Carla Thornton

HP Omnibook 510

The Omnibook 510 is a 3.6-pound ultralight that you can turn into a desktop replacement by adding a 1.6-pound multimedia expansion base. Powered by Intel's 1.13-GHz Pentium III-M chip and 256MB of RAM, the Omnibook 510 earned a more-than-respectable PC WorldBench 4 score of 98 in our performance tests, equal to or better than most new 1.6-GHz and 1.7-GHz Pentium 4 notebooks we've tested with 512MB of RAM, and a hair better than the score of 96 that its 1.13-GHz full-size sibling, the Omnibook XT6050, garnered. Leaving behind the Pentium III-750 processor of previous models didn't hurt this ultralight's battery life, either: The 510's six-cell power pack lasted 3 hours on one charge in our tests. Snap on its expansion base, which comes standard, and you can outfit the 510 with up to three six-cell battery packs, including two extras ($99 apiece) that fit into the base's two front-mounted internal bays. HP claims this will give you up to 8 hours of cord-free work time. The expansion base with our review unit was fitted with a floppy drive and an 8X DVD-ROM drive (you can upgrade to a combination drive for an additional $139), but alternatively it can accommodate dual optical drives or a second 30GB hard drive ($230 extra). Releasing the 510 from the base is as easy as pressing one button, which gently disengages the two pieces. HP also provides a manual release in case there's no power. Unlike most ultraportable keyboards, the 510's feels rock-solid and is laid out well enough for fairly easy typing. The pointing device is a purple eraserhead teamed with two slightly stiff wing-shaped mouse buttons and a centered scroll button. The icing on the cake is wireless readiness, available in some Omnibook 510 models, including our review unit. An on/off button for the wireless circuitry on the left edge of the 12.1-inch screen includes a status LED that glows blue when the wireless network is connected.
At $2889, this machine is definitely at the top end of the ultraportable market.
The base adds standard notebook connections, such as serial and parallel ports and composite and S-Video outputs. It also offers dedicated music controls, including a power button that turns the notebook into a decent stand-alone CD player. The 30GB hard drive is the largest that HP offers, but it slides out in a jiffy for safekeeping or swapping in another drive. Using the 510's optical drive requires attaching the expansion base first. The only printed documentation consists of the Startup Guide, with comprehensive coverage left to a PDF electronic reference manual on the hard drive.
The Omnibook 510 has almost every feature you could ask for in a lightweight presentation notebook, including legacy ports, two USB 1.1 ports, a good keyboard, wireless readiness, and good battery life. For on-the-road business folk and consumers who appreciate a luxury lightweight, the Omnibook 510 should be at the top of the list, although it is on the expensive side for the features it offers.

Buying Information

HP Omnibook 510 PC WorldBench 4 score of 98, 1.13-GHz/733-MHz Pentium III-M CPU, 256MB of PC133 SDRAM, 512KB L2 cache, Windows XP Professional, 12.1-inch active-matrix screen, integrated Intel 830MG graphics with shared memory, 30GB hard drive, 8X DVD-ROM drive, built-in V.90 modem and network adapter, eraserhead pointing device, 7.5 pounds (including AC adapter, docking station, and phone cord). Three-year parts warranty and labor warranty, free 24-hour daily tech support. $ 2889 PC WorldBench 4 score of 98, 1.13-GHz/733-MHz Pentium III-M CPU, 256MB of PC133 SDRAM, 512KB L2 cache, Windows XP Professional, 12.1-inch active-matrix screen, integrated Intel 830MG graphics with shared memory, 30GB hard drive, 8X DVD-ROM drive, built-in V.90 modem and network adapter, eraserhead pointing device, 7.5 pounds (including AC adapter, docking station, and phone cord). Three-year parts warranty and labor warranty, free 24-hour daily tech support. http://www.hp.com 800/752-0900