Small Business Notebook Review: HP ProBook 5310m

Ready to project the image of a successful entrepreneur, but your wallet didn’t get the memo yet? HardwareCentral.com takes a close look at HP’s latest ultraportable notebook — it’s got a price you can’t help but love.

Looks aren't everything. There's also money.

That sounds pretty shallow of us, but appearance and price are the twin issues for IT managers and shoppers in the 13.3-inch ultraportable notebook segment. There are plenty of sleek, sub-four-pound status symbols available, but most sexy slimlines wear designer price tags — starting at $1,499 for the Dell Adamo or Apple MacBook Air, for instance, or $1,889 for the Lenovo ThinkPad X301.

The 3.8-pound HP ProBook 5310m changes the math. This skinny black slab boasts an anodized aluminum lid and palm rest and magnesium-alloy base; a sunny LED-backlit screen; a comfortable, MacBook-style chiclet keyboard; ingenious instant-on browser and contact manager software; and ample performance thanks to an Intel Core 2 Duo processor (HP calls it the thinnest notebook with a standard —  rather than low-voltage CPU).

It costs $899 — low enough to be not just an executive perk but to deploy or distribute to staffers. To happy, style-conscious staffers, that is.

Read the full HP ProBook 5310m notebook review