Can your laptop do this?! (But seriously, don't try this at home)
I’ve been meaning to do this for quite some time now (and I’ve been providing “live demonstrations” to enthusiastic people whom I know), but today I finally got down to recording a short film boasting the HP EliteBook’s durability.
What did I do? I stood on my EliteBook, literally.
But before we continue, there be a couple of disclaimers: One, this film is in no way endorsed by Hewlett Packard (though if you happen to be from HP or an advertising firm and want me to do a commercial, my email address is on the top right corner of this website ). Two, I would not recommend trying this at home (and especially on your laptop) but if you do and anything happens, I won’t be liable!
And on with the details about my little demonstration:
About me: I’m a person of medium-build who weighs in at 175 lbs (approximately 80 kilograms).
About the EliteBook: I got this 12 inch EliteBook 2530p used from someone I know in early 2010. It has an Intel Core 2 Duo low-voltage processor, 4 GB of RAM and… but those things are not important…
What’s important now is the fact it’s survived a ton of bumps and knocks from everyday usage, several accidental drops onto surfaces from carpeted to concrete floors, spills (including a very major incident in October) and rain, and of course, various “standing” demonstrations.
About the background music (because I know someone’s bound to ask this question): The name of the song is “No B.S.” by Bodyrox, played directly from a friend’s Visio 5.1 “soundbar with satellites” speaker set, from the soundtrack of the Noel Clarke movie “4.3.2.1.“. I would go on to tell you that Tamsin Egerton from the movie has a lovely, posh British accent… but let’s get to the EliteBook demonstration now, shall we?!
I basically stood on the EliteBook’s lid with my full weight and without support, three times. The fact that this is a personally-owned laptop shows my confidence in free-standing on the EliteBook. With that, I present you with “175 lbs standing on an EliteBook”:
I would highly encourage you to check the video in its Full HD glory on YouTube and share it with people you know (Especially if you’ve got friends who like boasting about their Apple MacBook Pro’s!).
To share this video, here’s the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwuNaLpqSfM
And once again, if you’re from HP and would like to use this video or get me to do videos like this one, feel free to drop me an email!
Intel Sandy Bridge Core i5 and Core i7 with vPro technology
Intel has put up a section on their website about their vPro technology now available in those new Sandy Bridge series Core i5 and Core i7 processors. Now we all know that vPro is useful to large enterprises to remotely manage, secure and maintain company machines, and it’s not anything new; it was available on the first generation of Core i series processors, it has been available since the Core 2 series processors have been around… but what’s interesting (and what some readers call speculation worthy) here is the ability to manage “at higher resolutions, up to 1920 x 1200″. Now I’m sure most of us know not long ago, some details surfaced on the internet about Dell’s new mobile workstations, the 15 inch Precision M4600 and 17 inch Precision M6600, and one thing that triggered a lot of unrest is the Precision M6600 has been rumored to have gone the route of 16:9 ratio displays, with a resolution of 1920 x 1080. And many have gone to speculate that HP and Lenovo (the two other “big players” that produce 17 inch Mobile Workstation notebooks and no, the 17 inch Apple MacBook Pro doesn’t count, theirs isn’t a workstation-class notebook) would also follow the suit.
But that’s just speculation, ain’t it? It appears that a new “camp” of users have recently spawned this week as a result of this Intel story – the counter-speculators who are now saying the 16:10 ratio display is not quite dead yet on 2011 models of 17 inch notebooks. So based on these grounds, the HP EliteBook 8760w, or whatever it will be called (and let’s drag in the rumored Lenovo ThinkPad W702 while we’re at this, okay?), may still sport a 16:10 ratio 1920 x 1200 display. Then again there’s always a possibility it might be 16:9 ratio instead (but won’t that be a waste of developing that 17 inch DreamColor 2 screen, the one that’s found on the current EliteBook 8740w?). Well, whatever the aspect ratio, I’m sure we’ll know for sure once an official announcement comes out one day.
Hmm, this was unexpected – I just got an email from some people representing HP requesting we take down the picture and info sent to us by reader Mike W this morning. I’ve done just that in good faith, so until some official announcement of HP’s goodies…
However, there is this PDF file on HP’s website that mentions a 2560p and 2760p with multi-touch
Apple released new MacBook Pro models today in three sizes
Apple has just announced a fairly significant refresh to their three MacBook Pro models (13 inch, 15 inch and 17 inch). And though this ain’t an Apple Fansite (It’s an HP Fansite in case you haven’t noticed our big fat banner at the top =) , I’m sure it isn’t blasphemy for us to talk a little about the new products from the Windows PC world’s fruity competitor. The changes in a nutshell on the new MacBook Pro models include:
Intel 2011 “Sandy Bridge” second generation Core i-series processors
13 inch MacBook Pro gives you a choice between the lowly dual core 2.3 GHz Core i5-2410M or higher end dual core 2.7 GHz Core i7-2620M
15 and 17 inch MacBook Pros let you choose from two quad-core processors, the 2.2 GHz Core i7-2720QM and 2.3 GHz Core i7-2820QM, with the 15 inch MacBook Pro adding a third “lower tier” quad core option: the 2.0 GHz Core i7-2630QM
Change in graphics: Intel HD 3000 integrated graphics and AMD Radeon 6000M series discrete graphics (I can hear the ooh’s and ahh’s now)
13 inch MacBook Pro does away with the switchable graphics option of its predecessor, giving you just Intel integrated graphics
15 and 17 inch MacBook Pro models continue to have switchable graphics (Intel integrated + AMD discrete combo)
15 inch MacBook Pro lets you choose between having a 256 MB GDDR5 AMD Radeon 6490M or 1 GB GDDR5 AMD Radeon 6750M card
17 inch MacBook Pro only has the 1 GB GDDR5 AMD Radeon 6750M available, no choosing here!
FaceTime HD webcam (they do 720p standard HD video, like other HD webcams out there)
New “Thunderbolt” port (well, it isn’t a port by itself, it doubles as the Display Port too)
Well, hate to rain on the Apple party, but here’s why yesterday’s new EliteBook 8460p and EliteBook 8560p will be a better choice for those looking to do actual work on a Windows system and is not an Apple fanatic/not buying a notebook solely for its looks/isn’t already locked into the Apple ecosystem. Here’s why:
Lower starting price (though we won’t be able to do a head-to-head comparison until both HP and Apple get their configurable notebook pages online!) and 3 year standard warranty with the EliteBooks
Almost every Intel Sandy Bridge processor available as an option, from the super basic dual core Core i3-2310M to the quad core Core i7-2820QM, on both the 14 and 15 inch EliteBook models. This allows you to save if you don’t think you’ll need such a powerful processor; while on the 13 inch MacBook Pro, quad core isn’t even an option!
More ports and easy multi-monitor Eyefinity. The EliteBook models have 4 or 5 USB ports, depending if you look at the 8460p or 8560p, eSATA and out of the box support for AMD Eyefinity, AKA a multi-monitor setup, with its built-in VGA port and Display Port. You can add on another two monitors through the optional notebook dock for a total of four external displays. Meanwhile Apple hasn’t uttered a word about Eyefinity support on the new MacBook Pro models.
Higher resolution screen and matte displays are standard.
The EliteBook 8460p is configurable with a 1600 x 900, 14 inch screen while the 13 inch MacBook Pro’s glossy screen has a resolution of 1280 x 800 with no matte option available. The 15 inch MacBook Pro gives you a matte screen option (which costs extra) but resolution still tops out at a whopping 1440 x 900, compared to the EliteBook 8560p’s maximum resolution of 1920 x 1080.
Optical drive bay flexibility. The EliteBooks let you choose what you want in your optical drive bay: a regular CD/DVD reading+writing optical drive, Blu-ray drive, secondary hard disk or blank weight saver. You can also swap these around at will.
Chassis accessibility, user-replaceable primary battery and optional secondary battery. The base of the new EliteBooks can now be popped out via a simple latch so you can easily access the primary drive, optical drive bay, RAM slots and heatsink/fan… to do that with the MacBook Pro, you’ll need to undo a bunch of screws, a WHOLE bunch of screws! Also, if you’re gonna be away from the power outlet for quite a while, good luck getting that MacBook Pro charged (yes even 6 to 10 hours of battery life isn’t enough for some people, and heavy applications will drain juice at an even quicker rate) while you can simply bring a bag full of batteries if you have an EliteBook.
Pointing stick and secondary set of mouse buttons: for pointing stick fans!
However, yes the new MacBook Pros do triumph over the two EliteBooks of yesterday, somewhat, in some aspects:
Design. Despite sporting the exact same design as the MacBook Pros of previous years, one has to acknowledge that an old design is better than the new but unattractive design of the EliteBook 8460p and 8560p. Of course, this is highly subjective and depends on your personal taste; you may have some sentiment towards laptop designs from 1855 or something.
Slightly better graphics card in the 15 inch MacBook Pro versus the 15 inch EliteBook 8560p. Despite having the same amount of memory (1 GB), the MacBook Pro 15′s GDDR5 AMD Radeon 6750M is probably clocked faster than the EliteBook 8560p’s DDR3 AMD Radeon 6470M. However, do remember the EliteBook 8560p’s lower price tag… that, and we’ll see what the upcoming EliteBook 8560w with AMD FirePro and Nvidia Quadro workstation-class graphics has to say.
No direct competitor to the 17 inch MacBook Pro… for now. But wait till the 17 inch monster EliteBook 8760w arrives this summer…
Is the new “Thunderbolt” port an advantage on the MacBook Pro? It’s too early to judge. But right now as it seems, USB 3.0 is the obvious winner since there are no Thunderbolt port supporting devices while there’s a ton of USB 3.0 peripherals out there. This production-level Thunderbolt is also nowhere as lightning fast as the Light Peak concept Intel and Apple showed off a while back. Also, the fact that it shares the same port as where you’ll connect an external monitor, using a Thunderbolt device and an external monitor might be difficult or impossible without… you’ve guessed it, an optional adapter accessory of sorts!
HP EliteBook 8460p vs HP EliteBook 8560p: A summary
Hey, remember those new EliteBooks released yesterday? Sure you do! I think it’s interesting that the EliteBook 8460p and EliteBook 8560p are even closer together than the previous pair (EliteBook 8440p and EliteBook 8540p), with the only differences being:
Larger screen (obviously) on the EliteBook 8560p
EliteBook 8560p’s 15.6 inch display has three resolution options, which top out at 1920 x 1080 (Full HD), while the EliteBook 8460p’s 14 inch screen size gives you a choice between 1366 x 768 and 1600 x 900 panels only.
From what I’m told, these are the same LED backlit, matte displays used on their respective predecessors. Also, do note the lack of a DreamColor screen for the EliteBook 8560p; I’m also told DreamColor is still reserved for HP’s Mobile Workstation notebooks, so expect to see it make a comeback on the EliteBook 8560w
EliteBook 8560p has a serial port (8460p doesn’t have one) and an additional USB port over the Elitebook 8460p
I think many are going to be hard-pressed trying to justify the bigger EliteBook 8560p over the EliteBook 8460p, seeing they now are so similar. While the old 8540p had an upper hand in the graphics department over the 8440p, the two descendants launched last night now share the same AMD Radeon 6470M graphics card.
Also, I’ve got some even BIGGER news: The EliteBook 8560p now shares the same battery type as the EliteBook 8460p (which is the same battery used by HP’s 14 inch business notebooks for the past several years). Big-time HP fans (me, for instance) will know that HP’s 15 inch business notebooks have always used the same battery type as the larger 17 inch models; so you got an 8-cell battery that was flush with the notebook. Now that there’s been a change, you’ll only get a flush battery on the EliteBook 8560p if you go with the 6-cell option; a 9-cell battery is available, but it sticks out the back quite a bit.
Here’s a run down of what’s available for the EliteBook 8460p and EliteBook 8560p:
Intel’s 2nd generation “Sandy Bridge” Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 mobile processors (choices range from the really basic 2.1 GHz dual core Core i3-2310M, to the beefy 2.3 GHz quad core Core i7-2820QM processors)
Two DDR3 RAM slots for up to 16 GB of memory (using two 8 GB sticks)
Choice of discrete graphics (1 GB DDR3 AMD Radeon 6470M graphics card) or integrated graphics (Intel HD 3000 built-in graphics)
The discrete graphics card supports AMD Eyefinity, which allows you to connect up to 4 (yes, four) external displays to the notebook. Neither EliteBook has switchable graphics: You either go with discrete graphics or you don’t, so pick wisely when purchasing your notebook!
5 USB ports (two of which are USB 3.0) on the EliteBook 8560p, 4 USB ports (two of which are USB 3.0) EliteBook 8460p
VGA and Display Port built-in, so you can connect two external displays. To connect the maximum number of screens possible (4), you’ll need to have AMD graphics mentioned above, and HP’s optional docking station
As expected, the usual connectivity options: WiFi, mobile broadband and Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR
SD/SDHC/MMC card reader, no word about SDXC card support so far, and my contacts are mum about this too
2.5 inch built-in hard disk bay (HP will officially be offering hard disks from 250 GB to 750 GB sizes, 7200 RPM standard, and 128 GB/160 GB solid state drives)
Optical drive bay takes conventional DVD drives, Blu-ray drives, a secondary 2.5 inch drive or HP’s “weight saver” (a blank filler which slots in the bay)
Stereo microphones and stereo speakers; speakers have “SRS Premium Sound” branding
Choose between having no webcam, a ‘standard’ webcam or a HD webcam. The latter is a new option, where the HD webcam can do 720p video at up to 30 frames per second and promises improved low-light image quality and dynamic range
HP QuickWeb and Day Starter ‘instant boot’ modes for quick access to internet browser and your email client respectively
Fingerprint sensor
I’m finding it weird that HP is offering a “3 cell battery” for both notebooks, seeing the 6 cell battery already sits flush in the notebook… would a 3 cell battery be undersized and sit recessed in the battery bay?
If you’re into diagrams, labels and full blown technical details, HP has published a data sheet on the EliteBook 8460p and EliteBook 8560p. I think HP is indirectly acknowledging the similarity and closeness of both these notebooks, since they share a single data sheet PDF.
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). Two, I would not recommend trying this at home (and especially on your laptop) but if you do and anything happens, I won’t be liable!
