HP set to release yet more Santa Rosa-based laptops

HP already has more than a few Santa Rosa-based laptops set for release, but it looks like the company isn't quite done with the platform just yet, with word of a half dozen more laptops coming out today. All of these fall under the Compaq moniker, and include model numbers 2510p, 6910p, 8510p, 8510w, 8710p, and 8710w. Specs-wise, this bundle pretty much runs the gamut, from the ultraportable 2500p with its 12.1-inch WXGA display and 2.8 pound carrying weight, to the desktop-replacing 8710w and 8710p, which each pack 17-inch displays, NVIDIA graphics, and Blu-ray drives as a option. All but the 2510p also pack Core 2 Duo processors ranging from the T7100 to the T7700, and boast integrated fingerprint scanners along with usual built-in WiFi and Bluetooth. As with HP's other Santa Rosa laptops, however, there's no word on pricing or availability, although that should be coming soon enough.

[Mike @ May 7th 2007 12:55PM]

HP needs to hire some designers for their laptop department. That thing looks like hell.

[thiswayyup @ May 7th 2007 10:33PM]

obviously Mike knows nothing about good design. this is probably one of the better looking laptops i've seen. straight lines, and very minimal. but i guess there are still a lot of people who think Alienware cheese-ball style is just breathtaking. only personal gripe i have with it is the number pad, it off-centers everything...if you need that function so bad just buy a USB one?

[kiwi @ May 7th 2007 1:13PM]

why are laptops becoming Bigger and Bigger?

[P. @ May 7th 2007 1:19PM]

Most of them coming out in July. All pretty much have WWAN cards and can run linux fine.

[Alejandrus @ May 7th 2007 1:28PM]

I like their design. It looks very thin and simple and without bulky useless furniture. A laptop does not always have to be shiny and curvy to be nice.

[Osman Ullah @ May 7th 2007 2:51PM]

These look a lot like their business line. Their business laptops look better than IBM IMO...they are just as understated but they look cleaner.

[Ben @ May 7th 2007 2:53PM]

As these are all coming in under the Compaq brand they are aimed at the business market, hence the business looks!

[cydeweyz @ May 7th 2007 3:39PM]

Where's are LED displays???

[suntiger @ May 7th 2007 5:01PM]

"Blu-Ray as a option"?

Please tell me that was a typo!

[jimgirardi @ May 7th 2007 5:31PM]

For the love of mechanics!! Where are your editors or a basic grammar checker!?

[unkn @ May 7th 2007 7:04PM]

I happen to like this notebook. The design, color, and the fact that there's little waisted screen space, make this one look great!

[Reg Muffet @ May 7th 2007 8:31PM]

I think HP's sales (#1 in the market) speak volumes about the success of its designs.

That said, the vast majority of people don't have much design sense, or if they do, their "sense for saving cents" is greater!

[aStopperBy @ May 7th 2007 9:26PM]

You want to buy a pretty, shiny, silver notebook? Buy an HP consumer laptop, not an HP business laptop

[fearless_fx @ May 8th 2007 12:04AM]

Those little multicolored lights on the front are cool... worth the purchase just for those

[nikster @ May 8th 2007 5:48AM]

here's from an apple fanboi: HP has dragged its design dept. out of the mud and is now producing lots of fine-looking machines. can't touch the sublime (obsessive?) quality of Apple designs, but then nobody else can either.

HP is now looking good which is all the more remarkable because they used to sell unsightly fat boxes just a few years ago. yey, HP!

the only thing that they need to learn is to lose the LEDs. these things light up like a christmas tree, and in all different colors. yeah it's a detail, but design is all about details. ever looked closely at a MacBook Pro? even the screws are designed, both in placement and looks. it's obsessive bordering on anal-retentive, and fantastic. the tiniest details on the Macs are perfect, details that a normal person would only notice when very bored and staring at the machine for a few hours.

HP is catching up, and it's good to see. More good design makes the world a nicer place for all of us. I am hoping the other offenders of taste will follow. Yes, Dell, yes, Acer. Gaudy supercar tie-ins are fun, but they are not design, they are kitsch. big difference.

[nikster @ May 8th 2007 5:50AM]

ps: I like the looks of this HP, too, except for the prominent LEDs in the front. LEDs are useful but needed only very rarely so they should be subtle and subdued.

[Hellaenergy @ May 11th 2007 9:29AM]

I chatted with HP and asked them when the 8510w was going to be made available. The customer service minion stated that they didn't know but thought it was going to be early June. Why post it on the sales site if your not going to release it for another month or more? What a tease.

[zoidbergslo @ Jun 10th 2007 9:49AM]

Why in july I want 8510p now :D

Design is great on this notebooks no unwanted shiny surfaces.