Video: HP's New ProBooks Can Handle Your Spills

By Corinne Iozzio Posted 10.13.2009 at 9:45 am 2 Comments

HP ProBook 6545b HP

Among HP's landslide of Windows 7 PCs announced today are two biz-centric laptops that are a dream for clumsy typists. The HP ProBook 6445 and 6545 have all the unremarkable specs you'd expect in an affordable IT-department-friendly notebook, with one exception: a spill-resistant keyboard.

HP ProBook 6445b Drain:

The design, which HP is calling an "island," allows spills to funnel through the keyboard rather than sit and puddle underneath the keys. Liquid escapes through a single drain on the bottom of the notebook -- saving your keyboard from moisture, but not the suit you just had dry cleaned for your business trip.

Aside from the keyboard, both machines are sturdy and relatively light. Both bodies weigh the same 6.9 pounds and are made of durable magnesium alloy.

As far as specs: Both machines run AMD processors with ATI Mobility Radeon graphics. You can opt for up to 8GB of RAM, hard drives up to 500GB (128 if you want a solid-state drive), Blu-ray drives and 2-megapixel webcams.

Both available in November, the 14-inch 6445b and 15-inch 6545b will start around $800.

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