The Bottom Line
- Very Thin and Light
- Integrated Optical Drive
- Full Gigabyte Memory
- Fingerprint Security
- Limited Performance
- No Software Bundle
- Could Use DVD Burner Over Combo Drive
Description
- Intel Core Solo U1400 Mobile Processor
- 1GB PC2-4200 DDR2 Memory
- 60GB 4200rpm ATA Hard Drive
- 24x CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive
- 12.1" WXGA (1280x800) Display and Intel GMA 950 Integrated Graphics
- v.92 56Kbps Modem, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11a/b/g Wireless and Bluetooth
- Two USB 2.0, One FireWire, Type II PC Card Slot and Fingerprint Scanner
- 11.1" x 8.4" x 1" @ 2.8 lbs.
- Windows XP Professional
Guide Review - HP Compaq nc2400
2/8/07 – HP Compaq's nc2400 is clearly aimed at the corporate or business traveler with the features they have packed into it. While it isn't as thin and light as other ultraportable systems, they have chosen to add a bit of extra weight and size in order to fit in a 24x CD-RW/DVD combo drive. It would have been nice to see HP include a DVD burner instead, but just having the drive is a huge step above other ultraportables.
In order to get such a small size, a number of items had to be considered. The system uses a 3-cell battery in its smallest configuration. To allow it to run for a while with this small of a battery, the system uses the Intel Core Solo U1400 ultra low voltage processor. This is slower than the Core Duo models, but draws much less power. Thankfully, HP includes a full gigabyte of memory with the system that will help when running programs that might require more memory.
One aspect of the system that may be hit or miss is the pointing device. Most notebooks tend to use a trackpad device for the mouse. HP has decided to use a trackpoint device in the middle of the keyboard instead for the nc2400. I personally prefer these to the trackpads that can cause issues if you hand accidently touches it while typing.
Since the notebook is geared towards businesses, data security is a major issue. For this, HP has integrated a fingerprint scanner and a TPM module to prevent unauthorized users from accessing the notebook and its data.
