HP announced on Wednesday the availability of its latest convertible tablet PC, the Touchsmart tx2. The Touchsmart tx2 sets itself apart from other tablets in the HP lineup by adding multi-touch to its list of features. The tx2 includes a capacitive multi-touch touchscreen that supports the use of gestures such as pinch, rotate, arc, flick, press and drag, and both single and double tap. The touchscreen has two modes of operation, the multi-touch interface to be used with your fingers and an “active digitizer” mode that is initialized with the stylus. When you are using the tx2 with a stylus, the multi-touch capabilities are turned off and the palm rejection feature is turned on. The tx2 ships with a fancy “imprint” finish, making it a consumer oriented notebook appropriate for a coffee shop and likely not a high powered business meeting. The base model starts at a reasonable $1,149 and has the following features:

• Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (32-bit)
• AMD Turion(TM) X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor RM-72 (2.1GHz)
• 12.1″ diagonal WXGA High-Definition HP LED BrightView Widescreen (1280×800)w/Integrated Touch-screen
• 3GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
• ATI Radeon(TM) HD 3200 Graphics with 64MB Display Cache Memory
• 250GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
• Webcam with integrated microphone
• HP Imprint Finish (Reaction) and HP Color Matching Keyboard
• Wireless-G Card
• SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
• 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
• Microsoft(R) Works 9.0

The base model can be upgraded for an additional cost to include a faster AMD processor, additional RAM, larger 5400RPM hard drive, Wireless N, bluetooth, a fingerprint reader and Windows Vista Ultimate. The Touchsmart tx2 is available now at HP’s online store.

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HP announced a new line of netbooks today that will debut in three different variations: The very much consumer oriented Mini 1000, the Linux-based Mobile Internet Experience (MIE) edition and the very fashionable Vivienne Tam edition. The new models will compliment and not replace their current netbook offering, the Mini Note 2133. All variants of the Mini 1000 will share the following features:

• Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz Processor
• 8.9″ or 10″ Brightview Backlight LED display with 1024×600 resolution. (Vivienne Tam is only available in 10″)
• up to 1GB DDR2 RAM
• black matte casing with a swirled imprint finish (Mini 1000 Standard and MIE version)
• vibrant red casing with a peony-flower inspired design (Vivienne Tam edition only)
• 92% full-size keyboard
• 8GB or 16GB SSD or a 60GB 1.8-inch hard drive
• expansion slot for a proprietary HP Mini Mobile flash drive (max of 8GB)
• 802.11b/g WLAN
• future mobile broadband/3G support
• 3-cell battery (3 hours run time)
• 10.3 in (L) x 6.56 in (W) x 0.99 in (H)
• 2.23 Lbs

The new Mini 1000 line will have a starting price of $379 for the Linux version and $399 for XP. The Windows XP versions of the Mini 1000 will be available from HP starting Wednesday, while those hoping to snag a new Linux machine will have to wait until next year. Hit the jump for a quick roundup of the features of the the fashionable Vivienne Tam edition and Linux-based MIE edition.

[Via Press Release]

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The Vivienne Tam edition is meant for the ladies, with its bold red keyboard and vivid floral design. If you open this netbook at your local Starbucks you’ll certainly turn some heads. It has the same specs as the plain Jane Mini 1000 but will come only in a Windows XP version with a 10″ display. Sorry ladies, no linux or 8.9″ display for you. The Vivienne Tam edition is expected to start around $699, though final pricing has not been released.

Last but not least is the Mini 1000 Mobile Internet Edition (MIE). Linux lovers can say bye, bye to the SUSE Linux of the Mini Note 2133 and say hello to the new Mobile Internet Experience (MIE), a proprietary OS built on top of Ubuntu Linux. The MIE version features an Instant-On Dashboard Interface and comes with pre-installed applications for web browsing, instant messaging and email as well as Skype for online video chat.

HP added two new Windows Mobile handsets, the Data Messenger and Voice Messenger, to its enterprise messenger line of smartphones on Monday. The Data Messenger is a touchscreen slider while the Voice messenger is non-touchscreen candy bar with a Blackberry Pearl-style SureType keyboard. The two phones are business oriented and lack some of the high end features normally found on consumer-oriented phones. The touchscreen Data Messenger has a plain Jane touchscreen that is not multi-touch and does not support gestures. It also ships with an unmodified version of Windows Mobile Professional 6.1. No TouchWiz or TouchFlo-like interface for this baby. Both the Data Messenger and the Voice Messenger also have QVGA resolution screens which is fine for email and texting but not for multimedia or web browsing. HP does step out of box by dropping the traditional D-pad navigation and replacing it with an optical mouse pointer, similar to what is seen on many Samsung phones. They had to add something to the phone to give it just a smidgen of “coolness”. HP did not slack on connectivity either as both phones are quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) and tri-band UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA (900/1900/2100 MHz). The Data Messenger and Voice Messenger are expected to retail for €499 ($665) and €399 ($532), respectively and are expected to launch in November on Vodafone. Hit the jump for the specs on each handset.

Read [iPaq Data Messenger]

Read [iPaq Voice Messenger]

HP iPaq Data Messenger:

• 2.8-inch QVGA Touchscreen display
• Side Slider QWERTY keyboard
• Windows Mobile Professional 6.1
• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
• Tri-band UMTS (900/1900/2100 MHz),HSDPA Category 8 (up to 7.2Mbps downlink) and HSUPA Category 5 (up to 2Mbps uplink),
• 128 MB RAM and 256 MB ROM
• 3.1 Megapixel autofocus camera with 5X digital zoom and LED flash
• Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
• WLAN 802.11b/g, with WPA2 security
• Integrated GPS navigation (aGPS)
• microSD card expansion (up to 8Gb)

HP iPaq Voice Messenger:

• 2.4-inch non-touchscreen QVGA display
• Front-Facing Suretype Keyboard
• Windows Mobile Standard 6.1
• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
• Tri-band UMTS (900/1900/2100 MHz), HSDPA Category 8 (up to 7.2Mbps downlink) and HSUPA Category 5 (up to 2Mbps uplink),
• 128 MB RAM and 256 MB ROM
• 3.1 Megapixel autofocus camera with 5X digital zoom and LED flash
• Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
• WLAN 802.11b/g, with WPA2 security
• Integrated GPS navigation (aGPS)
• microSD card expansion (up to 8GB)

Mobile travelers rejoice, your battery woes may be alleviated, at least a little bit. HP announced today that you can get 24 hours of run time on a single charge with their HP EliteBook 6930p. The HP EliteBook 6930p was specially configured with an Ultra Capacity 12-cell battery, a power-saving Illumi-Lite LED display, an Intel 80GB SSD and Windows XP with the latest Intel graphics driver and HP BIOS. Phew, got all that? The battery life rating is based upon “an industry standard benchmark” so your individual performance may be significantly less vary. Versions of this notebook as configured with the low power Illumi-Lite LED display will be available starting October 2008. Now if they can just pack this power into a battery the size of a thick credit card instead of a 12-cell brick, then we really can rejoice!

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Looks like someone had a pretty good 1st Quarter, right? Hewlett Packard has just announced that their net earnings from Q1 of this year amounted to $2.1 billion, which is an increase of 38% over earnings from the same period of time last year. This comes of a 13% hike in gross revenue to $28.5 billion, which is significantly more than most analysts expected. Take that, global recession! Based on these strong numbers, HP has re-tooled some of its estimates for the coming year, and is now projecting a total yearly revenue of $114 billion, which would amount to a 9% increase over last year’s numbers, and is $3 billion more than they initially thought. Even taking fluctuations in currency value and inflation into account, HP seems to be bucking the downward trends we’ve been seeing as of late. Not bad. Not bad at all.

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Engadget’s got some product shots of the rumored HP 2133 UMPC, and we’re hearing it could see a May release. The specs are kind of sexy, too: 8.9-inch 1366 x 766 (WXGA) display, Wi-Fi, almost full QWERTY keyboard, webcam, an option SSD drive, and an ExpressCard/54 slot. Weight? 2.5 pounds. Hey, we’re happy. The more competition in the UMPC sector, the better, no?Read

Nope, we’re not talking about a tree here! It looks as if the HP Silver won’t be the only HP handset sporting some HSUPA action. You now have a pretty decent line, with the Standard version, and now the Professional one making the rounds. The HP Oak sports a nifty slide-out QWERTY keyboard with a traditional number pad on the front, in addition to integrated GPS and Wi-Fi. We’re not really judging here, but it looks like you might have some difficulty with that 1010mAh battery. Release date? Thought you’d never ask! September, guys. It’s a long way to go, and ₤260 couldn’t come soon enough. Whittle the HP Oak, so to speak, after the jump!

HP has fell off for a little bit, but it looks like they might be coming out swingin’. Set to debut also in July, is the HP Silver. It’s a Windows Mobile 6 Standard device, that supports HSUPA! They’re using a 320×240 screen but with a "RIM SureType" keyboard. Virtual BlackBerry OS, anyone? GPS and Wi-Fi aren’t left out, and while it doesn’t specifically state there is Bluetooth, we’d wager on it being included. ₤250 for the HP Silver. Going once, going twice! Fullness after the break!

That’s right, guys! We’re talking about the new BlackBerry, HP’s new Windows Mobile phones, the new Nokia Symbian devices, and even the new Palm devices! CES ain’t got nothin’ on us! Stand by for the busiest Saturday you’ve seen this side of the equator!

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There are gaming PCs, and then there are Gaming PCs. HP isn’t terribly well known for their entries in the gaming market, but they seem poised to make some significant changes with the BlackBird 002, bringing a remarkably powerful gaming experience to the average consumer. Winner of the "Best of Show" designation here at Digital Life, the BlackBird 002 is a marvel of engineering, both on the inisde and out. The Blackbird gives customers a choice between an AMD X2 Dual Core or Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2 to 4 GB of standard memory, up to 4 terabytes of on board storage, and a selection of the following three graphics cards:

• ATI RADEON™ X2900 XT 512MB, with 512MB of GDDR3 SDRAM, SDRAM supports Dual-Link DVI (available with liquid-cooling)
• ATI RADEON™ X2900™ XT 1GB, with 1GB of GDDR4 SDRAM, SDRAM supports Dual-Link DVI (available with liquid-cooling)
• ATI RADEON™ HD 2600 XT, with 256MB of GDDR3 SDRAM, supports Dual-Link DVI

This thing runs like butter, and the test models on the floor had no trouble producing seemless framerates and amazing gameplay. All of this savagery comes at a price, however, shipping in October for a base price of $5,500. Ouch!

HP’s booth here at Digital Life is one of the most heavily staffed joints on the floor. It’s literally teeming with HP personnel, showing the latest and greatest from Hewlett-Packard’s catalog. They, like many of the exhibitors here, are focusing on home media and entertainment, but we got a chance to take a look at a product of a different breed. The HP Touchsmart PC is one of the most innovative designs to reach the mass market. As expected, the cornerstone of this thing is a gorgeous massive touchscreen. 19" of touchable goodness? Yes, indeed! The computer is in theory, a massive desktop tablet, though it’s executed in a very consumer friendly way. Media features are on full display here, with the touchscreen facilitating easy and rapid media library browsing. The computer itself is running Windows Vista Home Premium on top of an AMD Turion 64 X2 Dual-Core TL-52 processor. 2GB of RAM come standard, as does a 320 GB hard drive, slot loading DVD burner, NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600 graphics card with 256MB dedicated video memory, TV tuner, and 1.3 megapixel web cam. It’s a breeze to use, and makes us think that a touchscreen-based PC setup is a truly practical option for the home computer user. Want to see more flicks? After the jump!

What is a home entertainment system these days without a networked media server? Thankfully, HP has a solution for the modern family. The company had its HP MediaSmart Server on full display here today, demonstrating the unit’s impressive capabilities. The system is designed for families / individuals with multiple computers running on a single network. The MediaSmart server acts as a sort of wireless "docking station" for the media libraries of each PC on the network. It runs a copy of Microsoft’s Windows Home Server, and provides a link on each computer allowing access to the collection of media files, including music, movies, TV, and photos. It also functions as a print server. The HP guys had the server hooked up to a MediaSmart TV which, when combined with a Windows Media Center Remote, provided a home entertainment experience fit for kings the whole family. Check out some more shots after the jump.