HP's move towards more durable notepads makes sense if you're a corporate warrior, 007 type or just plain clumsy, writes Andy van Smeerdijk.
We've all done it: spilled coffee across the keyboard, dropped a laptop on the train or carted it on yet another bruising business trip. If computers had feelings, Amnesty International would nail us all.
With laptops and notepads increasingly more handsome and capable than their owners, many of us clumsy, absent-minded users feel we have to treat them with kid gloves. At least I do. Confronted with flash pieces that can't take the rough and tumble of everyday life, you don't feel like taking them out to play.
But the trend is turning. HP's new business range of laptops and notepads are designed for professionals who cart their notepads around 24/7 (not to mention those of us with dodgy co-ords).
Take the HP EliteBook, for instance. You can drop it on the floor, stamp on it and even pour water across its keyboard. I know this because I recently witnessed a HP product manager do exactly that.
The EliteBook packs a shock-resistant hard drive and spill-resistant keyboard and was designed to meet MIL-STD 810F military standard tests. No, this doesn't mean you can shoot a rocket launcher at it; however, this does mean it's been tested to withstand vibration, humidity and extreme temperatures (-29C to 60C), a bonus if you live in the UAE.
There are other 007 touches to HP's notebooks too. Security features include HP ProtectTools Security Manager. According to the folk at HP Middle East, deleted files stay deleted due to what's known as the File Sanitizer. Through drive encryption, information is encoded on the hard drive to ensure that anything sensitive is rendered unreadable if a notepad's stolen, lost or intercepted by the bad guys... er, competition.
Evasive action
The Compaq 6730s and other s-series notebooks feature 3D DriveGuard, which is able to detect sudden movement and take protective measures to protect the hard drive from rough and tumble. They also feature a 15.4-inch widescreen, WLAN and Bluetooth wireless technology. Price on enquiry.
Hard case
Like other b-series notebooks, the Compaq 6730b packs a silver finish, magnesium alloy support structure. The display enclosure and palm rest are coated in scratch-resistant. Weighing 2.41kg, it features a 14.1-inch display. From Dhs4099
Small but sharp
Now here's something Bond would keep in his carry-on. The 2133 Mini-Note PC weighs in at a mere 1270 grams and packs a 8.9-inch screen, wireless and multimedia capabilities and a range of security features. From Dhs2099.
