2006 Products Of The Year

NOTEBOOK
Hewlett-Packard Compaq NC6400

VARs representing the notebook market often find themselves in the middle of a balancing act between form factor, price and performance. Whether a particular notebook is classified as a desktop replacement, ultraportable, tablet, ultrawide or so on, it must achieve the same goal, providing unparalleled end-user productivity. What's more, the playing field is filled with many excellent products from the likes of Lenovo, Toshiba, Panasonic and Fujitsu.

Slide Show: Top 10 Products Of The Year

The Test Center faced the same dilemma when picking a product for the Product of the Year's notebook category. But after evaluating all of the units covered in 2006, it came to the conclusion that the Hewlett-Packard Compaq nc6400 deserves the honor. The nc6400 has a lot going for it, ranging from a multitude of configuration options to a variety of price points. That combination, backed up by a sound channel program, creates a product most any VAR can sell and earn from.

For business travelers, it is hard to beat the HP Compaq nc6400, a notebook that pulls together the best components to offer reliability and flexibility without sacrificing economy. VARs can order the nc6400 in a variety of configurations, ranging from units based upon high-performance processors, such as Intel's new Core 2 T7600, to economical performers, such as the Intel Core Duo T2300.

The notebook series can be equipped with 512 Mbytes, 1 Gbyte or 2 Gbytes of RAM, along with SATA drives ranging from 40 to 100 Gbytes. Several optical drives are on the menu, from basic DVD drives to DVD +/-RW drives. Other add-ons include multiple wireless options. Two different 14.1-inch wide screens round out the customization options.

Solution providers have a dizzying array of options for configuring a unique notebook for their customers. Specifically, the basic nc6400 (en362UT) starts at $1,199 and comes with an Intel T550 processor, 512 Mbytes of RAM and a 60-Gbyte hard disk. Meanwhile, the higher-end model nc6400 (RA264AT) retails for $1,549 and comes with an Intel T2400 processor, 1 Gbyte of RAM and a 60-Gbyte hard disk. All models feature a three-year warranty and weigh as little as 5 pounds.

HP's exceptional warranty on this line and dedicated support is a great addition to its channel program and helps ease possible customer concerns in the wake of recent battery recalls. HP, Palo Alto, Calif., was one of the few companies unaffected by the overheating issues associated with Sony-manufactured lithium ion cells.

-- Frank J. Ohlhorst