Showing posts with label best lightweight laptop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label best lightweight laptop. Show all posts

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Cheap Toshiba A665-S6100X Satellite Notebook 16.0" PC - Slate

Toshiba A665-S6100X Satellite Notebook 16.0' PC - Slate
Customer Ratings: 4.5 stars
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I think this Laptop is one of my best aquisitions. Very, very fast... All advertised and publicited is true... The supplier (Eaprisa) is very good, very fast to send their items... Toshiba succeed all and every expectations of their clients/customers through this notebook. I love this computer. I recommend this stuff a lot... Very light weight... This machine reunite all and every demand/requisite from exigent users...

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When I received the item the packaging was slightly destroyed, but the actual box that contained the laptop was fine and the computer was unharmed. I love the looks of the computer very sleek. After set-up, the laptop was a little slow, but I deleted a couple of existing programs everything was great and the computer ran much, much faster. I am very pleased with my purchase!

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Monday, December 8, 2014

Review of Lenovo Yoga 11s Convertible Ultrabook - Intel Core i5-3339Y (1.5

Lenovo Yoga 11s Convertible Ultrabook - Intel Core i5-3339Y, 4GB DDR3 SDRAM, 128GB SSD, 11.6' LED HD Multi-Touch Screen, Bluetooth 4.0, Windows 8 64-Bit Edition
Customer Ratings: 4.5 stars
List Price: $1,099.99
Sale Price: $928.00
Today's Bonus: 16% Off
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Disclaimer: I purchased a refurbished model from newegg not from amazon

Pros:

1. Somewhat lightweight. The machine is not as light as an iPad or a MacBook Air but it is by no means heavy and holding it 768x1366 rather than 1366x768 makes the weight very manageable.

2. The "yoga" aspect of the Yoga 11s. Using a normal laptop after using the Yoga makes me wonder why no one in the computer industry implemented this idea on a mass production scale before.

3. Build quality is fantastic and the wrist rest is made of a rubberised plastic that is a joy to feel.

4. Lenovo (IBM) have been on point with their keyboards in the past and although the keyboard on the IdeaPad 11s is no match for the Thinkpad 13, using the 11s keyboard is smooth and easy despite the smaller size.

Cons:

1. Bare minimum of ports (most ultrabooks have this problem) at 1 USB 3.0, 1 USB 2.0, 1 HDMI.

2. Casing is secured with hexagonal screws. If you already have a set of those then no problem but if you don't I suggest you buy a set.

3. Battery life is 3hr 7hr depending on usage. Not really a con but for those who mistakenly believe this will run like the Yoga 11 or an iPad this might be a con.

4. 1366x768 is fairly low especially compared with my phone (1280x720) or my Nook (1440x900).

Thoughts:

The weight of the Yoga 11s makes the device a laptop that turns into a tablet rather than a tablet that turns into a laptop. This means that you probably will not be using the 11s to show off in the park like one might with a shiny new iPad.

The screen resolution is high enough to not warrant any problem from me but for those who greatly enjoy the MacBook Air resolution or the Yoga 2 resolution then here is your fair warning.

This will not run your games. Save for games that are very old or animated largely with sprites the laptop simply cannot keep up at full screen resolution. League of Legends will run at bare minimum settings but at that point the animation for many skills becomes nearly invisible (Ezreal's Q is a good example of this).

I know i have more cons than pros and many negative thoughts on the product but as an ultrabook this machine really does bridge the divide between tablet and laptop in a way that the XPS 12 or the swivel+flip designs of HP never could. I only listed so many cons because some prospective buyers might want gaming performance or iPad battery life, not find it on the 11s and unfairly rate the machine lower.

Post Script:

Windows 8 is an unadulterated horror to use and it makes using the Yoga 11s an extreme chore. It is truly saddening to see such a fine machine mutilated by the hodgepodge, expired, made out of cat meat chop suey that is Windows 8. As soon as I figure out how I will install Windows 7 and consider losing some of the tablet-y features well worth the gain of a far more useful UI.

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Amazing. Sleek. Best laptop! Very functional can be both a laptop and a tablet. We chose this over a MacBook.

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Buy HP Pavilion dv6t Quad Edition (dv6tqe) Laptop -2nd generation Intel

HP Pavilion dv6t Quad Edition Laptop -2nd generation Intel Quad Core i7-2670QM / 8GB DDR3 System Memory / 750GB 5400RPM Hard Drive / 15.6' diagonal High Definition HP BrightView LED Display / Blu-ray player & SuperMulti DVD burner / HP TrueVision HD Webcam with Integrated Digital Microphone and HP SimplePass Fingerprint Reader / 2 USB 3.0 / Beats Audio / dark umber
Customer Ratings: 4 stars
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HP Pavillion dv6t Quad Edition. After abortive attempt by HP to divest its PC business, and some past negative dealings with HP rebates, I decided to update my Toshiba i7-740QM to this HP i7-2760QM. So after research, I bought one of these to see if the 2nd Gen Intel i-series CPUs really were "better". Bought through HP for quite a bit more money in Nov. 2011. Specs were very good, but I upgraded (part of the reason it was more expensive) the 5400 rpm hard drive to a 7200 rpm. Though there was a delay at Customs in Singapore (didn't know they were made in China), and a 6-day delay at Customs in Memphis, I finally got this supposedly improved laptop. Strike "supposedly". It ran much cooler than the very good Toshi Satellite 665. Toshi has 8 Gb 1066 RAM, the HP has 8 Gb DDR3 1333 RAM. Same MS Ultimate OS. Same Office Home & Business 2010. Norton 360 v.5.0. Toshi has a good 500 Mb DDR3 nVidia 330, the HP has a (much) better 2 Gb ATI DDR5. Beats Audio is much better than the Toshi's "good" Harmon-Kardons, though I have yet to hear any laptop speakers get even close to external add-ons. Both have a 720p HD, which is quite adequate for non-gamer/non-tech graphics (HP with the good, additional Intel 3000 for routine graphics on the CPU). The Toshi has a multi-DVD, the HP a Blu-Ray ROM/multi-DVD. The Toshi has 3 USB 2.0 ports, the HP two 3.0 (with charging capability, and on my desktop, an added "card" 3.0 runs 3-1/2 to 4 times faster backups and file transfers to 3.0 external drives than the prior 2.0) and 2x2.0 (one 2.0/eSATA). The Toshi booted in (minutes:seconds) about 1:30, the HP in :45 with Norton 360, Adobe, Office, etc. Office, Adobe Photoshop Elements 10, and several other programs on the HP came up in just over 1/2 the time as in the Toshi. The Toshi's 12-cell battery would last about 2 to 2-1/2 hours. The HP's 9-cell ran for a bit over 4 hours. The Toshi's black textured plastic barely shows a fingerprint, the HP's dark umber shows them readily. Both keyboards are similar. I've worked with computers since 1983, though not a tech person, and have lots of experience as an "advanced" novice-level user. The decision to purchase this model HP has so far (2 months) been a very good one, and I was so pleased at the improvements, I'm ordering a new one, for less cost, through Amazon (even though the new models will be out in a couple of months with the new "third generation" i-series CPUs). I gave this (reviewed) one to my son (an IT professional), who likes it also, replacing a very nice Dell Studio XPS (i5 CPU). This Amazon-ordered one has only a 5400 rpm hard drive, but I don't need (in my home and travel) the faster one. Remember, your MS Performance score is determined by the least fast component, which currently (assuming you don't go to an SSD hard drive) is about 5.9 on the 7.6 scale. The 5400 will score slightly lower than the 7200, but everything else critical to use (CPU, RAM, optical drive, etc.) runs significantly faster, often making up for the slower hard drive. And where the Toshi ran hot (not burning, but definitely uncomfortable after a short while of use), the HP gets warm, but not hot. Despite the fingerprints on the dark umber showing (not a performance issue), I found the fingerprint reader to be accurate and helpful (chuckle). So no miracle here, but a definitely worthwhile upgrade for me, and I saved nearly $400 from HP's website. The Toshi was very good 2 years ago, this HP is enough better to justify this under-$1,000 purchase.

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Great price for a loaded i7 laptop, and the HP dv6t has overall very good reviews from multiple sites. The 8GB of RAM allows for fast Windows loading and a lot of multitasking, as well as the ability for future expansion. Can't believe this also includes a Blu-ray drive for the price, so I can take my BR movies on the go with me and watch them while traveling. I also like that this has the upgraded USB 3.0 ports, and the sound from the Beats audio is really great. I always thought a fingerprint reader was a novelty, but it really is nice and quick to sign on versus having to type a password each time.

Overall very pleased with this laptop and it's price. I couldn't find any other similar laptop for under 1k!

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I purchased this laptop for my sister for school. She is an architecture student and we couldn't afford a mac.

I must say I am very pleased with the service. I was a bit worried though, because the estimated delivery was about 2 weeks and she was leaving the country for school but it came way before time and was shipped the day after I made the order.

The laptop itself ran smoothly and fast but it is heavy! and the charger is huge! Overall, it's not the best for my sister's field but it works well enough. I would definitely recommend this laptop for personal use or students.

Honest reviews on HP Pavilion dv6t Quad Edition (dv6tqe) Laptop -2nd generation Intel

I buyed it on april 2012, it was one of the best laptop on the market on that time. It works very fast, all my work is done with a bunch of speed. I'm an IT Engineer and I use it for my work. I run different virtual machines, Visual Studio 2012 and others memory and processor consuming task. I also a photographer, so, sometimes I use photoshot, adobe lightroom at the same time. I recomment it for any one buying a laptop.

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I did a lot of research before I bought my new computer because the last one I had was horrible. I had an older Toshiba Satellite, which never worked quickly from the get-go. I was used to frequent internet shutdowns and major freezing issues in all programs. This is a major upgrade. It only slows when I'm running complex algorithms on large datasets, although even when aligning three whole bacterial genomes, I could still run others applications fine. I ran a program to annotate genomes which I was warned would take hours, but it took about 10 minutes. It stays pretty cool and quiet. Its a very attractive computer, especially with the bluish backlighting and the black aluminum case (the dark umber). The Norton security was a bit of an irritant, as I had to open Windows in safemode to enable its uninstallment. I do like typing on the keyboard for some reason, although it took some getting used to as the keys are spaced differently than on other machines. The speakers sound great! Definitely doesn't sound like a laptop; they also get very loud. I like the fingerprint pass a lot, but it can't be used outside of unlocking your computer and internet explorer, so its functionality is limited if you use a different web browser.

It is heavier than some of my friends' Macs or smaller computers, but this is because everyone else is buying 13" screens or less. I wanted a larger screen some things just can't be visualized in 13". The power cord adaptor is large, but you might not even need to carry it with you, as the battery lasts about 4 hours. The computer is thin and easy to carry. It feels like your holding a textbook. I can't think of any problems that I have had with this computer. Everything works as it is supposed to, and it was a great price for the functionality!

I bought mine directly from HP and it said it would take 2 weeks to arrive. But it actually came in about 5 days, I think.

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Thursday, November 6, 2014

Best HP Pavilion g6-2237us 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black) Windows 8 - 750GB Deals

HP Pavilion g6-2237us 15.6-Inch Laptop Windows 8 - 750GB Hard Drive - 4GB DDR3 RAM - USB 3.0 - HD webcam - Up to 6 hours of battery life - Latest 3rd Gen Intel Core i3-3110M Processor
Customer Ratings: 4 stars
List Price: $649.99
Sale Price: $486.99
Today's Bonus: 25% Off
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Just got the PC, initial configuration was quite easy. If you are not used to a tablet environment, windows 8 is going to be a bit challenging, but nothing to worry about. There is a short manual for windows 8 showing some touchpad commands and once you access the first thing you will see is a dashboard, where there is a tutorial.

I got caught up by how beautiful windows 8 looks, and just by switching tabs you access classic windows 7 desktop view, which I personally believe to be useful while you become familiar with this OS.

The computer is fast. As soon as I completed the registration process I started to install essential apps for college like dropbox, evernote, chrome... They were set up and ready in no time, meanwhile I updated default apps while enjoying a Walking Dead episode. Gladly the PC performance had no issues with this multitasking. I did order a 4gb ram which I will install ASAP, since nowadays 6gb is the recommended memory ram, having a total of 8gb for $25 is a great threat.

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Update 02/27/2013

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Just installed 4gb ram ((HP 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM Memory Module 4 GB 1333MHz DDR3-1333/PC3-10600 DDR3 SDRAM SoDIMM)) and I can feel the difference in performance, I had never install a memory in my life and with a little help from youtube I got it right. The PC was doing great and now is awesome. Highly recommended.

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Update 03/18/2013

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It's been almost a month, and since day 1 I am waiting to see performance issues since, let's face it, the price is almost to good to be true. I found the following so far:

Wireless not functioning properly: While other devices in the same room such as two more computers and a x-box 360 are streaming videos, surfing the web or playing online, this PC suddenly stops allowing you to surf, or you see the download speed decreases to zero. I know a common issue where other wireless devices interfere with each other's signal but I can not confirm this is the root cause. So anyway, a few times I haven't being able to surf at all for a short period of time.

Touch pad does not respond: I still haven't figured if I am using a keyboard shortcut to disable the touchpad but, I am changing between tabs and different program windows and suddenly the pointer doesn't move while I am on windows 8 dashboard (software issue perhaps?), but the clicking keeps working. I fix it by pressing the windows key twice.

This one is a software glitch, so you can expect it and be aware it has not being fixed on windows 8.

Shortcuts can't be deleted: It only happened to me once, yet I read in forums user having the same issue where, once you deleted a program using the Control Panel, or just deleting a shortcut from your desktop which you no longer require, when trying to delete the shortcut it would not let you. I restarted my computer and the shortcut was no longer there. Just know that your computer is not the problem.

Here you can find information about the broken link:That's what I have found so far. I have already stored around 200gb in software, movies, music, regular PC games, etc. And the PC still takes less than 1 minute to start, which is awesome.

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Update 05/20/2013

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**WiFi issues**

It has fail from time to time. The only trend I have noticed is when there is a certain update, the WiFi fails partially or completely. I have to go Airplane mode and resume to fixed it. Really lame when streaming.

Update and restart solves the problem as well but... Is just not right...

Since this is the only problem I have encountered and is not often I am giving 4 stars instead of the initial 5.

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The laptop is not the most thinnest, but not thick. It is easy to carry. The Windows 8 takes some getting used to, but I believe that you will encounter that with anything you purchase with Windows 8. The battery life is as promissed too. The processor is fast and multi-tasking is great.

The only issue with this laptop is the speakers. If you are going to use it to watch a video or movie, or music, the sound will be better if you plug in your earphones.

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My previous laptop was an older Dell. So this laptop is quite an upgrade for me. If you are used to newer laptops already I'm not sure if you will love it as much as I do. Like all other reviews Windows 8 is a unique experience that takes some getting use to but with a little exploring you will. I do like how you can go to the OG desktop view similar to Windows 7. Setup is super easy pretty much turn it on and you are ready to rock and roll. I have always preferred Google search engine but I am already in love with the format of MSN homepage and Bing search. The only problem I've experienced is the mouse arrow freezes on me from time to time. I just wait a few beats and then it moves again but I wonder why this happens? Overall I'm very happy and would recommend this to anyone!

Honest reviews on HP Pavilion g6-2237us 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black) Windows 8 - 750GB

new in sealed box. came with 1 year warranty.

-the good:

fast, easy, battery lasts a really long time, speaker are loud, and generally how the ad described.

-the bad:

does not have a fingerprint scanner like an image inferred, not as thin as i would have liked,keys are not back-lit

Overall a great computer

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I have my thoughts about win 8,but i must say its really very fast in my new laptop. The hp laptop is very Good. The only problem i got was the keyboard is us english and i use latín America spanish, but i can live with that

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Friday, September 19, 2014

Discount ASUS G75VW-DH72 17.3-Inch Laptop

ASUS G75VW-DH72 17.3-Inch Laptop
Customer Ratings: 5 stars
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I ordered the G75VW-DH72 just a few days ago, expecting it to be a powerful gaming laptop, but a little unsure of it, because it came with Windows 8. Received it today, and after a little poking around and installation of a few games, I have come to the following conclusion: This laptop rocks!

Guild Wars 2, with graphics set to Ultra, runs smooth as a baby's bottom. Not choppy at all, zero graphics lag, just absolutely beautiful! Rift, again with the graphics cranked all the way up, shows zero issues at all, even in crowded areas. I am currently in the process of installing The Secret World (my most graphically intensive game), but after Rift ran so well, I anticipate no issues will arise with TSW.

But besides gaming purposes, how does the machine handle overall? Like a champ, actually. I wanted to know how fast it started up, assuming this would be quick due to the SSD, and my friends and I guessed it would be about 30 seconds from totally off to logged on and ready to go. I've had previous laptops with an SSD primary drive, and 20-30 seemed reasonable based on that experience.

We were wrong: Eight seconds. 8. Ocho. VIII.

That, my friends, is a fast boot.

So, is the Asus G75VW-DH72 worth the money? For me, on the limited experience I have with it thus far, I would say absolutely yes it is. The only regret I have is that it does not come with a Recovery disk, nor does there appear to be a way to create one yourself, which is annoying. Luckily, you can create one via Windows 8, and now I have a nice backup on a thumbdrive, in case the worst case scenario ever happens.

Update I've been using this laptop daily for the last couple of months, and it is still rock-solid. All of my games load ridiculously fast, it works great for creating and editing my podcast, and I have yet to have a single issue. I have worked the poor thing to death, put it under strain other "gaming" laptops would have buckled under, and the Asus took it all in stride.

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I purchased this laptop to replace a HP Pavilion DV9700t (which lasted about two years before the plastic screen casing split, charging port was worn out, and one of the hinges failed!). The first thing I noticed about this Asus laptop was how heavy and sturdy it was. It does have boot times in the single digits; rendering the instant on feature practically useless. Windows 8 is taking some getting used to. Luckily there is an option to revert to a standard desktop screen. The first time I used this laptop for an extended period it overheated and shut down. As it turns out the fan nearest the charging port wasn't working. I paid shipping back to Asus but they quickly repaired and returned it to me. I've owned it about a month now and haven't found any other quirks. Overall I'm very happy with this purchase and hope it lasts a long time.

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Review of Asus G85VW Gaming Laptop

It's big for a laptop but it's a gaming machine for serious gamers, and very powerful. It seems to have good design as far as laptops go, I've only owned 3. The keyboard is just basic as far as laptops go but it has a variable LED lighting option for dim light conditions. There is good separation of the keys. It comes with the software for a Asus gaming mouse. It comes with 3d software if you get the Asus 3D glasses. You can check out the other options on the website overview.

The cooling system is intelligently designed for a laptop, twin fans suck air from under the case over the critical components and exit at the back exhaust. The fans are near the back to minimum noise. The fans have a pair of metal grilled disk filters that are lose over the intake ports to cut the dust intake down. They could help but still the fine dust could get through. Only a porous foam overlay could filter out the fine stuff.

One filter is easy to reach by removing a small panel. but the other requires you remove a large access panel that is easy to remove but hard to put back due to the snap design. Asus should have designed small retaining screws instead of the snap design.

My version came with a 256GB SSD Lite-On drive that is very quick.

The LCD display is just as good as any but you can always connect to a larger display through either the VGA standard connect port or the HDMI interface. I think these laptop vendors would have gotten smarter and allowed the LDC screen to be removable so that one could conveniently upgrade to a larger external screen. As it is now, one could get a wireless keyboard and mouse to have virtually the same conveniences as a traditional desktop computer system. As it is now desktops appear to be disappearing and the only ones remaining would be the more professional workstation types they use exotic power processors like the Intel Xeon CPUs.

One big problem I have with Asus, they no longer have configuration options on their website. You have to go through retail vendors to get a preconfigured one, no options on hardware or OS. And their customer service seems to have degraded as have other vendors. For instance, I created an account on their ROG site several years ago. Since that time I changed Internet providers and thus email service, but when I tried to upgrade my ROG account it failed to do so. I left an email message explaining my problem to the webmaster and still the problem never got corrected. Well that means this will be my last computer system from Asus, motherboards included.

The system came with Windows 8 with their horrible metro system made for the smaller mobile devices. I'm still learning about it. Since Vista Microsoft has come up with cruddier user icons and interfaces from Windows-XP when you could configure anything on the desktop system interface. But there are ways and aftermarkets software utilities to get some semblance of the old XP-Interface. Still it sucks to me. Go to howtogeek.com to find out more.

But there are some features that are desirable with Windows 8 past the ugly metro interface. Boot SpeedWindows 8 uses some tricks to dramatically improve its boot speed. Improved Multiple Monitor SupportFor power uses with multiple monitors, windows 8 allows you to place separate taskbars and wallpapers on each monitor. Previously, this required third-party software. Task ManagerThe new Task Manager is a huge improvement over the old one. Storage SpacesStorage Spaces is a power-user feature that allows you to combine multiple physical volumes into one logical volume. Hyper VWindows 8's included Hyper-V feature allows you to create virtual machines out-of-the-box. Battery LifeLow-level system changes, including optimizations to squeeze more battery life out of tablets and other portable computers. SecuritySecure Boot provides protection from rootkits that hijack the startup process, assuming you're using a new PC with UEFI instead of the traditional BIOS; SmartScreen filter at a lower level helps prevent less experienced uses from downloading and installing malware, and low-level changes to memory allocation and Address Space Layout Randomization that make security vulnerabilities harder to exploit, even if security holes are found. UEFI This replaces the old BIOS process and allows 32-bit and 64-bit modes, allowing much more RAM to be addressed by more complex processes, allows booting from hard disks as large as 9.4 ZB, allows more boot options, doesn't prescribe particular file systems, UEFI can offer better boot times and loading, and has excellent network booting abilities. But the bummer is you need a newer motherboard and other systems to support all the advantages of Windows 8, especially the newer UEFI BIOS replacement, Older BIOS based motherboards won't support it effectively. So what you will see is a interface called the EFI -Bios Utility for some system configurations.

Well that's the gist of the good, bad and ugly of it.

Honest reviews on ASUS G75VW-DH72 17.3-Inch Laptop

I do not normally provide feedback, but this was necessary. I bought this computer for my "Gaming" daughter. First, the computer arrived as promised. Second, the shipping packaging was outstanding. The computer box was packaged securely within a larger box. As far as the computer itself, I was amazed. To be honest I have never seen such a fast computer. Finally, the most important thing was that my daughter was ecstatic with her new ASUS Laptop! Thank you Nerds!

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nice laptop,fast shiping, nice packed, not much nosie and not very much heat,and it's lighter then the others, that's it

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Friday, August 15, 2014

Discount HP ENVY 14-3010NR Spectre 14-Inch Ultrabook (Silver/Black)

HP ENVY 14-3010NR Spectre 14-Inch Ultrabook
Customer Ratings: 4 stars
List Price: $1,399.99
Sale Price: $825.00
Today's Bonus: 41% Off
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Bottom line:

This is a very nice high quality machine. HP calls this zero sacrifice, I am about 90% agree with that. Yes, every component is premium quality, but the construction gets maybe 95 out of 100, due to the trackpad installation and the opening problem I note below. Most importantly, they can't make its price competitive enough, but street price should come down later.

Full review:

look & design

HP copied ideas from Macbook, but have enough of their own. The glowing logo on the back made me laugh. Well, whatever they need to do to gain market share. However, once you go pass the black island keyboard on silver, that's where the similarity on look stops. They did put in a lot of thoughts and effort at being different and unique. Like the Gorilla glass covers that give it a much polished and shiny look. If you like shiny, you will like this. The back cover is separated from the aluminum body made with quality plastic you can easily open without tools. The sides has more curves and ridges around the ports etc. The black color of the cover and the thin borders around the display are very nice, making this 14" just slightly larger than a 13" physically overall. The palm rest is a piece of gorilla glass that looks and feels good, it also helps protecting the keys from the screen when closed.

opening it & the distance the cover opens up

This is where HP fell short. They have a very short ridge on the cover that's suppose to give you an anchor to hold on to to open the screen, but it's too short, and there's not an indention on the body for you to put your finger into to grab the screen. So opening it is a slight struggle. Also, when the screen's open all the way it still doesn't go as far as I feel it should so it could be a very minor inconvenience at times. For example, when I am sitting up with it on my lap, I wish I could push the screen back just a tiny bit more.

display

It's a premium display, but not IPS. Colors are vivid and accurate. Even at lowest brightness it's still very visible. At highest it's very bright. The viewing angle is not as limited as some cheap ones, but still nothing compare to the near 180 degree of IPS. At about 40-50 degree and the image begins to change and become unclear. If I am sitting up with it on my lap, the image quality degrades slightly due to the view angle, that's why I wish the screen could open further back. The premium full HD 15" LCD on my 3 year old Dell feels slightly better.

Personally, I think 14" at 1600x900 is the sweet spot for laptop display. 13" would start to feel cramp, and 15" would start to feel cumbersome, especially when using in bed. The icon and text sizes at 1600x900 on 14" is just the right size, yet giving you much more pixel real estate. I stare at 5 24" monitors every day and this 14" still feels plenty big enough.

size & weight

Size is very nice. Slightly larger than a 13", but due to the thin display borders, you get a 14" LED screen. Once you've tried the thinner 3lb laptops, this 4lb feels heavy and thick, but still, very manageable.

battery

An informal test, just normal browsing (amazon, google, yahoo), writing this review, leaving it sitting around but not going to sleep with display eventually turning off, never turned off keyboard backlight, I barely got more than 5 hours out of it. Nothing near the 9.5 hrs in the spec. Slightly disappointed, but still happy, since I turned the display brightness near max most of the time. I guess to get 9.5 hours you have to turn off a bunch of things and run at lowest brightness or something. I might do a more precise and controlled test on it later.

speed

Having used machines with the fastest i7 and extreme xeon, I definitely noticed the ever so slight slower this machine's i5 CPU shows, but you could just call it my imagination. For doing normal browsing, email, word processing, and watching videos, there're ample power to spare. The built in HD3000 graphic chip is fairly limited, but it handles the normal operations and video playback admirably. I even managed to run Skyrim on it, at lowest settings and sluggish of course.

camera

I am so sick of the useless camera most PCs throw in I almost forgot about it on this, but when I tried it, I was pleasantly surprised. It produced smooth motion images that's very resilient to light changes. With an overhead lamp above me, the camera performed perfectly and produced a very clear image, unlike the typical washed out images cheap webcams make. With the lights off and only the light from the display, the camera adapted almost immediately, and gave smooth images that's very respectable: it's grainy, but at least color and the picture are fairly accurate and viewable. This is one quality webcam. HP spec says it's HD, but not sure if it's 1080p. The software allows you to record videos.

power connector & power supply

My bro used to complain about the flimsy power connector on a very old HP he had, but on this machine, looks like HP put some thought into designing it. Other than the actual connector, there's a bigger piece that holds the connector in place so it doesn't wiggle and break easily. The power supply is smaller than usual, and has a USB connector for supplying power to your USB devices.

trackpad

The trackpad is a quality glass cover Synaptics trackpad. However, on mine, its installation is not perfectly aligned. So there's a hairline gap on the right top side. The left edge is also a hairline higher than the right edge. I had some trouble with mine at first where multiple touch didn't work well. It would get faulty touches. After sometime playing around, I found the default sensitivity level is not good. I had to set it to lightest touch and now it works great. Moving the pointer around is very smooth and feels very comfortable and natural. Multiple touch scroll, pinch zoom, all work smoothly. Tap to click, double Tab & hold to drag, and Edge Drag all work well. The software gives you very flexible options and you can basically configure every aspect of it. Using it to browse the web for a few hours I became unaware of the trackpad and just do the motions naturally, and very comfortably.

keyboard

I don't like Island keyboard, but it's the best way to make slim laptops. Typing on it is very comfortable. The glass palm rests feel good, and actually grows on me a little, but it may be different for someone else. The keys are OK but still short on travel distance. I am a touch typist, but I missed noticeably more letters while typing this review, but I am sure I will get used to it in a few days.

Each key has its own LED for backlit, and it shows. The lights through each key is full and bright, the whole thing looks quite pretty. You can just turn it on/off manually with F5, which stays lit all the time, regardless of back lit being on or off. It's supposed to have proximity sensors that detects the user's presence and turn the backlit on/off, I noticed that it did its job a few times, but didn't really do any deliberate test on it.

fan & temperature

The fan out vents is on the bottom back. Since the edges have big curves up, and vent are on the curve, they are harder to get blocked. The fan comes on briefly every once in a while, even when I am just browsing the web, like on amazon. The noise is noticeable, but not annoying. Normal browsing, watching videos, never noticed anything beyond slightly warm. The fan does its job while not being annoying.

audio out

The beats audio sounds fuller than the usual laptop sounds I am used to, but it also gives it a muffle effect for some audios. Overall, it's nice and a signature on HP's Envy line.

volume knob

A physical volume knob is nice. I've seen quite a few moments in meetings where people had to turn on their computer but can't turn down the volume until they're logged in, so the welcome sound plays loud and disturb the meeting. However, it also has its shortcomings. Like turning away from you is volume up, which is opposite of what I naturally do. Also, holding the machine with right hand frequently touch the knob by accident.

Other gimmicks

It's got bluetooth. A NFC device that seems to be experimental HP doesn't have it mentioned on the spec. I borrowed my bro's android phone and downloaded HP's touch to share app. They don't seem to know what they want to do with it. The app apparently allows you to share a URL from the phone to your computer. I got the phone to connect, but after touch, nothing happens. Tried a few times and gave up.

The full size HDMI & Display Port are helpful, as is the ethernet jack. I have not bothered with the WiDi.

expandability

Since the back can be easily opened and immediately exposing the electronics parts that are secured with screws, you can actually replace the battery, which is held on by about 10 screws, but I am not sure if it would void your warranty. I also read somewhere that underneath there is an empty memory slot that lets you upgrade to 8GB.

I am actually glad that they didn't bother with an optical disc drive (CD/DVD/BD), and have a full size SD card slot. Personally, everything being equal, missing a SD card slot is a deal breaker for me on any laptop.

other thoughts & the price

Aside from the minor issues with the trackpad I mentioned above. I got a unit with a pixel on the LCD stuck in blue. Getting a replacement, hopefully it will be problem free.

Price: Given that same spec machines thinner and lighter can be had for less than 1,000, this is overpriced, even considering the premium display and quality parts. I wouldn't pay more than 1,200 for this, and I got it for less than that, when amazon was having a price war with the other mega retailer whose name starts with a W, and giving out a free gift card with the purchase.

Other things I wanted to test but haven't had a chance:

* recording audio

* watching a HD movie

* torture test

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Read that title again because it's the most important line in this entire review or any other regarding a notebook device.

When shopping for a notebook you have two choices.

1. A mobile workstation

This device boasts strong battery life, low weight, portability, often connectivity, and the ability to run most office and some design programs on the road. The mobile workstation comes with the compromise of being less powerful (i.e. slower) than the top of the line computers on the market. Students, traveling professionals, and people who need more than one computer (for whom a tablet is not sufficient) are attracted to this category.

2. A replacement desktop

This device has a massive amount of computing power, often a stellar video card, and will perform any task that a home computer does with nearly equal aptitude. As a result, replacement desktop systems suffer from poor battery life and tend to weigh a ton. They come with big, beautiful screens and are designed for people who need to carry a lot of horsepower to different locations but don't need to pack the thing around in a briefcase or backpack. Gamers and video engineers are attracted to this category, as are people who only want one computer.

When judging a notebook it is important to use the metrics for which it was designed.

The HP Envy Spectre is an Ultrabook, which means it's a mobile workstation. This is not a computer designed for playing the latest games, rendering 3D scenes, running complex software synthesizers, or having 12 programs open at a time. It is a mobile office with superb battery life and an impressively bright screen (which will, in fact, significantly reduce your battery life if you use it at full power).

As a mobile workstation, this is quite simply the best notebook I have ever owned. The keyboard is incredibly comfortable and the battery life is excellent. It is not as light as the Samsung Series-9 but the comfort, style, and ease of use make up for it. Because it uses a solid state drive it doesn't heat up to 1000 degrees in my lap. I am, in fact, typing this review in bed with the laptop sitting near enough my manparts that it would be quite uncomfortable if I weren't using the HP Envy Spectre.

If I so much as launch Backyard Monsters, the fans will kick in like a wind tunnel. God help me if I try to play Diablo III. Does that mean the system loses a star? Oh god no. There are far too many notebooks that try to be everything to everyone and fail miserably at all of them.

This is device is fast for an ultraportable. The glass makes it a bit heavier but adds both style and comfort. The mouse is responsive, glitch free, and has decent multi-touch functionality. If I want to play a game, well, that's what my unlocked and overclocked Core i7 featuring a ton of RoG technology is for. This system lets me do my IT and web development work comfortably from a bar or coffee shop. Paired with a 4G connection I can get 4-9 hours of life out of the computer depending on the brightness of the screen and how much data I'm pulling down. To be honest, I push this laptop pretty hard. I've never thought "wow, I'm disappointed in how long this thing lasted on battery" not in the context of what I was doing.

I can comfortably write web pages and I can run Photoshop or Illustrator, though complex tasks on large files may be a bit slow. Ironically, booting is faster than waking from sleep mode but that's really a Microsoft thing. No points from HP.

If you want quick, light, sleek, professional, and mobile with excellent life this is the best Windows-based notebook on the market (positively Mac-like in many ways). I'm buying one for my wife when she starts her doctorate in a few weeks because I trust this model 100% with the way she will use it.

If you want fast & powerful gaming or a/v editing machine that replaces your clunky old desktop, steer clear. We don't need any more ill informed reviews of this machine resulting from unfair expectations. It's a 1.6ghz i5 processor with basic Intel graphics. Please, don't come back here to complain because you wanted i7 + nVidia/ATI performance out of it.

Best of luck making your selection.

Best Deals for HP ENVY 14-3010NR Spectre 14-Inch Ultrabook (Silver/Black)

I purchased this laptop even though it far exceeded my budget. I just wanted to see what all the hoopla was about. Honestly, I had planned on returning it if I found any fault with it in any whatsoever. I had read that the battery cannot be replaced, RAM could not be upgraded and the SSD was not replaceable by users. Well, I have not returned it and have absolutely no plans on returning it whatsoever.

The battery can be replaced as well as the RAM can be expanded and the SSD can also be upgraded. Albeit, not as easily as one would hope but easy enough as the manual walks you through it step by step. I've even found a battery replacement online that costs $120.00. Since there is only one Memory slot you can upgrade to 8GB and Amazon has a 8GB SODIMM that works for $51.99. Again, this takes some work and as the memory is not easily accessible. You can easily download the "Maintenance and Service Guide" from the HP website. There is even a link in the "Help and Support" link in the Start Menu.

This little laptop has far exceeded my expectations and is simply the best laptop I've ever purchased or received from an employer. It easily gets 5 stars. I could go into all the finer details but others here have taken care of that.

As far as the cost... After using this computer the cost is justified and when you really compare it to other Ultrabooks the price is a little more expensive but very competitive.

Honest reviews on HP ENVY 14-3010NR Spectre 14-Inch Ultrabook (Silver/Black)

After doing research on most of the ultrabooks in the market I finally settled with HP Envy Spectre 14. I already own Macbook Air and I am happy with it. Just wanted another Windows native machine for work and travel purpose. Let me tell you this is the most attractive laptop I have ever seen. But the Glass on top is hard to keep clean, its a finger print magnet. I found the boot time slow as other ultrabooks. But wake up time from sleep is instant. So if you can shell out couple of extra hundred bucks for good looking laptop this is for you.

Pros

Stunning Display

14 inch screen (text is better on 14 inch than on 13inch with 1600x900 resolution)

All the ports you need

Beats Audio

AC Adapter comes with extra USB port which you can use to charge other devices.

I really like that.

2 year warranty

SD card slot

Cons

128 GB SDD on $1400 laptop (You will get only 70 GB free. Rest is all OS and recovery).

Glass Panel (Gives you a feel that you may break it someday)

Overpriced.(1 start knocked out for this)

Slow boot time from shutdown (approx 24 seconds). Dell XPS 13 was on 13 seconds

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for HP ENVY 14-3010NR Spectre 14-Inch Ultrabook (Silver/Black)

This notebook is beautiful and I wanted very much to love it. I felt it was the perfect combination of function and style and I was willing to pay more for it than other comparable notebooks.

The first one I received was defective right out of the box with an error message that read "cooling fan is not operating correctly," and proceeding to shut down automatically. HP's online support was great and offered to repair the notebook and pay for shipping both ways. Since the notebook was brand new, I opted to replace it with a new one from the seller. I totally understand that there are duds in every make and model, so it was not an issue for me to wait for a replacement.

I received my replacement notebook and waited with bated breath as it booted up. It made it to Windows. Time to celebrate right? Not quite.

Four days later as I plugged the notebook in, there was a spark, pop, and smoke. My laptop's power port and the adapter cord suffered scorch marks. I couldn't believe it. I hopped on to HP's chat support again(from another computer) and asked if they could take my notebook in for repair. The rep advised that they would send me a new adapter instead. Only if that didn't work, would they take my notebook for repair. A few days later I received a new adapter and attempted to plug it in. Spark, pop, and smoke. I hopped back on with the chat support folks and the rep agreed that they would take the notebook in for repair. I waited for the empty box and then shipped it out.

Today, I received a call from HP and they advised that they fixed my DC port but the motherboard connector is damaged and that is going to cost me $200+ to repair since it's not covered by the warranty. Just to be clear, an internal part of the brand new replacement notebook (a part that I cannot access without voiding the warranty) is not covered for repair. It's been a month since I first ordered this HP Envy 14 and it's been an incredible waste of time dealing with this. I am now the proud owner of a defective $1000+ notebook.

If you value your time and money. Please do not purchase this notebook.

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Sunday, July 20, 2014

Cheap Hp Mini- Pink

Hp Mini- Pink
Customer Ratings: 5 stars
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I chose 1-3 days shipment, ordered it on Wednesday night, shipped at Thursday afternoon and arrived at my door at Monday moon time, 9 hours before my flight :P just awesome lol

Totally satisfied :)

I've been using a HP 15.3" laptop for a year:) so this time I got this 10.1" mini laptop to take home

FAST DELIVERY, GOOD PRODUCT !

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Friday, July 18, 2014

Discount Lenovo S400 14.0-Inch Laptop

Lenovo S400 14.0-Inch Laptop
Customer Ratings: 4 stars
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Originally, I had wanted the ultrabook from Lenovo but it was way out of my price range. This laptop was my alternative choice. I love that it's super lightweight and easy to carry around school. It reboots quickly, has a decent battery life of 3~hrs, never overheats, and is pretty quiet. Sound is ok (more details down below). I use this laptop to do normal, everyday student activites: write papers, browse the web, listen to music, watch movies and the i3 processor is good enough and fast enough for me.

Some things took me a while to get used to (i.e. very sensitive trackpad as mentioned in another review, typing on a new keyboard, Win8). I had to mess with the sensitivity settings for the trackpad for a while until it was to my liking. I don't really like the size of the BACKSPACE key. For some reason, they made it smaller than a normal size and placed PG UP/PG DOWN keys next to it and I hit it by accident all the time. It's a pain and I'm still getting used to it after a few weeks. Windows 8 was a bit overwhelming at first but I found a really helpful guide to explain what had changed and new features:An issue I had was that the speakers are located on the underside of the laptop...never really knew of any laptop that did that but it's a problem if you're in bed and listening to music. Blankets obviously muffle the sound so I usually hook it up to an external speaker. Just wish the speakers weren't impeded by anything but when it's on top of a desk, sound is clear and good. Final thing is that the webcam and microphone are pretty awful. I had issues when using it to Skype. Webcam quality just sucks and for some reason, the microphone never picks up my voice so I just end up using my old laptop that I was supposed to replace with this one (Sony Vaio 4 yrs old).

Overall, I like this laptop for it's ease of travel and battery life. It performs well while being extremely affordable. Just a few things you should be warned about beforehand and where some things could be improved.

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This laptop is slim, light and works fast. It can boot and shut down within seconds! I also get used to win8 now. I don't play big games with it. I mainly use it to write, browse the web, listen to music and watch movies. This laptop does all these wrks perfectly. Sometimes the noise of fan and hard disk is a bit large but still bearable.

Best Deals for Lenovo S400 14.0-Inch Laptop

I wanted a thin, light laptop for personal use so I wouldn't have to carry my work laptop home every night in case I wanted to log on for something. But I mainly use it for Facebook, checking email, browsing the web and listening to music. I love the light weight sleek design. I'm still getting use to Windows 8 (works better for a touchscreen). The processor is fast. I have had no problems. Love it.

Honest reviews on Lenovo S400 14.0-Inch Laptop

Had my doubts about Windows 8. In my opinion, looks a lot better and has some nice features like built in iso support. The big track pad is nice, as is the Chiclet style keyboard. The screen and bezel are glossy, which is the only thing I don't care for as far as aesthetics go. Performance wise, the graphics capabilities are not bad for basic games like the sims 3 and SimCity. The power button, and battery and power lights are a nice white LED, however there is no HDD indicator. Speakers are decent for a laptop.

It's a joy connecting to my tv via HDMI, this computer has no problem playing a movie and running a few other tasks at the same time on two screens.

The webcam isn't that great on quality, but it's not something I use, so it's not a deal breaker for me. The computer is a bit flimsy, if you pick it up by the very edge it will flex quite a bit. It's a thin computer, but it's too bad they didn't use a stronger frame. The fan is almost never noticeable.

The power cord doesn't "click" in.. I find after using it a bit and moving around with it connected the cord seems to slowly work it's way out a bit.

Overall, I think this computer was a good deal for the price and I'm happy with my purchase. It does have a few things I'd like to change, but they are really not a big deal for me.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Lenovo S400 14.0-Inch Laptop

Pros:

Lightweight

Inexpensive

Plenty of USB ports

Lightweight power cord

Speaker quality

Cons:

Keyboard has a bit of give

Screen quality is just OK (not as sharp/clear as I would like)

No optical drive

Battery life is shorter than expected

Speaker location

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Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Discount Dell Inspiron i14z-1000sLV 14-Inch Ultrabook (Moon Silver)

Dell Inspiron i14z-1000sLV 14-Inch Ultrabook
Customer Ratings: 3 stars
List Price: $706.00
Sale Price: $489.98
Today's Bonus: 31% Off
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Some of the other reviewers here have had issues with Dell products in the past, as have I from time to time; however, you can't deny you are getting decent hardware for the money. If I were you I'd ignore some of these other reviews which clearly have not actually tried this exact Inspiron model as it was first released in October of 2012 and they are talking like they've had it for a year and a half! I've owned Inspirons in the past and plan on them lasting me 3-4 years. That's exactly what you should expect out of any inexpensive laptop. I bought this particular model because I wanted the new Ivy Bridge processor and SSD included with this model. So far, it works great!

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Purchased this for my husband for christmas! He loves it except has to get used to using WIndows 8 !

Best Deals for Dell Inspiron i14z-1000sLV 14-Inch Ultrabook (Moon Silver)

Pros: Hybrid drive is well optimized.

The lower end processor actually saves quite a bit of power. Computer lasts 6 hours without a charge.

Quality frame

This is a great computer between home/work

Cons: Most issues with this computer is Win8. Just remove that puppy and put win7 on it. If you prefer to use Win8, I suggest downloading Pokki. It will alleviate the tears at night that you will have from the new start menu.

Honest reviews on Dell Inspiron i14z-1000sLV 14-Inch Ultrabook (Moon Silver)

Me parece un excelente computadora de las mejores portatiles que he tenido, sería bueno incluir el paquete de Office para no tener que comprarlo por separado, por lo demás estoy satisfecho

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Dell Inspiron i14z-1000sLV 14-Inch Ultrabook (Moon Silver)

If you look around, then you'll see that this is a good overall buy for the money. I've had no problem with Dell laptops in the past and the same is true of this one.

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Saturday, June 21, 2014

Cheap Dell Studio XPS 16 Notebook Merlot Red with Leather Accent

Dell Studio XPS 16 Notebook Merlot Red with Leather Accent - Genuine Windows® 7 Professional, Intel® CoreTM 2 Duo T6600, ATI Mobility RADEON® HD 3670 - 512MB, Intel® 5100 WLAN Wireless-N Half Mini Card , Edge-to-Edge FHD Widescreen 15.6 inch WLED LCD W/2.0 MP Webcam
Customer Ratings: 5 stars
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I have to say that this laptop is one hell of a deal.

The 4GB of ram seem to be a bit of a downer at first, but it actually comes to use.

If you're watching videos, or playing 3D Games, the ATI Mobility RADEON 3670's memory is used to process them, not your RAM.

Meaning if you aren't watching videos or playing a 3D/Flash game, you are going to averagely use 712MB 1GB of ram.

While play on highest settings, including ambient occlusion, shadows, and high quality textures, the computer was only using 1.3 GB of RAM, and the game didn't lag at all.

It gets just a (little) sketchy when playing extremely demanding games like Skyrim, or Battlefield on High settings, but it still gets about 25-35 FPS, which is better then 10 FPS

All-In-All, this computer is great, i ordered this computer on another account, and it asked me to use another account to review due to some error, so i know what i'm talking about.

It fetch's 1080p Video at like 80 MB per. second with fair internet connection.

When turning on the laptop, it's boot speed if extremely lightning fast, used or new, the laptop is bound to have the same performance as others, i bought mine used for 300 bucks, and i'm pleased to say the paranoia i went through was worth it!

Just like all new buyers, it's scary thinking your used item is going to be broke or in poor condition, but mine actually arrived within 2 days, with the charger, laptop (of course), and Proof of Documentation!

Buy this, and you won't forget, just search "Dell xps 16" and buy the used one for $400 bucks, it'll be worth it.

So to the conclusion:

> Perfect for intermediate gamers

> Perfect for 3D Artist, or programmer's

> Extremely fast

> Light up Keyboard

> 0.5 GB (512 MB) of dedicated video memory

> Fast & Durable RAM Chipset

> Bright & Color efficient LCD

> Like 8 pounds

Thank's for reading!

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Thursday, May 29, 2014

Buy HP Envy 6-1110us 15.6-Inch Sleekbook (Black)

HP Envy 6-1110us 15.6-Inch Sleekbook
Customer Ratings: 4.5 stars
List Price: $699.99
Sale Price: $566.99
Today's Bonus: 19% Off
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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program I have several traditional laptops and an HP Ultrabook to compare this to, and it does quite well. The Ultrabook is all the rage now, and they tend to be amazing, but there are a couple of requirements to be an "Ultrabook" that this computer does not meet. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as I will explain.

First off, the term "Ultrabook," is owned by Intel, so since this has an AMD chip, it cannot be an Ultrabook. The AMD chip in this computer, however, is a quad-core lightning beast for a laptop, so you really aren't losing out there. For your every day programs, this performed a little faster than my Gateway and Lenovo Windows 7 laptops and only slightly slower than my i5 HP Envy Spectre XT Ultrabook. The slight difference in performance is likely due to the second Ultrabook requirement, a solid state drive.

Having a solid state drive can really speed things up, but it also significantly adds to the production cost. So, for an almost imperceptible difference in speed, you get far less drive space with a solid state drive. In my case, the HP Ultrabook has a 128 GB drive, while this HP Sleekbook has a 500 GB drive. If you use a lot of music and movies, the choice is already clear. The only other place where the solid state drive comes into play is boot time.

My Gateways boot to Windows 7 in 65 seconds. My Lenovo does the same in 46 seconds. This HP Sleekbook boots to Windows 8 in 40 seconds. The Ultrabook? Four seconds! OK, once you get past that amazing stat, ask yourself how many times you tend to re-boot your laptop? It really shouldn't be that often, and with the tweaks of Windows 8, even many updates won't require a reboot. Therefore, once I got past the part where I was rebooting my Ultrabook just to show off to people how fast it boots up, I was using it the same way as this Sleekbook. In other words, don't let the difference in boot time sway you away from this Sleekbook.

Another requirement for an Ultrabook is a unibody design which means no optical drive. The Sleekbook follows this pattern, so there is no optical drive. If there is a deal-breaker for many people, this may be it. You can download all the Windows 8 apps from the app store, but your legacy software will have to be loaded some other way. If you have other computers, this isn't a problem. If this will be your only computer, it may be a problem for you.

At 4.6 pounds, this is significantly lighter than my other standard laptops, but also significantly heavier than the Ultrabook. The comparison, however, is more fair to the standard laptops because it matches their screen sizes (it isn't fair to compare the weight of a 15" screen to a 13" screen). Therefore, this is actually a pretty light and portable computer.

The 15" screen is bright and clear, and really a joy to watch. Movies play flawlessly, and the crawl at the bottom of ESPN3 doesn't jitter at all! As for games, well this is one area where this Sleekbook really beats the other computers, including the Ultrabook. It handles some graphically intensive games like Star Trek Online at the highest video settings without the slightest problem. Again, there is no optical drive, so you are limited in your gaming options. If you have a game that checks to see if the disk is in the drive before you can play, you will be out of luck.

Like many HP products, this comes with Beats Audio. It has four speakers and it actually has a sub woofer of sorts. Nevertheless, while it sounds better than any other laptop, there is only so much you can do with so little speaker space. Attach a pair of decent headphones, however, and the audio soars!

Battery life is amazing. I've gotten over four and a half hours while pushing it pretty hard. That's with factory default power settings, but playing an online game that pushed the graphics (Star Trek Online). For normal, non-gaming tasks, this computer clears the six hour mark easily without a charge. The battery is built in (again chasing the Ultrabook crowd), so you cannot change it on the fly, but you probably won't need to.

As for appearance, the red bottom with the brushed metal black top is a great look. Very unique. The rubbery bottom surface is great for grip, so it doesn't slide. About the only problem with the design is that the heat exhaust is from the bottom rather than the sides. As a result, if you put it on your lap with your legs together, they can get pretty hot. It has HP Cool Sense technology, so it will throttle the CPU and graphics if necessary to keep it cool. Also, with the accelerometer, it is able to tell whether the computer is on your lap or on a table. It will throttle performance a bit to keep cool on your lap while going flat out on a table. The accelerometer also provides protection to the hard drive in the event of a drop. If you drop this computer, it will save your data (although it will probably break the screen).

On a final note, it is running Windows 8. This means the Metro interface and multitouch capabilities. The touchpad handles the interface very well. Windows 8 is still not perfect, but this is the best implementation I have come across. Nevertheless, I set this up initially for two users. When I removed one of those user accounts, I had some trouble with Windows, and it eventually died in an update. This required me to perform a full factory reset. This is a fault of Windows 8, not of this computer. The reset did take 17 hours to complete. That was pretty bizarre. After that, however, it has worked perfectly. I wouldn't let this put you off from buying this computer, but I would suggest that you do not remove user accounts once you have made them!

Overall, this is an amazing computer. It is certainly a step up from any other standard laptop out there. While it doesn't have some of the abilities of an actual Ultrabook, it comes pretty close, and it is even better in terms of drive space and gaming. Also, the price cannot be beat for what you are getting here. Add this puppy to your Christmas list this year, and hope Santa thinks you've been good!

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program This HP Envy 6-1110us 15.6-Inch Sleekbook (Black) is not just another ultra-light ultra-fast notebook laptop; this one has Bluetooth! With this sleekbook, I can connect wirelessly not only via 1x1 802.111b/g/n WLAN but also via Bluetooth! So I can wirelessly listen to my music through bluetooth headset and access the laptop through bluetooth keyboard and mouse. Also, I can use bluetooth to sync my bluetooth-enabled smartphone with my Envy Sleekbook 6-1110us! This is handy for whenever I am not around wifi, I can still connect my smartphone with this sleekbook since it is bluetooth enabled. I can wirelessly sync and print from up to 30 feet away on this sleekbook with Bluetooth.

The HP Envy 6-1110us 15.6-Inch Sleekbook (Black) has the same brushed aluminum in midnight black finish that I prefer and HP really delivers! In addition this sleekbook has a red soft-touch base which is easier to grip, doesn't scratch as easily and looks super cool; the red/black combo reminds me of a ferrari for some reason. Not only does this sleekbook look awesome, it is sensual to touch. It seems the bottom of my laptops get scratched before the top does, so this new soft-touch base is a big plus for the laptop looking awesome for a longer period of time. I anticipated it feeling softer and rubbery from reading the description than it actually does in person. It feels like solid metal when I touch only the base and it is not until I touch both the base and the top that I can tell the softer grippier texture of the bottom. It looks like red metal not rubber or soft. The red goes up on the sides where the ports and plugs are but not onto the inside around the keyboard or screen. It is a really cool looking black with ruby red combo and each day I seem to fall a little bit more in love.

The HD BrightView LED-backlit display is so impressive. I just love photos and videos on it as they look more vivid and crisper than even on my HDTV and that is amazing as every cable provider comments how my HDTV makes their feed look the best they have ever seen!

The HP TrueVision HD Webcam with integrated dual array digital microphone delivers a superb Skype experience.

This HP Envy 6-1110us 15.6-Inch Sleekbook (Black) is super fast with its Next Gen AMD Quad-Core AB-4555M Accelerated Processor with 1.6GHz up to 2.4GHz speeds, 4MB L2 Cache, 4GB DDR SDRAM (1DIMM) (up to 16GB is supported). It is nice to know my sleekbook and data are protected on the 500GB 5400RPM hard drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection.

The touchpad as well feels great to touch and use and includes the normal mouse moves including double tap, 2finger scroll, pinch or stretch to zoom, top-edge swipe to display app commands, right-edge swipe to display the charms (search, share, start, devices, and settings) and left edge swipe to switch between open apps. You can quickly return to the start screen by pressing the windows logo key on the keyboard.

Windows 8 just came out so it is new to me and of course there is a learning curve but so far I like it. I like that it is linked to my Microsoft account which means that every time I sign into a Windows 8 device, my settings and custom tweaks will come with me and be applied. Because Microsoft accounts are linked to SkyDrive storage, Office 2013 will back up automatically uploading to the cloud. Windows Media Center will not be included for free in Windows 8 but right now through January 31, 2013, you can request a free product key for it at the microsoft windows website.

Some people complain about the "missing DVD drive" as we have come to think of them as standard must-have but I think soon we may view them as obsolete because now most software and media are downloadable/ uploadable to cloud or social media, flash drives are faster and more portable as well as safer, and technology is moving toward syncing via cable or wirelessly through wifi or bluetooth between devices including those specifically designed for media storage. When I mention a floppy disk or floppy drive, people in their 20s give me blank stares having no clue what I am talking about and ask "what is that?"; undoubtedly someday I will get the same questions when I mention the optical/dvd drive, but how soon/long until that day? Secondly, on those seldom occasions when a dvd drive is needed, one could easily use an external DVD drive when needed or connect via USB cable to a pc or laptop that has a dvd drive. The benefit of not having a dvd drive is a lighter thinner notebook. I think I prefer having a lighter thinner laptop going commando without the DVD drive.

The bluetooth feature is costly though as for the same $699MSRP, the bluetooth-less HP Envy dv6-7210us 15.6-Inch Laptop is available which has:

a faster AMD Quad-core processor,

50% more Memory (6GB DDR3 RAMM compared to 4GB DDR3 RAMM).

50% larger hard drive (750GB compared to 500GB),

a 3rd USB 3.0 port (only two on sleekbook),

a VGA 115-pin port (not on sleekbook),

a super-multi DVD burner driver (not on sleekbook)

Beats Audio quad speakers and a subwoofer (sleekbook has Beats Audio dual speakers and a subwoofer)

a numeric keypad

HP SimplePass with integrated fingerprint reader

50% larger battery(6cell compared to 4-cell) its battery life is up to 5:15 while sleekbook's is up to 6 hours. This results partly in sleekbook being lighter (4.53lbs) than laptop (5.66lbs).

However, not only do you give up the bluetooth but also the supercool red soft-touch base.

HP is also coming out with a 14" touchscreen sleekbook which I am also interested in what features you get on that at what pricepoint as it sounds super cool as well.

What is a sleekbook?

A sleekbook is an HP Ultrabook-like thin-and-light laptop that can't be called an Ultrabook, in some cases because it uses an AMD processor (Ultrabook is an Intel trademark; all Ultrabooks are therefore Intel machines, by definition.) or for one reason or another, can't qualify as Ultrabooks under the Intel's specific criteria:

quick start up and app launching

21mm or thinner for notebooks with 14-inch and larger displays

5 hour minimum battery life

CULV Intel processors

Flash storage if not completely solid state, then at least in a hybrid format

7 second resumption from hibernation

Ultrabooks and sleekbooks are nothing fundamentally new. They're just the latest gloss on thin-and-light laptops/notebooks. Maintaining that they're something else just confuses matters, especially when some Ultrabook-like computers don't qualify as Ultrabooks for reasons that consumers shouldn't need to care about. All these different names are just marketing by manufacturers trying to cut out their own niche. Everybody knows technological devices/equipment keep getting slimmer, lighter, faster, cheaper, and brighter; does that warrant a new name different from notebook or laptop? I don't think so.

If you are looking for a bluetooth-enabled ultra-fast ultra-light sexy notebook

especially in the black/red soft touch bottom combo, look no further!

You will be thrilled with the HP Envy 6-1110us 15.6-Inch Sleekbook (Black).

I am. Thank you so much HP and Amazon Vine. I must be the luckiest girl in the world.... what a super awesome laptop is the HP Envy 6-1110us 15.6-Inch Sleekbook (Black)

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program I've got to admit, I wasn't expecting much from the HP Envy 6-1110us Sleekbook, as I had my doubts that the AMD processor could keep up with some of the processor heavy applications I run. My doubts were nicely proven wrong, and I found out this AMD powered Sleekbook is a real powerhouse for an incredibly reasonable price.

The build quality of the Sleekbook is excellent, the fit and finish is somehing you'd expect from a top of the line product. Nowhere does it feel like any corners were cut. Even the chicklet style keyboard has a nice feel to it, not at all dead and lifeless like I was expecting.

The Sleekbook runs quietly for average tasks, but when starting to heat up under a load you'll definitely start to notice the fan starts to ramp up in speed. During general use you can set the Sleekbook on your bare lap and it is barely warm at all. Once it starts heating up and the fans kick it, you'll really start to notice some warmth, but it isn't nearly enough to cause any discomfort.

The screen size and resolution are excellent, the resolution is just right for the size screen, proving a clear, sharp display with reasonbly accurate colors. No noticeable color shifts were noticed on my unit, nor were any dead or stuck pixels spotted.

Audio from the speakers leaves much to be desired, as is the case with all laptops, but once a pair of headphones or IEM's are plugged in, the audio processing engine really brings the sounds life, especially good for music lovers.

HP is a company that is well known for the excellent customer service, so if any problems are ever experienced under warranty, you can rest assured HP will take care of you.

This is a great laptop, powerful and cool running for a great price. You'd be hard pressed to find a better model at this price point.

Honest reviews on HP Envy 6-1110us 15.6-Inch Sleekbook (Black)

The HP ENVY 61110-US, a 5 Star Computer! Thin and light, comparable to a Macbook Air with a brushed aluminum

cover (instead of Apple's silver aluminum) as well as weight and screen resolution. At 1/3 the price of an Apple

Laptop and a savings of $1,000, the HP ENVY also throws in EXTRA FEATURES beyond Apple's including Beats audio

dual speakers with a subwoofer, at 15.6", a larger video screen, and a 500GB Hard Drive.

Like a Macbook Air, no DVD\CD drive, as USB Memory sticks and cloud computing make the need for a DVD\CD drive

less important than ever, and the absence of of a DVD\CD drive allows a thinner sleeker design. If a DVD\CD

writer is occasionally important to you, then purchase a lightweight USB DVD\CD\Writer for $35 to carry in your

laptop bag for the occasional time that you will need it. In economic terms, DVD\CD\Writers have a declining

utility, so much so that Microsoft has decided to save the bucks that it pays for licensing patented DVD player

technology, and not include copyrighted DVD playback as part of its included Windows 8 Media Player. But that can

be easily overcome by simply downloading the free opensource VLC Media Writer or pay WindDVD, PowerDVD, or a

plethora of other companies $50 or less.

Both Macbook Air and the HP Sleekbook work seamlessly with the cloud, and free 5GB storage (or more) is available

from Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Dropbox, etc. If you don't need to store video, free storage on the cloud will

be more than adequate for most needs. For those that might need to store video, the HP ENVY includes a 500GB

Drive (Macbook Air provides faster electronic memory up to 500gb and no hard drive, but at additional cost over

and above the base price of a Macbook Air), or you can pay to store your video on the cloud. The HP Sleekbook

battery lasts up to 8.5 hours when fully charged, if properly configured and when new.

So, what is it that you're actually paying APPLE $1,000 extra for? The Apple Operating System. Is it worth it?

Less than 20% of the world seems to think so. 75% of the world would rather save $1,000, not be bound to Apple's

choices for Hardware and Software there is no computing system in the world more versatile or with more choice

or options than Microsoft Windows. Apple provides a more user friendly experience, but limits consumers to the

choices that Apple makes in its limited line-up of laptops and computers. The beauty of Windows 8 is it allows

you to make the choice of hardware features and options, go outside of the box and create the user experience that

you individually desire, and saves you $1,000 in the process.

If the power cord for your Macbook Air goes bad, expect to pay Apple's exorbitant $85 for replacement. Apple's

computers and accessories are typically patented or proprietary, and as a result, non-OEM Apple power cords are

junk (read the Amazon reviews). Genuine HP accessories, parts, accessories and repairs are typically 1/2 of

Apple's, and non-OEM replacements are often of good quality and even cheaper. So, you'l save money in the long

run as well.

Windows 8 is an absolute improvement over any OS Microsoft has delivered to date. The naysayers and complaints

about Windows 8 are primarily from old Microsoft users who are not ready to learn a new OS because its easier to

just do things the old fashioned way. So Windows 8 attempts to find a middle ground between the future of

computing (the new Windows 8 Touchscreen Interface) and the old fashioned Windows 7 and before OS. The future

means touchscreens instead of mice, the cloud instead of hard drives, phones, tablets and laptops that all use the

same interface, ultimately seamlessly so that you can move between one and another without ever noticing, and

that's what Windows 8 sets out to do and attempts to deliver. So realize that the future is not quite yet

here, and what Microsoft is moving towards, is to integrate it all. At this point in time, Windows 8 as an

unified single operating system fully integrated for phones, tablets and computers\laptops. Apple is still two

separate and disparate operating systems, Mac OS for Laptops\Desktops and IOS for Tablets\Phones. Windows 8

arrived in October, 2012, and the endeavor of writing computer code is long, complex and cumbersome, not only for

Microsoft, but for Apple as well. Apple has just a few variations to deal with, while Microsoft attempts to

integrate hundreds and thousands of disparate electronic components (thus more options). Both Apple and Windows 8

Operating Systems are continually updated while you sleep (if you choose automatic updates) to correct flaws,

eliminate bugs and improve and address the future of computing. For those who complain about Windows 8 give it

a chance, as Microsoft has no choice but to evolve or die.

As an informed consumer, make the choice for yourself.

Features:

Windows 8

AMD Quad-Core A8-4555M Accelerated Processor

CPU: 1.6GHz up to 2.4GHz

4MB L2 Cache

4GB DDR3 SDRAM (1 DIMM)

Maximum supported16GB

AMD Radeon(tm) HD 7600G Discrete-Class graphics and up to 2029MB total graphics memory

500GB 5400RPM hard drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection

Brushed aluminum in midnight black with a red soft-touch base

HP TrueVision HD Webcam with integrated dual array digital microphone

15.6-inch diagonal HD BrightView LED-backlit display (1366x768)

10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 connector)

1x1 802.11b/g/n WLAN and Bluetooth®

Multi-format digital media card reader for Secure Digital cards and Multimedia cards

Beats Audio(tm) dual speakers and a subwoofer

Full-size island-style keyboard

HP Imagepad supporting multi-touch gestures with on/off button.

2 SuperSpeed USB 3.0

1 Universal Serial Bus (USB Boost) 2.0

1 HDMI

1 RJ-45 (LAN)

1 Headphone

1 Microphone in

Kensington® MicroSaver lock slot

Power-on password

Accepts 3rd party security lock devices

65W AC adapter

4-cell 60WHr 4.1 Ah lithium-ion polymer battery

Up to 8 hours and 30 minutes

Warranty 1 Year Limited

I hope that this post helps make it easier for you to make your choice.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for HP Envy 6-1110us 15.6-Inch Sleekbook (Black)

I docked this 1 star for having to return this item twice. However, this machine, once it was working, is a great computer.

I like the size of this. It is very thin and very light. It's easy to carry around.

The keys are very nice to type on.

The trackpad has multitouch and is very responsive (a must for using windows 8)

The computer is fast and runs programs easily.

I use it mostly for consuming media and wordprosessing (though my kids use it for games and don't complain) and it works just fine.

I don't like HP's QA department. We got the first one and after about 5 weeks and then it got caught in a continuous reboot cycle and wouldn't come out of it. Amazon took the return and sent us a new one. After about 7 weeks it went black. Nothing worked. Amazon wouldn't take it back anymore (a first for me), so I sent it in to HP and they fixed it under warranty saying some wires had come loose.

I also don't like that it doesn't come with a DVD drive, but I guess that's why it's so thin. I bought an external drive from amazon that works just fine with it, but it's one more thing to pack along.

I almost gave this 2 or 3 stars based on the hassle of the machines not working, but when it works I like it so much that it overcame the problem, and our machine has ran strong for many months now without a problem.

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Reviews of Certified Pre-Owned Aluminum PowerBook G4/1.67 GHz, 2048 MB of RAM

Certified Pre-Owned Aluminum PowerBook G4/1.67 GHz, 2048 MB of RAM, 120 GB internal drive, internal SuperDrive, internal 56k modem, Airport Extreme and Bluetooth installed, 17' TFT display, OS CD is not included, OS 10.4.10 installed
Customer Ratings: 4.5 stars
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It's just AWSOME!! Plan and simple. In the near future I plan to buy more for them :0) and the idem is in GREAT shape. Thanks

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One comment made here that this is a ton of bricks does not correctly comment on this lap top. This is one of the best lap tops ever made and is still good enough to use for your primary lap top. The one I bought here was maxed out as far as ram and storage, making it the best powerbook available. I purchased a mac book 13 inch for someone and this powerbook for her son and by far this computer is faster and of much higher quality then the white lap top that cost me twice as much to buy. Be aware it is a little heavier but it is better to have a lap top that is a joy to use then a lighter version that is half the fun. Good purchase and good lap top. Live streaming is the only problem I have had but I have been able to go on ABC news live with the adobe these laptops have. I wish it was mine but am happy for my friend I bought this for.

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Needed a laptop for some classes; the laptop is the heaviest one I've ever owned, so I won't be carrying it around too often; also wasn't aware how much trouble I'd have streaming videos or downloading programs since it is the old Power PC model (can't even find a decent compatible adobe version anymore); definitely should've gotten a slightly newer model

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Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Reviews of Apple MacBook Pro MB134LL/A 15.4-inch Laptop (OLD VERSION)

Apple MacBook Pro MB134LL/A 15.4-inch Laptop
Customer Ratings: 4.5 stars
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In March 2008, I decided it was time to upgrade from a G4-based laptop to one of the new Intel models. I deliberated back and forth whether the lower priced MacBook would be sufficient or whether to pay the premium for the "Pro" model. Ultimately, I decided upon the MacBook Pro for these reasons.

Construction quality

The aluminum case of the MacBook Pro reminds me of a product made by the Swiss. The build quality is outstanding for a mass-produced device. It feels very substantial, and all the pieces fit together nearly seamlessly. The MacBook's case, however, is made from a high-grade plastic rather than metal. It's nice ... but I found the front edge of the MacBook's case a bit sharp on my wrists as I typed.

Ports

Compared with the MacBook, the MacBook Pro provides an additional USB port plus Firewire 800. The latter is desirable for people who work with video and external drives that have Firewire 800 connectors. The ExpressCard slot is useful for future expansion and services such as wireless broadband (EVDO).

Keyboard

Keyboard experiences are subjective; but I find the keyboard on the MacBook Pro the most comfortable of any laptop I've ever used. It feels solid and responsive. Plus, its backlighting is helpful when typing in dark environments.

Dedicated video

Unlike the MacBook that shares system memory for video (integrated graphics), the MacBook Pro has a dedicated video processor. This is beneficial for driving large external displays and running graphics-intensive applications.

Is the MacBook Pro worth the $700 price differential over a MacBook? That depends on whether you are a general home computer user (i.e., e-mail, web browsing, iTunes, word processing) or someone who uses their laptop for more advanced purposes. My user profile is more in the second category. Also, since I intend to keep this computer for three years, I figure that the premium breaks down to about $233 each year. This seems reasonable to me for something I use every day.

In view of the additional quality and benefits that the MacBook Pro offers, I think its higher price brings with it commensurate value. It's hard to imagine even finicky laptop users being disappointed with the MacBook Pro.

P.S. -There are two 15-inch MacBook Pro models. I bought the 2.4 gHz "entry level" model. It is the better value. I do not feel the 2.5 gHz MacBook Pro is worth the extra $500.

Also, people who care to add system memory (beyond the stock 2 gigabytes supplied by Apple) ought to purchase it from a third-party vendor and install it themselves. It is a simple process.

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Short and Quick Review

This model is worth the 500 difference between the entry level. The screen is beautiful, the new LED Displays are great, better color depth, more color, the laptop doesn't get as hot as previous versions. Everything works, it is very fast, and this laptop replaced 2 high end workstations + 2 high end laptops (A dell with workstation class graphics card, and 17 inch macbook pro). I can edit 1080p high def video in real time with no slow down, edit my 12mp raw files in real time with no slow down. I can play the latest games like Call of Duty 4 maxed out on windows vista at native resolution with no slow down online.

With the beefy 250gb HD, ability to upgrade to 4gb of ram, the 512 graphics card, and 6mb cache, this machine is a complete replacement for me, and revolutionizes my life, work style, and workflow.

It is worth buying, and definitely better than the 2k version, by leaps, read my longer review for more.

Longer Fuller Review.

The new macbook pros are fantastic! I had a 17 inch core 2 duo before, it was nice, but it didn't do everything I wanted or needed. I was forced to keep my mac pro, and my custom built windows PC for running the applications I need, and the ability to play games (I do some freelance game design, as well as photography and animation work)

I grew tired of having so many workstations, but what can you do when you need the power? Apples new macbook pro has answered my needs. I have wanted a laptop with a 512mb graphics card for years, it has never happened until now.

Previous to this laptop, my laptops have been "toys" the only close workstation I had was a dell that cost close to 3k, and would break your back to carry it (but it had a 512 workstation class graphics card!)

With this laptop, I have sold my other machines, it is all I need, or want. If it meets my needs and expectations, it should be able to meet yours easily.

The reason you buy this model, is because of the graphics card, and the increase in l2 cache on the processor. The 2k model has less cache than last years santa rosa model (3mb compared to last years 4mb) this model and the 17 inch has 6mb, as well as the 512mb graphics card, dual core processor, and the ability to use 4gb of ram.

After getting the laptop, I use bootcamp to repartition the harddrive (did not need to reinstall OS X, was able to do this on the fly to install windows) I split it up to give me 165gb for OS X, and the rest for windows.

I need to use specialized software that requires windows, and these programs also require very high end workstations. The life of someone in 3d is not easy. This workstation takes care of all my needs. I'm running the 32 bit version of vista ultimate (the 64 bit is horrible, do not run it) I use windows to run the programs I need (mainly zbrush, unreal engine, and 3ds max) I can and do have maya, and can use it on this partition as well as os x thanks to the dongle, but I cannot use my creative suite software on windows, because of adobes licensees. (though oddly enough, I can run Lightroom on both platforms)

On my OS X side, I run maya, photoshop, after effects, and final cut studio (with shake 4.1, yes I need 2 compositing programs) I have no problems running these programs on this system. I can render out quickly, everything is snappy. With the 8600 geforce (opposed to ATI) maya is very responsive, and I get very few render errors. Dynamics are able to be rendered on this machine, and I can run simulations with ease. Render times are quite quick, and this system is very responsive.

I do photo editing, and this machine is fast as well (I upgraded to 4gb of ram myself for 95 dollars) my camera is a nikon d300, which is 12mp, I use lightroom and photoshop extensively, and at the same time with no problems at all.

I also run maya and photoshop cs3 together all the time (with itunes in the background).

With leopard, I find using this machine even better. I can use spaces, and have maya on one screen, then I can swtich to another screen with photoshop to paint textures, or reference something, and go to another screen for safari or itunes.

The touchpad is cool. Even in windows, I can right click by using both fingers on the touch pad, and clicking with the bar, very smart apple! it works in OS X as well (but you have to enable it)

I bought the apple keyboard (not the wireless, as I need a full size keyboard) and that keyboard is fantastic, the best I have ever owned. I love it. I also bought the logitech g9 mouse to use as my mouse (I cannot stand Mighty Mouse) this mouse is perfect, and similar price. With the wired keyboard you get use ports on the side, so you can attach the mouse to the keyboard with no problems. And it saves on clutter.

For those who enjoy playing video games (I do help make them) you will be happy to know you can play the latest games on PC here with great ease. I can play call of duty 4, at native res of 1440x900 (on vista) with little to no slowdown. Same for Unreal 3 (and all games that use this engine). I can play Half Life 2 and Team Fortress 2 maxed out all the way, at the native screen res, with no problems at all. I can play crysis, and bioschock (not maxed out, but pretty close).

I have not been so excited about a laptop in ages. I had the original powerbook and used it all over, but it was slow, it was something to use when on the road, and at school. When the first macbook pro came out, I was all over it, the software was buggy, it only allowed 2gb of ram, and it was not practical as my only system, nor was it applicable for heavy use by me. I got the 17 inch when the core 2 duo's came out, it was great, very snappy, and with the 256 card it was close to everything I need (but only 3gb of ram) I skipped the santa rose, as It did not really address anything. This model addresses everything. With 4gb of ram, 2 cores, 6mb of l2 cache, and a 512mb graphics card, there is nothing I cant do.

I edit HD video (1920x1080p) in final cut with no problems. I composite this video in shake with 3d made in maya with NO PROBLEMS. I play high end PC games maxed out with no problems! (Call of Duty 4 is a hard game to run, this runs it and I can play it maxed at native res, online, with no slowdown at all).

I work on my raw images from my nikon with no problems at all. This machine is just perfect. Everything works the way it should, and the way it needs to.

The only complaint I have is they did not include remotes in this revision. You can still access Front Row by using Command ESC and use that to view videos (which look very good on my HDTV).

I should also note, if you buy another keyboard (such as the apple external which I highly recommend (the wired, not wireless) You need to go into system preferences and turn off the optiion for F Keys, as this keyboad has an FN button, like the one on the laptop, and renders using your f keys impossible without pressing fn, turning on that option, makes your keyboard normal, and you can use fn to adjust the volume of your laptop.

Right now I have this laptop hooked up to my HDTV using the supplied DVI to VGA cable, and a line out form the laptop. I have sound on my tv (which I could pipe to a sound system if needed, or (what I do) have it piped to my wireless head phones). This laptop is where it is at.

Please, do not think the 500 dollars for this model over the other is not worth it, as it is very much worth it. The difference between this model, and the 2k model is night and day for me. It goes from a toy, I can use when on the plane, to my only computer! And that is HUGE if you are anything like me.

Now the difference between this and the 17 inch does matter. If you get the 17 inch, you will likly not be playing the latest games at native resolution, and I plan on using this hooked up to my TV, so I do not need 2 extra inches. If you will only be using the laptop, and have no plans on games, the 17 inch may be better for you. After reading many reviews, the 15 inch has better response times, and everything is slightly snappier than the 17 inch, which is why I went with the 15. There is not much a difference in size between the 2, the 17 is not much bigger than the 15, but for me, you could not get me to part with my 15 inch for anything.

This laptop is perfect, get it, and enjoy it. The design will likely change by the next revision (rumored in june / july) this could be the last time you can get such a beautiful laptop, that works perfectly, and is everything you can want.

5 out of 5, no problems at all.

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As my second Apple purchase (first being an IPOD Touch 16GB) I am quite upset. This is my first Macbook and I am Impressed with several things. Performance, Build, Style, Sound, Touch pad responsiveness and Overall quality get perfect 10's in my book. However, the reason for the 2 star rating was the quality of the display.

Do a little researching on YELLOWING and you will know what I'm talking about. The first MBP I received from amazon had about 2 inches of yellow (stained) pixels at the bottom of the screen. I brought it to the apple store and the guy noticed it and offered a replacement, warning me that if I take the replacement I am risking getting a worse display. He opened a brand new box for me and the display had no yellowing but had BRIGHT SPOTS all over the place. This affected more of the middle of the screen so I went back a second time for my third replacement. This MBP has also disappointed me because it also has YELLOWING on about the bottom third of the screen.

Still, I am debating of going back to the Apple store to replace or just simply return this laptop and go with something else. Keep in mind I have owned this for 7 days total. This is a very valid issue and for a $2000 plus investment it is something to consider.

This is a known problem since the SR MBP's and I thought they would have fixed it in quality control but no. I will give Apple credit for great quality service, but they should really spend more money on quality control!

I have the Macbook Pro 15.4" 2.4GHz 200GB.

The displays affected were the 9C81, 9C81 and 9C83... two had yellowing, one had uneven bright/dark spots.

Honest reviews on Apple MacBook Pro MB134LL/A 15.4-inch Laptop (OLD VERSION)

I am looking at this machine and thinking hard, but just can not find anything negative. OK may be it might be more convenient if it accept usual headset microphones in the inline plug or display can be opened a little bit further. You see after a week of heavy use, these are the only things I can think of.

It is cool, it is fast, and it is silent (I am very picky about fan noises). Multi-touch trackpad (amazing two finger scrolling), backlit keyboard, LED backlit gorgeous display (best blacks I've ever seen in any computer monitor), great audio output (with no hiss at all), mini iSight with superb image quality, all top quality. And of course the best operating system on the planet, you can't get anything better even if you are a billionaire (think about it).

PS: I have the 15.4 inch, 2.4 GHz CPU, 200 GB 7200 RPM HDD, 4 GB RAM model.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Apple MacBook Pro MB134LL/A 15.4-inch Laptop (OLD VERSION)

There was no reason for me to switch to a Mac product. I've always have been intrigued, but XP was doing it for me day in and out. My current Dell Latitude was on its way out and I wanted something high quality. I couldn't find anything that comes close in build quality/finish to the Macbook Pro. Asus makes some nice notebooks but I didn't want Vista, with all of its assorted issues and XP doesn't seem like a sound choice given its looming end of life.

So now I have my Macbook Pro. As a software developer I was drawn to the idea of a UNIX shell as a first class citizen (sorry Cygwin). The toughest part is learning the keys. In XP I could move around an IDE effortlessly, with keys: home,end,ctrl-arrow etc.; not so on the Mac keyboard. This proved the most frustrating. The lack of the forward delete is also a disappointment but I hear there are keyboard mapping solutions.

I installed VMware Fusion and XP for initial comfort and to ease the transition off windows. BTW, Fusion is amazing. It feels like it's native, and it's definitely faster than XP on my current Dell. With Fusion, I can map drives, cut and paste and access servers between the two -it's all very fluid. Full screen your Fusion in a different Expose window and you can quickly swap back and forth between Mac and XP.

Now the downside. In the first few days I experienced no less than 4 crashes, where it had to be power cycled. I haven't had any issues since, so I'm going to conveniently forget. Firefox crashes still, but no more than it did on windows, and maybe less.

So in conclusion, Mac was the right choice for me. High quality in and out and at a decent price. The interface is pure eye candy and orders of magnitude superior (usability-wise) than XP. While there will be some pain points in learning, it will hopefully be worth it. Get VMware Fusion and install Windows for when there is no Mac alternative.

*UPDATE* I have now had the macbook pro for 2 months. I'm really enjoying some of the UI features, such as expose and spaces more and more. The hotkeys are awesome (e.g. show desktop, lock/start screensaver).

There are however a few recurring problems that I have been experiencing. I'm going to detail the top two. The first issue is the screensaver hotkey stops working at times. This is a huge issue because it is also the mechanism for locking my computer, and I cannot leave my desk w/o locking it, so I must either close the lid (sleep) or restart, which fixes the issue.

Now for the second issue: often when I try and restart/shutdown, it does nothing, then a minute later tells me that Finder failed to quit and I should quit Finder then try again -great suggestion Apple, given that you CAN'T QUIT FINDER!! So now I have to hold the power button down for 10 seconds to kill it or run "sudo shutdown -r now" from Terminal.

So in my latest conclusion, my mac is not living up to my expectations of reliability. I was led to believe, by many in the mac community/stupid commercials, that Mac was the panacea from XP. The Mac user interface is *unmatched* and that along with the UNIX foundation were and still are my original reasons for choosing Mac. My previous XP Pro notebook however was significantly more stable. The reliability issues are getting more and more annoying and I just hope Apple is able to resolve and restore my faith in their product. Lastly, I would change the star rating to three but it won't seem to let me.

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