HP's First Ultrabook is the HP Folio 13, for Business

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HP has announced its first ultrabook for the business sector.

Wednesday HP revealed its very first ultrabook, the HP Folio 13. Designed for the business sector, the company's new entry will arrive on December 7 with a starting price of $899.99 USD. It will feature the latest Intel Core processors, Intel Rapid Start Technology, USB 3.0 and an embedded TPM Embedded Security Chip to protect data sent via email and stored on the zippy solid state drive.

"This category of product breaks new ground and will be a likely choice for businesses to offer to employees looking for a more consumer-centric experience," said Crawford Del Prete, executive vice president, Worldwide Research Products, and chief research officer, IDC. "We expect Ultrabooks will re-ignite interest in the small form factor PC category, and by 2015 expect 95 million Ultrabooks will be shipping worldwide annually."

According to HP, the ultrabook's battery life promises up to 9 hours -- the highest performance available among Ultrabook devices currently on the market, the company claims. It also measures just 0.71-inches thin, weighs around 3.3 pounds, and sports a 13.3-inch HD BrightView display. There's even a backlit keyboard for mobile users who work in low-light conditions.

"The HP Folio 13 features HP CoolSense technology, which uses advanced hardware and intelligent software for a noticeably cooler notebook," the company said on Wednesday. "The notebook also includes an HP ImagePad for highly accurate, advanced multitouch gesture support."

As for other features, the new ultrabook offers 128 GB of storage via the SSD, an HP TrueVision HD Webcam, Dolby Advanced Audio, a metal chassis and a "full array of ports, including RJ-45 and USB 3.0." The HP Folio 13 can also be configured with a range of Microsoft Windows 7 operating systems, including Windows 7 Professional.

According to various reports, the first model will sport an Intel Core i5-2467M processor, 4 GB of RAM and all the features previously mentioned (although HP didn't specify an actual processor or RAM amount). As for the "array" of ports, images reveal Ethernet, HDMI, USB and an SD card reader on one side, and another USB port on the other side.

Folio 13 users who need a desktop-like environment or additional audio, video, network and USB connectivity can connect the HP Folio 13 to the optional HP USB 2.0 dock, the company said.

Kevin Parrish
15 Comments Comment from the forums
  • What resolution is the display? 1366x768? If so, this will be another joke of a notebook. 1080p please.
    Reply
  • lp231
    I am the almighty bung hole! It would be a shame for your Polio to get Folio! :P
    What SSD is used? Regular types or flash stick type running on microSATA like in other ultrabooks?
    Reply
  • shadamus
    rnnmma299What resolution is the display? 1366x768? If so, this will be another joke of a notebook. 1080p please.
    No thank you to 1080p on a 13.3" screen. I'm barely comfortable with 1080p in my 15.6" screen.
    Reply
  • mcd023
    I wonder if they'll make a 15" version. 13" is a bit small for me.
    Reply
  • lp231
    shadamusNo thank you to 1080p on a 13.3" screen. I'm barely comfortable with 1080p in my 15.6" screen.Dell used to have 15" running at 1920x1200. You need a electron magnifier to read what's on the screen.
    Reply
  • jacobdrj
    lp231Dell used to have 15" running at 1920x1200. You need a electron magnifier to read what's on the screen.
    A) Get glasses
    B) Increase your font settings...
    C) Enjoy the resolution......
    Reply
  • billybobser
    HP failio.

    Although i'm not sure anyone in the 'business' is going to waste that much on a 'ultrabook'.

    It's not as portable as a tablet, and nowhere near powerful enough for any work, and not cost efficient at all.

    It may be used however by pretentious commuters on trains showing off their kit while typing a word document while on the phone.
    Reply
  • AnUnusedUsername
    @billybobser The point is that it has a keyboard/mouse interface, and is thus strictly better than a tablet for business, as it is usable. Most work in many industries doesn't require any more power than that required to run a text editor and the occasional word or excel spreadsheet. Tablets can't do even that because of interface, but a light laptop can do it just fine while still being portable. The only industry I can think of that needs more power than that is photo editing/3d modeling, pretty much everywhere else the major work is performed by remote servers instead of workstations anyway.

    There is value in portability, even if you don't see it. It's a lot less of a pain to carry around a laptop for work if you don't need to lug it around in a bag just for it, and "ordinary" laptops almost all are too thick for a standard briefcase or other case.
    Reply
  • legacy7955
    billybobserHP failio.Although i'm not sure anyone in the 'business' is going to waste that much on a 'ultrabook'.It's not as portable as a tablet, and nowhere near powerful enough for any work, and not cost efficient at all.It may be used however by pretentious commuters on trains showing off their kit while typing a word document while on the phone.
    Yeah try actually getting work done on that crappy tablet, if it ain't got a REAL keyboard, it ain't gunna be truly productive. Tablets are going to become extinct long before the lap top or even the desktop.
    Reply
  • dalethepcman
    billybobserand nowhere near powerful enough for any work
    How is a 13.3" laptop with an i5 or i7 not powerful enough to get real work done? This ultra thin laptop is more powerful than most 2u servers were 4-5 years ago.

    and an embedded TPM Embedded
    redundant

    Reply