With its new line of Compaq Computer Presario notebooks, Hewlett-Packard is looking for road warriors who enjoy the freedom of movement, but prefer to stay plugged in at home.
The Presario 1500 is a machine that can effectively replace a desktop computer, but is also small enough to be taken on the road. By including a desktop Pentium 4 processor into the notebook, the company is gunning for consumers and small businesses that value performance first, and portability second.
The Compaq notebook is just one of many portable computers that incorporate a desktop Pentium 4 processor. The chips typically perform better than their mobile counterparts, yet run hotter, requiring manufacturers to build a larger chassis around them for cooling. The new Presario starts at $1,364, before rebates, and includes a 2GHz Pentium 4, a 14-inch screen, 128MB of RAM, and a 20GB hard drive. It weighs about 7 pounds.
HP says that a prospective Presario 1500 buyer will likely spend most of the time stationary and plugged in, only going mobile once in awhile. HP's Compaq team has dubbed this practice "casual mobility."
"There's a class of users who are looking more for a desktop versus a notebook they could take on an airplane," said Jonathan Kaye, manager of product marketing for HP's personal systems group.
This group of consumer also tends to buy notebooks with large screens, which makes it possible to build a larger chassis. "So why not take advantage of the faster desktop processor?" Kaye asked.
News source: C|Net
