The 2710p is the best-looking laptop in this month's Labs, and even gives the flashy MacBook Air a run for its money. However, it also shares some of the Air's limitations, with no DVD drive or PC Card slot and just an 80GB hard disk. Considering the stripped-down features, the 1.7kg weight is disappointing. Build quality is first rate, though, with no hint of flexing under pressure from the screen or keyboard.
The 12.1in screen is bright and vibrant but has a slightly grainy finish that can be a little distracting. It rotates and folds face up against the keyboard and responds to the supplied stylus, turning the 2710p into a tablet PC. Windows' handwriting recognition is extremely
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fast, effective and actually quite fun to use.
The keyboard is even faster, though, with a robust, positive action and an excellent layout, and there's a decent touch stick in place of a mouse. As such, the Tablet PC features will be little more than a gimmick except in situations where you need to use the laptop standing up - for stock checks, perhaps. This aptitude for use on the move means the lack of Draft-N wireless networking or a 3G modem is disappointing. The latter is available as an internally fitted module for around £200.
The Intel Core 2 Duo U7600 is an ultra-low voltage (ULV) processor. This means that it's designed for extended battery life, but this is achieved primarily by a relatively low 1.2GHz clock speed. Battery life is excellent at four hours and 46 minutes, but it's not hugely different to the faster Fujitsu-Siemens and Acer laptops. Meanwhile, a score of 93 overall in our Windows benchmarks shows that the Compaq 2710p will be fine for most work-related tasks but isn't ideal for running creative software.
HP's Compaq 2710p is a pleasure to use, but unless the Tablet PC features are essential it's hard to justify spending this much when faster performance, better features and increased portability are available for less.
