HP Compaq 6820s

Business laptops and good looks don't often mix, but the HP Compaq 6820s is an attractive exception to the rule. As the only laptop here to come with a 17in screen, it's physically large and its 3.06kg weight isn't to be sniffed at, but it's only just heavier than the 15.4in laptops.

The HP's 17in panel has a native resolution of 1,440 x 900, the same as that of the smaller Dell Latitude D630, but the larger screen size improves legibility. The image it provides is bright and free from any issues such as grain or mottling, but it lacks contrast, which leaves images looking washed out.

Considering its low price, the 6820s' spec is particularly fine. An Intel Core 2 Duo T7250 rubs shoulders with 2GB of memory, while storage is taken care of by a 160GB hard drive and an LG DVD writer. Performance was just a touch behind other similarly specified laptops here, but a score of 1.07 is nippy enough for everyday office tasks.

The 6820s' substantial dimensions mean HP has been able to provide a spacious keyboard and numeric keypad. The right-hand Shift key has shrunk to allow room for the cursor keys, but the full-sized keys have a positive action, which makes for comfortable typing. The keyboard is slightly recessed into the HP's chassis, though, which makes the typing position a touch too flat.

The placement of the power connector is suspect, however. Squeezed between the VGA socket and the 10/100 ethernet port along the left-hand edge, it makes it all too easy to yank it, or any of the neighbouring cables, out by accident.

Battery life is also a bit on the short side. Under light use, the 6820s lasted a minute short of three-and-a-half hours, dropping to 1hr 10mins under heavy use. Security is another weakness: there's no fingerprint reader, no TPM chip, not even a smart card reader.

If this wasn't a business laptops group test, we could look past the lack of security and see the HP as a well-built laptop at a good price. But security is important, and the HP Compaq 6820s has a few too many other flaws to keep it in the running.

Author: Sasha Muller