and starts at $309.

The Compaq 500B Series desktop PCs are designed for budget-conscious small businesses that need PCs that are easy to set up, use and expand. The Compaq 500B and 505B desktop PCs, available with Intel or AMD processors respectively, offer businesses efficient and reliable performance with a Windows® 7 operating system,(3) and configurable hard drives and memory. The series offers an array of bays and ports for business users who need expandability for future growth and with more than 100,000 hours of testing, they are built to last. The Compaq 500B and 505B desktop PCs start at $359 and $409, respectively.

All products are expected to be available Oct. 22.

They ain't revolutionary, but should get the job done. The 14-inch Compaq 515 comes with either an AMD Athlon X2 or Turion X2 processor, while the 15.6-inch Compaq 610 goes the Intel route, with either a Core 2 Duo T5870 or dual-core Celeron.

Both laptops have 1366 by 768 LED-backlit displays, and support up to 8GB of DDR-800 memory. Standard fare includes Wi-Fi, a LightScribe DVD writer, SD card slot, and VGA-output.

The basic $429 Compaq 515 has a 160GB hard disk, but you can up that to a 250GB for more spreadsheet storage power. Graphics are served up by an integrated ATI Radeon HD 3200 GPU.

Though the Compaq 610 has lowly Intel GMA X3100 graphics, even the entry-level $449 model includes a 250GB hard disk as standard.

[HP via Laptoping via Electronista]

The battery packs were sold separately and in laptops between August 2007 through March 2008. Naturally, if you think you might be affected, it might be a good idea to check and see if your battery matches the ones pictured in the gallery before using it again. Hit up the following link for more details. [HP and CPSC via Ubergizmo]

Apple, the best-ranked hardware manufacturer, ranked 23rd on the list out of 113, which is fine, but nothing to write home about. HP and Compaq took the 72nd and 74th spots, respectively, and Dell was ranked all the way down at number 93. The study's author suspects Microsoft may be at fault for the PC manufacturers' low scores, though to be fair, this seems to be drawn from the "Ease of Use" rubric, which could refer either to hardware or software.

None of the hardware manufacturers came close to the top, however. Even Apple barely made it into the "Good" category, whereas retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble easily scored "Excellent."

Wireless and internet service providers scored painfully low. Charter Communications, an ISP, ranked last out of the whole group, and both Comcast and Verizon ranked in the bottom third. On the wireless side, AT&T and Verizon were crushed by, surprise surprise, Alltel and T-Mobile. But even Alltel only hit number 48. Check out the basic list below. [CNN]

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.

The Price: $499-$750. The ($750) tested version packs a 8.9" screen, 1.6Ghz processor, 2GB of RAM, 120GB HD and Windows Vista Business.
The Verdict: It's a remarkable little laptop if you can stand the extra weight and price over the Eee PC 4G.

It starts with Vista. It's not that you can't do basic functions in Linux (or load XP onto the Eee), but the Mini-Note note not only runs Vista, it runs Aero at a pretty reasonable level. It's not the speediest computer on the planet, but you're never left holding your breath for programs to open or to properly multitask.

And it's extremely comfortable to use. The keyboard is rated at "92% of full-sized QWERTY," and the keys even have nice rebound off your fingers. (My biggest problems typing arose when I narrowed my finger pattern, subconsciously anticipating the keyboard to be smaller given the size of the computer.) I wish the trackpad were so well designed. It works, but—and this will sound petty—my finger seems to stick to its finish. That wouldn't be a big deal, but you really have to crank up the sensitivity to compensate for the tiny pad in the first place.

The screen is gorgeous at 8.9" and 1280 x 768 resolution. Side by side against the Eee, it's night and day, like comparing a PSP to a Nintendo DS. It's still not quite big enough for me, as I constantly move the screen closer to my face. But it's sharp, bright and contrasty. You can't fault it for quality.

Compared to the Eee: The HP I've tested runs $350 more than the stock, classic Eee 4G. That's almost double the price. But you will need to add more RAM to its 512MB base on the Eee, and its stock Linux package just isn't acceptable for advanced use. I think that most Eee owners will find that $400 price point too good to be true.

Then again, my Eee weighs so much less than the Mini-Note. I'm not sure that HP's advertised sub-3lb metric counts in my configuration (and a 6-cell battery). Because it just doesn't have that throw-it-in-your-purse-manbag lightness. It feels like it weighs two Eees.

Loaded with Vista and packing 100+GB of storage, the HP Mini-Note is a full-blown laptop in a little package. The Eee PC 4G is not (pending some modification).

Like you, I'm also interested to see how the Eee PC 900 (with its 8.9" screen) sizes up—I'll keep you posted. [HP]

No price yet, but the Wi-Fi-enabled HP Compaq 2133 supposedly comes with an 8.9-inch 1,366 x 766 "scratch-resistant" display, ExpressCard/54 slot, integrated webcam, optional solid state flash drive and two-buttons-apart trackpad that looks like it was designed by Satan himself. [Engadget]

Judging from family names, the two confirmed machines, the HP Compaq 2510p and 2710 tablet (not the laptop above), they likely aren't high end beauties like those DV pavillions you've seen in the Shawn White and Jay Z commercials. But they'll have the battery saving, bright tech inside their screens, and that makes me happy on the insides.

Hewlett-Packard(HP) plans to ship in the third quarter an ultra-light notebook and a tablet PC with light-emitting diode displays...

The LED displays will be available on the ultra-light HP Compaq 2510p, and the HP Compaq 2710 tablet, an HP spokeswoman said Friday. LED screens use more power than LCDs, but HP has narrowed the difference through the use of its own technology in what it calls an Illumi-Lite display. The 2510p notebook has a 12.1-inch screen, and is available with either Windows Vista or Windows XP. The machine weighs 2.9 pounds, and is powered by Intel's Centrino Pro processor. Specifications for the 2710 tablet PC, which has a touch screen, have not been released.

The new PCs are scheduled to ship in the third quarter. Pricing information was not disclosed.

Right now, the Sony Vaio TX and a few others in their line have LED backlights, to great effect. And of course, within the last few weeks, ElJobso promised LED backlights in Apple gear soon. – Brian Lam

HP To Ship Two Mobile PCs With LED Displays [Informationweek]

Everyone's products suck. Great. But at least it's good to know that the companies with the best reputations rose to the top, even if it's only by a margin of 1% in some cases. I guess we recommend buying that overpriced extended warranty after all. – Mark Wilson

All Laptops Break. Period. [consumerist]

Priced at $1,599, this bugger looks like a good choice for business folks who don't want to go the Lenovo route.

HP Compaq nc2400 [LaptopMag]

I'm using a Compaq Evo. I feel less hate than I expected; it's more of a smirking pity for the schmuck with an ugly machine. We'll see how those bastards like it when I'm first in line for an Intel iBook. And when I'm rich and famous and have beautiful women and I'LL SHOW YOU ALL, SMUG MAC OWNERS.

The "Apple's selling plasma TVs" rumor is catching on and nearly being reported as a solid prediction. I still call bull.

And you thought that $398 laptop at Walmart the day after Thanksgiving was cheap! Fuhgeddaboutit. CompUSA can beat that. On Sunday, the computer company was selling a Toshiba laptop with a 15-inch screen, 1.5GHz Celeron M processor, 256MB of memory and a 60GB hard drive for $150, after $550 in rebates and signing away your life to AOL for one year. It lasted only 16 hours, but even with the AOL thrown in that's a darn good deal. And then, to go one step further, the retailer offered a $99 Compaq desktop with an AMD processor, 17-inch CRT monitor, 256MB of memory, an 80GB hard drive and a CD-RW drive—also after about $480 worth of rebates. Obviously it's a ploy to get warm bodies into the store and spending money. Brian Woods, executive vice president and general merchandising manager of CompUSA, reported the company sold 7500 Toshiba notebooks in just 2 hours, while 7500 desktop bundles were also sold during the day. But don't fret, though the laptops were completely sold out, some of those desktops are still around, so I suggest checking your CompUSA flyer this weekend if you're looking for a deal.

No. It wasn't a typo [news.com]