This is my first laptop and I think I made a great choice. Firstly, I bought it directly from hp.com and with the rebates I had, saved two hundred dollars. Secondly, I got free 2 day shipping and it arrived on time.The first thing I like about it is that the color is not the cheap gold look you see in the picture. I love the keyboards on HPs Entertainment and Special Edition notebooks. They do not feel cramped. There have been many cmplaints about the glare of the keyboards on this and the black and chrome models. So far, I have had no problems with the glare. Yes, I agree with the other reviewer, that the keys are hard to see in the dark. I would assume that would be the case for any laptop unless it is backlighted and this is not. It is light (wtihtout the battery), the speakers generate nice sound, it finds wireless networks instantly, and I actually like Vista. Just a note, read up on accessing the hidden administrator account if you are new to Vista. It has some serious security that will keep you from making even the most basic adjustments, including removing the bloatware.
HP has done a wonderful job in including set up tutorials and online registration processes. The size is fantastic and screen is beautiful. I have not attached any peripherals up to it yet, so I cannot really comment on that.
Cons:
The battery life is short.. maybe an hour and a half even when it in the recommended power save mode. It has a lighted HP emblem on the back of the cover that uses resources. HP could have added the backlighted keyboard instead! The verdict is still out on there telephone tech service! I have had better experience with there chat support.
The comp does sound like it is working overtime anytime I burn a CD and the vibration generating from drive is a bit too much for me to type at the same time.
This is a great laptop, esp. if you can get it for under $. It has only some bells and whistles, so if you want built in bluetooth and a blueray player, you will have to go up a model. Otherwise, no reason not to consider this one.
This laptop worth it for $700....good value for money and go for it if you are comfortable with keyboard
I am unable to edit my rating ...I will rate this laptop for 4 out of 5keyboard is dark gray with black letters; virtually impossible to read except under direct bright light. I had to return the laptop.
Flawed product design; HP must redesign keybord.This would be a nice little laptop but the contrast between the key color and the letters on the keys is not nearly enough to see what keys you are using. None of my people could use this laptop, even the touch-typers because they still needed to be able to see what the function keys do.(The function keys seem to be different on every laptop.) I have returned this as it is unusable as shipped and you can't tell by the picture how hard it is to see the keys.I've had this laptop for two days, got a great deal from a local electronics store. My previous laptop was a Asus 1000, but the 10 inch screen on the Asus was getting to me. I really wanted the HP 13.3 inch screen model but could not find a good deal. So going with the 14inch was my choice. If you are experienced with windows, you will be able to remove all the crap that HP gives you with this machine. Newegg has many Hi Tech users and 62% give this 5 stars.
PROS:
1. Much much faster than my old Asus netbook (I'm learning Vista)
2. I like the removable DVD drive to reduce weigh.
3. The lighted controls for volume and more are a nice touch, very easy to operate. (previously I would have to click on the screen and find the volume)
4. I like the mouse pad and scroll bar. Plenty of finger space.
5. HDMI output with a remote control!! I've tested the remote and it worked great. I also tested the HDMI output to my LCD TV and the picture was the best I have seen yet from a computer. (Previously I hooked my Asus to my LCD screen but had to rely on the computer sound, picture and sound blow the Asus away)
6. Great Wireless N!! Much better range than my old Asus. (Many HP laptop models have a better rating on Amazon but they don't have wireless N. This one does. With a wireless N router you can double your speed if you have a good internet connection. Moving large files in your home network etc. (I walked this to the other side of my house and still had a great connection!)
7. Sound is clear and much louder than my old laptop. Very nice!
8. Screen is clean and bright.
CONS:
1. Battery. I get two hours. (on my old machine I got 5 hrs. I'll solve this by purchasing an extra battery)
2. Keyboard markings are very dim. (This is not a problem for me, in a dim room the screen is bright enough to light the keys. I should point out that my old shiny black Asus was tough to see the keys in a very dim room)
3. No bluetooth, but it does come with the software built in. I see that Amazon has many dongles that can plug into the USB ports. I'll followup this review after purchasing one.
Finally I'd like to add that I feel I'm going to love this machine, I've used the DVD burner and its twice as fast as my old external burner. My wife's Acer laptop model 3000 can't touch this machine.
UPDATE:
I removed the negative comment on the DVD, the Drive is perfectly fine. Also found out that right above the SD card location is a slot to store the remote control that comes with this. Just snap out the dummy expansion sleeve and insert your remote. Very Cool! I also bought a Bluetooth adapter and plugged it into a USB slot and it has the best sound to my wireless bluetooth headphones that I have ever used to date.
Latest update 9-18-09:
Downloaded the evaluation version of Windows 7 from the Microsoft. It comes in a ISO file which I burned to a blank CD and inserted into my laptop and it completely wiped away Windows Vista and installed Windows 7. This machine now is the fastest laptop in my house. Windows 7 is better than Windows XP and blows away Windows Vista in too many ways to mention here. I strongly recommend everyone to upgrade when Microsoft comes out with their final version on Oct 22nd. I'm sure Amazon will be selling it.
0 comments:
Post a Comment