The slick HP ProBook 4510s' interesting combination of style and performance -- along with a somewhat unusual form factor -- make it an intriguing choice as a desktop replacement machine. But what, exactly, makes it an SMB notebook?
What, exactly, makes an SMB notebook? Small and midsize businesses typically want pretty much the same things in a laptop that everyone else does: performance, reliability, features, a good price, and maybe a little bit of style. And the precise mix of those aspects will vary from business to business. That question aside, the HP ProBook 4510s, part of HP's relatively new ProBook line, is an attractive replacement for desktop machines that's well suited for use in multiple spots around the office during the day and home in the evenings and weekends. Any size office or home.
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It's clearly not for road warriors, though. The 4510s sports an oversize 15.6-inch screen (1366 x 768), which leaves space for an actual numeric keypad. That's right, a numeric keypad. On a laptop!
Not surprisingly with all that stuff in it, the case is quite large -- the 4510s might not fit in a standard laptop bag. And once you open up the machine, you'll notice a slightly asymmetrical appearance, with the trackpad shifted to the left to be centered under the space bar. And I found it a bit odd for my hands to sit away in the middle of the unit while I tried to look at the middle of the screen.
The HP ProBook 4510s' numeric keypad gives it an asymmetrical layout.
For people who work with numbers a lot -- and who don't want to use an external keyboard -- that numeric keypad can make a big difference, and is definitely worth the tradeoffs. Especially because overall, the ProBook 4510s' sweet chiclet-style keyboard is both attractive and functional. The layout is spacious, the keys have great feel, and the black-on-black look is slick and sophisticated. Plus it's got an anti-spill membrane, a comfort for klutzes like me. The Delete key is small and a bit hidden, and the arrow keys could have been more prominent, but the bottom line is this machine makes an external keyboard pretty much unnecessary.
The screen and hard drive are equally clean, with a welcome dearth of crapware. That helps reduce clutter and speeds performance of the Core 2 Duo processor. I tested the $750 model with an Intel Core2 Duo processor, 250GB hard drive, 2GB RAM and 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0, plus an 8-cell battery (which typically lasted me more than 4 hours per charge), but lesser configurations are available starting at $550. My test machine had on-board graphics, but ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330 chips are optional, with 512MB dedicated RAM. (The ProBook 4710s models have similar specs, but sport 17.3-inch -- 1600 x 900 -- screens. They take the idea of desktop replacement to yet another level.)
I didn't run demanding applications, but performance on typical office and multimedia applications seemed sprightly. The speakers produced relatively clear sound, but not particularly high volumes.
While I was pretty happy with insides of the 4510s, the outside is not quite as slick. The piano-black "Noir" finish is a fingerprint magnet, and the whole thing feels a bit plastic-y. (There's also an optional "Merlot" finish that may be less susceptible to marring.) I suggest you leave this machine open when it's on your desk. Fortunately, despite its size, the 4510s is still relatively light: just under 6 pounds, depending on configuration.
Proprietary features include HP Protect Tools including File Sanitizer to permanently delete files, folder and personal information; 3D DriveGuard to protect against impact damage to the hard drive; HP SpareKey to help you get into the machine when you don't have your password; Drive Encryption; Credential Manager; and QuickLook 2, which uses Linux to let you quickly view information in Outlook without having to boot Windows.
It's got 4 USB ports, VGA and HDMI video outputs, an SD card reader, and a 2-megapixel Web cam.
The ProBook 4510s comes with Windows Vista, but includes a free upgrade to Windows 7 when it becomes available later this year.
Basically, the HP ProBook 4510s is a great choice for SMBs who need a powerful, good-looking primary machine for use in various locations around the office and home. With its excellent keyboard and long battery life, you don't need to carry around the power supply and external keyboard -- helping it to look even classier wherever you set it up. Needless to say, if you need to schlep a computer on long road trips, this is not the right choice.
So, does all that makes ProBook 4510s a particulalry SMB notebook? Who knows? The 4510s is a fine laptop for a wide variety of applications, and many other laptops -- whether marketed to individuals, enterprises or in between -- would also make great SMB computers.
See more columns by Fredric Paul
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Fredric Paul is publisher/editor-in-chief of bMighty.com and SmallBizResource.com.
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