HP: new wireless-ready notebook PC.

HP (NYSE:HPQ) has unveiled the Compaq Evo N620c, a wireless-ready notebook PC for business customers looking for greater mobility with no sacrifice in performance. The notebook delivers up to six hours of battery life, has a lightweight design and offers flexible, secure wireless connectivity--all fitting the mobile lifestyle of business users.

Featuring the new Intel Pentium-M processor also used in the Intel Centrino mobile solution, the Compaq Evo N620c delivers outstanding power and performance. The Intel Pentium-M processors deliver up to 70 percent better battery performance versus Intel Pentium 4-M processors with equivalent clock speeds.

HP is focused on delivering the latest integrated connectivity technology, including gigabit Ethernet and wireless LAN, to provide customers with optimized connectivity today and the promise of investment protection as network infrastructures evolve over time.

"Business users want technology that makes wireless communication easy, reliable and secure while still allowing them to stay productive for long periods of time," said Kevin Frost, vice president of worldwide notebook marketing, HP Personal Systems Group. "HP understands the needs of the connected enterprise and is designing notebooks that can be implemented in IT environments without the risk of obsolescence or incompatibility."

As part of the company's efforts to deliver the best return for customers' IT investments, HP offers many cost-saving features with all "c"-class business notebooks, including long managed lifecycles for consistent product rollouts, stable images, system management, common "multibay" optional components, common docking, and flexible, wireless connectivity delivered globally. The Compaq Evo N620 notebook is backed by HP's world-class global services network.

HP also ensures support for important security standards that address wireless LAN security concerns. Current HP wireless business notebook PCs, including the Compaq Evo N620c, provide support for Cisco-EAP (Cisco-Leap), an industry standards based approach to help ensure only authorized users are able to connect to a Cisco wireless network.

HP integrated wireless LAN solutions feature support for a range of industry-standard security building blocks that includes 128-bit WEP data encryption and the 802.1x standard, additionally addressing customer needs for secure wireless user authentication.

The Evo N620c notebook also supports the HP Protect Tools Smart Card Security Manager with optional HP PC Card Smart Card reader. This security solution allows the use of smart card technology to protect against unauthorized users turning the computer on and accessing data.

Future HP business notebooks with integrated wireless LAN, including new Intel Centrino-based notebooks from HP, also are expected to be certified under the recently announced Cisco Compatible Extensions program. Certification will ensure that HP notebooks have been tested to provide interoperability with Cisco wireless networks and a path to future enhancements.

Weighing less than five pounds and measuring a thin 1.2 inches, the Compaq Evo N620c is optimized for mobility, connectivity and security.

Featuring the new Intel Pentium-M processor with speeds up to 1.6 GHz, ATI's Mobility Radeon 7500 graphics technology with 32 MB of DDR SDRAM and a 14.1-inch SXGA+ or XGA TFT display, the Evo N620c meets the challenges of the most demanding corporate environment.

An integrated Gigabit (10/100/1000 mb/s) LAN controller allows users to connect to a local network at speeds up to 10 times faster than today's fast Ethernet technology with backwards compatibility to existing wired network infrastructure. USB 2.0--up to 40 times faster than the speed of USB 1.1--and optional MultiPort 802.11b and Bluetooth round out the portfolio of features available to keep users connected.

In addition, the Evo N620c provides the convenience of desktop printing with HP Mobile Printing for Notebooks software, which enables printing from the notebook to any networked HP printer on a company intranet without requiring complex setup or configuration.

The Compaq Evo N620c notebook PC is available to customize with a full range of options. Available now, it can be purchased through participating resellers, at http://www.hp.com or by phone at [phone]. Estimated U.S. pricing for the Compaq Evo Notebook N620c configured with the Pentium M 1.4-GHz processor, 14.1 TFT XGA, 40-GB hard drive, 256-MB RAM, DVD and 32-MB VRAM starts at $1,799.

HP plans to introduce a new Centrino-based notebook PC later in spring. Centrino technology represents an opportunity to build on a shared mobility vision with Intel for notebooks that emphasize secure wireless connectivity, long battery life and thin and lightweight design, with the performance today's mobile professional demands.

The upcoming Centrino-based notebook PC from HP will target small- and medium-sized business customers and consumers, complementing HP's broad portfolio of mobility products that gives customers more freedom to match the right notebook with the right user.

HP is a leading global provider of products, technologies, solutions and services to consumers and businesses. The company's offerings span IT infrastructure, personal computing and access devices, global services and imaging and printing. HP completed its acquisition of Compaq Computer Corporation on May 3, 2002.