HP's new notebook comes out to play

Hewlett-Packard on Thursday launched a new notebook with a 15.4-inch screen designed for watching movies and playing games.

The company said the screen on the Pavilion zt3000 PC is 20 percent brighter and provides 33 percent wider viewing angles than typical notebooks. It uses ATI's Mobility Radeon 9200 graphics card with 64MB of video memory and Harman Kardon speakers.

The launch reflects HP's new strategy to introduce niche products to cater to different tastes. HP is launching a number of specialized PCs including a desktop machine aimed specifically at gamers. Gateway and Dell have also targeted the small but lucrative market for gaming PCs.

The notebook is powered by Intel's Pentium M processor and has a wireless local area network card for connecting to 802.11b Wi-Fi networks. Bluetooth connectivity is optional.

The unit can be connected to a MultiMedia Memory Card (MMC), digital camcorders and other consumer electronic devices. The MMC transfers digital photos, music and other files between the PC and digital cameras, printers, handhelds and other devices.

The new notebook is 1.3 inches thick, weighs 6.5 pounds and has five hours of battery life. It's priced at $1,299 after a $100 mail-in discount. It will be in retail stores starting Oct. 19.