HP introduces new multi-touch enabled tablet, notebook PC's

HP has today taken the wraps off its latest small-to-medium business laptops, showing off a new multi-touch tablet PC and software which displays your calendar (12-hour time period) and battery charge level whilst the computer boots up.

The new tablet, called the HP EliteBook, boasts a 12.1-inch diagonal LED display which supports multi-touch capabilities - a key new feature of Windows 7 that supports multitouch gestures, finger taps and swipes across the screen. It comes in two variations - one selling for $1,099USD and the other $1,599USD. Both go on sale next month. “The HP business touch tablet is the latest addition to the broad mix of choices that HP offers business customers to best improve manageability, productivity and mobility,” Dan Forlenza, vice president, Business Notebooks, Personal Systems Group, HP said in a prepared statement today. “HP continues to implement the latest innovations to help large companies and SMBs exceed productivity expectations,” Forlenza said. Other laptop series included in the update include the HP ProBook s-series, which start at $719USD and now boast HD LED-backlit displays, Intel Core i3, i5 or i7 processors, a choice of Intel HD Graphics or discrete graphics for advanced multimedia support featuring the ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 4350 and support for multiple wireless technologies. All models also come with new multimedia controls for video playback, and with ArcSoft TotalMedia Suite, a basic video editing software, pre-installed. HP also unveiled their latest software, 'Day Starter', which works in partnership with HP QuickWeb and QuickLook software and allows users to view their calendar appointments for the next 12 hours and view their computers battery status all whilst the computer is starting up. It will now ship with all ProBooks and EliteBook P series laptops, which are targeted towards corporate environments.