The HP EliteBook 2530p offers everything a road warrior could want in a notebook: a durable, sleek design, fast performance, extra long battery life, and mobile broadband. Although it may be too pricey and comparatively heavy for some ultraportable shoppers, the performance and protection is worth it for those who can afford it.
Road-Ready Design
We loved the EliteBook’s sturdy design when we reviewed the 14.1-inch 6930p, but it’s especially apropos in the 2530p, whose 12.1-inch screen makes it ideal for road warriors. The 2530p, too, has a DuraCase lid, made of brushed anodized aluminum and magnesium alloy. The 3.8-pound 2530p feels a bit heavier than other ultraportables, owing mostly to its rugged build. For example, the Sony VAIO Z Series weighs only 3.3 pounds and features a larger 13.1-inch display. Nevertheless, the 2530p is plenty light for travel and is easy to hold in one hand.
On the inside, the palm rest and thin strip surrounding the touch-sensitive keys are a matching gray, but the keyboard is black. Because the keyboard extends to the edges of the 11.1-inch-wide deck, the keys were comfortable to type on, despite the notebook’s otherwise small size. As with the 6930p, the keyboard and touch buttons are quiet, and the rubbery touchpad has a good amount of resistance, but the touch buttons are narrow; HP also includes a pointing stick with its own corresponding set of mouse buttons. The stick was responsive and has a good rubbery texture.
Above the keyboard are touch-sensitive controls for Wi-Fi, volume, mute, HP Info Center, HP Presentation Options, and one to disable and enable the touchpad. The controls were responsive to taps, although the volume controls required a bit more pressure. In addition to discreet increase and decrease buttons is a convenient strip along which you can slide your finger to adjust the volume.
Display and Sound
The 12.1-inch display has a native resolution of 1280 x 800. In this model, HP Illumi-Lite LED-backlit displays are standard. When we watched a DVD of Anchorman using the integrated optical drive, the screen was exceptionally bright, and the speakers delivered surprisingly loud sound. Thanks to the matte finish, we were able to enjoy a wide variety of viewing angles; we could still comfortably watch the movie when we tilted the lid far forward and when we turned the machine at a 90-degree angle. The 2530p’s screen should be fine for making presentations to one or two people.
Features and Webcam
The 2530p has two USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire port, a VGA port, Ethernet and modem jacks, mic and headphone ports, docking and battery connectors, and a Kensington lock slot. It also has an ExpressCard/54 slot and an SD Card reader. Ideally, we would have liked to see at least one more USB port.
The 2-megapixel webcam captured sharp, well-lit still photos. Our VGA video showed delays, even when we captured video, which doesn’t involve a (potentially slow) Internet connection. When we made a Skype call, our friend noticed some latency around our mouth but, predictably, said the picture became more fluid as she shrunk the window.
Dell Laptops Starting at $449
