20 new business-class PCs you should know

Toshiba's new Satellite M505-S4020 isn't strictly a business notebook, but SMB users and prosumers who prefer touchscreens may find this media-friendly, touch-enabled laptop just what the PC doctor ordered.

Powered by an Intel Core i3-330M processor, the M505 has up to 4GB of memory, a 14-inch touchscreen and an optical drive. And with a glossy and slick design, the latest Satellite from Toshiba certainly won't make users bashful about pulling the M505 out of their computer case.

Dell's FX100 Zero Client uses PC-over-IP technology to deliver a traditional thick client PC experience without the footprint or dedicated hardware of a desktop workstation. And don't mistake this delivery vehicle of Virtual Remote Desktop and Dedicated Remote Workstation solutions for your standard thin client PC, either.

The FX100 has "Zero" in its name for a reason -- it's got no processor, fans or drivers. Originally only available as an access device for Dell's Precision R5400 rack workstation, the FX100 is now shipping with new VMware View 4.0-supporting firmware and can support host-based OpenGL graphics, USB, motion graphics and audio interactions at distances greater than traditional KVM limits.

The OptiPlex 980 series throttles up the latest Core i7 and Core i5 processors from Intel to deliver Dell's highest performing business desktop offering to date. Built up from the newest edition of Intel's vPro platform, these business workstations leverage increased energy efficiency, security and remote management capabilities as compared to previous-generation OptiPlex systems. And if that's not enticing enough, the OptiPlex 980 delivers up to 35 percent greater performance over previous editions of the desktop, according to Dell.

Dell's new Vostro lineup includes the 13-inch Vostro 3300 (pictured), which the computer maker is billing as "one of the industry's thinnest commercial 13-inch laptops with an integrated optical drive." Also included in the new Vostro lineup are the 14-inch Vostro 3400, the 15-inch Vostro 3500 and the 17-inch, executive model Vostro 3700. The last mobile workstation includes Intel's most powerful Core i7 mobile processors, an HD WLED screen and up to a gigabyte of Nvidia GeForce mobile discrete graphics.

The HP EliteBook 8740w is a 17-inch powerhouse -- in fact, HP is billing it as the company's "most powerful mobile workstation." Driven by an Intel Core i5 or Core i7 mobile processor, this high-profile business-class notebook accommodates up to 16GB of memory and plays host to workstation-caliber graphics from Advanced Micro Devices or Nvidia. The coup-de-grace on the EliteBook 8740w is HP's own DreamColor technology, an option that adds support for over 1 billion active colours, or 64 times the colours supported by standard monitors.

Hewlett-Packard this month introduced its first multi-touch tablet PC for business users, the EliteBook 2740p convertible tablet, shown here with its 12.1-inch capacitive touch display swiveled to slate position. Users of this convertible tablet can tap and swipe the screen with their fingers, utilising the full array of multi-touch gestures to navigate through applications.

A stylus is also provided with the unit as an alternate input tool, and in the notebook position, there's a full-sized keyboard.

The HP EliteBook 2740p has an option for standard voltage Intel chips to deliver more processing power than consumer-oriented convertible tablets from HP. The 2740p weighs 3.8 pounds and has a 12.1-inch diagonal LED display, with an option for an outdoor-view display. battery flavours include the standard set-up that provides up to five hours of battery life, with the option of adding on the new HP 2700 Ultra-Slim Battery for a full 11 hours of battery life when combined with the standard battery. HP is targeting small and mid-sized businesses with the EliteBook 2740p and has built a docking station for the new tablet as well.

At 1.5 kilos and sporting a 12.1-inch display, the HP EliteBook 2540p is the company's lightest EliteBook PC to date. It has options for either a low-voltage mobile processor or a standard voltage chip in a high-performance configuration. The EliteBook 2540p has several battery options, all the way up to a nine-cell battery that provides up to 12.5 hours of battery life, according to HP. As with the other new products HP unveiled Monday, the unit has assorted biometric security options, including a fingerprint sensor and face recognition via the optional 2-megapixel Web cam built right into the display frame. Both the EliteBook 2740p and 2540p are preloaded with a trial version of SkyRoom, HP's videoconferencing software.

The ProBook 4320s is one of four new business-class laptops in HP's ProBook s-series. The 4320s, seen here in its wine-colored Bordeaux case, sports a 13.3-inch display, weighs in at 2.02 kilos, and is the smallest notebook in the new ProBook s-series lineup. The computing giant's new ProBooks are targeted at "prosumers," small office users who depend on their notebooks for both business and consumer use, HP told Channelweb.com during a recent demo of its new products in San Francisco.

HP's new ProBook 4420s features a 14-inch display and has options for either the Caviar-coloured, brushed aluminum case seen here or the Bordeaux version. Buyers have the option of adding ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4350 discrete graphics from Advanced Micro Devices to the standard-issue integrated graphics from Intel in these notebooks. The ProBook 4420s weighs 2.14 kilos and like the rest of the ProBook s-series, comes loaded with the new ArcSoft TotalMedia Suite that allows you to play, edit and create video and audio files.

Next up in the new ProBook s-series lineup is the 15.6-inch HP ProBook 4520s, weighing in at 2.5 kilos. As with the other new products HP unveiled this week, the unit has assorted biometric security options, including a fingerprint sensor and face recognition via the optional 2-megapixel web cam built right into the display frame. Other built in security features include HP ProtectTools, Device Access Manager, Enhanced Pre-Boot Security, HP Spare Key, HP Disk Sanitizer, Drive Encryption for HP ProtectTools, Credential Manager for HP ProtectTools, File Sanitizer for HP ProtectTools, a Kensington Lock slot and McAfee security software.

The last HP ProBook s-series product is the 17.3-inch 4720s mobile workstation tipping the scales at 3.9 kilos. HP has added some interesting in-house software to its new ProBook s-series latpops, including HP Day Starter -- a simplified calendar that pops up about five seconds after turning on the notebook for quick access to the day's events while the Windows operating system boots up. Other handy tools include HP Power Assistant for better conservation of power and HP QuickLook and QuickWeb.

Lenovo now has 14-inch (pictured) and 15-inch versions of its popular ThinkPad Edge lineup of mobile PCs for small and medium business users. As easy on the eye as they are packed with goodies, these models are larger than the original 13-inch ThinkPad Edge. They also pack more wallop -- including options for the latest Core i3 and Core i7 mobile processors from Intel, hi-res cameras and HD LED displays.

Lenovo lifted the curtain on six new business-oriented Think-branded products that will be available in March, including this swiveled, 12-inch tablet PC dubbed the ThinkPad X201 tablet. The X201t functions as either a standard full-sized notebook with keyboard, or as a pen or finger-based slate with a capacative multi-touch screen -- in keeping with Lenovo's recent pronouncements that slate-only tablets are not useful for business computing. The X Series tablet has an Intel CPU, runs Microsoft Windows 7 with Windows Touch, and has options for tablet-typical features like a superbright outdoor screen. Unlike the forthcoming iPad tablet from Apple, the ThinkPad X201 tablet will have full multitasking with support for Flash and Java.

Lenovo has what it calls the "fastest ultra-portable laptop" in its new ThinkPad X201, a 12-inch thin-and-light business notebook that features Intel's Core i7-620M processor in the top-of-the-line SKU. The Core i7-620M has an off-the-shelf clock of 2.66GHz and even higher frequencies are possible through Intel Turbo Boost technology. Lenovo is trumpeting its use of such a powerful processor in a notebook that weighs less than 1.36 kilos and gets up to 11 hours of battery life, comparing the ThinkPad X201 to similar thin-and-light laptops from competitors that use slower CPUs.

Lenovo calls the ThinkPad X201s the "featherweight fighter" in its X Series of ultra-portable notebooks -- it weighs less than 1.14 kilos and gets better than 12 hours of battery life, according to the computer maker. Powered by either an Intel Core i7-620LM or Core i7-640LM, the X201s has storage options that top out at 500GB on a 7200 RPM SATA hard disk or 128GB on a Solid State Disk (SSD).

Lenovo's two new 17-inch W series mobile workstations are the ThinkPad W701, pictured here, and the ThinkPad W701ds. These quad-core Core i7-based units also house discrete graphics from Nvidia -- specifically, workstation-optimised GPUs from the graphics chip maker's Quadro FX 2800 and 3800 series. You're also getting up to 16GB of DDR3 memory and storage options ranging from 160GB to 500GB on a hard disk or 80GB to 128GB on an SSD.

Key to the more expensive ThinkPad W701ds mobile workstation, shown here, is the second display, a pull-out 10.6-inch WXGA screen. Lenovo's new W series ThinkPads are built for computer-aided design and digital content creation, with an optional built-in colour calibrator available, as well as an option for a built-in WACOM digitiser. Operating system options include Microsoft Windows 7 (32 and 64 bit), Windows Vista Ultimate 32, and Windows XP Professional.

Lenovo is banking on small business demand for its new entry-level ThinkServer TS200v, with models starting at prices under US$500. The TS200v is also Lenovo's first to feature Intel's new Active Management Technology, adding appeal to managed service providers whose bread-and-butter is the remote management of customers' IT environments with as much automation as possible thrown in. Intel's inside the ThinkServer TS200v, which offers options for a wide range of CPUs -- the Core i5-670, Core i5-660, Core i5-650, Core i5-540, Core i3-530, Pentium G6950, or Celeron G1101.

Apple's iPad is nice, but there's no app for surviving the six-foot falls that Panasonic's Toughbook H1 Field touchscreen tablet can endure. The company will bring what it is calling the "world's most rugged handheld tablet computer" to market exclusively through its partner channel, a Panasonic executive said. Panasonic promises six hours of battery life in the 1.55 kilos H1 Field, which is powered by a 1.86GHz Intel Atom Z540 processor. If that's not enough run time, the unit comes with twin hot-swappable batteries. The unit's 10.4-inch dual-touch display is larger than its predecessor aimed at the health care industry, and it provides both tablet and touchscreen functionality.