Compare Prices : HP Compaq Elitebook 2530p - Expert Reviews

Pros: Large keyboard, Scratch-resistant cover, Great battery life, Fast for its size, Great design, Lots of ports for an ultraportable

Cons: Pricey, Tinny sound, no external speakers, Only two USB ports

Verdict: If you're after a flashy ultraportable to show off to your friends, you can't do much better than the HP EliteBook 2530p.

Review summary: The next time you see some miserable drone hunched over his tiny, underpowered netbook, pecking away at cramped keys and straining to see the screen, pull out your EliteBook 2530p and laugh. Though not much larger or heavier than your average mini ...

Pros: Boots quick and runs for hours. About as compact as a notebook can be and still have a full-size keyboard. Squeezes in a touchpad and a pointing stick for users who prefer one over the other. Optional wireless modem works with multiple carriers ...

Cons: It's how much? What is this, a MacBook Air? Slow, sucky integrated graphics. Awkward, over-engineered touch volume controls hard to control. Six-cell battery sticks out from the rear, taking a little of the notebook's compactness with it.

Review summary: It's rare when a laptop can pull off great battery life with either its standard battery or an extended one. The HP EliteBook 2530p ($2,099 direct)a business ultraportablehas the battery capacity to last from a breakfast meeting to a late-afternoon ...

Pros: Standard plus extended battery yield over 20 hours of battery life. Built-in optical drive. Very good keyboard. Dual pointing devices. Multiple wireless technologies

Cons: VGA is the only video-out port. Weak speakers. You'll need to carry that extra battery to get the great battery life

Verdict: If battery life ranks high on your list of business needs, the HP EliteBook 2530p won't disappoint.

Review summary: There's so much to like about the HP EliteBook 2530P that it's hard to know where to start genuflecting.

Verdict: If you have the money, the HP EliteBook 2530p has all the panache you could want in a light, fast, and easy-to-use portable.

Review summary: Bundled software information updated 1/15, 12:00 p.m. PDT

Pros: Dual pointing devices Great, big battery with an external gage

Cons: Stubborn volume controls

Verdict: But, really, the lack of an easy way to control volume is not much of a drawback on an ultraportable. In all other ways the EliteBook lives up to its name. If you have the money, it has all the panache you could want in a light, fast, and easy-to-use ...