HP Compaq 2210b brings speed to ultrathin tablets

Without a formal announcement, HP has quietly released the HP Compaq 2210b convertible tablet PC. Like the 2710p, the 2210b mounts a 12-inch touchscreen on a swiveling hinge and shares the same 1.1-inch chassis slimmed down by a thinner, more power-efficient display. HP drops the ultramobile processor and storage, however, for faster and less expensive notebook parts. Every system includes a Santa Rosa-era Core 2 Duo and a physically larger 2.5-inch hard drive but scraps the option of a 3G modem for cellular broadband.

Certain details such as battery life and pricing are notably absent, but models start with a 1.8GHz Core 2 Duo, 512MB of memory, a 120GB hard disk, and a dual-layer DVD writer. Faster versions double memory to 1GB and run a faster 2GHz processor, while several versions expand storage to 160GB. Buyers have the choice of either Vista Business or the more conservative XP Tablet PC Edition for older networks.