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.
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