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HP with slew of new digital products, NEW STRAITS TIMES-MANAGEMENT

Posted on: Monday, 22 September 2003, 06:00 CDT

xfdws HP-WITH-SLEW sked Emerging Markets Datafile

September 22, 2003

NEW STRAITS TIMES-MANAGEMENT TIMES

MALAYSIA

ENGLISH

HP with slew of new digital products, NEW STRAITS TIMES-MANAGEMENT TIMES

Aimie Pardas

ASIA WorldSources, Inc. 322 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE 2ND FLOOR, NE WASHINGTON, DC 20002 COPYRIGHT 2003 BY WORLDSOURCES, INC., A JOINT VENTURE OF FDCH e-Media, INC. AND WORLD TIMES, INC. NO PORTION OF THE MATERIALS CONTAINED HEREIN MAY BE USED IN ANY MEDIA WITHOUT ATTRIBUTION TO WORLDSOURCES, INC.

MALAYSIANS can look forward to a new line-up of home entertainment personal computers (PCs) and digital cameras from Hewlett-Packard as part of the company's 89 new offerings announced recently in Bangkok, Thailand.

HP, known for its PCs and printers, enters the regional digital camera market with a high-end model, the HP Photosmart 945, a fully-automatic camera with manual override that snaps pictures up to 5.3-megapixel resolution with 56X zoom.

The Photosmart 945 is also HP's first digital camera to come with the adaptive lighting technology which automatically adjusts brightness and contrast even when the built-in flash isn't used.

Other models launched were the Photosmart 635 with 2.1-megapixel resolution and 12X zoom, and the 435 with 3.1-megapixel resolution and 5X zoom.

Only the Photosmart 945 and 635 feature automatic and manual controls.

However, all three models let users take video clips. Users can use any of the three cameras to share their pictures with the HP Instant Share technology. After taking a picture, they can share it in 34 different ways, including via e-mail, printing or sending it to the HP Photo Web site.

The HP Photosmart 945, 635 and 435 are expected to be available in the Asia-Pacific this December.

HP Asia-Pacific and Japan's imaging and printing group, digital imaging and personal printing vice president, Margaret Ong, said with the digital cameras in its new product line-up, the company can now offer a complete digital photo solution.

''The trend is showing that digital cameras are gaining popularity and the migration from analogue to digital technology is very rapid,'' she said.

She added that while there are many players in the region's digital camera market, HP believes that its products' quality, ease of use and its commitment to improve the industrial design will be the differentiating factors.

In line with its Enjoy More strategy recently unveiled in the United States, consumers too can look forward to new PCs that are more than just productivity tools but digital entertainment machines as well.

The new line-up of PCs features InterVideo Home Theatre that allows users to watch and record TV programmes, music, videos and photos. HP personal systems group Asia-Pacific and Japan's product manager Yeo Wee Kee said with the technology, users can access TV programmes, videos, music or pictures with a single click of the remote control via an all-in-one interface.

''They can use the remote control to control the hub up to 10 feet away from the computer and keyboard. Alternatively, the entertainment hub can also be controlled using an iPaq,'' Yeo said.

The InterVideo Home Theatre will only be available on HP Pavilion desktops and notebooks, with the TV tuner made available on selected models.

The Pavilion PCs with the InterVideo Home Theatre are marketed asdorm PCs and entertainment machines for teenagers who want to own a PC and a TV, said HP Asia-Pacific and Japan's personal systems group consumer desktops business unit vice president See Chin Teik. Other target users are those who value entertainment features.

See added that the technology to turn a PC into a digital entertainment computer isn't new but HP's technology comes with an easy-to-use interface at one location.

''With all home entertainment requirements in one place, HP is transforming the home PC by bringing it out of the study room into the living room.''

The new Pavilion will also feature surround sound, a seven-in-one digital media reader that now comes with a slot for Sony's Memory Stick Duo, a set-up wizard to help choose audio-video preferences, the ability to develop music and image libraries, customise music playlists, browse through video libraries and capture a scene from your favourite video.

Another new software introduced was the HP Image Zone, an interface that guides the consumer through the process of viewing, editing, printing, sharing and organising digital images.

It also protects images by creating a digital negative so consumers will always have a copy of the original picture.

HP's personal systems group consumer PC global business unit marketing vice president Tom Anderson said Image Zone is the third version of HP's photo and imaging software.

''It addresses the multitude of devices involved in digital imaging,''

Anderson said, adding that the software eliminates the need to use multiple pieces of software when using different HP devices.

Image Zone will be included across HP products such as HP cameras, scanners, all-in-one products and Photosmart printers. In future, the company plans to include the software in its Deskjet and iPaq products.

Copyright 2003 NEW STRAITS TIMES-MANAGEMENT TIMES all rights reserved as distributed by WorldSources, Inc.

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