HP on Friday quietly updated its Pavilion media center PCs with the option of mixed-format Blu-Ray and HD DVD drives that let the towers read either format without fear of their becoming obsolete. The d4995t, as well as the system builder's m9000z and m9000t Pavilion Elite models, all have the option of two HD-ready optical drives. A basic version of the drive is capable of full Blu-Ray burning but will only read its rival HD DVD format. A top-end drive will write both formats. Both drives also incorporate HP's LightScribe feature for burning a label graphic directly to each disc; each also records to legacy CD and DVDs. The cost of the upgrade varies depending on the system, but typically adds $250 for the more limited combo drive and $400 for the dual-format burner.

Hewlett-Packard plans to offer solid-state drives (SSDs) as an option in all professional series laptop PCs starting from next month because the drives operate faster, conserve battery life, have less weight, and are more durable than conventional hard disk drives. HP will first offer the option of 64GB NAND flash memory drives in products it announced earlier this month, the HP Compaq 2710p, 2510p, 6910p, and 8000 series, and will continue to offer it in future models. Choosing the SSD option will add around $1,000 to the cost of a laptop, but HP expects the cost to come down as SSDs gain acceptance in the marketplace and volumes increase, said Dan Forlenza, vice president of business notebooks at HP, during a news conference in Taipei.

Intel has announced the formation of the USB 3.0 promoters group, a consortium that aims to create a "super speed personal USB interconnect."

The first members of the promoter group (HP, Intel, Microsoft, NEC Corporation, NXP Semiconductors and Texas Instruments) said that USB 3.0 will deliver more than ten times the data transfer bandwidth of USB 2.0, which tops out at 480 Mb/s. The new interface will be designed to be used in consumer electronics and mobile applications and able to deal with digital media file sizes that are likely to exceed 25 GB.

Intel stated that USB 3.0 will be based on current USB technology and ports and cabling will be backwards compatible; however version 3.0 will offer enhancements for better protocol efficiency and lower power consumption. The development group will also integrate an upgrade path to optical capabilities for USB. A completed USB 3.0 specification is expected to be released in the first half of 2008.

HP plans to launch a new desktop called the HP Blackbird 002 some time this week. The new Blackbird PC plans to target gamers and PC enthusiasts and will feature:

• BIOS-based overclocks
• Heat-optimized aluminum chassis and foot
• Liquid cooling system for CPUs and GPUs
• Tool-free upgrades for CPU, GPU, drives
• Pricing between $2500 and $6500

HP, one of the leading manufacturers for desktops and notebooks, is preparing their new w2408 24-inch LCD display. The monitor is HDCP compliant with a 92% wide color gamut and 160 degrees vertical and horizontal viewing angles. HP also equips the w2408 with rotational capabilities and includes software that automatically adjusts the screen orientation as the display is rotated. Like most other 24-inch monitors, the HP w2408 features a 16:10 aspect ratio with a 1920x1200 native resolution at 60Hz. The display features a 400 nits brightness rating, a 1000:1 contrast ratio, and a response time of 5ms.

More information can be found here.

Engadget has leaked photos of HP's upcoming desktop PC, dubbed Virtus. There is no reliable information on Virtus's specs, but only three pictures showing its case.

HP just launched its special edition notebook named Pavilion dv6500 influx that features high glossy ceramic finish and pure white color. It is currently available only in Korea for the price of 1.490.000KRW or 1.600$. Availability and price in the EU and US has yet to be announced.

Today HP officially announced two new Santa Rosa based mobile workstations in Compaq series which were leaked about two months back. The 15.4-inch 8510w ($2600) features Core 2 Duo T7100/T7300T7500/T7700 processor, up to 4GB RAM, 120GB 7200 rpm hard drive, 1920x1200 resolution, NVIDIA Quadro FX 570M graphics card with 256MB memory or ATI Mobility FireGL V5600 256MB graphics, dual layer DVD burner or Blu-Ray, 802.11a/b/g/n wireless, Bluetooth, fingerprint reader, and Microsoft Windows Vista OS. The 17-inch 8710w ($2500) model comes with similar specifications except the NVIDIA Quadro FX 1600M graphics which now utilizes up to 512MB of dedicated video memory.

Acer Inc said Friday that it has filed a counterclaim of patent infringement against Hewlett-Packard Development Co before the Eastern District of Texas Court in the United States. The latest counterclaim is part of Acer's response to HP's patent infringement suit against the company filed at the same court earlier this year, Acer said in a statement. Acer claimed that HP has infringed its patents on dual-frequency antenna and DVD-ROM head technologies.

Having become the major supplier of pre-built PCs in general, Hewlett Packard has now managed to take the crown in European notebook sales. Until recently, Acer held the top spot for Europe, but a 53% increase in year-on-year first quarter sales has allowed HP to leapfrog Acer, selling 1.38 million units compared to Acer's 1.23 million. This means that HP is now the largest supplier of notebooks in Europe, Asia and the US - beating Lenovo in China and Dell in the United States (HP sold 1.74 million notebooks in the US compared to Dell's 1.55 million). This confirms HP's position as the largest supplier of computers, and should certainly give competing companies like Dell and Acer something to think about.

For a long time, Dell has enjoyed the "most pre-built PC sales" crown. Now, it seems like HP, with the right combo of advertising and good products, has called snatchies on that crown. While a lot of factors went into the specifics of this little title change, I'll shorten it. Quite simply, HP now has 19.1% of the PC market, and Dell has 15.2%. We'll see if this trend continues, or if Dell has some sort of ace-in-the-hole to combat this recent lapse in sales.

So HP decided to build another computer. What makes this computer so special though is what's under the hood. In a conscious effort to increase performance/watt while decreasing price and environmental impact, HP built a computer based entirely off of VIA chipsets. Featuring a VIA C7-D processor, and VIA UniChrome Pro II graphics, along with an unknown chipset, this computer promises to be one of the most energy efficient computers (that still packs some horsepower) in a while. Too bad it'll only be available in China.

Asus uses the Lamborghini brand, while Acer snapped up Ferrari. Now HP has teamed up with Maybach to offer their own brand such notebooks. Configuration is not certain but the new model is supplied with Intel Core 2 Duo processor, built in SSD-store 64Gb and video adapter (presumably GeForce Go 7ххх or 8ххх), Bluetooth mouse as well as some form of exclusive carrying bag and an additional battery. Prices should be around $4000 USD.

After high demand for custom computers with Linux installed, Hewlett-Packard is considering a similar approach to Dell with the open source operating system. The company may soon start selling factory built systems (not customised PCs like Dell) with Linux pre-installed, although it wasn't completely clear about the matter. A few of HP's notebooks are already certified to work with Red Hat and SUSE - it even used to ship Linux systems a few years back, but these were unsuccessful HP decided to discontinue them. HP's worldwide director of open source and Linux marketing said "We are in a massive deal right now for ... multi-thousands of units of a desktop opportunity for Linux. That's an indicator." However, so far there is no information about which distribution would be used, nor which systems Linux would be offered with. This increased consumer interest in Linux could soon see other big-name OEMs provide the free OS with their systems if HP and Dell are successful.

Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq "MSFT") and HP (NYSE "HPQ," Nasdaq "HPQ") today announced a three-year agreement to deliver an expanded portfolio of solutions for enterprise customers around the world. HP is the first premier global partner to deliver comprehensive solutions for the People-Ready Business, Microsoft's vision for how people, armed with the right software, are the key to driving business success.

Every HP computer that is "Windows Vista ready" and shipped with a Windows Vista upgrade coupon will get a free copy of Windows Vista when it is released. However, they will also get a free DVD full of various drivers, as well as a small guide on upgrading to Windows Vista, to make the upgrade process as worry free as possible. HP has worked since 2001 with Microsoft to ensure an easy upgrade path.