HP focuses on small-and medium-sized firms

HP focuses on small-and medium-sized firms

Zatni Arbi, Columnist, zatni@cbn.net.id

What was interesting about Andreas Diantoro's presentation during
HP's special event for small and medium enterprises (SME) late
last month? Andreas, one of the bosses at HP-Compaq Indonesia
gave his Powerpoint presentation while walking around holding his
iPaq PDA.

He never lost a beat and kept his audience awake with his
humor. Each time he had to turn to the next slide, all he had to
do was tap on his iPaq's screen with its stylus. At the end of
his presentation, he confessed that all his notes were on the
PDA. He no longer needed a notebook to give presentations.

Clearly, both his iPaq and the digital projector used during
the presentation were both wireless devices. The data was beamed
from the PDA to the projector with 802.11b Wi-Fi connection. The
iPaq obviously had enough memory storage to hold his entire
presentation.

At the moment, HP has several models of iPaq that already
feature integrated wireless connectivity, including the h4155,
h5150 and h5550. These, like the rest of the iPaq models, are
Pocket PC devices.

The US$649 HP h5550 is especially mouth-watering. Stuffed with
128 MB of RAM, it comes with fingerprint biometrics security
feature, so even if, God forbid, someone stole it from our
briefcase our confidential data would remain safe. In addition to
the wireless LAN, it also has Bluetooth to connect it to our
Bluetooth-capable cellphone or printer.

To simplify direct printing from the PDA, the new models now
also come with mobile printing software. We can even preview
images before we print them out with iPAQ's exclusive Image
Viewer utility, so that we do not have to waste ink and time to
get the perfect image print.

Trying to read on-screen text outdoor where the sun was
shining used to be a big challenge even for people with normal
eyes. Now the company uses a new Transflective LCD combined with
the backlit Thin-film Transistors (TFT) technology, so that we
can still read our favorite e-book while sitting in a park.

As to the projector, HP's mp3130 is definitely another "I wish
they had come up with this model earlier". Weighing less than two
kg, this micro-portable projector comes with Wi-Fi connectivity.
Despite its small size and portability, it is capable of giving
1,700 ANSI lumens and an excellent contrast ratio of 2000:1.
Alas, the price is around $3,470. That is the price for not
having to say "Next slide, please" to someone manning your
notebook as you move about on the stage.

The $6,430 (estimated price) xp8010 is, like its price tag,
more impressive. It is the first ever DLP-based digital processor
to feature dual color wheels, which will give better color
saturation. As you must already know, color saturation used to be
a weakness of the DLP projector when compared with an LCD
projector.

HP has been seriously focusing on serving the SME market. In
fact, IDC reported that the solutions, products and services
showcased at the SME event were all designed to meet the SMEs. HP
has even allocated $100 million from its coffers for programs
geared towards this market, which is in need for solutions that
they can use without much hassle as they normally do not have in-
house IT support.

HP Indonesia also has new options for called PrintAdvantage.
One of the options enables an SME to purchase certain models of
the LaserJet printers or multi-function printers complete with
the toner cartridges, maintenance kit and on-site support plus
the possibility to upgrade their devices to get better
specifications for the entire term of the contract. This will
make it easier for the SME to calculate its printing cost, as the
cost per page will remain the same throughout the term. So, for
example, if the SME chooses HP LaserJet 4200DFN, their monthly
cost will be $55 and the cost per printed page will be Rp 180.

An HP event would not be complete without a printer galore.
Customers from the SME segment can choose from the low-end HP
LaserJet 1010, DeskJet 9650 and 9680, Business Jet 1100, Color
LaserJet 2500 and 9500. I like HP DeskJet 9650. It can print up
to A3 from edge to edge (without borders), and it can also print
photos.

Incidentally, if you are thinking of trading in your old
printer with a new LaserJet, I have been told that HP is running
such a program until the end of this year. In my case, I would
really love to trade in my LaserJet Gold with HP LaserJet Color
2500, which is targeted at personal use. However, I do not
believe my significant other would agree to the idea of spending
close to $1,000 for it.

The good news about hotspots is that more and more Intel
Centrino-based notebooks are arriving at the showcases. HP Compaq
Business notebook nx7000 has a large, 15.4 inch screen with a
wide aspect ratio. Of course, it uses Intel Pentium M processor
(1.4 GHz) and Intel Pro Wi-Fi module to qualify as a Centrino
machine. It also comes with Bluetooth, an integrated Secure
Digital (SD) flash memory reader and three USB 2.0 ports. What I
like is also the fact that it is a fairly lightweight notebook,
weighing less than 3 kg. HP claims that the battery can last up
to five hours on one single charge.

Wide screen seems to be the next catch phrase. So, instead of
SXGA or XGA, we will be seeing more and more notebooks with WSXGA
and WXGA screen specifications. The difference is like watching a
high definition TV with a 16:9 aspect ratio and a standard TV
screen with a 4:3 ratio. As you most likely have noticed, new
notebooks have appeared with 17 inch monster screen, and they are
sometimes called mega-wide screen notebooks. Apple was the first
to come up with this mega-wide screen product.

Two new scanners were also showcased -- the ScanJet 8250 and
ScanJet 8290. HP cooperates with DIGICOM Group, a leader in
Electric Document Capture (EDC) market. Talking about
cooperation, HP is also working with M.Y.O.B. to provide a
packaged accounting solution for SMEs.

There were also several new desktop computers and servers, but
I loved the new Pavilion multimedia PC the most. It comes with a
built-in TV-tuner and other goodies. HP Indonesia promised to let
me play with a demo unit soon, and I really look forward to it.
Too bad, my wife's four-year old Pavilion 9850 is still working
like new.