Compaq CQ57-210US 15.6-Inch Notebook PC - Black

Okay, I cheated and got mine at Wal-Mart on a whim only because they were pushing them out the store at my local store for $290 due to remodeling in process.

Let's be realistic and admit the specs are hardly awe inspiring, but I needed a laptop for school and it was either this or a netbook with less RAM, smaller screen, and shorter battery life.

After all, where else can you get a 15.6 inch laptop with a full keyboard that can manage to squeeze nearly 5 hours off a standard battery even with wireless running.

Now for the good points:

* DDR3 RAM instead of the usual DDR2

* RAM is easily upgraded. Hint, remove the battery and the lone screw holding the RAM plate in place will be staring you in the face. Although I'm not sure, this may be a safety precaution to make sure you do remove the battery first.

* 2GB RAM and 250GB HDD standard. Most netbooks cut these specs in close to half

* Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit instead of 32 bit Windows Starter found on most netbooks

* Plays video galore due to upgrade graphics capability over that normally found with the Atom processor

* Crisp, clear screen with no glare

* Speedier than the Atom processor in nearly everything

* No getting confused by buttons on this model. This is as plain Jane as you can get and that's good

* 15.6 inch screen means less page scrolling than with a netbook

* Not as heavy as you might think. Tops, maybe 5 pounds

* Rated at 4.5 hours but I managed to squeak nearly 5 hours

* Slick outside surface doesn't hold fingerprints, an oddity in the low price area

* Keys give decent feedback although it's not in the Lenovo class by any stretch

* Want a surprise? Play a music file and listen to the sound. This sucker comes with Altec Lansing speakers!

* Heat? What heat? This puppy doesn't make much. Even better, I have yet to hear the fan. My last Acer netbook made so much heat I couldn't put it on my lap after a while.

* Cheaper than a tablet and only marginally more expensive than a netbook

Nothing is perfect and this unit is no different:

* It's DDR3 RAM but it's limited to 4GB even though it's a 64 bit OS

* Bloatware galore

* As slab sided and ugly as ugly can get. Black plastic and acres of it without a lick of color anywhere. Guess for $300 you can't get artistic.

* Outside is devoid of fingerprints but interior finish picks them up like a Swiffer picks up dirt

* No dust over or protector for SD card slot. That's odd.

* One USB port is right next to power plug entry meaning no fat dongles allowed in that slot

* BIOS settings, while effective, are straight out of DOS in terms of design. May be a little nit-picky but instead of using the cursor to make choices you have to read a menu and press the appropriate F key to activate menu options

* Trackpad is worthless. No scrolling and since it's the same color as the casing it's impossible to see in the dark

* Like warning lights telling you about HDD activity, blah, blah, blah? Ain't happening here. Just one light to the left telling you the power is on and another to the right advising that wireless is working. No indication when plugged in that it's even charging (blind faith on that one)

Overall, I give this unit high marks because it's so much more than you might expect for the money all while being as plain a package as you can get.

I ordered this notebook for my father. It was delivered very fast. We like the appearance and the keyboard is very comfortable. However, my father found some flashing black lines across the screen at the first use. The lines were not always there, but once they appeared, they stuck around until the window was closed and reopened. Most of the times, even the close-and-reopen strategy didn't work. We let it rest for one night and give it another try the second day, but things didn't get better. I returned it.

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Touch pad, same color as notebook.

DVD eject button not very easy to reach.

Cheap laptop for school, email, word processing .. etc.

Generally a slow computer at great price.

I would not buy it.

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I have had hardware issues with this laptop since I bought it. I've sent it back to the factory because of the modem, and it still doesn't work correctly. At least once a day the modem decides to stop working. I bumped the unit slightly with my hand when I picked it up and it dumped all my information and did an emergency shut down. This was literally a slight bump! The mousepad is a nightmare. I've had this computer for about 8 months and have had problems with it the whole time. When it is running, it runs slowly. I'm sure that is due to hardware issues as well. I will probably buy myself another computer just to end the aggravation, but it won't be another Compaq!

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FUE RECIBIDO EN MUY BUENAS CONDICIONES, EL PRODUCTO ES EXCELENTE, FULL RAPIDA, MUY BUENA, LA PRESENTACION ES BUENA, ES RESISTENTE