News release

From PCs to TVs, English to Chinese – HP Broadens Reach of Remote Tech Support

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HP Instant Care, the technology that makes virtual tech support house calls possible, will be launched globally and expanded to include more of HP’s consumer product lines, the company announced today.

Agents will soon be able to provide tech support remotely in English, Chinese, Spanish and six other languages and, beyond PCs, they will be able to assist with HP TVs, printers, cameras and other HP consumer products. This allows HP to more than double the amount of virtual house calls it makes – and the service doesn’t cost customers a dime.

HP Instant Care works on any Windows® XP or Vista™ PC and is especially helpful with installation and connection questions – two key reasons customers call tech support.

“Remote tech support for PCs is great, but to benefit from it, consumers have to have a working PC, which can be exactly the problem that people are trying to solve,” said Didier Chenneveau, vice president, Operations, Imaging and Printing Group – Americas, HP. “We’re finding that the opportunity for remote support is much bigger on things that connect to the PCs rather than the PC itself.”

Based on technology created by HP’s enterprise business, HP Instant Care gives people secure access to powerful diagnostic tools without having to download applications. Key benefits include:

• Proactive care – HP certified agents can run a battery of diagnostic tests to check the health of a product. This quickly diagnoses the current problem while assessing if there are other issues such as out-of-date drivers that could pose a problem later on if not addressed.
• Personalized support – With one click and the customer’s permission, an agent can see the complete configuration of a PC and the HP products connected to it, saving the customer time by giving the agent the information needed to diagnose the issue.
• A safe way to learn – Long used in government agencies and Fortune 100 companies, HP Instant Care’s help-desk technology offers people a secure environment in which to learn from support professionals as they resolve the issue. HP can also send customers step-by-step instructions for future reference.

HP Instant Care is part of HP Total Care, the service and support portfolio that supports the company’s consumer products. HP Total Care was recognized by J.D. Power and Associates for consistently providing “An Outstanding Customer Service Experience.”⁽¹⁾

To use HP Instant Care, customers must have broadband Internet access and run Windows XP or Vista. If an agent believes that the capability will help solve the issue, he or she can direct the customer to a website at no additional charge. After entering the case number and name and agreeing both verbally and by clicking a button on the website, the customer allows the agent to initiate the session, which the customer can close at any time.

In related news, HP this week received two STAR awards for best practices from the Service and Support Professionals Association. The Best Service Delivery Optimization Award was presented to HP for its use of the Six Sigma methodology to optimize and create efficiency within its support delivery options. HP also won in the Value Added Support category for successfully delivering support offerings designed to help customers get the most out of their products.

Availability

Currently used to support HP PCs, cameras and printers and available in English, HP Instant Care is expected to be expanded to TVs and available in Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese and Spanish this summer and French, German, Italian later next year.

About HP

HP focuses on simplifying technology experiences for all of its customers – from individual consumers to the largest businesses. With a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure, HP is among the world’s largest IT companies, with revenue totaling $94.1 billion for the four fiscal quarters ended Jan. 31, 2007. More information about HP (NYSE: HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com.

⁽¹⁾ J.D. Power and Associates Certified Technology Service and Support Program^SM, developed in conjunction with the Service & Support Professionals Association. For more information, visit www.jdpower.com or www.thesspa.com.

Microsoft, Windows and Windows Vista are registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If such risks or uncertainties materialize or such assumptions prove incorrect, the results of HP and its consolidated subsidiaries could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and assumptions. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including but not limited to statements of the plans, strategies and objectives of management for future operations; any statements concerning expected development, performance or market share relating to products and services; anticipated operational and financial results; any statements of expectation or belief; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include the achievement of expected results and other risks that are described from time to time in HP’s Securities and Exchange Commission reports, including but not limited to the risks described in HP’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended Jan. 31, 2007. HP assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.

© 2007 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.