Customer Reviews

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Confusing product description - frustrated start, May 2, 2013

By 

Patrick - See all my reviews

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This review is from: HP EliteBook Revolve 810 11.6" G1 Tablet Notebook - D3K50UT (Personal Computers)

I'm updating my review now that I've resolved the problem...

Update: I managed to install win 8 and office 365. It took me about 6 hours as is was not as straight forward as stated in the installation instructions; had to go through some trouble shooting. I found great resources online to guide me through various hurdles. Now that everything is working I am very excited. The computer / tablet is beautiful, and the win 8 technology allows me to switch from desktop to touchscreen tiles so I can integrate work and play; very cool! I'm increasing to 4 stars and not 5 because of the frustrating start. If win 8 had been pre-installed I'd give it 5 stars.

I just got my computer out of the box and learned that Windows 8 is not installed, and instead it has windows 7 and a DVD with windows 8. What's the point of shipping tablets without win8? The technical details specs of the product clearly state that this product comes with windows 8 (see technical details). I inferred from this that win 8 was installed. I just went back to the product details and noticed that there are a couple of words in the product description that sate that this product has win 7 and a license for win 8. I did not pick-up on this at the time of purchase. The product description and technical details are not clear enough for my standards. This is quite frustrating because I'm not very tech savvy and because the computer does not have a DVD reader so I am unable to install windows 8. I just purchased an external drive online and will have to wait a couple of days to install windows 8. I hope the installation of windows 8 goes smoothly. And I hope I have no more surprises. I'll update my review once I've gone through the windows 8 installation process. For now I'll give it 3 stars because it seams like a great product (laptop + tablet + win 8 technology + small and cool design) but I have not been able to run it yet. (FYI - I've been using apple for the past 4 years so I have high expectations of user-friendliness) More to come...

Product Images

A look at HP's business class items.

HP demonstrated to us the previously-announced business class EliteBook Revolve and ElitePad 900. We got a chance to check them out in person, which you can see in the video below.

HP Revolve and Elitepad

The EliteBook Revolve 810 is the upcoming replacement for HP's last Windows 7 convertible tablet, the EliteBook 2760p. When the other EliteBook models where refreshed to the Ivy Bridge powered xx70p series in the middle of last year, a 2760p was not replaced, since HP was waiting until the launch of Windows 8 to announce a totally redesigned convertible model, which is the Revolve.

The EliteBook Revolve is an 11.6" pen (optional) and multitouch-enabled convertible notebook, specifically designed for Windows 8 Pro, but which also still supports Windows 7 Pro for organizations still using this older OS on their corporate tablets.

It has a thinner (22.2 vs. 32.3 mm) and lighter (3.1 vs. 3.97 lbs.) design than the outgoing 2760p model, with an all-magnesium chassis, and a 1366 x 768 Gorilla Glass 2 covered screen. It with be available with up to a Core i7 Ivy Bridge CPU, up to 8GB of RAM, and up to a 256GB SSD. It also has an Ethernet port (yay!) and user-replaceable battery, both features you won't find on any consumer-grade Windows 8 convertibles. Since it is a business class machine, it has an embedded TPM chip for h/w data encryption and supports enterprise-class docking capabilities.

The Revolve is scheduled to be launched in March 2013, and no pricing has been announced yet, but you can expect it to start at a similar price point to what the 2760p started at, which was $1,100.

 

The ElitePad 900 is HP's third (or fourth, if you count the TouchPad) attempt at a business-grade Windows tablet, after the poorly received Slate 500 and Slate 2 Windows 7 tablets. With the ElitePad 900, HP is using Intel's 1.8GHz Z2760 dual-core CPU, running Windows 8 Pro. It has a 10.1" multi-touch 1280 x 800 screen (that also supports pen input with the optional 'HP Executive Tablet Pen'), 2GB of RAM, and 64GB of eMMC SSD storage. Since it is part of HP's Elite range of business PC's, it is made from premium materials such as Gorilla Glass and machined aluminium for the casing, and weighs 1.5lbs and is 9.2mm thick. It has business-grade security features like full drive encryption.

While all the above specs are comparable to other Windows 8 Pro business tablets, such as the Dell Latitude 10 and Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2, the ElitePad 900 does have a few unique tricks up its sleeve to differentiate itself from the competition. The ElitePad can be docked with a separately sold 'Expansion Jacket' (which you can see in the video), that adds additional USB and connectivity options. You can also add an optional 'Jacket Battery' to the jacket to boosts the tablet's battery life from up to 10 hours to up to 18 hours (!!). The ElitePad is also self-serviceable by corporations enrolled in HP's Self Maintainer Program, where with a specialized tool the screen , that is held in place by magnets instead of screws, can be removed so the ElitePad can be upgraded and serviced.

HP Elitebook Revolve 810 - Design & Features

Design & Features

With its silver chassis and black, chiclet-style keyboard, the HP looks like a mini MacBook Pro. Pick it up, however, and it doesn't feel like an Apple. The chassis features a soft-touch finish, which is effective in repelling fingerprints but a bit of a magnet for dust and grime. The system weighs an even 3 pounds, which is a hair heavier than the 2.9-pound Sony VAIO Duo 11, another 11.6-inch laptop/tablet hybrid, but (as mentioned) roughly half a pound lighter than 12.5-inch hybrids such as the Lenovo ThinkPad Twist, Dell XPS 12$1,099.99 at Dell, and Toshiba Satellite U925T-S2120$729.99 at Adorama. The Revolve measures 11.2 inches wide by 8.4 inches deep by 0.9 inches thick.

   

The combination of the screen's quality and precise touch control makes Windows 8 tablet sessions a pleasure.

   

Helping protect the display from the elements is a layer of Corning's Gorilla Glass 2, which runs edge to edge. The 11.6-inch screen features 1,366x768 resolution and 10-point multi-touch support. While the resolution falls short of 1080p, it's standard for a display of this size. More important, colors looked vivid with crisp detail. Navigating Windows 8 via touch felt natural and responsive. A capacitive digitizer stylus, the HP Executive Tablet Pen, is a $49 option for users who want to write notes on the screen.

The audio output of the system's stereo speakers was predictably tinny, but it should suffice for video conferencing and other business pursuits. Speaking of which, a 720p HD Webcam sits above the display.

The 11.6-inch chassis leaves just enough room for a full-sized, backlit keyboard. We found typing to be immediately comfortable, without the adjustment period needed on other ultraportables.

The wrist rest below the keyboard is narrow, measuring only 2.7 inches. As a result, the touch pad is shaped like a long rectangle and will take a bit of getting used to before your finger stops mousing past its top and bottom edges. That said, the pad felt responsive and offers smooth two-finger scrolling, a necessity for any modern touch pad.

The EliteBook Revolve 810 offers the bare minimum of ports and connectors, nearly all of which are located on the system's back edge. There, you'll find a pair of USB 3.0 ports, a DisplayPort, an Ethernet jack, and the AC power connector.

On the right edge sit the power switch, a screen rotation lock switch, a volume rocker, a microSD card slot, a headphone jack, and a docking connector compatible with the desktop docking stations used by other EliteBooks. One item you won't find is an optical drive, which is often left out on ultraportables.

HP Elitebook Revolve 810 - Specifications

CPU	1.9-GHz Intel Core i5-3437U
Operating System	Windows 8 Professional
RAM	4GB
RAM Upgradable to	12GB
Hard Drive Size	128GB
Hard Drive Speed	n/a
Hard Drive Type	SSD Drive
Secondary Hard Drive Size
Secondary Hard Drive Speed
Secondary Hard Drive Type
Display Size	11.6
Native Resolution	1366x768
Optical Drive	None
Optical Drive Speed	n/a
Graphics Card	Intel Graphics 4000
Video Memory	Shared
Wi-Fi	802.11b/g/n
Wi-Fi Model
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 4.0
Mobile Broadband
Touchpad Size	3.5 x 1.9 inches
Ports (excluding USB)	DisplayPort; Ethernet; Headphone; Proprietary
USB Ports	2
Card Slots	microSD
Warranty/Support
Size	11.2 x 8.4 x 0.8 inches
Weight	3 pounds

HP Elitebook Revolve 810 - Conclusion

Conclusion

As a business focused device, the HP EliteBook Revolve 810 delivers on most fronts. The 1.9 GHz i5 processor and 128GB mSATA SSD ensure that users will be able to tackle most computing functions with relative ease, while the machine's durable portable design easily shrugs off the wears and tears of travel.

Easily the most notable weak point for this machine is its lack of media focus. The 1366 x 768 display resolution is below what consumers would expect at this price point, and the battery life is greatly diminished when performing graphical functions.

The HP EliteBook is still certainly capable of performing those functions, but there are better options available to consumers. Users that are looking for productivity and want a device that will get the job done, plain and simple, will be well severed by the HP EliteBook Revolve 810. 

Pros:

• Durable simplistic design
• High quality touchpad
• SSD

Cons:

• Mediocre display
• Inconsistent battery life

Individual Ratings: *

Software & Support 
Upgrade Capabilities 
Usability 
Design 
Performance 
Features 
Price/Value Rating 
* Ratings averaged to produce final score