HP EliteBook 2740p Specifications:
- Screen: 12.1-inch WXGA (1280 x 800) UWVA LED Backlit Multitouch (Matte finish)
- Operating System: Windows 7 Professional (64bit)
- Processor: Intel Core i5-540M (2.53GHz, 3MB Cache)
- Memory: 4GB DDR3 RAM (2GB + 2GB)
- Storage: 250GB Toshiba 1.8" HDD (5400rpm)
- Wireless: Intel 6200 802.11AGN, Bluetooth
- Graphics: Intel GMA HD Integrated Graphics
- Power: 44Wh primary battery, 46Wh slice battery, 65W 20V AC adapter
- Dimensions: 11.42 x 8.35 x 1.25"
- Weight: 3.93lbs
- Retail Price: $1,699
It's fun to zoom in and out of images and play with the toys of Windows 7's Touch Pack, but in the absence of everyday touch-enabled applications like those of HP's TouchSmart consumer PCs, tablet PCs depend on in-house apps for vertical industries such as healthcare. The EliteBook 2740p's mix of precise stylus and breezy touch input makes it an outstanding platform for development and deployment of such apps.
The 2740p bristles with ports and switches. On the left side you'll find the storage hole for the stylus, an SD flash card slot, an ExpressCard slot, FireWire and USB 2.0 ports, and an on/off switch for Wi-Fi. The Core i5's integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator HD graphics fall short of satisfying hardcore gamers, but are more than quick enough for HP EliteBook 2740p AC adapter and image-editing applications. We saw a score of 1,902 in 3DMark06 and 3.5 fps in the Heaven benchmark.
The 2740p may be targeted at enterprise customers – who’ll appreciate its MIL-STD 810G compliant vibration, dust, humidity, altitude and temperature resilience and chemically-strengthened glass display panel – but there’s plenty for consumers to like too.
While the predecessor models adopted Ultra Low Voltage and Low Voltage CPUs with correspondingly weak performance, the current revision has not had to make any compromises with respect to performance, and contains a regular Core i5-540M CPU with integrated Intel HD graphics in the tested model. This HP ProBook 4510s battery belongs to the current Arrandale family and contains performance enhancing features such as Turbo Boost (2.53 - 3.06 GHz clock speed) and Hyper-Threading (simultaneous processing of 4 threads). The whole package is completed with a 2500 MHz fast FSB and a 3 MB large L3 cache. The TDP lies at 35 Watts, which already includes the graphics unit and the memory controller, contrary to the predecessor models.
If your design sensibilities lean toward clean and uncluttered, the EliteBook 2740p will disappoint. Since all buttons need to be accessible in either laptop or tablet mode, out of necessity the sides are chock full of ports, buttons, and toggle switches. On the front edge, you’ll find the large latch to release the screen, a latch to open the swing-out WWAN antenna (on models with that $125 option), and the sliding power switch. Move to the right side, and you’ll find buttons to launch HP QuickWeb and HP QuickLook (more on those in a minute), a headset jack, a SmartCard slot, two USB ports, and a modem jack.
While the Elitebook 2740p is not a rugged machine, it is definitely durable thanks to a magnesium-alloy enclosure, chemically-strengthened glass in front of the LCD, and goodies like HP DuraKeys and 3D DriveGuard. HP claims MIL-STD-810F testing compliance in several areas (dust, altitude, high temperature, etc.) without offering specifics.
The EliteBook 2740p offers an average port selection, including three USB 2.0 ports, VGA-out, LAN, Firewire 400, modem and a headset jack. The tablet also features a SmartCard reader, SDHC-card reader, and an ExpressCard/34 slot for expansion. Users looking to connect to a wide array of peripherals will enjoy the docking connector included on the system, which even passes through the extended slice HP EliteBook 2740p battery.
There are many components to the 12-inch widescreen. It swivels 180 degrees to cover or expose the full size keyboard. The Wacom-enabled screen, plus the digitized pen, which is stored in the back of the unit, can take advantage of Windows 7's handwriting recognition engine. You can use the pen to navigate as you would with a mouse, or simply press a finger (or two) against the screen, as the display now supports multitouch. The numerous touch gestures—pinch, zoom, scroll—worked as beautifully as they did on the HP EliteBook 2740p charger and Fujitsu T5010. It helps, too, that they all use the same touch components, except the other two tablets have brighter screens. Frankly, it felt like the 2740p's screen was several brightness levels short of looking as illuminated as the Lenovo X200 Tablet and Fujitsu T5010. It was on the cusp of looking washed out, especially under a bright light or outdoors. An outdoor display is available as an option, but it won't support touch.
While the 2740p is the furthest thing from a gaming notebook, we were pleasantly surprised when it reached 59 frames per second when playing World of Warcraft (at 1024 x 768). That dropped to a measly 11 fps at native resolution. Intel’s Graphics Media Accelerator HD paced the machine to a well-above-average 3DMark06 score of 1,903, 400 better than the X201 Tablet. Flyovers in Google Earth were fast, and the laptop played a 720p YouTube trailer of the movie 2012 without any hiccups.
The EliteBook models are HP's attempt to combine business features with both style and sturdiness. The 2740p takes the great pen experience of previous EliteBook tablets and adds the performance of a full-voltage Core i5 processor, plus the convenience (and sheer fun) of touch. There are a lot of nice-to-have touches like the card scanner and keyboard light, but you wouldn't buy the 2740p to get them and you're certainly paying for everything you get. Budget for the extended Dell Studio 1745 battery (or a second standard battery) or you'll be disappointed. But if you need a tablet PC that gives you the input options of tablet and the power of a real PC that you can use as your main system, and that combination is worth this kind of money to you, the EliteBook 2740p very nearly has it all.
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