Published on June 9th, 2024 | by Adrian Gunning
HP’s work from home hacks
It’s been 4 years since home office set-ups became a reality for office workers and students alike. As the end of financial year draws close, many of us may start looking towards a little home office refresh – especially if the last time you invested in new tech gadgets was 4 years ago and on a tight budget. Sharing 5 work/study from home hacks and inspo from HP, to keep in mind when planning your next purchase.
Power-hungry? Go straight for the gaming computers
Gaming computers are long-known to pack in great processing power, refresh rates, memory and more. Whether you’re the kind who likes to open 40 tabs at a time, a developer, a content creator who does heavy editing, or a massive downloader, a gaming device would do the trick better than your average laptop.
Recommended device: OMEN HP Transcend 14 Gaming Laptop
- Exceptionally vivid IMAX Enhanced Certified 2.8K 120Hz VRR OLED display for incredible details and vibrant true-to-life color
- Epic processing speed with an Intel® Core™ Ultra 9 185H processor and NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX™ 4070 Laptop GPU
- Thermal innovation co-engineered with Intel’s dual channel flow technology, making it the world’s coolest 14-inch gaming laptopDo you have children? Invest in a good all-in-one colour printer
Children are increasingly moving their learning to a digital space, but print materials are known to be better for the learning process. From colouring and craft materials, to school notes and reading material, to party invitations, a good colour printer will satisfy your needs, saving time and money in the long run. Not to mention, all-in-one printers can also scan and photocopy, addressing multiple school needs at once.
Recommended device: HP Smart Tank series
- Ink comes in inexpensive HP Ink bottles, for high-quality printing of up to 6000 pages, resulting in an extremely low cost per page
- When paired with the HP print app, printing can be done remotely, from your phone!
Tech peripherals make a difference
A good work laptop will grant you all the essentials, but have you considered how much better you could look and sound in online meetings or presentations with a camera or microphone? Or how much more productive you’d be with a second screen and an ergonomic keyboard and mouse set?
Check out HyperX’s stylish range of quality microphones, headsets, keyboards and mice, also available at JB Hi-Fi.
Your teenager doesn’t need a thousand-dollar laptop
Many school students now require a laptop for school, and when faced with the hundreds of options, your middle-school child might try convincing you that they need a laptop of a certain processing speed or display quality. Online tasks at school don’t often go beyond Microsoft Office, e-learning platforms, emails and basic research. A more cost-effective model will suffice, and disincentivise your child from excessive gaming or video binging! Instead, go for features such as touch screens, a sturdy design and good battery life, to ensure your child’s tech experience at school is smooth-sailing
Recommended device: HP Pavilion (RRP $799)
- Stylus-compatible touch screen for annotating and note-taking over digital material
- 9 hours of battery life, and fast-charge to 50% in just 30 minutes
- If your child studies 100% remotely and needs higher power, consider the HP Pavilion Plus, a higher-spec version of the Pavilion, which suits the needs of most computer users
Keep your eyes peeled for AI features
AI is known to help us increase efficiency, and increasingly, tech devices are starting to introduce AI features for security and well-being. For instance, HP Envy Move’s AI-based image signal processor allows the device to automatically turn the screen off when you leave and quickly wake up when you return, to avoid peering eyes, while also featuring AI-based wellness reminders for screentime and distance. Meanwhile, HP’s newly launched AI PC portfolio are equipped with cutting-edge AI features with dedicated NPUs for tackling AI tasks with a more personalised approach, unlocking new levels of productivity and creativity, while ensuring speed, reliability, security, and mobility.
The new Intel-AI laptops are available in these models:
- HP Envy x360 (RRP $1,999)
- HP Spectre x360 (RRP $2698)
- HP Omen Transcend (RRP $3599)
And keep your eyes peeled for the all-new HP OmniBook x AI PC (RRP $2599) featuring Microsoft’s CoPilot technology and Qualcomm’s industry-leading Snapdragon engine. The laptop is built with hardware that learns from you and multiplies your abilities, while still granting you a 26-hour battery life. Available in stores from 18 June, with a pre-order option at Harvey Norman.