Palo Alto, California-based HP has just announced the introduction of its new ProBook and Pavilion portable computer systems, designed to provide business and everyday consumers with new alternatives for an ultraportable, light computer system. With the announcement, the PC vendor has introduced the new ProBook 5310m and the Pavilion dm3 models, coming as the world's thinnest, full-performance notebook PC and a new slim and stylish consumer notebook, according to the company.

“Striking designs, impressive product features, outstanding value and a focus on computing performance add up to a mobile experience second to none,” Ted Clark, senior vice president and general manager, Notebook Global Business Unit, Personal Systems Group, HP, said. “These new notebooks further validate our position as an undisputed leader in notebook design and raise the bar for the entire thin and light category.”

The ProBook 5310m, which HP claims to be the “world's thinnest, full-performance notebook PC,” can be featured with an Intel Core 2 Duo SP9300 processor that can provide users with a full-performance PC, while capable of delivering up to seven hours of battery life, on the standard lithium-polymer battery. With an additional six-cell battery, due out later this year, the laptop's runtime can be further increased. HP has also equipped its laptops with the QuickWeb pre-OS application, which lets users browse the Internet within 20 seconds after pressing the specifically designed button.

The Pavilion dm3 comes as HP's alternative to some of the other ultraportable laptops that have recently been launched in the growing market segment. The system will provide users with a choice for Intel's Core 2 Duo or an AMD Neo dual-core processor, combined with graphics cards from Intel, ATI or NVIDIA, depending on the user's preferences. The system is just one-inch thin and weighs only 4.2 pounds, making it one of the lightest portable PCs on the market.

Additional features include the optional, built-in WWAN for a wireless connectivity, the low-light VGA HP webcam and the microphone, as well as an optional, lightweight, external optical disc drive.

Boasting an Intel Celeron processor, the HP ProBook 5310m starts at US$699, while an Intel Core 2 Duo-powered alternative will be available for US$899, when it becomes available on October 22, the date of Microsoft's Windows 7 launch. The Pavilion dm3 is said to start at US$549 with an AMD processor, and at US$649 with an Intel processor.