HP EliteBook 2730p

HP's rugged EliteBook 2730p tablet and 2530p laptop for suits

HP just unveiled a pair of rugged (MIL-STD 810F tested for dust, altitude, and high temperature) Centrino 2 12-inchers with the launch of its 2530p laptop and 2730p tablet. The 2730p bests the HP 2710p launched last year with the inclusion of a touchpad and new jog-dial along the side for use when the tablet is in slate mode. HP is also offering improved ULV (up to 1.2GHz) and LV (up to 1.86GHz) Core 2 Duo processor options and faster, 1.8-inch 5400RPM hard drive (up to 120GB), 80GB SSD, and Qualcomm's Gobi dual EV-DO / HSPA wireless option for near-complete WWAN support globally. The 2730p continues to maintain the legacy LED-backlit display, "Night Light" keyboard lighting, optional webcam (with business card reader), slice battery (up to 10-hours), and expansion base / docking station. Importantly, the stylus no longer slips out of the silo when carrying the 2730p through the cubicle farm.
The 2530p offers pretty much the same in a thinner (0.99-inches vs. 1.11-inches thick), lighter (3.19-pounds vs. 3.74-pounds), more traditional laptop design. See it pictured after the break.

HP's exceptionally fresh EliteBook 2730p tablet was recently reviewed by the notebook mavens over at GottaBeMobile, and right out of the gate, they delivered the line that tells all: "The HP 2730p EliteBook tablet is more than worthy of your consideration as your next or your first tablet PC." So, what did this thing do right in order to garner such a recommendation? Let's see -- overly satisfactory performance, an excellent design, smile-worthy battery life (4-hours in normal use on a single 6-cell), and perfectly implemented inking / tablet features. Granted, not everything was rosy, as the WXGA (1,280 x 800) screen left a little to be desired and the keyboard layout was similarly scolded. Overall, the unit still performed well enough to make it into their short list, but it sounds like you may want to try one in person before buying blind.