CES: HP says new netbook can run for up to 8 hours between charges
Mini 2140 offers six-cell 'all day' battery as an option; conventional unit should last four hours
Computerworld - Hewlett-Packard Co. today announced a netbook PC that it said will be able to run for up to a full business day on a single battery charge.
HP claims that by using a premium six-cell "all day" battery in conjunction with a power-sipping Intel Atom processor, the Mini 2140 should last for as long as eight hours before it needs to be recharged, thereby topping other netbooks now on the market.
Aimed at business users, the 2140 — which will be displayed at this week's International CES trade show in Las Vegas — is the successor to the 2133 Mini-Note system that HP released last year. Even with a conventional three-cell battery, the 2140 should be able to run up to four hours on a single charge, almost twice as long as the 2133's battery life of two hours and 15 minutes, according to Kyle Thornton, HP's worldwide product manager for business notebook PCs.
Thornton attributed the battery life boost to HP's switch from the 1.2-GHz Via C7-M processor used in the 2133 to the 1.6-GHz Atom N270, as well as improvements in the 2140's ability to dissipate heat. "We made a great improvement in the thermals," he said.
Netbooks have won fans by offering low prices and extreme portability. But they have mostly failed to deliver on promises of better battery life, despite using less-powerful components than regular notebook PCs do. According to reviewers, the most power-efficient netbooks, such as Acer Inc.'s Aspire One model, can run for up to five hours and 15 minutes in real-world applications, with most others capable of lasting between two and four hours.
Although HP's battery life claims are still untested, they could be a powerful differentiator for the vendor if true. HP tops the global market for notebook PCs but lags far behind in the rapidly expanding netbook business, which currently is dominated by Taiwan-based Acer and Asustek Computer Inc.
In the third quarter of 2008, HP was third in netbooks, with a 5.8% market share, according to research firm DisplaySearch LLC. Meanwhile, Acer and Asus held 38.3% and 30.3% of the market, respectively.
In addition to the 2133 Mini-Note, HP in October introduced a Mini 1000 netbook line for home users.
The 2133 has other drawbacks besides a short battery life. For instance, that system has also been criticized by some reviewers for being uncomfortably hot to touch while it's running. Thornton promised that the temperature of the 2140's case will remain under 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
CES 2009
- Ballmer unleashes Windows 7 public beta, available Friday
- Cisco down to business with gear for digital home
- CES vendors see good times for wireless despite downturn
- Storage for the less-than-tech-savvy
- Netgear talks about entertainment with panache - and NAS
- Iosafe starts the show with fireworks -- or, at least, a fire
- Motorola to offer phone made from recycled plastic bottles
- HP says new netbook can do 8 hours between charges



- Excel 2010 Cheat Sheet
- Register for this Computerworld Insider Cheat Sheet and gain access to hundreds of premium content articles, guides, product reviews and more.
- Overcome Top 7 Admin Challenges of Active Directory
- As Active Directory's role in the enterprise has drastically increased, so has the need to secure the data. Gain insight on creating repeatable,...
- Insiders Can Ruin Your Company. Take Action.
- Did you know that 80 percent of threats to an organization come from the inside? The threat from insiders is often overlooked in...
- Top Solutions and Tools to Prevent Devastating Malware
- Custom malware frequently goes undetected. According to Forrester Research, the best way to reduce risk of breach is to deploy file integrity monitoring...
- Streamline Compliance and Increase ROI
- Streamline, simplify, and automate compliance related activities; especially those that impact multiple business units. This white paper from NetIQ, outlines solutions that will...
- X-Ray of the PCI Process-4 Proactive Steps
- This white paper from Forrester Research Inc., helps break PCI into understandable components. Security and risk professionals will gain knowledge and insight into... All PCs White Papers
- Optimizing Networks for the Cloud
- Join guest speaker, Rohit Mehra, IDC Director of Enterprise Communications Infrastructure, to explore current trends, discuss best practices for optimizing Data Center and...
- Apps QuickStart Series Part 2: Designing and Deploying SQL Server on VMware vSphere
- Download this webcast to learn about the design considerations for virtualizing SQL workloads, performance and scalability information and high-availability options, as well as...
- Apps QuickStart Series Part 1: Designing and Deploying Exchange 2010 on VMware vSphere
- Download this webcast to learn the virtual hardware design considerations for Exchange 2010, deployment using the building block approach, options for high-availability and...
- Customer Spotlight: How IPC The Hospitalist Company Implemented Oracle on VMware
- Have you been looking to hear about customer's experiences with the new VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager product? View this webcast to learn...
- Virtualize Business-Critical Applications with Confidence
- Virtualizing business-critical applications has become a key focus for organizations as they move along their virtualization journey. With the launch of VMware vSphere®... All PCs Webcasts
