HP Pavilion DV2810US 14.1" Laptop

HP Pavilion DV2810US 14.1" Laptop (AMD Turion 64 X 2 Dual Core TL-60 Processor, 3 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, DVD Drive, Vista Premium)
Built for today's multimedia-savvy, always on-the-go computer user, the entertainment-centric HP Pavilion dv2810us notebook PC provides quick access to your digital audio and video library wherever you roam. Weighing in at 5.25 pounds, it travels easily and it provides a cool, modern look with its subtle HP-exclusive Radiance pattern of concentric waves. Encouraging more direct interaction, the backlit media control panel responds to the touch or sweep of a finger. Latch-free, the mechanical closure, unique speaker grill pattern, and color-saturated LED indicator lights further enhance this sophisticated design. It offers a widescreen, BrightView 14.1-inch display, which provides improved viewing in direct sunlight. Control settings for audio and video playback from up to 10 feet away with the included HP remote, then store it conveniently in the PC card slot. Enjoy movies or music in seconds with the external DVD or music buttons to launch HP QuickPlay (which bypasses the boot process).

Optimized for mobile performance, it's powered by the 2.0 GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-60 dual-core processor, which offers 64-bit computing capability and higher throughput for simultaneous computing tasks. Other features include a 250 GB hard drive, 3 GB of installed RAM (4 GB maximum), 54g Wi-Fi LAN (802.11b/g), multi-format/dual-layer LightScribe DVD drive (which can also burn CDs), Nvidia GeForce Go 7150M video card with up to 1071 MB of total available video memory, multi-format memory card reader, integrated Webcam for easy video conferencing, and Bluetooth wireless connectivity to your peripherals and communication headsets.

It comes preinstalled with Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium (Service Pack 1), which includes all of the Windows Media Center capabilities for turning your PC into an all-in-one home entertainment center. In addition to easily playing your DVD movies and managing your digital audio library, you'll be able to record and watch your favorite TV shows (even HDTV). Vista also integrates new search tools throughout the operating system, includes new parental control features, and offers new tools that can warn you of impending hardware failures.

The Basics

• Processor: The 2.0 GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-60 processor offers a dual-core architecture, which delivers additional computing resources to help expand your PCรข€™s capabilities by providing higher throughput and simultaneous computing--increasing your performance by up to 80 percent. You'll be able to perform multiple tasks such as digital rendering and gaming all while running virus scan or other background tasks seamlessly thanks to the innovative Direct Connect Architecture. And it's designed to handle simultaneous 32- and 64-bit computing with no degradation in performance. You'll enjoy long battery life thanks to the AMD PowerNow! power management technology, which delivers performance on demand and can extend system battery life up to 65 percent. And the AMD Digital Media XPress technology delivers stellar multimedia performance and playback on digital entertainment such as games, streaming video and audio, DVDs, and music.

  Each processing core has a 512 KB L2 cache (for a 1 MB total), and this processor can deliver up to a 1600 MHz system bus for lightning quick computing reflexes. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance. The FSB carries data between the CPU and RAM, and a faster front-side bus will deliver better overall performance.)

• Hard Drive: The extra-large 250 GB Serial ATA hard drive (5400 RPM) provides more than enough capacity for storing a large audio and video library, as well as extra space required for video editing. This SATA hard drive also quickens the pace with a higher speed transfer of data--akin to Firewire and USB 2.0.

• Memory: The 3 GB of installed RAM (PC5300, 1 x 2 GB, 2 x 1 GB) helps boost the amount of available video RAM that's shared with this notebook's video card. It also offers a top-of-class 667 MHz speed. This notebook has a 4 GB maximum RAM capacity (2 x 2 GB). To receive the faster data transfer benefits of the dual-channel DDR2 RAM, any RAM additions require memory modules of same capacity and clockspeed.

• DVD/CD Drive: This multiformat DVD/CD drive is compatible with writing both DVD+ and DVD- disc formats as well as dual-layer (DL) DVD+/-R discs, which can store up to 8.5 GB of data. It features 4x DVD-R DL Write Once, 2.4x DVD+R DL Write Once, 8x DVD+R, 4x DVD+RW, 8x DVD-R, 4x DVD-RW, 16x DVD-ROM, 40x CD-R, 24x CD-RW, and 40x CD-ROM speeds.

  This LightScribe DVDยฑRW drive lets you laser-etch silkscreen quality text and images on to CDs and DVDs . Your software, PC and discs work together for a no-hassle way to burn just the labels you want. After you burn content, just flip the disc over, reinsert and burn your label--anything from a simple title to a full-disc work of art.

• Keyboard & Mouse: This notebook has a 101-key keyboard and a touchpad with on/off button and dedicated vertical/horizontal Scroll Up/Down pad. It also includes two quick-launch buttons (HP QuickPlay Music and DVD).

Screen, Video & Audio
While this notebook is actually as wide as standard 15-inch displays, the high-definition, widescreen 14.1-inch display (1280 x 800-pixel resolution) has the same form factor as a 12-inch screen--taking up less space on your desk. Video is powered by the integrated Nvidia GeForce Go 7150M graphics/video card, which provides up to 1071 MB of total graphics memory as allocated by Windows Vista. It features NVidia's PureVideo technology--which provides great picture clarity, smooth video, accurate color, and precise image scaling for video content--and full support for Microsoft DirectX 9.0 for stunningly realistic cinematic effects for all DirectX-compatible applications.

The Altec Lansing speakers provide exceptional sound, and a pair of stereo earbud headphones with volume controls is included. You'll be able to privately share enjoyment of multimedia with a friend via the dual headphone jacks.

Networking, Connectivity & Expansion
This notebook has an integrated 54g wireless LAN that's fully compatible with 802.11b/g wireless networks. You'll enjoy wireless connectivity to a wide range of peripherals with the built-in Bluetooth. It also includes a next-generation ExpressCard 54/34 card slot (replacing the PCMCIA slot), which lets you take advantage of thinner, faster, and lighter expansion cards for even more advanced wireless, networking, storage, and security features. It comes with the following external connectors:

• 3 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players
• 1 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) port for connecting digital video camcorders and other peripherals
• Video out: 1 VGA monitor port and 1 S-Video port for connecting to a TV or projector
• 1 ExpressCard/54 slot (also supports ExpressCard/34)
• 2 headphone jacks
• 1 microphone jack
• 1 Expansion Port 3 connector (for use with the HP xb3000 Expansion Base or the HP Notebook QuickDock)
• 1 IR receiver
• 5-in-1 memory card reader (Secure Digital, MultiMedia, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, xD Picture Card)
• 10/100 Ethernet
• 56K modem (V.90)

Operating System
Windows Vista Home Premium is the operating system for users with advanced computer needs, and it includes all of the Windows Media Center capabilities for turning your PC into an all-in-one home entertainment center for watching DVD movies and accessing your digital audio library. You can also use Windows Media Center to record and watch your favorite TV shows (even HDTV) and to access new kinds of online entertainment content. Computers that include Windows Vista Home Premium and an auxiliary Windows SideShow display will also allow you to access key data even when your computer is off. It is also easier than ever to share files between other PCs in your household and to manage your laptop computer settings to more securely connect via Wi-Fi.

Every edition of Windows Vista provides the essential tools and technologies to help protect you whether you are browsing the Internet, connecting to a wireless network, or just reading e-mail. All editions of Windows Vista include new tools that can warn you of impending hardware failures long before you have lost any important personal data. And, all Windows Vista editions include parental control features that allow you to manage and monitor your family's use of games, the Internet, instant messaging, and other activities.

Preloaded Software
Includes Microsoft Works, Microsoft Office 2007 Student and Teacher Edition (60-day trial), Muvee Autoproducer, Cyberlink DVD Suite, PC Recovery, HP PhotoSmart Essentials, and Symantec Norton Internet Security 2008 (with 60 days of Live Update).

Dimensions & Weight
This notebook PC measures 13.15 x 9.33 x 1.54 inches and weighs 5.25 pounds.

Power
It's powered by a 6-cell rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which has a battery life of up to 3 hours (depending on usage).

Customer Review: Great value at discounted price + rebate

At the discounted price of $900 as of mid-June + the $50 rebate, this laptop was a great value, and still is at $1000, though I would recommend waiting a bit for another HP discount to pop up this summer. The design and structure of the laptop and very slick and hip. This laptop was built and is marketed for entertainment, so I would recommend it for any families or students. 4GB of RAM is a nice boost to system performance, and the 250GB (219GB usable disk space after partition + OS) should be plenty for most users, but if not, fast external storage is getting pretty cheap these days. The screen is fantastic and the quad-band (?) is plenty fast. Overall, its a great machine with high performance for most entertainment applications. If you can snatch it for $900 or less, depending upon what rebates/coupons HP throws out there, it's a fantastic value.