SAN FRANCISCO – Hewlett-Packard Co., the largest maker of personal computers, is introducing new business laptops and a wireless broadband service designed to help travelers bypass more expensive plans offered by mobile-phone carriers.
The HP ProBook 5330m and HP EliteBook 2560, two laptops being released this month, will be able to use the new HP DataPass online connection, which lowers Internet costs for business travelers who only need occasional access, said Mike Hockey, a spokesman for the Palo Alto, Calif.-based company.
“It’s for the business person who’s traveling occasionally who wants quick access to 3G without the hassle of being tied to a contract or finding a Wi-Fi hot spot,” Hockey said in an interview.
Hewlett-Packard is seeking fresh ways to make its PCs stand out from rival products, including Apple’s iPad and other mobile devices. The industry’s PC shipments declined 3.2 percent last quarter, hurt by sales of tablets, research firm IDC said last month. Hewlett-Packard plans to release its own tablet called the TouchPad in the next few months.
DataPass pricing starts at $5 for 75 megabytes of data, or five hours of Web browsing, rising to $30 for 1 gigabyte, or 30 days, the company said. Consumers who sign up for U.S. wireless broadband plans typically pay $50 to $60 for 5 gigabytes, plus early termination and activation fees.
“This might bring in some recurring revenue for HP, but what they’re really trying to do is give the customer the ability to be connected anytime, anywhere and give them the various options to buy their PCs over some other device,” said Tim Bajarin, president of technology consulting firm Creative Strategies Inc. in Campbell, Calif.
Hewlett-Packard is purchasing the wireless bandwidth wholesale from Sprint Nextel Corp., similar to the way Amazon.com offers its Whispernet service to Kindle e-reader customers. Hewlett-Packard uses special software to turn its service on and off after people pay for it, Hockey said.
The ProBook 5330m, which starts at $799, measures less than 1 inch thick and is the company’s first business notebook to include enhanced audio from its partnership with Beats by Dr. Dre, a product line developed by the rapper and producer.
The EliteBook 2560 starts at $1,099.
Hewlett-Packard and other makers of corporate laptops, including Dell Inc. and Lenovo Group Ltd., are trying to entice buyers by adding more consumer-friendly features, such as better sound and screens and backlit keyboards.
Businesses have shown interest in computers with more consumer features, as long as they offer ways to secure important information, Hockey said.
“We think the wave is coming,” he said.
