Smallest notebook computer

The Sojourn is quite possibly the smallest notebook you'll ever see

Hewlett-Packard's newly announced OmniBook Sojourn notebook computer usually gets two reactions when people see it for the first time. The first is "What the heck is that?!" and the second is, "I want one!"

Why?

HP loaned Computing Canada an engineering sample for a day to get a sense of what the fuss is all about. Since it wasn't a production model, we can't discuss performance, and be aware that some features will change before the product ships, sometime this month.

We'll do a full review of the machine when it's released; this is just a peek at what's to come.

HP claims that new technologies, such as a super-thin keyboard and a thin LCD display, enable a notebook PC package that is slimmer and lighter than most executive's file folders.

The Sojourn, the product of a partnership between HP and Mitsubishi, is a mere 0.7 inches thick, and weighs in at about three pounds. It'll tuck into a portfolio and leave room for a pad of paper. Yet this machine packs a powerful 233 MHz Intel Pentium processor, 64 MB of RAM, and a 2.1 GB hard drive.

Obviously a skinny package like that can't possibly hold much in the way of output devices. The main unit has two PC Card slots, side by side, a USB port, and an infrared port. Any other I/O is accomplished through what HP calls the expansion "slice," a box that clips onto the bottom of the Sojourn and contains a floppy drive, CD-ROM drive, and the standard complement of ports. When it's in place, the Sojourn looks like a standard notebook computer, and weighs about as much.

Another"slice" to this computer sandwich is an optional extra battery that clips onto the bottom of either the Sojourn or the expansion slice and claims to add another 4.5 hours of battery life.

The main unit is housed in a magnesium case, for lightweight durability.

It has a 12.1-inch TFT screen, and a new kind of ultra-thin keyboard. The keyboard is one thing that will be adjusted before shipping -- the one on the sample actually flexed when you typed on it. The keys are rubbery, with no tactile feedback (this may change, or there may be keyclicks added so you can tell that you connected with a key). The pointing device is a touchpad.

The price you pay (besides big bucks) for the Sojourn's form factor is lack of expandability. You can't add memory, or change the hard drive, or even replace the internal battery when it fails to hold a charge (an HP service centre has to deal with that).

The Sojourn targets senior executives, and bears an executive list price of $9,121. Warranty details have not yet been announced.

Watch Review Forum for a full evaluation once HP has hammered out the Sojourn's final details.

Lynn Greiner is senior manager, computer services for The NPD Group Canada Inc. in Toronto, and an accomplished freelance technology writer. She can be reached at lynng@inforamp.net.