HP launches new notebooks, home networking tools

From...

By Stacy Cowley

(IDG) -- Hewlett-Packard (HP) is expanding its portfolio of wireless products, introducing two new notebook PCs and an array of home networking products.

IDG.net INFOCENTER InfoWorld Main Page InfoWorld Test Center Subscribe to InfoWorld Newsletters Infoworld Opinions and Spotlights Features PC World.com Product Finder Bluetooth wireless connectivity set to take off DSL in distress Visit an IDG site Choose a site: IDG.net CIO Computerworld Darwin Dummies.com GamePro.com The Industry Standard ITWorld.com InfoWorld.com JavaWorld LinuxWorld Macworld Online Network World Fusion PC World Publish.com UnixInsider IDG.net search

HP's new portfolio of digital home networking tools include gateways for creating networks of PCs and peripherals utilizing phone lines, Ethernet connections or 802.11b wireless networking tools. The gateways support computers running most consumer versions of Microsoft Windows, and retail for $149.99 to $269.99, according to HP's Web site. Those prices are expected to drop some time this week, according to an HP spokeswoman, who said the gateways have been available since November but are only now being officially introduced.

HP's two new laptops, which will become available January 6, are part of its Pavilion line, targeted at consumers and small-business users. The new zt1000 includes a 56K bps (bits per second) modem, a choice of an Intel Celeron or Pentium III-M processor and optional Bluetooth and embedded 802.11b capabilities. Prices for the zt1000 range from $1,399 to $2,099, depending on options purchased, HP said. The company is also debuting the new ze1110 laptop, one of HP's lowest-priced laptops, with a starting price of $1,099 after a mail-in rebate.

The new notebooks will be sold through North American retailers and through HP's hpshopping.com Web site, according to the company. Palo Alto, California-based HP's new home networking products are available in the United States at Comp USA stores or through hpshopping.com.

Stacy Cowley is a New York-based correspondent for IDG News Service.