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HP Readies Ultra-Thin and Light Notebook

The company plans to introduce a 3.1-pound notebook that packs a wallop.

By Torsten Busse, PCWorld   

HP%squots future ultra-thin Omnibook notebook PC will weight only 3.1 pounds and be less than a quarter of an inch thick, HP officials said. HP%squots current lightest Omnibook weighs 3.7 pounds.

The system--built around Intel%squots new 200-MHz and 233-MHz Mobile Pentium processor--is being developed in collaboration with Mitsubishi Electric of Japan.

The yet-to-be-named-and-priced notebook is due to be released in the first quarter of 1998, said Andrew Zaremba, product marketing manager of HP%squots mobile computing division.

%dquotMitsubishi is contributing its super-thin keyboard, battery, and LCD display expertise, while HP is contributing notebook systems design, distribution, and support infrastructure,%dquot Zaremba said.

Mitsubishi will manufacture the new notebook and also market the system in Japan, while HP will handle distribution in North America and Europe, HP officials said.

While the final configuration of the ultra-thin and light notebook is still being worked out, the thin system will not support CD-ROM or DVD drives, Zaremba said.

It will, however, feature two PCMCIA slots, Mitsubishi%squots 12.1-inch Thin Film Transistor liquid crystal display, a hard disk, expandable RAM, and all other components that make up a full-featured notebook, Zaremba said.

With the new system, HP is going after users in a small but important market segment, namely senior managers and executives at large to medium-size businesses, which make up less than 10 percent of the total notebook market, Zaremba said.

%dquotThese users frequently travel and typically have already experience with two to three notebook PCs and understand the value of small, lightweight, highly portable notebooks,%dquot Zaremba said.

HP%squots ultra-thin notebook will also integrate lithium polymer batteries, which offer the same energy capacity and similar chemical consistency as lithium ion batteries but can be produced in a very thin form factor, Zaremba said.

HP%squots future ultra-thin notebook is one example of a new generation of notebook PCs based on Intel%squots new Mobile Pentium, which allow systems makers to make products in all sorts of new sizes, shapes and weights, said Frank Spindler, marketing director of Intel%squots mobile and hand-held products group.