With like the dell latitude e4200 a few notable exceptions, to be a bit on the plain side compared to their consumer counterparts business notebooks tend. While hp’s latest 12.1in laptopi HP Compaq 2230s Series NA875ES business notebook strays too far from this ethos not, add a few glossy bits and more importantly, it does, some connectivity you might expect from a business machine not. .
Outside, only semi-matte, the laptop2230s does look quite plain but the black finish used is, striking the ideal balance between avoiding fingerprints and looking too dull not. Nothing to detract from its simple appeal, an embossed silver hp logo certainly does, either. .
Opening the notebook up, further consumerist touches, there are, with piano black bezel around the screen. Fortunately, the palm rests, all matte, keyboard and touchpad are, with the only other glossy sections being a thin strip around the keyboard, the power button, the touch-sensitive media controls and the touchpad’s buttons. .
Overall, attractive and mostly practical, the 2230s is, but some concessions to cost in the build of the machine, there are. That is to say that the 2230s is weak or flimsy not, but the plastics used feel not as solid as we are used to with business machines. .
Above the keyboard, set into a black metal speaker grille, the power button is backlit in white and together with the touch-sensitive media controls is which runs along the entire width of the keyboard. Fairly accurate, the touch-sensitive controls are, to orange to indicate status changes turning from white. .
Of these calls up hp info centre the first one, which to protect the drive brings up a handy panel that accesses hp’s 3d driveguard (a technology which I will explain later) help and support, hp protecttools security manager, software setup, wireless assistant and user guide. Are shortcuts for presentation settings and wireless, next to this is, and of all volume controls last. Overall, genuinely useful selection for many business users, is it. .
As still the best netbook keyboard on the market, one would expect from the company that designed what is, very good, the 2230s’ keyboard is. Though still well-defined, feedback is on the shallow side it is, very comfortable, while the broad matte keys are. Logical, layout is, with the only minor complaint being that the secondary icons on the f1-f12 keys little difficult to make out can be .
To the recessed synaptics touchpad moving down, pleasant, its surface (which is the same as the palm-rests) is: Smooth but slippery not. As mentioned before, glossy, the two buttons are, but only visible from a very limited angle, though they do pick up fingerprints easily these are. Good, their feedback is, though if, being picky they do go down a bit far for ideal comfort, are we. .
Design is the only area where the 2230s has more in common with a consumer than a business notebook not. No sign of any legacy ports and unusually we find hdmi included among the video outputs, there is. Those who might wish to occasionally hook up their laptop to a tv, delighted to hear this, will be, and moving ever so slowly to digital, even in many business environments things are.
Worry if you are still stuck with vga though not, as d-sub port joins the hdmi one on the notebook’s right. This side we find the lock slot also on, two usb ports, an sd/mmc memory card reader and 34mm expresscard slot.
No connections on the back, there are, while the front houses only headphone and microphone jacks, visible with the notebook closed, beside a small hard drive activity indicator that is. Ethernet and modem ports, finally to the right we have, the power connector, single usb port and the lightscribe dvd-rewriter. .
Placed a small indicator light by the power socket, in an interesting touch hp has, which of the 2230s’ lighting switches between white and orange like the rest, but limited by having to look around the side to see it, its utility is – still nearly hidden by the actual power plug, where it is.
To the hp compaq 2230s’ innards getting, headed up by an intel core 2 duo t5870 processor running at 2.00ghz, things are. Certainly fast enough for any business applications, this 65nm cpu has 2mb of cache and an 800mhz front side bus speed and is. Backed up by 2gb of 800mhz ddr2 memory, it is, which plenty for most business users and should keep the included version of windows vista business happy, again is. Since left free, one dimm-slot is, also always be upgraded with another 2gb module at a later date, can it. That hp offers a downgrade to windows xp professional on certain configurations, another nice detail worth mention is, though only when buying direct.
Storage is handled by a 160gb hard drive and, protected by hp’s 3d driveguard technology, is it. For read the explanation of what that entails in my earlier review of the hp compaq 6730b those who have not, combination of shock-dampening material and a magnesium drive cage with an accelerometer, 3d driveguard is, which parks the drive-head when it senses a drop. Open or closed, its sensitivity is even throttled depending on whether the notebook is, all of which provides as much protection as possible for a mechanical drive this notebook is.
Within the 2230s range, get up to a 2.1ghz t6570 cpu, you can, of ram and 320gb hard drive 4gb, though everything else aside from the os remains the same. Graphics power is very important on a business notebook not, perfectly adequate, thus the bog-standard intel integrated gma 4500hd graphics are. .
Things pick up nicely when it comes to wireless connectivity though, with draft-n and bluetooth 2.0. Also on hand, gigabit ethernet is. Aside from a fingerprint reader on the right palm-rest, all software-based, the other business features are.
