Small Business Hardware Highlights

HP’s New Wide and Wireless Notebook
HP introduced one of the thinnest widescreen notebook PCs on the market this week. The HP Compaq Business Notebook nx7000 features a high-resolution 15.4-inch wide display that enables small businesses to tackle performance-intensive applications with the mobility to be productive while on the road or roaming the office.

The HP Compaq nx7000 is ideal for working on multiple applications side by side, viewing spreadsheets, or editing digital images and video for desktop publishing, as well as other graphics-intensive work.

The widescreen display is 20 percent brighter, features 33 percent wider viewing angles and includes an improved contrast ratio compared to traditional notebook displays. The nx7000 also is 20 percent wider than other 15-inch notebook displays, providing small businesses the additional screen space they need to be even more productive.

Powered by Intel’s Centrino mobile technology, the HP Compaq nx7000 delivers a combination of performance, battery life and wireless connectivity. The notebook is 1.3-inches thin and weighs 6.5 pounds, making it easy for mobile professionals to move about the office or work while on the go. Intel’s Pentium-M processor designed specifically for mobile computing, the nx7000 notebook can achieve up to 5 hours of battery life while still providing performance to meet the needs of demanding applications.

For multimedia users, the HP Compaq nx7000 is available with ATI’s Mobility Radeon 9200 graphics with 32-MB or 64-MB video memory, JBL Pro speakers and three USB 2.0 ports. The unit also features an IEEE 1394 connection for quick connections to digital camcorders and other electronic devices. Additionally, it features an integrated Secure Digital MultiMedia memory card slot that allows for quick transfer of digital photos, music or other files to and from the PC and digital cameras, printers, handhelds and other devices.

The notebook’s integrated Intel PRO/Wireless 2100 LAN provides the foundation for clear and compatible connections across 802.11b Wi-Fi networks. For an additional cost, optional integrated Bluetooth wireless connectivity allows mobile professionals to synchronize and share their data with other Bluetooth enabled devices, such as HP iPAQ Pocket PCs, HP mobile printers or cell phones.

HP offers a choice of hard drives — 40 GB or 60 GB — and optical drives, including 8x DVD or 24x CD-RW/DVD. The base model starts at $1,699 and is available for purchase online.

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Full-Function, Petite Color Scanner from Canon
Canon U.S.A recently introduced a new flatbed color scanner for under $100. The CanoScan LiDE 50 Color Image Scanner offers high resolution and fast performance packed in an ultra-slim design for small offices that need a full-featured scanner with a small footprint.

Ease-of-use is clear right from the start — the scanner comes with a USB 2.0 Hi-Speed cable, which provides both quick connectivity and power to the unit. Canon’s four-button design — copy, scan, e-mail and help — allows users to expedite common scanning tasks with one-touch simplicity. Each button can be customized to perform the tasks most often used in the office. The LiDE 50 scanner provides quality scanning with up to 1200 x 2400 dots per inch optical resolution and 48-bit color to create over 281 trillion possible colors. The scanner also features Canon technology that automatically removes most dust and scratches on photos while scanning.

Canon’s exclusive Z-Lid expansion top lifts high and stays flat for scanning books and magazines. The Multi-Scan mode helps save time by scanning multiple images at one time, saving each image to its own file for archiving or editing. The unit also scans multi-page documents to a single PDF file.

A suite of software applications provides users tools to enhance, edit and organize images. Image editing software includes Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0, ArcSoft PhotoStudio and ArcSoft PhotoBase. ScanSoft OmniPage SE OCR can scan text documents for editing and ScanGear CS and CanoScan Toolbox helps turn the scanner into a multifunction workstation that is capable of scanning images and documents to send to a fax, e-mail, printer or archive file.

The CanoScan LiDE 50 flatbed scanner is compatible with Windows XP/2000/Me/98, Mac OS 9.0 to 9.x, Mac OS X v 10.1 to 10.2.x (Classic mode) and Mac OS X v 10.1.3 to 10.2.x (Native mode). The unit comes with a one-year limited warranty and is covered by Canon’s InstantExchange program. The LiDE 50 scanner will be available in July for a suggested list price of $99.

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Uninterruptible Power Supplies from Liebert
Liebert introduced a new lineup of offline uninterruptible power supplies this week dubbed the PowerSure PST. The units are Ideally suited for desktop computer systems that require protection from surges, spikes and brief interruptions in input power.

The Liebert PST is available in two sizes — 350VA or 500VA. Both units feature a minimum of three minutes of battery backup at full load, integrated surge protection and data line protection. The units are Microsoft certified for Windows 2000 and XP systems and Apple Computer certified for Macintosh OS X (version 10.2 or later). In the event an outage exceeds battery capacity, PowerSure PST provides controlled shutdown through the USB port using the operating system’s built-in Power Management function. Additional features include:

  • Three battery-backed UPS outlets and two surge-only outlets enable complete protection of most systems and peripherals.
  • Integrated transient voltage suppression system (TVSS) protects against incoming surges and spikes.
  • Data line surge suppression protects modem, fax, DSL and other communications equipment from surges and spikes.
  • USB communications utilizes Windows’ or Macintosh OS’ built-in Power Management function to provide orderly shutdown if an outage exceeds battery capacity.
  • Audible and visual alarms alert users to conditions that may lead to shutdown.

PowerSure PST pricing ranges from $91 to $114, depending on model. Both units are covered by a two-year warranty.

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Small Business Computing Staff
Small Business Computing Staff
Small Business Computing addresses the technology needs of small businesses, which are defined as businesses with fewer than 500 employees and/or less than $7 million in annual sales.

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