September 8 - 2:55pm EDT   HP today heated up competition against Dell by announcing a special trim level of the EliteBook 6930p that it believes sets a new record in battery life. Through new firmware and graphics drivers, an Ultra Capacity battery pack, an LED-backlit display and Intel's just-launched 80GB SSD, the 14-inch notebook can last for as much as 24 hours on one charge. The figure if accurate would beat Dell's claimed 19-hour record and would be enough to last an entire Newark-to-Singapore flight with extra power left. [full story]

August 18 - 9:00am EDT   HP today added yet again to its EliteBook lineup with two new systems that push the line towards the ultra-mobile category. The 12.1-inch 2730p (shown at top) is the first convertible tablet in the line and is characterized as one of the thinnest notebooks in its class at just over 1.1 inches; though the styling is similar to the earlier Compaq 2710p, it now finds room for a full trackpad as well as separate tablet buttons and a jogwheel for fast scrolling through documents. [full story]

August 11 - 3:45pm EDT   Intel will announce a second mobile quad-core processor when it kicks off its Developer Forum next week, according to a report. While the Santa Clara, California-based company is commonly known to be preparing a 2.53GHz Core 2 Extreme destined for high-end mobile workstations and gaming systems, a second model under the more mainstream Core 2 Quad name will also reportedly be available. Known under a Q9100 model name, the processor will run at a lower 2.26GHz clock speed and have its speed multiplier locked to encourage gamers to adopt the more expensive 2.53GHz part. [full story]

August 11 - 8:25am EDT   HP today preceded the SIGGRAPH expo by introducing a notebook it claims breaks two records in notebooks. The 17-inch EliteBook 8730w is the first known notebook to use a true Intel mobile quad-core processor rather than repurposed desktop parts and thus has the same size and battery performance of regular 17-inch systems. The company doesn't reveal the processor but is known to be using a 2.53GHz Core 2 Extreme with 12MB of Level 2 cache, trading the clock speed of some Core 2 Duo processors for better performance in video encoding and other tasks that can recognize more than two cores. [full story]

June 10 - 4:00am EDT   As part of a wide effort, HP today gave its business notebooks a refresh that includes a brand new model. The EliteBook signals one of HP's first rugged notebooks and is designed to survive both cosmetic and internal damage: anodized aluminum on the palm rest and outside shell keep the computer free of scratches, while a magnesium honeycomb cage and an anti-twist 14-inch display prevent impact damage from ruining the system's innards. The casing, shock-resistant hard drive, and spill-proof keyboard help meet US military-grade 810F levels for survivability in extreme temperatures as well as vibrations and very damp environments. [full story]