A couple of weeks ago I was fortunate to participate in the HP Workstation Global Launch event in Santa Monica. I've been so caught up in our own launch events that I haven't time to blog about this amazing event! Being a big HP fan myself, I was thrilled to see the roll-out of the new HPZ200 Small Form Factor which I think is going to be just perfect for those of you who want the power of a workstation - but would appreciate it taking up less room. Smaller size means more room for other important things (extra monitor anyone?). And I can't tell you how many times I've seen CAD designers drag their desktop computers into meetings for presentations. This workstation is powerful and yet so small. The VP of R & D Workstations, Terry Pilsner, actually pulled the Z200 SFF out of the Z800 - very impressive!

The price for the HP Z200 is fantastic and the workstation is just as beautiful inside as it is outside (for those of you who like to tinker). Everything folds out so easily so you can get to all the good bits when needed.
The AutoCAD Product Manager, Andrew Mackles, and I sat on a panel where we offered up our thoughts on AutoCAD users and the new HPZ200 Small Form Factor.
Andrew Mackles and myself talking to the press about AutoCAD and HP.
The HP Global Launch event was such a treat to attend - in one of the sessions we got to see Autodesk Motion Builder in action with Tracy McSheery and Phasespace. The actors wear LED markers on their body suits and that literally drives the video in real time as seen below. It was just fantastic to watch and is supposed to be light-years (no pun attended) ahead of the technology James Cameron used in Avatar. They used two HPZ800 computers to power the process - absolutely amazing!
Below is a picture with the wonderful Tom Salomone of HP who was the ultimate host for the Autodesk team.
Unfortunately I was only able to attend one day of the event (I hear the second day was amazing at the DreamWorks studio) but I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. One thing is for sure - HP certainly knows how to run a top notch event!
I can't wait to get my hands on my next portable workstation which will definitely be an HP! If I didn't travel - it would be an HP Z200 for sure.