HP XT6200

WHAT'S HOT: As the midrange model in HP's line of business notebooks, the Omnibook XT6200 offers corporate users a few more perks than the almost-identical Omnibook XT6050, including an S-Video-out port, dedicated graphics memory, and an optional 15-inch screen (our review model came with a 14.1-inch screen). The XT6200 sports the familiar Omnibook design: a relatively slim case, a modular bay on the front with a push-in-slide-forward release switch, and a 6.9-pound weight (including the 8X DVD-ROM drive and the power adapter). Without the power brick and with a travel module replacing the optical drive, the notebook weighs 5.4 pounds.

The Omnibook XT6200's other warm-swappable bay options--a combination optical drive, an LS-120 SuperDisk drive, a Zip 250 drive, and a second 30GB hard drive--work across HP's Omnibook lines. Our review model came wireless-ready, including a handy on/off button for the antenna with a status LED on the left side of the case. The 802.11b wireless interface costs an extra $102. A good keyboard with a quartet of application shortcut buttons and a touchpad lock top it all off.

WHAT'S NOT: With the Omnibook XT6200, its lower-end sibling the XT6050, and the higher-end Omnibook VT6200, HP has phased out floppy drives as standard equipment; a floppy drive module for the warm-swappable bay costs $80. Although HP offers 24-hour, seven-day tech support, calls are not toll-free.

WHAT ELSE: The Omnibook XT6200 lacks the dual pointing devices provided in the older Omnibook models it replaces, but it has just about everything else most business users will need, and then some. All the usual notebook ports and connections come standard. Parts are easy to access, including the 30GB hard drive, which you can remove but not upgrade (30GB is the largest drive HP offers for this range). A combined toggle and mute button on the right side make it easy to adjust the volume of the stereo speakers, located at the top of the keyboard. HP provides thorough, helpful documentation in both print and electronic form.

The XT6200 introduces Intel's Pentium 4 processor into the Omnibook line, but we didn't notice any improvement in performance: With a PC WorldBench 4 score of 98, it barely outperformed its own little sibling, the 1.13-GHz Pentium III-M-equipped Omnibook XT6050, which earned a score of 96. The battery life was down: It lasted 3 hours on one charge, average for most notebooks but 90 minutes shorter than the XT6050's 4.5-hour run.

UPSHOT: Companies that have standardized on Omnibooks and want the option to have a larger 15-inch screen and an S-Video-out port might jump for this model. Otherwise, they should go with the XT6050, a just-as-fast, nearly identical notebook with a 14.1-inch screen and much better battery life.

SUMMARY

HP Omnibook XT6200 PC WorldBench 4 score of 98, 1.6-GHz/1.2-GHz Pentium 4-M CPU, 256MB of DDR-266 SDRAM, 512KB L2 cache, Windows XP Professional, 14.1-inch active-matrix screen, ATI Radeon Mobility M6 graphics with 16MB of DDR SDRAM, 30GB hard drive, 8X DVD-ROM drive, built-in V.90 modem and network adapter, touchpad pointing device, 6.9 pounds (including AC adapter and phone cord). One-year parts warranty and labor warranty, free 24-hour daily support (calls are not toll-free). $2049 800/752-0900 www.hp.com