Compaq nc8230: A Dim Widescreen Packed With Features

1. HP/Compaq Means Business With Its Latest Notebook

The Hewlett Packard Compaq nc8230

On paper, the Compaq nc8230 offers everything it needs to last an eight-hour workday on a single battery charge. First there's the ambient light sensor, which dims the display's brightness when the surroundings are dark. Second, it comes with an optional secondary battery, the HP Common Travel Battery, that nearly doubles its running time.

Hewlett Packard, the current market leader, has based this 15.4" widescreen business notebook on Intel's new second-generation Centrino platform, Sonoma . In addition to PAN and WLAN functionality, the portable also offers extensive security features, such as an integrated Smartcard reader and an (optional) TPM module. Finally, it ships with HP's Protect Tools software and the Altiris Express backup utility.

As a member of the nc Business Notebooks PC Enterprise series, the unit will also enjoy an extended product cycle of at least one year, according to the company. This helps to ensure the product's image stability, which is a big factor in the business market.

As you can see, there are more than enough reasons to take a closer look at this notebook.