HP Drives Digital Entertainment Industry with Connected PCs, TVs and Services

Fueling the emerging connected entertainment industry, HP today introduced a broad lineup of products, services and relationships that make it easier than ever for consumers to adopt a high-definition, digital lifestyle.

Unveiled at the opening of CES 2008, the world's largest annual tradeshow for consumer technology, the new lineup includes dazzling entertainment PCs, an expanded portfolio of HP MediaSmart connected entertainment products, digital content services such as Upline, which allows people to store and share digital content over any Internet connection, and a range of partners involved in the creation and distribution of digital content.

"HP has made a focused effort around breakthrough solutions in digital entertainment, high-tech design and home computing technologies - and it has made us the world's leading consumer technology company," said Todd Bradley, executive vice president, Personal Systems Group, HP. "We're continuing that momentum today with an expanded portfolio of stylish, easy-to-use digital technologies that will help to make the hi-def lifestyle a reality for more people every day."

Stylish, easy-to-use products

One of the standout products in HP's updated portfolio of consumer PCs is the HP Pavilion tx2000 Series Entertainment Notebook PC.

The tx2000 offers an unmatched touch and pen experience with a new, resistive touch-screen technology and built-in digitizer that recognizes the rechargeable pen as it nears the screen and disables the touch feature to ensure easy transition between touch and handwriting.

Featuring a sleek, high-gloss "Echo" Imprint finish, this elegantly designed convertible notebook also comes with HP QuickPlay software, which provides access to a variety of entertainment options at the touch of a button. Using the HP Webcam, integrated microphone and instant messaging solution of their choice, people can engage in live video chat with friends and family across the world.(1) The new HP Pavilion tx2000 is available today starting at an estimated U.S. street price of $1,299.(2)

An impressive combination of size, performance and value, the HP Pavilion Slimline s3300 offers a dual-format Blu-ray and HD-DVD player,(3) plus a TV tuner(4) and NVIDIA GeForce 8500 card with HDMI port. The setup equips families and students with the functionality of a conventional tower PC in a desktop that's one-third the size - and it lists under $1,000.(2)

Buoyed by its tremendous success in PCs in 2007, HP is now making every TV it sells a connected HP MediaSmart TV, which feature advanced technology to allow consumers to stream movies,(5) music and photos from any networked PC in the home to a high-definition(6) LCD TV. In addition, with the new HP MediaSmart Receiver, the company is extending the same networking capability to any of the hundreds of thousands of HDTVs already in consumers' homes.

The HP MediaSmart Receiver features a piano-black finish as well as HP's exclusive "Zen" Imprint pattern and ambient blue lighting, making it a stylish addition to any room in the home. The receiver enables seamless aggregation of digital content from multiple PCs around the home so users can access and enjoy their favorite photos, music and movies on any HDTV.

The latest HP MediaSmart LCD HDTVs now feature Media Center Extender technology, new panels for dynamic blacks and enhanced image quality, and aesthetic updates such as a streamlined industrial design and a back-lighted remote control for an enhanced entertainment experience that allows people to enjoy all their digital content on a stunning HDTV.

HP also is making a variety of enhancements to its MediaSmart Server, including the addition of integrated server-side anti-virus software from McAfee(7) for added security as well as remote access and the availability of Photo Webshare and iTunes on the HP Media Vault for more robust and secure experiences.

New digital content services

HP makes online trip planning and sharing a snap with the new HP iPAQ Navigate website - www.ipaq.com/navigate. The site helps customers research points of interest and create tailored travel plans that then can be printed for easy reference or loaded onto the new HP iPAQ 300 Series Travel Companion for dynamic trip management.

The site allows users to share their travel plans with family, friends and colleagues online. Travelers also can edit itineraries directly on their device and instantly share new updates when logging back online or even add notes about their travels into their trip plan so others can use the information to create and customize their own trips.(8,9)

Expected to be available in March, the new HP Upline online service at www.upline.com allows customers to readily access, share, manipulate and store digital content over any Internet connection.(1) Friends and family near and far can access shared digital files in just a few simple steps.

The new service is a result of HP's recent acquisition of Opelin, a small, privately held San Jose, Calif., company that provides secure, scalable online services including storage, backup and data migration. The new online service complements HP's existing hardware storage offerings by providing consumers and SMB customers the security of knowing their digital world is protected in a secure, offsite location in case their local PC gets lost, damaged or destroyed.

More information on HP's new CES product and services lineup is available in an online press kit at www.hp.com/go/CES2008.

New relationships drive innovation in design and marketing

HP also is for the first time displaying its new Artist Edition notebook at CES. Available later this spring, the limited-edition Artist Edition HP Pavilion notebook features the "Asian Odyssey" personal design of 20-year-old Joao Oliveira of Porto, Portugal, the winner of the "Take Action. Make Art." global notebook-design competition.

Also on display are the "extreme makeover" notebooks created as part of the HP and PC Magazine "The Computerlicious Design Experience." These one-of-a-kind, fully functional works of art designed by rap superstar Nelly's Apple Bottoms clothing line, handbag designer Rebecca Minkoff and renowned street muralist James de la Vega, among others, will be auctioned off on eBay to benefit tech non-profit the National Cristina Foundation.

During CES, the notebooks will be on display in HP's booth and at PC Magazine's 25th anniversary celebration at Tabú. View all the designs online and find out more about the charity auction at www.pcmag.com/computerlicious.

About HP

HP focuses on simplifying technology experiences for all of its customers - from individual consumers to the largest businesses. With a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure, HP is among the world's largest IT companies, with revenue totaling $104.3 billion for the four fiscal quarters ended Oct. 31, 2007. More information about HP (NYSE: HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com


(1) Internet access required.

(2) Estimated U.S. street price; actual prices may vary.

(3) As HD DVD and Blu-ray are new formats containing a new technologies, certain disc, digital connection, compatibility and/or performance issues may arise, and do not constitute defects in the product. Flawless playback on all systems is not guaranteed. In order for some HD-DVD and Blu-ray titles to play, they may require a DVI or HDMI digital connection and your display may require HDCP support. Some HD DVD and Blu-ray advanced features may not be supported.

(4) Availability of signals limited by the strength and accessibility of the originating TV signal, location and other factors. Performance issues may arise, and do not constitute defects in the product.

(5) DVD movies cannot be streamed.

(6) High definition (HD) source content varies and will depend on source input, signal, aspect ratio and other factors. HD content may require separately purchased service contract or other fees. HD content may not be available in your service area, check with service provider.

(7) 60 day trial period. Internet access required to receive updates. First update included. Subscription required for updates thereafter. This McAfee Total Protection for Small Business software is licensed to you by McAfee under the terms of the McAfee end user license agreement which can be read at http://us.mcafee.com/root/aboutUs.asp?id=eula .

(8) GPS Navigation software is included in select countries. Purchase of additional maps and/or software may be required to enable some features or allow navigation in certain areas. Map coverage may vary and is not guaranteed.

(9) Bluetooth™-enabled devices, separately purchased equipment and a service contract with a wireless airtime provider may be required for applicable wireless communication. Wireless Internet use requires a separately purchased service contract. Check with service provider for availability and coverage.

Bluetooth is a trademark owned by its proprietor and used by Hewlett-Packard Company under license.

Windows Home Server Breaks Ground on New Features, Expands Into More Homes Worldwide

Attendees of this week’s 2008 International CES will be introduced to Windows Home Server Power Pack 1. The new software delivers a range of enhancements for customers who have embraced Windows Home Server since its launch last November, helping them protect, organize and share their digital photos, music, videos and documents.

Microsoft Corp. is committed to continually enhancing the capabilities and benefits of Windows Home Server for partners and consumers. With Power Pack 1, the Windows Home Server Connector software for home computers is compatible with 64-bit editions of Windows Vista. This update release also provides a new way to protect data, in case of a disaster such as a fire or theft, by enabling the backup of a home server to external storage. In addition, Power Pack 1 improves its remote access features by providing a simple way to upload multiple files, presenting photo thumbnail views and enabling more control of remote user access.

With Power Pack 1, power consumption of Windows Home Server is more efficient, complementing the power management capabilities in Windows Home Server-based hardware products such as the Fujitsu Siemens Computers SCALEO Home Server and Tranquil Home Servers. Power Pack 1 also adds support for the Chinese and Japanese languages, and will be available to customers automatically in spring 2008 through Windows Update. More information about the update is available on the Windows Home Server blog at http://blogs.technet.com/homeserver.

Unveiled by Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates at CES 2007 and launched in November, Windows Home Server represents a new product category embraced by both customers and industry partners. Forrester Research Inc. forecasts that home server adoption will reach 4.56 million households in the next five years.

“Windows Home Server will spearhead the growth of an important new product category,” said J.P. Gownder, principal analyst at Forrester Research, in his December 2007 teleconference, “Forrester’s Windows Home Server Outlook and Forecast.” “The proliferation of consumer digital assets creates a need for the functionality of a home server. And multi-PC households are growing rapidly, along with home networks.”

Delighted Customers

Customer demand for Windows Home Server has been strong; the HP MediaSmart Server, powered by Windows Home Server, sold out on leading retailer Web sites after it launched. Customers in more than 30 countries are now using Windows Home Server to help secure and enjoy their digital content and experiences. For example, in the United States, Brian Driscall used Windows Home Server to quickly restore all of his 9-year-old son’s progress on the “LEGO Star Wars” computer game, after his 4-year-old son had deleted the information.

“I saved the day for my son,” Driscall said. “I love being able to stream music, videos and pictures from my home server, too. We had some friends over recently, and we were able to show them pictures from our Thanksgiving vacation on our TV.”

Brian Irvin is a technical sergeant in the New York Air National Guard, stationed in Antarctica. He posts videos of himself to the server back home, so he can stay connected with his wife and children.*

“The kids really love it. My 5-year-old daughter even talks to the computer while the videos are playing,” Irvin said. “I’m able to read my kids a bedtime story, even though I’m on the other side of the planet.”

Partners Build On the Windows Home Server Platform

More than 15 hardware makers around the world have announced Windows Home Server-based products. Third-party software developers have released or announced approximately 50 Add-in programs to extend Windows Home Server capabilities, including personal blogging, family Web sites, media sharing, home security features, home automation, and protection against viruses and malware.

In its pressroom at CES, Microsoft will demonstrate Windows Home Server working with partner solutions such as the Sonos Digital Music System and CEIVA digital photo frames. In France, the OMSERVER from OMWAVE is a new Windows Home Server-based hardware product with home automation Add-in software. Information about other Windows Home Server-based hardware products and third-party Add-ins is available at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/homeserver.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

* Use of Windows Home Server’s remote access features may require additional services from your broadband provider, such as access to certain “ports” that some providers may block for customers on some service plans. Contact your broadband provider if you have questions about their services or service terms.

For more information about Windows Home Server:

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/homeserver (virtual pressroom)

http://www.microsoft.com/windowshomeserver (product page)

For more information about the HP MediaSmart Server:

http://www.hp.com/go/mediasmartserver

HP Advances Flexibility, Efficiency of Blades Across the Data Center

HP today announced virtualization and power management technologies that help customers streamline IT operations to realize dramatic cost savings, increased flexibility and improved energy efficiency.

Based on the market-leading HP BladeSystem c-Class infrastructure – a self-contained unit of servers, storage, network, management software and power and cooling technology – the new offerings mark the next major phase of HP’s strategy to build modular, integrated, automated data centers that reduce administrative time and free resources to focus on the needs of the business.

Highlighting the announcement is the HP Virtual Connect Enterprise Manager, which improves IT processes by extending the capability of HP BladeSystem Virtual Connect technology to all blade enclosures in a data center.

Virtual Connect technology allows customers to pre-assign network and storage connections once and then add, move, replace or upgrade servers in minutes. The new Enterprise Manager enables IT administrators to manage and control these connections across 100 c-Class enclosures, or up to 1,600 blade servers, from a single console.

By dynamically moving server connections across a data center, or to remote sites, customers can more effectively and efficiently meet changing application workload and performance needs. In addition, the new software can be operated by a single administrator, which helps eliminate process steps and administration time, while providing an audit trail and limiting configuration conflicts.

“Enterprises need to dramatically simplify management on a large scale,” said Jonathan Eunice, principal IT advisor at Illuminata Inc., a research and advisory services company. ”HP Virtual Connect Enterprise Manager is important because it lays the foundation for coordinating IT infrastructure across the data center.”

HP’s advancements in virtualization, management, power and cooling have helped it secure the No. 1 position in blade server market revenue and units worldwide, according to IDC.(1) The company shipped more than 150,000 virtual connect-enabled servers in the past year; these systems can now be enhanced by the capabilities of HP Virtual Connect Enterprise Manager.

“HP Virtual Connect gave us amazing flexibility to add and recover servers very quickly, speeding up our processes and eliminating wait time in response to our organization,” said Scott Hemmerlein, systems administrator, Information Systems and Technology Management, Indiana University School of Management. “We hope to expand those same time savings beyond one blade enclosure to the rest of our data center with HP Virtual Connect Enterprise Manager.”

Managing physical and virtual environments

HP also is delivering new and enhanced offerings based on HP Insight Control that help manage physical and virtual environments:

HP Server Migration Pack Universal Edition now combines virtual and physical migrations into a single tool to speed migration time of HP ProLiant and BladeSystem servers. A new “queued migration feature” helps to automate, plan and execute multiple migrations at once, with expected support to include Citrix XenServer™, Microsoft® virtual machines, Oracle® VM and VMware.
HP Virtual Machine Management Pack 3.0, another key offering within the Insight Control management portfolio, provides central management of Citrix XenServer, Microsoft virtual machines, Oracle VM and VMware. It helps reduce downtime interruptions with a new predictive failure alert capacity that can relocate virtual machines before hardware failures occur.
HP PolyServe Software for Microsoft SQL Server consolidates large SQL environments onto a single cluster so customers can manage all instances at once, freely add and recover multiple instances, and roll out business applications more quickly while improving reliability.

“Infrastructure issues of cost, time, change and energy continue to challenge our customers, even as great technologies like virtualization help lower costs and speed the pace of making changes,” said Mark Linesch, vice president of marketing, Infrastructure Software, HP. “With these offerings, our recently acquired assets from Opsware and more products on the horizon, HP continues to drive toward an Adaptive Infrastructure inclusive of both physical and virtual resources.”

HP’s data center automation technology acquired from Opsware automates the management of IT infrastructure and assesses the impact of changes, while providing a unified view that spans all infrastructure tiers of an application. HP plans to integrate the Opsware Automation Platform with its existing management solutions, bringing together hardware and software for future data center automation capabilities across the full stack.

Providing IT and facilities with energy-aware control across the data center

The cost to cool a data center can be more than the cost of powering the IT equipment. In fact, a recent study suggests that in a majority of the world’s data centers, 60-70 percent of a data center’s power is associated with cooling the IT equipment.(2)

The new HP Power Distribution Rack controls three-phase power distribution across a row of server racks to more efficiently deliver power where and when it is needed most for significant cost and environmental benefits. The offering allows IT managers to:

Connect to power once across a row of server racks and adapt power distribution as needs change;
Prevent overloads and resolve problems fast with energy-aware, HP Thermal Logic technology; and,
Reduce cabling which lowers complexity and the chance for error with one set of input cables to the end of a row and short power drops to each rack.

The new HP Rackmountable Parallel 3 Phase UPS provides the highest level of power protection from HP and dissipates less than half as much heat into a data center compared to the nearest competitor offering.(3) It enables attached servers to save all work in progress and initiate a shutdown in the event of power loss, and restores it with Thermal Logic power policies to ensure business picks up where it left off.

When compared to competing, less efficient offerings, HP’s new 3 Phase UPS can save more than $1,000 a year in power and cooling costs in the 12-kilowatt rack-mount model and more than $6,000 for the 60-kilowatt row-level configuration.(3)

More information about HP’s solutions for the Adaptive Infrastructure is available at www.hp.com/go/adaptiveinfrastructure.

(1) IDC, Q207 Worldwide Quarterly Server Tracker, August 2007.

(2) HP, Christopher Malone, PhD, Christian Belady, P.E.: “Metrics to Characterize Data Center & IT Equipment Energy Use,” Digital Power Forum, Richardson, Texas, September 2006.

(3) Based on internal HP studies.

HP Resolves Ink Patent Infringement Suit Against Pelikan

HP today announced that Germany-based Pelikan Hardcopy Deutschland GmbH and the Swiss Pelikan Hardcopy (International) AG have admitted claims asserted by HP in an action for patent infringement filed with the Düsseldorf Regional Court in Germany.

Based on this admission, the court issued a judgment ordering Pelikan to stop importing and distributing the infringing cartridges and to pay damages to HP. Pelikan also was ordered to recall all infringing products that might still be in the distribution channel.

In May, HP alleged that Pelikan infringed multiple HP patents related to the print cartridges and the ink formulation found in Pelikan products. Pelikan has admitted HP’s claims regarding all patents.

The accused Pelikan products were new cartridges, as opposed to remanufactured, and had been sourced from a third party and imported into Germany. They were sold under the Pelikan brand and designated as H06 and H08 color cartridges.

"At HP, we take our investment in intellectual property very seriously and are pleased to resolve this matter without extensive litigation," said Michael Hoffmann, senior vice president, Supplies, Imaging and Printing Group, HP. “We will remain vigilant in monitoring Pelikan and others for possible patent infringement as part of our ongoing worldwide testing and enforcement efforts.” ntries where such patents are held, and promised to withdraw infringing products from the market in those countries.

About HP

HP focuses on simplifying technology experiences for all of its customers – from individual consumers to the largest businesses. With a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure, HP is among the world’s largest IT companies, with revenue totaling $97.1 billion for the four fiscal quarters ended April 30, 2007. More information about HP (NYSE: HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com.

HP Strengthens Thin Client Computing Offering with Acquisition of Neoware Inc.

HP today announced that it has signed a definitive merger agreement to purchase Neoware Inc. (Nasdaq: NWRE), a provider of thin client computing and virtualization solutions, at a price of $16.25 per share, or an enterprise value (net of existing cash) of approximately $214 million on a fully diluted basis.

The acquisition is part of HP's strategy to expand in growth markets and further its leadership in personal computing. Acquiring Neoware is intended to accelerate the growth of HP's thin client business by boosting its Linux software, client virtualization and customization capabilities, expanding its regional sales footprint and broadening its hardware portfolio.

"Our objective is to become the preferred brand of thin clients and software for virtualized client computing," said Kevin Frost, vice president, Business Desktops, Personal Systems Group, HP. "Thin clients are an important component in today's overall computing strategy and play a critical role in HP's virtualization strategy. Acquiring Neoware confirms our commitment to thin client computing and client virtualization solutions."

Thin clients provide reduced maintenance costs, minimal application updates and a higher level of security compared to other desk-based computing products. The solid-state devices connect over a network to a server where all processing and storage takes place.

The transaction will combine the respective strengths of each company: Neoware's Linux-based thin client solutions and software with HP's thin clients based on Microsoft Windows® XPe and Windows CE and its virtualized client solutions, such as blade PCs, blade workstations, virtual desktop infrastructure and server-based computing. HP plans to leverage the acquisition to remain an industry leader in reducing its environmental footprint through reduced noise, power and packaging versus desktop PCs.

"Acquiring our company will further strengthen HP's PC business as it extends its portfolio of remote client solutions and delivers secure, low-cost access to centralized personal computing," said Klaus Besier, president and chief executive officer, Neoware Inc. "We are proud to be joining HP, where together we will continue to promote the shift to virtualized client computing."

Following completion of the transaction, HP plans to integrate Neoware into the Business Desktop Unit of HP's Personal Systems Group.

Under the terms of the merger agreement, Neoware stockholders will receive $16.25 for each share of Neoware stock that they hold at the closing of the merger. The acquisition is subject to a number of customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals and the approval of Neoware's stockholders. HP expects the closing to occur in the fourth quarter of calendar year 2007.

Media conference call

HP and Neoware plan to conduct a joint audio conference call today at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT with media and analysts to discuss HP's intent to acquire Neoware.

The call will be hosted by Kevin Frost, vice president of Business Desktops in the Personal Systems Group at HP, and Klaus Besier, president and chief executive officer, Neoware Inc.

Dial-in phone number: +1 866 825 1692

Passcode: 45109820

About Neoware

Neoware Inc. (Nasdaq: NWRE) is a global provider of thin client computing solutions that allow organizations to cut costs by centralizing desktop management, alleviating threats of security breaches and reducing energy consumption. Forward-thinking companies enable their desktop virtualization strategies with Neoware's desktop, laptop and software offerings. Headquartered in King of Prussia, Pa., Neoware has offices in Europe and Asia.

About HP

HP focuses on simplifying technology experiences for all of its customers – from individual consumers to the largest businesses. With a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure, HP is among the world's largest IT companies, with revenue totaling $97.1 billion for the four fiscal quarters ended April 30, 2007. More information about HP (NYSE: HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com.

HP to Acquire Opsware Inc.

HP today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to purchase Opsware Inc. (Nasdaq: OPSW), a market-leading data center automation software company, through a cash tender offer for $14.25 per share, or an enterprise value (net of existing cash and debt) of approximately $1.6 billion on a fully diluted basis.

Upon closing, the acquisition will enhance HP's portfolio of Business Technology Optimization (BTO) software. Combining Opsware's solutions with HP's enterprise IT management software will deliver a comprehensive and fully integrated solution for IT automation. Opsware is the latest in a series of strategic software acquisitions, including Mercury Interactive and Peregrine Systems, which expands HP's leadership in BTO.

"The acquisition of Opsware is intended to enable HP Software to help our customers resolve one of their critical pain points: controlling the increasing complexity and cost of managing the data center," said Thomas E. Hogan, senior vice president, Software, HP. "We expect Opsware's outstanding team will help us drive leadership across our BTO offerings."

Opsware Chief Executive Officer Ben Horowitz said, "We are about to see one of the biggest application and infrastructure build-outs in history. The addition of Opsware to the HP Software portfolio will make HP the obvious choice for powering the next generation of data centers to come."

The acquisition of Opsware is intended to extend HP Software's capabilities to automate the entire data center – from initial provisioning of servers, networks and storage devices to managing ongoing changes and compliance requirements – with integrated process automation, removing the latency inherent in today's IT environments.

"Following last year's acquisition of Mercury Interactive, the addition of Opsware is expected to enhance HP's standing as one of the world's leading software companies and drive profitable growth for HP," said Ann Livermore, executive vice president, Technology Solutions Group, HP. "With this strategic acquisition, I believe customers will see HP as the clear vendor of choice to help them transform how they manage and automate IT to drive better business outcomes."

Following the close of the transaction, Opsware will become part of the HP Software business. At that time, HP also expects to appoint Ben Horowitz to lead the Business Technology Optimization organization reporting to Thomas E. Hogan, senior vice president, HP Software.

The acquisition will be conducted by means of a tender offer for all of the outstanding shares of Opsware, followed by a merger of Opsware with an HP subsidiary. The tender offer is subject to a number of customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals, and is expected to close before the end of HP's fourth fiscal quarter of 2007.

HP Helps Enterprises Accelerate Delivery of IT Projects with New Software, Services

HP today announced a significant expansion of its Business Technology Optimization (BTO) capabilities to help IT organizations improve efficiencies and deliver better business outcomes.

With major software updates and new services in its quality management and service management offerings, as well as further integration across its software product line, HP is enabling customers to rapidly deliver IT projects and services to achieve on-time, on-budget product introductions and increased profitability.

The expanded portfolio was unveiled at HP Software Universe, the company’s annual customer event focused on its software business and related partners and resellers.

“With so much of business today relying on technology, CEOs need IT more than ever to fuel growth,” said Thomas E. Hogan, senior vice president, Software, HP. “To help IT deliver the speed and agility the business needs, HP BTO software and services provide a platform to align with business requirements, automate for efficiency and increase collaboration across functions.”

According to a recently released study conducted by The Economist Intelligence Unit on behalf of HP, companies are experiencing unacceptable levels of IT delays. Although 62 percent of companies surveyed said that faster IT meant higher profits, the study showed that one in four IT projects are delivered late. Furthermore, majority of those surveyed said no more than one in two IT initiatives produced positive business outcomes.

This gap results from tight budgets and limitations imposed by manual processes, point solutions and teams working in silos. To address this growing gap, the HP BTO portfolio helps IT organizations:

• Make sure IT and non-IT managers work on the same business goals;


• Speed up internal processes within IT functions such as IT strategy, applications and IT operations; and


• Automate processes across the different IT roles.

“As one of the world’s largest hotel and leisure companies, we are constantly identifying opportunities to grow our business online,” said Todd Thompson, chief information officer, Starwood Hotels & Resorts. “By giving us the ability to rapidly update our business applications without compromising quality, HP Software helps us improve the customer experience and increase the loyalty of the hundreds of thousands of guests, business customers and travel agents that use our reservation system every day.”

Quality Management solutions

Updates to HP Quality Center software and HP LoadRunner software as well as new quality management services include:

• HP Quality Center Software – Includes the first ever business requirements and quality management capabilities fully integrated in a single real-time system. This major new release enables customers to adopt “agile testing” methods to facilitate more frequent software releases while taking a risk-based, business priority-driven view of quality management.


• HP LoadRunner Software – Enhancements help address the major shift in the way IT will deliver applications over the Internet, including advanced performance testing of Web 2.0-enabled service-oriented architectures and rich Internet applications.


• HP Quality Management Ecosystem – Provides customers with the broadest support for platforms, applications and environments by allowing HP Software partners to develop and market test accelerators for HP Quality Center and HP LoadRunner software.


• HP Quality Factory Services – Part of the HP Services Application Lifecycle Optimization offering, this set of best practices and services helps IT organizations successfully implement improved application quality and performance, process.

“Demand for greater business agility is driving the majority of new application implementations and changes, and it requires the optimization of every aspect of the application’s lifecycle,” said Thomas Murphy, research director, Gartner, an industry analyst firm. “When it comes to delivering applications that meet the needs of the business, quality assurance teams must look for ways to greatly accelerate their testing cycles in order to meet increasingly stringent schedules from business and application teams.”

Service Management solutions

Enhancements to HP Service Management portfolio include innovations in HP Change and Configuration Management Center, HP Service Management Center software solutions, and new related services. The offerings include:

• HP Change Control Management Software – Helps IT organizations accelerate the delivery of change by automating approval processes and eliminating the need for time-consuming change advisory board meetings. This new software release is part of HP Software’s end-to-end change control solution.


• HP Configuration Management Software – Helps reduce the risk of business disruptions by allowing customers to automatically and reliably deploy new applications and operating systems, such as Microsoft Windows Vista™ to the entire enterprise.


• HP Best Practices for Service Center – Provides pre-defined ITIL processes for service management that helps IT organizations accelerate HP Service Center deployment and optimize its ongoing use.


• HP Service Management Framework – This new services offering, which is a consolidation of HP’s solutions, expertise, methodologies and industry standards, including ITIL v3 and COBIT, help IT partner with the businesses it supports, by providing better governance, service management and efficiency.

“At Northwest Airlines we are able to provide efficient and reliable software services throughout our enterprise, in turn reducing our costs of doing business,” said Ken Gleason, manager client products, Northwest Airlines, Inc. “HP Configuration Management solutions have helped us successfully manage change across business-critical applications, including those used at every airport we service worldwide. We’re confident that HP solutions will help us reduce business risk, as we migrate our enterprise to Microsoft Windows Vista.”

Additional technology integration

Building on more than 75 integration points across its BTO portfolio, HP unveiled new cross-product integrations that help customers automate key processes across IT silos with a lifecycle approach, including:

• HP Universal CMDB – The only configuration management database (CMDB) built on dependency mapping and integrated with help desk, change and configuration management and business service management offerings. This helps reduce the risk of business disruptions by ensuring a consistent definition of a business service from the time it is ordered from the service catalog, through change impact analysis and approval, to the time it is deployed and monitored in production; and


• HP Service Center Software – Several new integrations help to better align the change request, approval and deployment processes and accelerate delivery of IT services to business users. For instance, HP Change Control Management and HP Configuration Management are integrated with HP Service Center to create a closed-loop change process and complete audit trail for compliance purposes.

About HP

HP focuses on simplifying technology experiences for all of its customers – from individual consumers to the largest businesses. With a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure, HP is among the world’s largest IT companies, with revenue totaling $97.1 billion for the four fiscal quarters ended April 30, 2007. More information about HP (NYSE: HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com



(1) The Economist Intelligence Unit whitepaper, “Technology at the Speed of Business,” is available for download at EIU Report.

HP Enhances Blade PC Solution to Deliver True Desktop Experience for Business Customers

HP today introduced its third generation Consolidated Client Infrastructure (CCI) solution, which enables businesses to deploy blade PCs to their full range of traditional desktop users while delivering a true PC experience.

The CCI solution now includes new HP BladeSystem bc2000 and bc2500 blade PCs and HP Remote Graphics software to provide greater processing power and performance, improved graphics and streaming video to users with network connectivity and an HP thin client or other access device.

HP also introduced PC Session Allocation Manager 2.0, which includes PC “hot desk” access that allows users to securely and easily change work locations. Allocation Manager 2.0 intelligently converts from single- to dual-monitor environments without user intervention and supports HP’s Remote Graphics software for an improved multimedia experience. It also features “plug and play” blade PC self-registration functionality for quick and easy deployment, as well as built-in tools that help IT staff manage blade PC utilization to ensure maximum user productivity.

“A flexible IT strategy is key to managing the variety of workplace paradigms in place today – dispersed workforces, telecommuting, outsourcing and offshoring – in addition to the security and compliance issues corporations now face,” said Kevin Frost, vice president, Business PCs, HP. “The HP CCI solution helps address these issues by improving business continuity and security, dramatically lowering operational support costs, and increasing agility by allowing IT staff to focus on growth opportunities, not technology problems.”

In the HP Consolidated Client Infrastructure solution, the central processing unit, memory and hard disks that are typically found in a desktop PC are split across blade PCs and redundant storage devices in a highly secure, centralized data center. Users are networked to these resources across standard LAN or WAN connections from virtually any location via a simple access device, such as an HP thin client.

CCI is part of HP’s portfolio of Remote Client Solutions, which includes traditional HP thin client/server-based computing, HP Virtual Desktop Infrastructure running on HP ProLiant and BladeSystem servers, and HP Blade Workstations. Based on common systems management, allocation management, protocol and access device infrastructure, the portfolio allows IT customers to meet the needs of a highly varied workforce.

Easy to size and budget for large user groups

CCI is designed for the largest groups of end users: basic productivity and knowledge workers. It provides them with a complete, personalized, predictable desktop experience by allocating a one-to-one connection to a blade PC. The solution additionally offers dedicated compute resources to eliminate performance variances of shared environments and ensures each end-user has the memory and processing power he or she needs.

Blade PCs also streamline capacity planning and eliminate the risk of underestimating the investment required to deploy remote client solutions. A dedicated HP blade PC architecture follows normal desktop economics with per-seat costs that make large deployments possible, with sizing and budgeting as simple as determining the number of users requiring simultaneous PC access.

With the HP CCI solution, IT tasks such as application upgrades, new application deployments, operating system migrations and security updates can be accomplished without undue risk to existing hardware and budgetary plans. The solution can also reduce power consumption by using highly power-efficient blade PCs in the data center and low-wattage thin clients desk-side.

Easy in the data center

HP blade PCs are designed to simplify PC provisioning and updates while leveraging standard data center management tools and operational procedures. The new HP blade PCs maximize data center floor space while minimizing power consumption by providing desktop performance with the highest rack density (280 blades in an industry-standard 42U rack) at the industry’s lowest power rate of any blade PC (as low as approximately 7 kilowatts per 280 blades).

CCI also allows IT to enforce best practices worldwide by managing all client computing from a central console for easier image management, virus protection and resource allocation while leveraging the same server management tools that are familiar to IT staff.

“As one of the leading electronic discovery service providers, Fios requires scalable, predictable and reliable systems to support the processing, preservation and production of our clients’ evidence. HP’s blade PCs deliver great form factor and efficient power consumption,” said Tho Han, IT director, Fios Inc., a Portland, Ore.-based provider of electronic discovery services to the country's largest corporations and law firms. “The integration, deployment and manageability of these systems are easy and enable us to quickly meet the ever-increasing demands of our client’s case loads.”

Pricing and availability

The HP BladeSystem bc2000 Blade PC starts at $1,000 per bc2000 blade (when purchased in a 10 pack)(1) featuring a single-core AMD Athlon™ 64 2100+ processor, 80 gigabyte (GB) SATA hard drive(2) and 1 GB of DDR2 memory.(3)

The HP BladeSystem bc2500 high-performance blade PC starts at $1,500 when purchased in a 10 pack(1) featuring an AMD Athlon 64 X2 3000+ dual-core processor,(4) 80 GB SATA hard drive(2) and 1 GB DDR 2 memory.(3)

“AMD and HP are committed to providing customers with innovative technology solutions, such as CCI, that provide outstanding total cost of ownership,” said Bob Brewer, corporate vice president and general manager, Desktop Division, AMD. “Powered by energy-efficient AMD Athlon processors, these new blade PC offerings will help provide customers with increased power efficiency and high performance.”

Both new blade PCs come with Microsoft Windows® Vista™ Business edition(5) and are available with the choice of either HP Remote Graphics Software 5.0 or Microsoft RDP 6.0, which both support dual-monitor functionality for even more advanced graphic capabilities. They also include the HP ProtectTools Trusted Platform Module 2.0 embedded security chip for added data security.

More information about the HP Consolidated Client Infrastructure solution is available at www.hp.com/go/cci



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(1) Estimated U.S. list price. Actual prices and configurations may vary.

(2) 1 GB = 1 billion bytes. Actual formatted capacity is less. Up to 8 GB (for XP and XP Pro) and up to 12 GB (for Vista) is reserved for system recovery software.

(3) Above 3 GB, all memory may not be available due to system resource requirements.

(4) To take advantage of the 64-bit processing capabilities of the Athlon 64 X2 3000+ dual-core processor, this system requires a separately purchased 64-bit operating system and 64-bit software products. Given the wide range of software applications available, performance of a system including a 64-bit operating system will vary.

(5) Certain Windows Vista product features require advanced or additional hardware. See www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/hardwarereqs.mspx and www.microsoft.com/windowsvista/getready/capable.mspx for details. Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor can help determine which features of Windows Vista will run on a computer. To download the tool, visit www.windowsvista.com/upgradeadvisor.

HP Retakes No. 1 Position in Total Disk Storage Systems

HP has reclaimed the No. 1 position in worldwide total disk storage systems revenue from IBM, with 20.1 percent market share, according to market data for the first calendar quarter of 2007 released today by IDC.(1)

HP additionally held the No. 1 position in several other categories including the open storage area network (SAN) market, which includes fibre channel and iSCSI, where HP was the leader in open SAN shipments with 14.6 percent share worldwide.(2) In the internal disk storage systems category, HP owned the top position, with 35.8 percent revenue share.

The HP StorageWorks Enterprise Virtual Array (EVA) family increased its external disk array revenue share in the midrange segment.(3) HP also grew year-over-year revenue faster than the two closest competitors in worldwide total disk storage, helped by market share gains in product lines such as the HP StorageWorks XP disk arrays and HP All-in-One Storage Systems.(4)

HP was tied for the No. 1 spot in units shipped in the worldwide network-attached storage market.

“The latest IDC results show that HP is competing aggressively in the storage market and growing share against key competitors,” said Duncan Campbell, vice president of marketing, StorageWorks Division, HP. “Our flagship EVA product family continues to enjoy widespread acceptance, and you’ll see HP deliver more storage innovation to help customers mitigate risks, lower costs and grow their businesses.”

More information about HP StorageWorks offerings is available at www.hp.com/go/storageworks

(1) IDC, Worldwide Quarterly Disk Storage Systems Tracker, Q1 2007.

(2) Statistical tie with IBM.

(3) Midrange is defined as systems priced between $15,000 and $300,000.

(4) HP StorageWorks XP = External RAID excluding NAS, price bands 7-9; HP StorageWorks All-in-One = External RAID, price bands 1-3, excluding fibre channel and mainframe-attached SAN.

HP Wins NASA Contract Worth up to $5.6 Billion

HP has been awarded a seven-year contract worth up to $5.6 billion by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to provide a wide range of technology as needed by U.S. federal government agencies.

HP products to be provided under the indefinite delivery indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract, called the NASA Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement (SEWP) IV Class 5, include desktops, workstations and blade PCs with Linux and Unix capabilities, servers and printers, among other offerings.

The entire federal government and its authorized prime contractors can purchase HP technology through SEWP IV. In addition, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has made NASA SEWP IV its mandatory contract for the acquisition of technology.

“As the federal government looks to maximize investments, reduce costs and increase efficiencies, it needs a technology partner that delivers products and complete solutions that operate seamlessly in complex IT environments,” said Jack Novia, managing director and senior vice president, Technology Solutions Group – Americas, HP. “With this NASA SEWP IV contract, HP is pleased to extend our partnership with federal government agencies and help them accomplish their mission goals.”

HP has delivered more than $620 million worth of products and services to federal government agencies from 1992-2007 through the previous NASA SEWP II and SEWP III contracts.

The NASA SEWP IV Government-wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC) provides the latest in information technology solutions for all federal agencies. SEWP IV offers:

• low prices – guaranteed at or below U.S. General Services Administration schedule prices;
  
• the lowest surcharge (0.6 percent), capped at $18,000 for orders more than $3 million;
  
• an easy and fast ordering procedure with personalized customer support and order tracking.

Through SEWP IV, agencies can find a fit for their needs at the best value by choosing the right solutions offered directly by leading hardware and software manufacturers and experienced government integrators.

About HP
HP focuses on simplifying technology experiences for all of its customers – from individual consumers to the largest businesses. With a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure, HP is among the world’s largest IT companies, with revenue totaling $97.1 billion for the four fiscal quarters ended April 30, 2007. More information about HP (NYSE: HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com.

HP Drives High-performance Computing into the Mainstream with Expanded Unified Cluster Portfolio

HP today announced enhancements to its Unified Cluster Portfolio to help simplify and accelerate the configuration, deployment and management of clusters for high-performance computing (HPC).

HP Cluster Platform Express, a pre-configured cluster system that offers shortened delivery times and reduced integration costs, now features HP BladeSystem c-Class servers. The servers are the ideal platform for HPC clusters because of their support for high-performance interconnects, increased processor and node support, simplified management, reduced interconnect and network complexity, high density and efficient power and cooling.

The cluster is available with up to 48 compute nodes, Intel® Xeon™ or AMD Opteron™ processors and a choice of InfiniBand or Gigabit Ethernet cluster interconnects. It also has options for a factory-installed operating system and cluster management software.

In addition, HP Cluster Platform Express provides a faster and easier way to order and configure single-rack HPC cluster systems compared to traditional methods. Customers can select from a menu of popular cluster components tuned for increasingly complex HPC workloads. The components are then factory assembled to speed up delivery.

“Over the past four years, HP has built a cluster ecosystem that brings many of the pieces for a full clustering environment together and is driving HPC cluster computing further into the mainstream, as shown by their growing market share and market leadership in 2006,” said Earl Joseph, program vice president, High Performance Computing, IDC. “Their new additions to the Unified Cluster Portfolio should be useful to HPC buyers that are looking for complete and easy-to-install solutions.”

New tools expand program

To further expand its Unified Cluster Portfolio program, HP has created an extensive set of tools to simplify and automate the configuration, integration and verification of clusters. The tools will be offered to customers, certified channel partners and independent software vendors so they can benefit from HP’s investments and experience to quickly deliver and support high-quality cluster systems.

“For years, Matrix Integration has been using HP Cluster Platform Express for configuring and ordering cluster systems,” said Chad Williams, public sector manager, Matrix Integration. “HP enables us to deliver the most accurate, current and best possible solutions in a timely manner. The addition of HP BladeSystem c-Class servers to the program is ideal for our HPC customers.”

In support of the expanded HP Cluster Platform Express program, Platform Computing is extending its offer for a free 90-day trial of LSF CAE Edition to customers purchasing a cluster through the program.

Launched in 2004, the HP Unified Cluster Portfolio includes a broad set of industry-standard hardware and software that helps HP and its partners address virtually any HPC problem, large or small. These building blocks are part of the HP Cluster Platform architecture that includes simplified packaging and wiring, compatibility matrices and automated verification and configuration tools.

The architecture includes HP ProLiant and Integrity servers based on AMD Opteron and Intel Xeon and Itanium® 2 processors. It offers a wide variety of cluster interconnects, including Ethernet and InfiniBand, and support for Microsoft Windows®, Linux and UNIX® operating systems. It also offers a broad selection of cluster management and grid software products.

More information on HP Cluster Platform Express and the HP Unified Cluster Portfolio is available at www.hp.com/go/cp-express and www.hp.com/go/clusters.

HP, Microsoft and SAP Deliver Appliance for Duet Software

HP, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) and SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) today unveiled a new appliance that allows access to SAP® business processes and data via Microsoft® Office applications on high-performance HP servers.

The result of a collaborative effort, “Duet™ by SAP and Microsoft, powered by HP” is an HP ProLiant server that has been pre-installed with Duet software, a joint solution from Microsoft and SAP that gives information workers seamless access to select SAP business processes and data through Microsoft Office applications.

Duet by SAP and Microsoft, powered by HP acts as an appliance that allows customers to easily create a “proof of concept,” enabling them to more quickly and easily evaluate Duet’s business benefits using customer-specific data. Pre-loaded scripts have been engineered to help customers to jumpstart the Duet proof-of-concept and production implementations.

The Duet appliance speeds up deployment by shortening implementation time from setup to configuration, which both increases return on investment and enables customers to realize business benefits from Duet more quickly.

The Duet appliance also can be expanded to include additional HP ProLiant or HP Integrity servers that can fully integrate with a business’s live Microsoft and SAP applications. The industry-leading HP ProLiant and Integrity server technology behind the Duet appliance will give customers the scalability they need to handle the most demanding workloads with high levels of performance.
“Because of our alliances with both Microsoft and SAP, HP is in a leading position to package the benefits of Duet in a flexible and adaptable solution for rapid deployment,” said Chuck Smith, vice president, Enterprise Servers and Storage, Technology Solutions Group – Americas, HP. “HP Integrity and ProLiant servers provide high performance and superior flexibility for instant query execution and very fast response times – even for complex and non-routine queries. The Duet appliance offers flexibility that optimally adapts to business needs.”

“Just a year after launching Duet, a groundbreaking solution that connects SAP software to the Microsoft Office tools people use every day, we are pleased to announce another landmark initiative to accelerate the deployment of Duet,” said Lewis Levin, corporate vice president, Microsoft Office. “Duet by SAP and Microsoft, powered by HP empowers IT organizations with a plug-and-play solution that rapidly delivers the benefits of Duet to their information workers so they can drive more value, faster.”

“We already have tremendous customer and partner momentum with Duet – since last year’s announcement we have sold to more than 250 customers and 400,000 licenses,” said Doug Merritt, executive vice president of Business User Development and corporate officer, SAP Group. “Our appliance strategy with HP and Microsoft is one more example of SAP’s continuing tradition of co-innovation with partners to bring flexibility and innovation to our customers. Duet by SAP and Microsoft, powered by HP helps customers extend the reach of SAP solutions and improve overall productivity. Since the appliance is based on enterprise service-oriented architecture, customers can get their Duet deployment up and running quickly.”

Duet by SAP and Microsoft, powered by HP is available for customers to order starting June in North America. Additional information on Duet by SAP and Microsoft, powered by HP and the broad range of HP server, software and services solutions for SAP customers is available at www.hp.com/go/sap

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

About SAP

SAP is the world’s leading provider of business software*. Today, more than 39,400 customers in more than 120 countries run SAP® applications -- from distinct solutions addressing the needs of small businesses and midsize companies to suite offerings for global organizations. Powered by the SAP NetWeaver® platform to drive innovation and enable business change, SAP software helps enterprises of all sizes around the world improve customer relationships, enhance partner collaboration and create efficiencies across their supply chains and business operations. SAP solution portfolios support the unique business processes of more than 25 industries, including high tech, retail, financial services, healthcare and the public sector. With subsidiaries in more than 50 countries, the company is listed on several exchanges, including the Frankfurt stock exchange and NYSE under the symbol “SAP.” (Additional information at www.sap.com.)

* SAP defines business software as comprising enterprise resource planning and related applications such as supply chain management, customer relationship management, product life-cycle management and supplier relationship management.

About HP

HP focuses on simplifying technology experiences for all of its customers – from individual consumers to the largest businesses. With a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure, HP is among the world’s largest IT companies, with revenue totaling $94.1 billion for the four fiscal quarters ended Jan. 31, 2007. More information about HP (NYSE: HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com.

HP Appoints Nor Rae Spohn to Lead LaserJet Printing Business

HP today announced the appointment of Nor Rae Spohn to senior vice president of the company’s LaserJet Printing Business.

Spohn, 49, will be responsible for continuing HP’s worldwide leadership in laser printing through customer focus and innovation.

A 26-year veteran of HP, Spohn will report to Vyomesh Joshi, executive vice president of HP’s Imaging and Printing Group (IPG).

“Nor Rae is a natural leader with a deep understanding of HP’s Imaging and Printing business,” said Joshi. “Her distinguished leadership track record makes her a natural fit for this role and I look forward to her continued contributions as a key member of the IPG leadership team.”

Previously, Spohn was vice president and general manager of the HP Color LaserJet Business and before that led the HP Personal LaserJet Printing Business. Last October, she was inducted in the Women in Technology International Hall of Fame as one of the world’s “five most pioneering women.”

Based in Boise, Idaho, Spohn recently was appointed to the Governor of Idaho’s Science and Technology Advisory Council. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University in computer science and a master’s degree from Stanford in electrical engineering.

HPQ: HP to Acquire Tabblo, Aims to Make Printing from Web Easier

HP today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Tabblo Inc., a privately-held developer of web-based software located in Cambridge, Mass.

HP plans to leverage Tabblo’s technologies to make printing from the web easier and more convenient than it is today. Tabblo’s technology allows people to simply and efficiently arrange and print text, graphics and photos from the web. This is made possible by Tabblo’s custom template engine, using an AJAX-enriched interface.

HP plans to make this simple-to-use web-printing experience broadly available to people by working with other companies to integrate the technology into their websites. Together, HP and its partner companies will provide customers with a vastly improved web-based printing experience to meet the ever-growing need for simplified Internet-based printing.

“HP’s goal is to make printing content from the web the easiest and best experience possible for people – whether they are printing a simple map or a book of their favorite blogs,” said Vyomesh Joshi, executive vice president, Imaging and Printing Group, HP. “By acquiring Tabblo’s technology and making it available to companies that host popular websites, HP will be firmly on the path to becoming the print engine of the web.”

The acquisition is subject to certain closing conditions and is expected to be completed within the next few weeks. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

HPQ: HP Delivers Industry’s First PCs to Meet ENERGY STAR 4.0 Hardware Requirements

HP today announced the industry’s first business PCs configurable to meet the hardware standards of ENERGY STAR® 4.0 – the new, stringent energy-efficiency specification from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

HP’s new energy-efficient business desktop PCs use less power, which is better for the environment and helps customers reduce energy costs.

HP is also the first major PC manufacturer to offer “80 percent efficient” power supplies, a key component of the ENERGY STAR 4.0 regulations that go into effect on July 20, 2007.

HP lab tests have found that configuring PCs with the optional 80 percent efficient power supplies along with the other ENERGY STAR 4.0 hardware requirements can reduce total system power consumption as much as 52 percent, translating into an average annual cost savings ranging from $6 to $58 per PC.(1)

“As a leader in energy efficiency, PG&E supports new technology designed to reduce the energy needed to operate computers,” stated Roland Risser, director, Customer Energy Efficiency, PG&E, the largest investor-owned gas and electric utility in the State of California. “We look forward to working with HP to accelerate the use of computers with 80 percent efficient power supplies and help consumers take advantage of new energy savings opportunities.”

The HP Compaq dc5700, dc5750 and dc7700 desktop PCs are designed to meet business customers’ growing requirements for more efficient power management and cooling. Customers using PCs configured to meet the ENERGY STAR 4.0 requirements can benefit from increased system reliability, reduced system maintenance costs, as well as decreased air conditioning costs -- all due to less heat generation, which can also greatly extend the life of the system. These technologies also make it easier for federal agencies to comply with Executive Order 13123, which requires them to strive to meet ENERGY STAR criteria to increase energy performance and environmental quality.

“Our expanding family of energy-efficient desktop PCs not only help business customers meet upcoming regulatory requirements, but also reduce the impact on the environment by meeting the EPA’s most stringent ENERGY STAR requirements yet,” said Jeri Callaway, senior vice president and general manager, Personal Systems Group -- Americas, HP. “HP is taking an industry leadership role in the delivery of energy-efficient desktops as we focus on delivering specialized product design tailored to meet the needs of businesses today.”

Select HP Compaq dc5700 and dc7700 business desktop PCs meeting the ENERGY STAR 4.0 hardware specifications are available now and feature Intel® Core 2TM Duo processors, Microsoft Windows® XP Pro, 80 GB hard drives, 1 GB of memory and DVD/CD-RW combo drives, starting at $899 and $959, respectively.(2)

ENERGY STAR 4.0 configurations are also available for the HP Compaq dc5750 business desktop with AMD AthlonTM processors, Microsoft Windows XP Pro, 80 GB hard drives, 512 MB of memory and DVD/CD-RW combo drives, starting at $609.(2)

Building on a legacy of environmental features for business PCs

The new ENERGY STAR 4.0 desktop configurations advance HP’s ongoing effort to adopt new power-efficient technologies and to provide its business customers with environmentally responsible desk-based PCs.

The company works diligently with industry and government groups to promote energy-saving programs and consistent global standards; in fact, HP was the first PC manufacturer to sponsor the 80PLUS program, a utility-funded incentive program to integrate energy-efficient power supplies into PCs and servers.

HP today also has nearly 50 Silver or Bronze-level products registered with the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT), a procurement tool that helps public and private sector institutional purchasers evaluate, compare and select PCs and monitors based on their environmental attributes. U.S. federal agencies are now mandated to buy EPEAT registered products.

In addition, the HP Compaq dc5750 business PC introduced late last year was the first global technology provider to offer customers a processor option that consumed less power, with the help of AMD 35-watt processors and its Cool ‘n’ Quiet® technology, which reduces processor heat and results in an overall cooler PC and a quieter work environment.

The company was also the first major PC manufacturer to ship an S3 power management-ready system, which saves energy by automatically switching the PC into a standby, low-power mode after a period of inactivity. Enabled by default on all HP business desktop PCs, S3 power management conserves up to 294 kWh per desktop PC annually. According to HP testing, that yearly savings of energy is enough to power a 75-watt light bulb burning continuously over that same year.

Business customers can also choose from a wide variety of low-power remote client solutions from HP, including the blade PC-based Consolidated Client Infrastructure as well as thin clients, which can deliver as much as 80 percent power savings over traditional desktops with similar capabilities.(3)

Additional information on the broad range of energy-efficient HP products is available at www.hp.com/go/energy.


1) Savings calculations based on PCMark 05 benchmark testing results. Internal testing; customer results will vary. Variables include customer determined percentage of sleep state, idle state, productivity state and peak usage state. Also, manufacturing variability will affect the savings a customer may see. HP advises customers to test a system with an 80 percent efficient power supply in their environment to determine potential savings.

(2) Estimated U.S. street prices. Actual prices may vary.

(3) Power savings based on HP lab tests comparing an HP thin client, with an idle power consumption average of 14.5W, to a typical desktop with an idle power consumption of 75W. HP advises customers to test thin clients in their environment to determine potential savings over traditional desktop PCs.

HPQ: Trane Employs HP and PolyVista for Warranty Chain Management Early Warning Solution

HP and PolyVista today announced that they have completed the implementation of a warranty chain management solution for Trane, a leading global provider of indoor comfort systems and comprehensive facility solutions for commercial, institutional and residential buildings.

The solution, which was up and running in eight weeks, helps Trane quickly identify product quality and warranty-related issues through automated early detection and root cause analysis.

After correcting any current issue detected by the solution, manufacturing teams at Trane can pass the information on to the design or engineering teams to help avoid problems in future products, as well as to vendors and suppliers to help improve long-term product reliability. Through this process, the solution offers reduced warranty costs, improved product development, sourcing and manufacturing processes, and better customer satisfaction.

“HP and PolyVista’s warranty and quality analytics solution worked immediately, allowing us to effectively mine our warranty and production data,” said Jerry Brinks, senior quality engineer and Six Sigma Black Belt, Trane. “This helps us to identify potential product defects and warranty management challenges, trends and anomalies for faster identification and resolution of product quality and warranty-related problems before we start hearing about it from anywhere else.”

The PolyVista and HP solution frees Trane’s business users from dependence on IT or statisticians to analyze warranty and quality data – the solution provides both technical and non-technical Trane employees with a means to analyze disparate data sources using high-end analytics and text mining.

“With PolyVista, HP is enabling Trane’s business users to discover new and valuable business insights hidden in their data to transform the customer warranty and quality management processes from reactive to proactive,” said Brian Walker, director, Americas Automotive Industries, HP.

Throughout Trane’s solution investigation and vendor selection process, HP and PolyVista worked to provide the company’s key business users with an analytic environment that automatically uncovered anomalies, correlations and relationships hidden in their data.

“It is the ability to uncover unknown issues and problems that is critical to reducing production costs and warranty spend and delivering high-quality products to customers,” said Bob Potts, vice president of sales, PolyVista. “Our experience in working with HP consulting and helping other manufacturers enabled us to deliver significant value to Trane very quickly.”

About PolyVista

Founded in 1995, PolyVista is a Houston-based company that delivers software to enable business users to move beyond reporting to discover new and valuable business insights hidden in their data. PolyVista’s Discovery software fills the gap between reporting and high-end analytics. PolyVista’s Discovery can interface with any existing database. It is the only product that successfully and seamlessly integrates OLAP (On-Line Analytical Processing), Discovery (data mining), text mining, and 2/3D visualization into a single, easy-to-use application for the non-technical business user. More information about PolyVista can be found at www.polyvista.com

HPQ: HP BladeSystem Reduces Data Center Thermal Footprint

HP today announced benchmark results confirming the HP BladeSystem c-Class uses up to 27 percent less power than the IBM BladeCenter-H in similar configurations that reflect real-world customer usage of blade server environments.(1)

The results derive from a week-long study conducted by Sine Nomine Associates of Ashburn, Va., which examined the overall power consumption and external airflow requirements of a variety of blade server and 1U rack server configurations in a typical data center environment experiencing light to heavy use.

The documented and publicly available results demonstrate that the HP BladeSystem c-Class and its zoned cooling properties not only lower power usage through efficient power distribution but also optimize airflow, which is a significant component in keeping data centers cool. In fact, the benchmark study shows the HP BladeSystem c-Class requires 60 percent less airflow than the IBM BladeCenter-H.

HP, the new industry leader in factory revenues and units shipped for blade servers,(2) features HP Thermal Logic technology in its BladeSystem enclosure to offer customers reduced power and cooling loads right out of the box.

“Power and cooling are serious issues for customers,” said Mark Potter, vice president, BladeSystem Division, HP. “Sine Nomine took an objective look at this real-world customer problem and the test results show what we already knew: HP BladeSystem c-Class featuring Thermal Logic is the clear choice for customers addressing their power and cooling challenges.”

HP offers broad power and cooling portfolio

Recent industry studies reveal that data center power density has increased more than tenfold in the last 10 years and that, in some cases, cooling represents upwards of 70 percent of the total data center power spend for customers.(3) These costs are driven by the data center power requirements and the cubic feet per minute of cooling airflow.

While some vendors focus on single aspects of the data center power and cooling problem, HP takes a holistic approach to synchronize power efficiency across multiple elements. Systems taking advantage of this approach include the HP BladeSystem c-Class and the recently announced data center-wide HP Dynamic Smart Cooling solution.

Additionally, HP has a large patent portfolio covering advances in power and cooling technology in the past 10 years. HP continues to address power efficiency issues across the data center by introducing new technology solutions to meet the needs of its customers, particularly those building next-generation data centers. Customers today benefit from HP Thermal Logic featuring HP Active Cool Fans and Dynamic Power Saver, HP Dynamic Smart Cooling, HP Modular Cooling System, HP Power Regulator and HP Insight Power Manager.

Energy efficiency has been a key aspect of HP’s environmental strategy since 1992. The company offers a full range of energy-efficient products and enterprise solutions that help customers save money while reducing environmental impact.

The full version of the Sine Nomine study is available at www.hp.com/go/bladepowerreport More information on HP power and cooling technologies for businesses is available at www.hp.com/go/powerandcooling More information on Sine Nomine is available at www.sinenomine.net





(1) Sine Nomine Associates, “A Comparison of HP BladeSystem c-Class with HP Thermal Logic to Competitive Systems,” Feb. 2, 2007.
(2) IDC Worldwide Quarterly Server Tracker, February 2007.
(3) Malone, C., Belady, C. “Metrics to characterize Data Center & IT Equipment Energy Use,” Proceedings of 2006 Digital Power Forum, Richardson, Texas, September 2006.

Trion World Network and HP to Enable the Next Generation in Broadband Games and Entertainment

Trion World Network (Trion) and HP (NYSE: HPQ) announced they will collaborate to design and build the technology infrastructure for Trion’s next-generation broadband games and entertainment platform.

Trion’s games and entertainment services, powered by HP, will be the first in the world to truly combine the best of games, broadband, and traditional media. The services’ fully dynamic content will allow for continuously fresh experiences for users. Gamers will be able to access the interactive content from a wide array of devices, using the specific capabilities of the device.

Trion has selected HP as its preferred technology solution provider. HP will provide its industry-leading server, storage, development workstation and software technologies, interactive entertainment expertise, and global support services to enable Trion to build and maintain the mission-critical computing and communications environment required to power their next-generation infrastructure and develop world-class game content.

“HP’s experience in architecting highly scalable and available environments for industries such as games, airlines, telecommunications, and financial stock exchanges makes HP the perfect partner for us,” said Lars Buttler, CEO, Trion World Network. “HP fundamentally understands what the next generation of infrastructure and consumer technology needs to look like for a revolutionary customer experience in interactive entertainment. Also, we are anxious to leverage HP’s unique and powerful presence in the consumer market for gaming devices and consumer electronics products.”

“As global entertainment moves to broadband, the opportunities for transforming interactive entertainment are exploding,” said Matthew Lane, director, Communications, Media and Entertainment, HP. “Trion will lead the industry a step further by developing technology that will dramatically alter the way interactive entertainment is produced, consumed, and monetized. With our strategic interactive entertainment assets such as mission-critical gaming infrastructure and Voodoo PCs, we believe our partnership with Trion will help them make this vision a reality.”


About Trion World Network

Trion World Network, Inc. is the publisher and developer of games and original entertainment for the broadband era. Trion provides groundbreaking new capabilities and content to revolutionize global entertainment by combining the best elements of online, gaming, and traditional media. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, and with a Technology Center in Austin, Texas, Trion combines unrivaled experience and vision in the online entertainment industry with a world-class team of internet and gaming veterans.

HPQ: HP Simplifies Migration for Sun Solaris Customers to More Affordable, Higher-performing HP ProLiant Systems

HP is making it easier for dissatisfied Sun Microsystems server customers to migrate to higher performing, more affordable x86-based HP ProLiant platforms.

By expanding certification of the 64-bit version of the Solaris 10 operating system on seven of its existing Intel® Xeon™-based HP ProLiant servers, HP is providing users of Solaris on SPARC-based servers more options than ever for adopting industry-standard computing.

Since 1996, HP has certified various versions of Solaris in both 32- and 64-bit mode on select AMD Opteron™- and Intel Xeon-based HP ProLiant servers. The certifications announced today include the HP ProLiant BL20p G4, BL460c, BL480c, DL360 G5, DL380 G5, DL580 G4 and ML570 G4 servers.

HP shipped more than a half million more x86-based servers worldwide than Sun in the third quarter of 2006. In the same period, HP grew its shipments year-over-year by almost two times the entire number of platforms Sun shipped. In addition, HP is the No. 1 provider of UNIX on x86, shipping more than three times the number of UNIX servers on x86 than Sun in the quarter.(1)

HP offers a comprehensive set of automated tools, system trade-ins, financial incentives, migration assistance and integrated support capabilities to help customers migrate from Sun to HP ProLiant, BladeSystem, Integrity and StorageWorks platforms. Since 2004, HP has generated more than $1 billion in revenues from moving Sun customers to HP servers.

HP's robust UNIX operating system, HP-UX 11i, benefits Solaris customers challenged with highly demanding workloads. HP-UX, together with HP Virtual Server Environment and HP Serviceguard, make virtualization fast and easy for mission-critical applications.

“HP’s 10 years of leadership in the industry-standard server market has allowed ProLiant servers to drive into all areas of the data center,” said James Mouton, senior vice president and general manager, Industry Standard Servers, HP. “As standards-based computing continues to be the end goal for customers, more and more Solaris customers are coming to HP for its full portfolio of x86 servers, management tools and services.”

HP additionally announced a relationship with Transitive® Corporation, a leading provider of software that enables transportability of applications across multiple processor and operating system pairs.

Together, HP and Transitive will provide hardware virtualization and infrastructure solutions best run for companies migrating away from SPARC technology to achieve the benefits in price/performance and flexibility from HP ProLiant servers.

Transitive’s QuickTransit for Solaris/SPARC-to-Linux/x86-64 solution seamlessly enables applications that have been compiled for the Solaris operating system and the SPARC processor to run on certified 64-bit HP ProLiant platforms running Linux without requiring any source code or binary changes.

More information for customers looking to make the switch from Sun to HP is available at www.hp.com/go/maketheswitch

More information on HP ProLiant servers certified for Solaris is available at www.hp.com/wwsolutions/solaris/index-all.htm . More information on HP-UX and HP Integrity offerings is available at www.hp.com/go/suntointegrity

HPQ: HP Expands Software Portfolio with Acquisition of Bristol Technology

HP today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Bristol Technology Inc., a leading provider of technologies that monitor business transactions, to further enhance HP Software’s leadership in Business Technology Optimization (BTO).

Bristol Technology’s solutions help customers monitor complex business transactions occurring within their organization, such as insurance claim processes, product orders and inventory management, across heterogeneous and distributed IT environments. The technology complements HP’s recent acquisition of Mercury, enables end-to-end management of real-time business transactions, and extends HP Business Availability Center capabilities to the mainframe.

Headquartered in Danbury, Conn., Bristol Technology is a private company that primarily serves customers in the financial services and insurance industries in the United States and the United Kingdom. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

“For the first time, customers will have a single software vendor that enables them to manage end-to-end business transactions, beginning with end-users all the way through custom applications and mainframe environments,” said Deborah Traub, vice president of products, Management Software, Software, HP. “The acquisition of Bristol Technology extends our business service management solution and BTO offerings by helping customers better manage the performance, availability and impact of these business processes.”

Bristol’s solutions can help manage a wide range of composite applications and environments, including J2EE or .NET application servers, middleware, integration brokers, mainframes and multiple operating systems.

“The combination of HP and Bristol Technology will allow us to provide our customers with access to the industry’s broadest portfolio of enterprise IT management software,” said Ken Blackwell, chief technical officer, Bristol Technology. “Bristol Technology already had a strong partnership with HP, and our TransactionVision product is already integrated with the HP Business Availability Center and Universal CMDB software products, so joining with HP makes a lot of sense for our company, customers and partners.”

The acquisition is subject to certain closing conditions and is expected to be completed within approximately 30 days. Following completion, the business will be fully integrated into the HP Software unit within HP’s Technology Solutions Group.

About Bristol Technology

Bristol Technology provides end-to-end process visibility of business transactions. Its TransactionVision product monitors the performance and reliability of transactions, thus ensuring higher service levels, while lowering risk. Bristol is headquartered in Danbury, Conn. For additional information, visit www.bristol.com