How much can you really expect from an $829 business notebook? If you’re talking about the HP Compaq 6735b, more than you think. HP has packed a wealth of features ideal for small-business users into this budget platform. The only giveaway that the 6735b is a low-cost entry is its rather bland, very plastic chassis. More-expensive models (such as HP’s own EliteBook series) use richer materials. But we’ll happily swap style for substance if it means getting a spill-resistant keyboard, a hard drive with active protection, and useful utilities in the trade.
Design
With the 6735b, HP tried not to offend anyone. The flip side, of course, is that the dark gray and black motif won’t thrill anyone, either. The only design touch of note: HP uses aqua and amber LEDs (along with a couple of blue ones), which are indeed pleasing to look at. Weighing a reasonable 5.9 pounds and measuring 14.0 x 10.5 x 1.3 inches, the 6735b is as average as they come.
The black, full-size keyboard is very comfortable, with good tactile feedback. The touchpad could be a bit larger, but its low-friction surface is easy to use and its buttons are plenty responsive. HP has included its familiar touch-sensitive volume strip and a dedicated mute button above the keyboard, but no multimedia control keys like you’ll find on its Pavilion line. Around the edges are four USB ports, FireWire, VGA, Ethernet, modem, headphone and mic jacks, and even a serial port for legacy connectivity. HP has also included a memory card reader and an ExpressCard/54 slot but no PC Card slot, which some business users might miss. You do get a dock connector on the bottom, however, which is a nice touch for a budget machine.
Our 6735b configuration came with HP’s BrightView 15.4-inch widescreen with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. Users that work under unforgiving office fluorescents may want to opt for the available antiglare screen (a no-cost option), and those who prefer a higher-res view can specify a 1680 x 1050 anti-glare panel for just $25 more. On our tests, the 1280 x 800 glossy panel delivered vibrant colors and plenty of brightness, even in a sunlit room. Text was sharp, and viewing angles were wide (hampered only by reflections from nearby windows). Watching Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl on the included multiformat DVD burner, the LCD showed natural color reproduction, good rendering of shadow detail, and some (but not excessive) motion blur during action scenes.
Other Features
Unlike other low-cost models, the 6735b’s optical drive can be replaced with a second hard drive. Its built-in stereo speakers sound better than those in most low-cost models, with adequate volume for use around a conference table. The machine works with HP’s full-size docking solution, for users who prefer a desktop feel when they are in the office. An integrated webcam is also an option.
Suite Security
Despite its budget price, the 6735b doesn’t cut corners to maintain durability and security features important to business travelers. The keyboard is spill-resistant, and the hard drive has HP's 3D DriveGuard protection with a three-axis digital accelerometer to protect your data in the event of a fall. Enterprise IT managers will appreciate the TPM circuitry, while small-business buyers without the benefit of an IT department will like the wizard for the HP ProtectTools suite, which walks you through setup for the fingerprint reader, passwords, and the full drive software encryption.
If you forget your password, the HP SpareKey utility provides a back door, letting you set up personal questions to answer so that you can get in and reset your password. HP has also included utilities to help keep prying eyes from finding deleted files. Normally when deleting a file, Windows simply removes the pointer to that file; eventually, the OS might get around to using that space for a new file, but you don’t want to bet on it. So HP File Sanitizer actually overwrites the file location with random data up to seven times. And the included Disk Sanitizer utility is a BIOS-level program that wipes the entire hard drive, which is ideal for systems that eventually get passed along. Another handy extra is HP QuickLook 2, which lets you see a snapshot of your Outlook e-mail, calendar, and contacts when the machine is turned off or in hibernate, without having to boot to Windows.
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