HP Selected by Albertson College to Provide Laptop Computers to All Students.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

BOISE, Idaho--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 4, 2001

Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HWP) today announced that it has been selected by Albertson College of Idaho to provide laptop computers for students to use anywhere on the college's 43-acre wireless campus. Albertson is one of the first colleges in the western United States to provide laptop PCs to all of its incoming students.

This fall, Albertson, a private liberal arts college and the state's oldest four-year institution, will provide each of the 345 incoming freshmen with an HP Omnibook XE3 laptop PC, which recently received a first-class award for "solid connectivity, good battery life and innovative design" from Mobile Computing and Communications magazine. By 2004, Albertson will equip all students with a laptop PC.

Seventeen students in an English class taught by Albertson professor Rob Stacy are currently testing the HP Omnibook laptops in a pilot program. The students are using the equipment to research and write papers, plan presentations and conduct online discussions. Thanks to a wireless system installed this spring, students will be able to work with their laptops and access the Internet anywhere on campus, whether from their dorm rooms, the student union building or green spaces outside.

"We believe this initiative represents a bold step forward in the college's plans to blend the tools of technology with the education process," said Gregg Peters, education marketing manager, HP Public Sector Organization. "The fusion of education and HP's technology can make a significant difference in a teacher's ability to reach every student individually and in a student's ability to succeed on his or her own terms."

"The use of laptop computers will enhance traditional education by making learning more student-centered, more interactive, more oriented to problem solving and more engaging for students who are already computer literate," said Albertson College President Kevin Learned. "The program will help connect our entire college community and equip our students for life beyond the campus."

The HP Omnibook XE3 laptop PCs include an integrated CD-ROM, built-in floppy disk drive and modem. The laptops will be replaced every two years in order to provide students with the latest technological developments, according to Albertson. HP also will provide technical service and support.

Albertson's laptop program is part of a $1.7 million technology initiative launched last year. Since last fall, Albertson has replaced all of the computers in student labs, equipped classrooms with Internet-accessible presentation equipment and retooled the campus for wireless computing. The college has spent the last year preparing for the laptop project by integrating computer use into the curriculum.

About HP

Hewlett-Packard Company -- a leading global provider of computing and imaging solutions and services -- is focused on making technology and its benefits accessible to individuals and businesses through simple appliances, useful e-services and solutions for an Internet infrastructure that's always on.

HP had total revenue from continuing operations of $48.8 billion in its 2000 fiscal year. Information about HP and its products can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.hp.com.