This AMD-powered, 14-inch small business notebook looks sleek, but its Sony VGP-BPS9A/B Battery quad-core performance and battery life don't impress.

Made for small business users, HP's VGP-BPS9/S ProBook 4425s is the newest AMD-powered 14-inch member of the company's popular line. With a classy, but sturdy design and excellent keyboard, the 4425s ($849 as configured) looks the part of a more expensive executive-class system. However, its quad-core AMD processor leaves much to be desired, as does its battery life. Add to that a somewhat finicky touchpad, and you've got a small business machine that doesn't quite make the Sony VGP-BPS9/B Battery cut.
Design

Weighing 5 pounds and measuring 13.2 x 9.2 x 1.1 inches, the 4425s isn't the lightest Sony VGP-BPS9 Battery or thinnest 14-inch notebook, but it slides into a bag easily enough (the Lenovo ThinkPad L412, for example, weighs 5.2 pounds). Like other ProBooks, the 4425s has a brushed aluminum lid and deck with a glossy black plastic bezel and keyboard mount. While some may prefer the ProBook 5310m's black aluminum finish or the unadorned EliteBook 8440p, we didn't mind the dark brown color of the 4425s. The bottom of the machine is constructed from hard plastic.

Unlike the EliteBook 8440p, the 4425's lid is connected to the rest of the chassis Dell Latitude E5400 Battery with a plastic drop hinge. The look is slick, but it's not as durable as the magnesium hinges on the EliteBook. However, the keyboard is spill-resistant, and HP's 3D DriveGuard helps protect the hard drive from sudden movement or shock.
Keyboard and Touchpad

Like most of HP's premium notebooks, the ProBook 4425s Dell Latitude E6500 Battery has an island-style keyboard. We found it very comfortable to type on, and were up to our typical speed in no time. We liked the slightly gritty texture on the surface of the keys, which kept our fingers from slipping.

While HP has made strides with the touchpad in the Envy 14, we found the 4425s' touchpad slightly more finicky. While not as egregious as before, the cursor Dell Vostro 1710 Battery sometimes jumped as we navigated the desktop
. Because the mouse buttons are built into the touchpad, users Dell Vostro 1720 Battery who use both hands will have a serious problem with the pointer jumping as they try to click. The 3.5 x 2-inch pad supports multitouch gestures such as pinch-to-zoom, but we found them to be rather jerky and hard to control without using two fingers.

Heat

Throughout our tests
, the ProBook 4425s stayed pleasantly cool. Even after streaming a Hulu video at full screen for 15 minutes, we Sony Laptop Battery measured the touchpad at 86 degrees Fahrenheit, the keyboard at 88 degrees, and the bottom at 83 degrees. All are well below what we consider uncomfortable.