HP Unveils Consumer PCs, Peripherals

New Presarios, Pavilions, imaging products, and combo devices debut at TechXNY.

Liane Cassavoy, PCWorld.com

NEW YORK-- It may be September, but Hewlett-Packard already is gearing up for the holidays. On the eve of the TechXNY show here, the company announced updated Pavilion and Presario desktop PCs, as well as peripherals and consumer products it hopes will be popular holiday gift items.

Safe and Secure

Noteworthy among the new product lines is the Compaq Presario S5000 series of PCs, introduced Monday. These desktops feature new security tools to keep users safe from worms and other viruses, spyware, and spam. HP has included push technology in these PCs, so the vendor can send electronic notices to users' desktops about security patches and critical system updates--such as those that might have stopped the Blaster and SoBig worms from infecting PCs. The goal of this technology is to enable users to be proactive when it comes to PC security, HP representatives say.

The new Presarios also include a 60-day subscription to Symantec's Norton Antivirus and Norton Personal Firewall applications. The desktops also bundle InterMute's SpamSubtract Basic and a 30-day trial version of SpySubtract PRO, which detects and removes spyware programs that may be installed on your PC.

The S5000 series is available in a variety of configurations. The S5400NX, which is scheduled to ship November 2, includes a 2.4-GHz Pentium 4, 512MB of DDR memory, a 120GB hard drive, and DVD+RW and CD-ROM drives. Pricing information has not yet been released. All of the S5000 series PCs include Windows XP Home Edition.

The S5000 line also is available in several low-cost configurations. The Presario S5000NX, which will be available as of September 28, features a 2.5-GHz Celeron processor, 128MB of DDR memory, 40GB hard drive, and a CD-RW drive, and will retail for $459, monitor not included.

Get the Picture

Also on Monday, HP announced an upgraded line of Pavilion desktop PCs, the Pavilion a300 series. The new desktops feature a combination of everyday computing and digital entertainment tools, including HP's new Image Zone software.

Introduced in August when HP launched 158 new consumer products, Image Zone is designed to simplify the art of digital photography by providing several digital imaging functions in one application. Users can organize their photos by date, keyword, or location, and the software includes basic edition tools. Image Zone also helps users create digital photo albums and slide shows, and to burn images to CDs.

Image Zone works with any brand of digital camera, but later this year the application will be included with the purchase of select HP Photosmart digital cameras and printers, according to HP representatives.

The HP Pavilion a300 series, which is scheduled for release October 5, will come in a variety of configurations, ranging in price from $499 and $1079.

Go Wireless

If a desktop is not on your holiday wish list, HP on Monday also displayed a new Pavilion notebook, the Zt3000, with a 15.4-inch screen. Scheduled to ship on September 30, the Zt3000 will feature a choice of Centrino or 802.11g wireless networking technology, with Pentium M processors at speeds up to 1.6 GHz.

The notebook is designed as either an entertainment device, with its wide-aspect ratio screen great for DVD playback, says Mike Hockey an HP spokesperson. He adds that that it also includes a built-in SD slot.

The Zt3000 also works well as a business tool, with its wide screen able to display more than one document at a time. Pricing has not yet been announced, but should be around $1300, Hockey says.

More Products

Also in the digital imaging space, HP on Monday introduced the HP PSC 1350, an all-in-one printer, scanner, and copier. The device supports several memory card formats, including Sony Memory Stick, Compact Flash, Secure Digital, Multimedia, XD picture card, and SmartMedia. It also includes HP's Photo Proof Sheet feature, which allows users to print a proof sheet with thumbnail-sized images with only one click.

The PSC 1350 will be available from early October at a retail price of $149.

For consumers who don't yet own a digital camera, HP also unveiled the HP Scanjet 5330 Photosmart scanner, which can scan up to 24 paper photos in less than five minutes using its automatic photo feeder. It features up to 2400-by-4800-dpi optical resolution and 48-bit color. The Scanjet 5330, which will also be available from early October, is expected to retail for $229.

Also on Monday, HP introduced a 19-inch flat panel display. The HP Pavilion F1903 features native 1280-by-1024 resolution. A swivel feature allows the display to turn 90 degrees.

The F1903, which will be available on October 12, is expected to retail for $699 after a $50 mail-in rebate.