On a typical day in my past life as a consultant, you would usually find me in a meeting with a Tablet PC in my hand. I used tablets to take notes in 4 or 5 meetings a day, and it seemed I always had a tablet pen in hand. I filled thousands of digital “pages” with ink notes at these meetings, and have chronicled a lot of that usage here on jkOnTheRun. Of all the tablets I used over the years, my favorite was the HP 2710p convertible notebook. That tablet was with me for a long time, and never let me down. That explains my elation when HP offered to send a EliteBook 2740p over for evaluation. The 2740p is an evolution of that favorite tablet of mine, and a good evolution at that.
The 2740p is the third generation of that old tablet of mine. The 2710p was replaced by the 2730p, and now the 2740p. Not much has changed in the design of the notebook since the 2730p, but HP has added faster processor options and an optional touch screen. The unit I am evaluating is configured as follows:
- CPU: Intel Core i5, 2.53 GHz
- Memory: 2 GB
- Storage: 160 GB, 5,400 rpm
- Display: 12.1-inch, 1280×800, capacitive multitouch, active pen digitizer
- Ports: 3xUSB 2.0, Firewire, VGA out, audio in/ out, power, RJ-11, RJ-45, SD/MMC slot, ExpressCard
- Communications: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1
- Webcam: 2 MP
- OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional (64-bit)
- Battery: 6-cell, 2.0 Ah
- Dimensions and weight: 11.42 x 8.35 x 1.25 inches, 3.8 lbs.
The 2740p is a business-class convertible notebook at this designed to stand up to daily travel. The case is brushed metal and is reinforced for rigidity. A dual digitizer swivel screen is used, providing for active pen digitizing (inking) and multitouch control.
The Intel Core i5 processor is fast and there is almost no lag detected in use. Both pen control and touch operation worked as expected, and the system switched back and forth automatically as needed.
I will be testing the 2740p for a few days and will shoot a video this week. One of the best options for the 2740p is the slice battery which attaches to the base of the notebook and doubles battery life. I used one of these with my 2710p, and it was the best solution for having a second battery for all day use. The battery is hot-swappable, so it can be snapped on while using the tablet. I have a slice battery on the way from HP and will shoot a video of the system when I can show that battery.
Having the 2740p in hand invoked a strong feeling of nostalgia, as it is largely unchanged in form from the 2710p. I am pretty sure if I was still a full-time consultant I would be trading my 2710p in for the faster 2740p. While I enjoy the loaner ThinkPad X201t convertible I am using, the HP 2740p is much smaller and easier to carry; plus that slice battery option is the best thing on the market. I have some size comparisons of the HP and ThinkPad in the photo gallery.
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1 / 29CIMG2308 -
2 / 29CIMG2308 -
3 / 29CIMG2326 -
4 / 29HP 2740p -
5 / 29Laptop mode -
6 / 29Touchscreen -
7 / 29HP 2740p slate -
8 / 29Lid closed -
9 / 29Power, RJ-45, VGA out -
10 / 29Back right -
11 / 29Wireless on/off, Firewire, USB -
12 / 29Pen silo -
13 / 29SD slot (top), ExpressCard slot -
14 / 29Front (power slider) -
15 / 29Lid slider -
16 / 29Bottom -
17 / 29Open, multitouch trackpad, trackstick -
18 / 29Side view -
19 / 29Swivel screen -
20 / 29Swivel screen front -
21 / 29Lid latch, webcam, keyboard light (pop-out) -
22 / 29Volume touch controls -
23 / 29Keyboard closeup -
24 / 29Keyboard side view -
25 / 29HP 2740p vs. ThinkPad X201t -
26 / 292740p vs. X201t -
27 / 29Size comparison (X201t bottom) -
28 / 29Size difference 2740p/ X201t -
29 / 29Slate comparison
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