Discount Lenovo U410 14.0-Inch Ultrabook (Graphite Grey)

Customer Ratings:

I received the laptop in January of 2013. The version I had was the one with the Intel Core i7-3517U and Windows 8. The build date was September 2012, so it should have had the WIFI issues fixed.

The good:

-Solid build

-Good screen, though not great

-Very fast processor

-Touch pad is the best I've ever used

The bad:

WIFI was working solidly after updating the Intel Wireless driver. I didn't experience any drops. However, because of the casing of this laptop, the internal wireless antenna is awful. Unless the laptop is close to the wireless router where you get 5 bars, the internet speed will not be good. I did a test with this laptop and my sister's HP A6 Vision One (bargain basement laptop) in the bedroom about 60 feet away from the router. Her laptop got 2 bars of signal but was still able to do 2.6 MBps while the Lenovo did 0.26 MBps!!!

The other negative about this laptop is the keyboard. The keys feel ok when typing, but some of the lower keys like the "c" and the "b" key would not register on the first press. Also, the configuration leaves a lot to be desired. I just could not get used to the small SHIFT key on the right side, along with the small ENTER key on that side. There's absolutely no reason they couldn't have put full size keys on the right side of the laptop. The touch pad, however, is one of the best I've ever used. So that offsets the bad keyboard a little bit.

The laptop has a very solid build, but is very heavy. The specs put it around 4.2 lbs, which is at the top end of an ultrabook's weight. I would say it weighs closer to 4.4 lbs because my Acer Aspire Timeline 4810tz is listed at 4.3 lbs and it is slightly lighter than this Lenovo.

In the end, I returned this laptop and opted for the Samsung Series 5 NP530U4C-A01US (14-inch) ultrabook. I got a "like new" version from Amazon Warehouse for only $530 and it arrived in perfect condition. It's been over a month and I am very happy with this Samsung notebook. It is lighter, runs just about as good as the Lenovo, gets excellent WIFI signal, has a better keyboard, and has a built-in DVD-RW drive.

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The lenovo u410 is a nice conputer. With its i7 processor it will run smoothly for every task you need it for, and will boost up power with its nvidia dedicates graphics when needed.

The design looks great, the trackpad runs smoothly with it's multitouch gestures, and the keyboard will give you a nice experience at typing.

All in all m, you wont regret buying this computer.

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This is one of the best product I have being using,

it's worth purchasing at such a price as compared to other brands.

I'm really enjoying it.

Thanks to amazon to provide this product in my range.

Honest reviews on Lenovo U410 14.0-Inch Ultrabook (Graphite Grey)

Computer worked perfectly fine in my old apartment except for maybe a few Windows 8 glitches. As soon as I move into my new apartment, the wifi has been non-existent. I am using the same router too. I did research and keep reading about the wifi issues with this computer. What's weird is mine was manufactured in November 2013 and the faulty units were manufactured in July 2013 so they still must be selling bad units?

On the contrary, it did work fine before so I don't know...it could just be my router. Either way, I need to find a solution to this or else this was a BAD investment.

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Update!

After much crying on the phone with Lenovo they finally repaired my unit at no cost. It came back fine and is working well. Lenovo came through but it took some arm twisting to get them to do so.

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I purchased this laptop a few months ago. It met my expectations. It's not a super performer but it got the job done and I had no complaints until a couple of weeks ago. I go to open the laptop, like any normal person would, and the left hinge breaks and causes a separation on the bezel. The unit was new so I fgured I would be covered by the warranty. Wrong! I sent it back and a week later I get an email from Lenovo stating that the damage is not covered by the warranty and that the repair would cost $187.00. Well isn't that swell.

If you are considering purchasing this machine please take my experience into account. You are most likely better off getting something from some other manufacturer.

Discount Dell Inspiron 1525 laptop

Customer Ratings:

I've had this laptop since Feb of last year, have the ruby red and that's rather daring when you're straight but seriously it has quite a decent finish (if not the best)

I have a 9 cell battery which makes the laptop a little heavier and I do regret getting it and that's not because I paid extra but it's because laptops are plugged in all the time. I've traveled many places with my laptop.

I strongly advise getting this laptop with a 2 year warranty. The adapter has died on me once. (Dell sent a new adapter out in 2 days)

The brightness on my LCD became really dim and I didn't bother because I was using it on the HDMI port but I asked for an engineer to come out. He replaced the LCD and now it's bright. He also managed to remove a memory stick I somehow managed to get stuck in the slot with a lot of ease.

The customer service is friendly, polite, professional and they're always on time. I would give Dell an 8 as far as Customer experience is concerned. However, there is a lot of problem getting your service tag recognized in America because they'll keep transferring you from department to department until you end up at a department which is closed *Warranty* I got the laptop in India and getting service in NEW YORK requires a bit of pedaling.

The touch pad is not the best in the world. I've connected my laptop to a giant TV and sit on my couch with a blue tooth keyboard and mouse and use it so I don't have to use the touch pad which likes to become all hot. A slight trickle sometimes sends the mouse into a frenzy.

If my laptop is on Hibernate and I bring it back to life, the touchpad used to go bonkers during the first few weeks. I never use Dell Media Direct because I have something we call the VLC Media player. Running DVDs is just fine. The wireless has given me some problems, often refusing to recognize the available network and often dropping the service. I don't know if the operating system is to blame for it but I have had some tussles.

The speakers are some of the worst I have ever heard. I have Harman Kardon SoundSticks which produce boombastic sound. The video/photo camera is above satisfactory and takes some really good photos. The software is easy and has enough options for fiddlers. The in built mic is effective but could be better.

A good thing about the Inspiron 1525 is how the front has two headphone jacks and one mic jack. A big plus here if you're two watching a film.

Some good things about the laptop is the stuff it comes with. PC restore is a convenient option if your laptop has gone bonkers or if you have been hit with malware/spyware/virus. You get very good Creative earphones. You get this cloth to wipe your laptop which you lose. The operating system cds, the restore dvd and some Roxio I would never bother with. My laptop had 160GB hard drive and I got it with 2GB ram.

I have installed an extra gig of RAM but it has only elevated my problems and I have a lot of blue screens now. I get a blue screen once every three days. It is quite annoying. The build quality is mediocre considering it sometimes acts funny if you lift it from the bed and place it on your lap.

Windows Vista is a good experience. I use all four usb ports at most times. One for my ipod, two for my external hard drives and the fourth for my wireless keyboard/mouse.

Overall, this laptop was a fun experience at first but I'm the kind of guy who uses his laptop every day for many hours. Is it for a power enthusiast like me? Maybe not. Am I still overall happy with it? It gets the job done. I should maybe not place it on the carpet all the time but seriously it's a blessing because the HDMI port works so well after the video driver software update.

I like Dell because of quality, they're far from perfect but for how much I paid I don't think it was a bad deal.

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This Dell computer has a big problem. Dell knows about it and has done nothing to own up to it. The plug in that is connected to the main board easily cracks making it impossible to charge your computer. It is poor engineering from the get go and quite costly to repair($145 to install a $5 part). When my computer stopped charging I bought a new adapter, then a new battery, then downloaded the most recent BIOS. When I went up on the net to see if anyone else was having this problem I found 100's of people with the same problem. Some of them were banging the logo and getting some results, most of them as frustrated as I am.

Again: DO NOT BUY THIS MACHINE!! YOU WILL BE SORRY

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I've had two Dell laptops. On both of them the mousepad stopped working within months. (Why I bought the second laptop I dont know.) On the 1525, everything seems to have fallen apart. Even worse, it didn't come with driver disks or any of the oem software on disks. Funny thing is, Dell advertises this as a benefit. Huh? Now it's impossible to reinstall the os system because you can't get it online anymore. I will not buy a Dell again.

Honest reviews on Dell Inspiron 1525 laptop

I have owned this computer for 3 years with nothing but problems. Dell has a terrible support team that tries to rip you off by selling you warranties you don't need and have a huge communication problem. This is today, June 27, 2011, no matter how hard they wish to say they have solved this problem. I have been a Dell customer for 19 years and I am going to buy a new laptop but never again from Dell.

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I have been buying Dell computers for the past couple years and I think its about time for a change. Overall, I've been satisfied with their performance but I seem to have recurring hardware issues.

I've noticed that almost every Dell I've owned has had CD drive issues. In my Inspiron 1000 it stopped working completely and in my 1525 it started coming loose in just a couple months. The hard drive on my 1525 also seems like its going after 2 years of light use.

ASUS X502CA-RB01 15.6" Notebook PC Review

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $399.99
Sale Price: $315.97
Today's Bonus: 21% Off

Really tried to love this laptop...and I honestly did for the first hour. It was beautiful, light, and sleek. Then, an hour in, I decided to start using the browser to search for something and lo and behold, allmywordstypedoutasthus...basically, I found out that if I wanted a space between my words, I had to press right into the middle of the spacebar. I had to press 3/4 of an inch to 1 inch from either end in before the spacebar finally registered and a space appears. I'm a pretty fast typer...on slow days, I probably type around 75wpm, other times it'd be around 100wpm. By simply having this malfunctioning spacebar, however, my typing speed goes down to around 40wpm...which is really quite annoying because I basically can't type as freely or comfortably as I'd like. If you're already a slow typer, or don't think you'll use the spacebar much for chatting/writing essays/etc. then you should probably be fine. I really loved this laptop before finding out this. But unfortunately, a spacebar that doesn't register when you press slightly off from the middle does not mesh well with me...or back to the store it'll go...what a pity. Also, from what I've seen online, it's not that I got a lemon or whatever...apparently all laptops from asus has this problem...so be careful if you want to order from Asus...

Another thing that sort of annoyed me, but wasn't really a huge deal, is that the plug is connected to the adapter box thingy...which is odd because when you plug in your laptop, if your outlet has any other available ones, your laptop plug may end up having to cover it. Also, the charger wire is relatively short. Overall, the keyboard is also pretty thin and you could sort of see the keyboard surface shake each time you type...didn't matter a huge deal for me though.

The laptop does run pretty quietly...or at least it did for the 3-5 hours I played on it before I decided that I just can't 'suck it up' for 3 years using a bad spacebar.

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I bought this laptop from Best Buy, the 320GB version for $249 and let me tell you, that is a steal! I don't have any of the space bar problems that other reviewers were complaining about. Here are the pros and the cons:

Pros:

-Price is fantastic

-Screen is very bright and it makes everything look really good

-Great laptop for browsing the web and basic document editing

-Keyboard is extremely spacious and helps me with my accuracy

-Roomy display at 15.6 inches

-I currently own 5 laptops and this is the only one I can put on my lap for hours at a time because it never runs hot. That's because it has a low power processor and Asus has a good cooling system.

Cons:

-Web cam is low quality because of low megapixels but I rarely use it

-I don't think the RAM memory is expandable but I'm still researching this

I would buy this computer again.

Best Deals for ASUS X502CA-RB01 15.6" Notebook PC

I had to buy a windows machine for business school and since I recently spent an enormous amount of money on an Apple iMac, i decided to go budget for a laptop. I saw this machine at best buy, it was light, fit in my bag, and appeared to do the trick so I bought it. Everything was going great until I got home and unwrapped it and found that the space bar doesn't work fresh out of the box. I then went online and did some research and it seems to be a common problem. Disappointing but not the end of the world. I'm going to return it and probably get a toshiba for a few extra bucks.

Honest reviews on ASUS X502CA-RB01 15.6" Notebook PC

I have owned this laptop for three weeks. I repeat THREE weeks. In the middle of working from home, the thing up and shut itself off. I thought maybe it overheated, so I felt around the laptopit was cool. I turned it back on and it worked for about an hour more, but would not take a charge. I called Asus support. They almost had me do a complete recovery because it wouldn't charge. In the middle of the refresh that they then asked me to complete, it shut off and won't turn back on. They think it's the charger, so they recommended that I pay to mail them the charger and then wait over a week to get a new one back because they wanted to "service" it. Otherwise, they recommended that I purchase a $40 charger from them. So far, I have lost a day's worth of work, but if I can't get it back on, it'll be closer to a week's worth. I would NOT recommend, and Asus support is very poor.

Discount Acer C710-2487 11.6-Inch Chromebook (Iron Gray)

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $289.99
Sale Price: $265.36
Today's Bonus: 8% Off

What is it?

This is the latest update to Acer's line of Google Chromebooks, running Google's own Chrome OSa super light, super fast, and very focused operating environment that brings web apps and the best browser available to the forefront to be the ONLY application available on the system. Despite this "limitation," the device allows users to do the same things (pretty much) that you can do on a full-fledged desktop. Web, email, word processing, spreadsheets, music management, photo management, social networking, news, movies, tv shows... it's all here, and it works well.

Who is it for?

This isn't for everybody. Let me repeat myself. THIS ISN'T FOR EVERYBODY. In fact, if anything, this is only for those who can handle the reality that you will ONLY be able to use the device with web apps. This isn't the same as a Mac or a PC. It's very different. But if you're pretty much or completely living your computing life in the cloud (like most of us), then this is your solution. And by the way, this also makes an amazing secondary computer if lugging around heavy laptops or relying on a stationary desktop computer isn't your thing.

What is your favorite thing about it?

I love how fast it is. It blows every browsing experience I've had OUT OF THE WATER. The way the hardware compliments the web-focused software makes it the complete browsing experience I didn't know I wanted.

What blows about it?

I really am irked by the keyboard. It feels cramped a lot of the time, and although it will take time to get used to, this CAN be a deal-breaker for some. I'm willing to deal with it if that means I can use a snappy machine. I wish Acer would have taken a cue from Samsung, who actually put a full-sized keyboard in their Series 3 Chromebook. Sigh.

Wrap-up.

Over all, this thing is fast, easy to use, and pretty much headache free. I love how it really shows the Chrome OS we were needing the whole time. And for a mere $219 on Amazon (this does NOT include the 6-cell battery, although it is easily upgrade-able), it almost makes too much sense to pick one of these bad boys up.

Grade: 8/10

Pick this up, but be very weary of the keyboard and battery. If you need a long-lasting laptop with a beastly keyboard, the Samsung Chromebook is totally for you. If you need something zippy and cheap, the Acer C7 is definitely your guy.

Republished from my blog: http://www.maxbleich.com/2013/07/acer-c7-chromebook-lightning-review-4.html

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This is my first chromebook, so I am still getting used to it. But it is lighting fast (compared to the dell I had before). Probably the most memory I use is watching Netflix, but I don't have a problem streaming. It starts up in seconds and the battery seems to last for days on standby, which is nice. Its super light and easy to carry around at work. You can pull it out like a phone and google for quick answers or bring up documents without the hassle of waiting for startup or a tiny screen. I haven't had any connectivity issues with it.

The thing I am disappointed with is the slides, docs and spreadsheets programs.. they are not as compatible with office as I thought they would be, but they will open and edit office docs. However, even with simple documents the formatting is changed dramatically. Its still usable, just requires more effort to re-edit. Being able to store everything on the google drive and open from any computer is awesome.

The only thing that's not good is the bottom doesn't come screwed on and there are actually "warranty void" stickers over the screw holes, so the back does fall off every now and them, which I feel is asking for trouble.

For the price, the value is great. I've never had a computer this mobile or fast. I'm hoping the apps will improve as time goes on.

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Fast startup.

No crapware.

No frequent updates.

No more Norton price increases.

Lite weight.

Easy to read text

I am still adjusting to the google spreadsheet and trying to figure out photo downloads.

I don't like having to buy a new printer or boot up the old laptop to print

Honest reviews on Acer C710-2487 11.6-Inch Chromebook (Iron Gray)

When I was shopping for a new laptop i did a lot of looking and research...but then someone asked "how are you going to be using it?" That is when I realized that I didn't need all the programs that came with most laptops...MS Office kind of stuff....and even though

I didn't know exactly what I wanted, I did know that I didn't want something that took forever to turn on, had to update all the time, and would get sluggish eventually with or without the updates. So I tried out Google Drive and Picasa and some other Google apps and they are great. This was my solution and I couldn't be happier. So great.

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The office I work for bought some of these (we are a small firm-and can't afford macs) so that we wouldn't have to lug our personal laptops to and fro from work.

It's cool. I wouldn't have gotten one for myself. There are limits to what you can do with a chromebook. Of course it isn't a full OS laptop so its limits are within expectations, yet some are very bothersome. I'm just going to list the Pros and Cons for my Acer Chromebook.

Pros: Fast start up, decent battery life, integrated google doc, drive and app support. Decent entry level specs for the price. Low price. Light and mobile unit. Has offline mode (in the case of no internet), 4 usb ports

Cons: offline mode isn't the best, limited productivity apps and behind software titans Microsoft Office and Apple's Keynote, very little storage.

The biggest con for me is the printing. I need to print all the time. Google cloud print is difficult to use, and doesn't support commercial office printers, which is what we have. So either you have to buy a special google cloudprint ready printer, or use their Print share..which is finicky, has a very simplistic driver and often messes up my print margins.

Since I got it for free, I'll use it, because it is definitely lighter than my macbook pro. However I wish chrome would/could somehow add driver support, because the printing is a dealbreaker for my personal use.

I wouldn't recommend this as a primary computer alternative to anyone, it's more like a tablet streamlined for production, with an included keyboard and usb ports. It can be useful if you already have a laptop, and want a lighter one for on-the-go needs.

Reviews of Toshiba Satellite C655D-S5234 15.6" HD LED Laptop, AMD Dual-Core

Customer Ratings:

I bought this at Office Depot in October 2011 at Office Depot, price was $289 plus tax it does everything you expect, has an external SD card reader, some USBs, and that's about it, but what else do you need? I would certainly recommend any large screen laptop for under $300.

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I bought this laptop in december 2011 at an office depot. The sales person suggested it over several laptops. Got it on sale for $299 before tax. Within a week it crashed on me. It was a display error problem. Would have bought an extended warrenty but they wanted $130 for it. Wish I had now. So I just set it back to factory settings. Hope that solves the problem.

Buy MSI A6000-225US Notebook PC - Intel Pentium Dual-Core T4500

Customer Ratings:

I bought this because it is a slightly lighter (under 5lb) 16-inch machine at a good deal. Here are my peeves in order of frustration level.

1. Wireless reception is VERY weak. I read about this on MSI Wind on other forums too. It cannot catch 802.11 n over a 2 story 2500 sq ft house. Only in the room with wireless router and the next room. All my other devices have no problems AT ALL. I can catch signals upstairs, downstairs, in bathrooms with other devices (laptops and iphones/ipods)...

2. Touch pad is slightly different for scrolling etc. from the Synaptics style so that's a little relearning curve.

3. Windows Update gave some failures. Could be a Windows 7 issue but I have not seen these on other Win-7 machine. And I haven't even installed too much SW or apps yet.

So if you want long-distance wireless or Synaptics style touch pad, this is not for you.

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Reviews of Asus TAICHI 21 Black Notebook Computer

Customer Ratings:

As always Asus does it again. This is so amazing. I would recommend this company to buy it from and as the product is always the best and the warranty can not be matched or beat. It doubles, its a laptop, no wait, its a tablet, no wait, its both. It is a must for business oriented or trainers or for just using it daily use. It covers everyone. Did I mention. I love Asus. It is very fast. Easily connect via Wi-Fi or with the included Ethernet connector. Running windows 8. Two partitions which are extremely hard to even fill up one. Included also is the mini hdmi to hdmi. The included touch pen doubles as a two button mouse. Two year warranty is excellent. The first year anything accidental is covered(liquid, shock, fire or drops). The second year is the normal parts and labor being covered. There is so many things that are truly amazing with this product that I would run out of room if I continue I will run out of space. All I can say is buy it. You will not regret it.

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Best HP G62-149WM 15.6" LED i5-430M 2.53GHz LAPTOP Deals

Customer Ratings:

Very fast. I use Adobe CS6 and it runs so smooth even editing videos. Clear bright screen and good battery life. The video card is an Intel HD so I'm limited to World of Warcraft and Minecraft but both played in the highest resolution and so did HL2.

All around great laptop.

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This is an excellent laptop that will not break your budget. The video card is lacking a little bit. (When playing World of Warcraft, I had to lower all the graphics options in order to have a decent frame rate.) But other than that it is a solid performer. I will be using it primarily for photo editing and it handles that like a dream.

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Great laptop I bought the HP G62-149WM at Walmart for $569 and have seen it recently online from walmart for $598. The screen size on this model is 15.6''

Hp - 15.6" Pavilion Laptop - 8gb Memory - 750gb Hard Drive Reviews

Customer Ratings:

I have only had this a couple weeks and I like it a lot.

Things I like about it:

the keyboard is easy to type on

you can turn the mouse off when writing something so it doesn't act erratic if you rub your palm against the touchpad

it has fingerprint password entry

it has the ability to use the touchpad to go forward, back, make pictures bigger and smaller etc.

it is very user friendly

it was easy to set up

The one thing I do not like about it is the screen and that's a big problem: it is very reflective; too reflective.

I don't know much about lap tops so maybe there is a plastic covering or something I can put on this to make it less reflective. If that can be done then I'll adjust this review up to 5 stars assuming I find no other problems over the next few weeks.

Overall it's a good computer and if I can resolve the overly reflective screen issue then I will give this 5 stars.

UPDATE:

I've had this a while now. I fixed the screen reflective problem by buying an anti-reflective plastic layer that fits over the screen. I bought it online and I don't remember the name of the company (it was a private vendor, not amazon; do a search for "view guard").

The only problem I've had with it is the trackpad not responding to tapping to select a link or open a folder etc.

I downloaded a new driver from the hp web site and that SEEMS to have resolved the problem. If it does not and I continue to have problems I will post another update . Meanwhile you can assume I resolved the problem.

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This is a superb laptop. HP makes pretty nice machines this is very unique in with most laptops feeling so cheap this one really feels like a lot more then the $750 or so it retails for. It has a very good processor in the i5 and HUGE RAM at 8GBwhat that translates to is a very enjoyable and fast/responsive experience. I would not have felt cheated had this been priced art $1000. Make sure you get this one though as there is a little cheaper one out there that is very similar.

KEYS to why this is such a great machine:

Lightweight and slim design.

Processor i5 with huge RAM = great performance

back-lit keyboardand a really nice one

HDMI A must have these days allows you to connect to TV also has VGA

3 USB 3.0 = everything going the way of the 3.0 USB this has 3 so your covered/also one 2.0

fingerprint reader

"Just very well built = doesn't feel cheap, looks great."

It's one hell of a bargain! Be sure you don't get the wrong one thoughthis one is the BOMB!

Best Deals for Hp - 15.6" Pavilion Laptop - 8gb Memory - 750gb Hard Drive

The HP Pavilion m6 adds some high-end details from HP's more expensive laptops, while keeping the price down. This is a highly configurable system, with options for discrete graphics and fast CPUs. This near-ultrabook packs in processing and graphics power, along with an optical drive, at a reasonable price. The only real knock against the Pavilion m6 is that some of HP's higher-end systems hardly cost more but it's not a bad choice. Especially considering the affordable price and not a lot of them offer mid-range to high end specs like the Pavillion M6 does.

Honest reviews on Hp - 15.6" Pavilion Laptop - 8gb Memory - 750gb Hard Drive

We bought this Pavilion m6 laptop for a few primary reasons:

Here's what we wanted:

*3rd Gen Intel Core i5

*8Gb Memory with expandability

*500+ Gb storage (has 750 Gb)

*Optical Drive (Super-Multi)

*Built-in SD card reader

*10 key

*Light-weight

*Better-than average battery life

*Windows 7 (until kinks get worked out of Windows 8)

There were a few machines that met all of these requirements, but this particular model was released just a half-year ago at the end of the Windows 7 run, so that appealed to me.

Here are the extra perks that this machine has that we didn't count on for this price range (considering that we bought it second-hand for around $500):

*The chassis is beautiful, in it's sleek silver design

*Fingerprint authentication and launching shortcuts

*Beats Audio

*Backlit keyboard

*HDMI + VGA

Here are the items that cost it a star:

*While it's nice to have the media controls have dedicated buttons, they designed this at the expense of the F-keys. I regularly use F2, F5, F10, F11, so this was a bit of a nuisance to get used to using the Fn key.

*The screen seems a tad flimsy, which is disconcerting given the size. I have three young boys, and am afraid that at some point one of them is going to go bouncing through the house and the screen will get trashed.

*There is a curious glitch occasionally where the 'Enter' key no longer responds. A support forum described how Windows+X brings up a dialogue, that when closed, will solve the problem.

*Part of me wishes the screen were full HD. 1,366x768 isn't bad, but it could have been much better.

*The keyboard is responsive, but a few keys "squeak." Minor nuisance that gives the machine character.

Overall, I really enjoy this new addition to our electronics portfolio. True, the machine is discontinued now, and only refurbs and used ones are for sale, but in my book, that's a great opportunity to get something barely used for a significant discount! I'm not disappointed in this purchase, and expect the machine to last me for 3-4 years.

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Best deal ever! The laptop is magnificent. I absolutely love it. A perfect match for all my computer needs. I did not have to look anything else once I checked it I was in love.

Toshiba libretto W105-L251 7-Inch Dual Touchscreen Laptop Review

Customer Ratings:

I got mine last week..paid under $1000 from Amazon.

I love this. I am 47 so I need to use my magnifying glasses to view the screen but I expected that. The touch is very responsive. I have no trouble clicking links in internet explorer or scrolling by swiping the screen. The keyboard is pretty responsive although you have to be in a different position directly over the keys..unlike a 3d keyboard where you type more at an angle.

I did buy a stylus but havent needed to use it. I bought one of those tiny usb mouses and that has really helped to speed navigation. I have perfected a combo of the mouse the keyboard and touch that makes this device a productivity whiz.

The screen is amazing. the processor very speedy. Programs download and install quickly. Web surfing is fast.

As far as the dual screen, it is nice to open windows and split them. I have used the accelerometer when I have enarged windows using the pinch technique too large to view a whole window.. turning the device lets me see the bottom or viewing the page over the two windows does also. One tip maximizing with the keyboard open..the page goes under the keyboard so close it to see it! I didnt realize this right away.

Yes the fan is louder than expected but it is not on all the time and sounds almost like light static mroe than a fan.

If you are used to using an ipod touch you will love using windows in the same manner. If you are looking for a mini laptop this isnt really how it functions.

Bravo toshiba..this is the future of mobile computing!

Update Oct 6,2010.

Now that I have had a chance to play with this thing I absolutely love it! My favorite thing is reading kindle books..in full screen.. i open it like a tablet and it divides the page into an upper and lower screen. I find my reading is much more focused because I am not scanning an entire page..the hinge makes a great partition for brain concentration. It surfs the web amazingly fast.. I have grown to love Toshiba's bulletin board which I thought was hokey at first. Now that I am used to the finger mechanics i rarely use the usb mouse.

I took this to the car dealer today during my service and the car was done too fast lol! Much better than my ipo touch.. i just wish windows gadgets were more like apple apps. I updated my rating to 5 star!

Who am I?

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Ordered it via 2 day shipping, delivered today via UPS next day. It was defective out of the box. Called Toshiba tech support, spoke to Tier 1 (twice) and Tier 2. Toshiba USA DOESN'T support this product and at this time they don't know who will. The dual screen would not work.

Level 1 support gave me a number. It was a toll number and when I called it was "local computer store" in CA. (Did not to post the number to protect the poor store owner)

Called again and got Level 2, he too was not helpful.Said he would get Level 3 to call me. He "spoke to the higher ups in Toshiba" and has no answer or help at this time.

My case may be unique so here is my short summary (Based on 6 hours of use) .

PROS:

1. Looks Cool, great concept, dual screen

2. Small form factor

3. USB Port

4. External battery can be replaced

5. Inbuilt camera

6. Flash compatible.

CONS:

1. No tech support for now

2. Not sure if the defective machine is a software or hardware issue and if it limited to just this one computer.

3. No replacements in stock any where, if you have defective machine.

4. Expensive, for $1300 can get a lot of computer if you can live without the "Dual screen" and form factor

5. Touch screen has no stylus, if you have thick fingers you are out of luck, can't make it work, will keep hitting the wrong icon or text.

6. Noisy fan, (placed in the top screen), runs almost the minute you turn it on.

7. Speakers have a very weak output.

COMPARISON TO OTHER MACHINES

None to do so. Small form factor, dual touch screen. It would be a stretch to compare to iPad, but the iPad is cheaper, easy to use and in stock every where, but it has no dual screen, limited os, no USB, No flash

SUMMARY: I think I am going to return it to Amazon, defective product. Would suggest that buyers hold off this laptop. Save your money and buy something else.

UPDATE:

Trying to restore the device to make it work. No help from Tech Support.

UPDATE 2:

Toshiba has a utility that restores the device to the "out of box state"

Went ahead and did it as a last resort and finally after about a 15 minute process the the OS was reinstalled and that finally made the dual screen work.

Have now used it and seems to be working fine and have decided to hold on to it, and changed the rating to 2 stars.

Still no support from Toshiba. (They took down my numbers and never called me, apparently this is how Level 3 responds to you).

So for now NO SUPPORT.

In case somebody need's it like I did, here are steps: (are also in the manual). Prior to doing this please back up any info.

A)Turn off the computer.

B) Ensure that the power cord is plugged in

C) While holding down the Keyboard button (left side if the bottom screen, when using as a standard laptop configuration), turn on the computer.

D) Will turn on as a safe mode type screen.

E) Choose restore and then restore out of box and will ask that confirmation twice.

F) Need to choose "out of box restore"

The whole process will take about 15 min, is faster due to the SSD drive. It worked for me.

Best Deals for Toshiba libretto W105-L251 7-Inch Dual Touchscreen Laptop

The Toshiba Libretto W100 (the W100 is the Japanese version with a WiMax radio and the W105 is the practically the same hardware sans WiMax sold in the US) is most exotic computer form factor to be released in years, Toshiba after all branded it a "concept" device. Whatever it is called or compared to (Nintendo DS, Courier, iPad) the W100 is a mix of the tried and true spiced with uniqueness while delivering a compelling product. For most people it is probably too expensive but there isn't any other device on the market this size that has this level of functionality, in essence it is a pound and a half miniature laptop with virtual input devices.

Build & Design

The most striking characteristic of the W100 is unquestionably its two 7" 1024x600 touchscreens housed in a diminutive clamshell package measuring 7.95" x 4.84" x 1.2", weighing 1.55 lbs. with the 4 cell battery and about 1.8 lbs. with the 8 cell power source. It's much smaller and lighter than the average 10" netbook and it'll easily fit in a woman's purse and even fits in some of my pants pockets. After reading other comments about the new Libretto I don't think enough emphasis is put on just how small and portable it truly is, arguably the coolest things about this device.

One design aspect to note is that the CPU and motherboard comprise the top of the unit, the reverse of practically all other clamshell computers. As a result the top does get warm, not scalding but not comfortable to hold for long periods of time especially if the unit is running hard. This issue is part of the reason why I don't think the Libretto's portrait mode is particularly useful, and the fact that the portrait orientation of 600x1024 simply doesn't work well for many things as the horizontal width is simply too narrow. I've read a lot of discussion about fan noise and while the fan is audible much of the time almost any amount of ambient sound will practically drown it out and when it's on my beside table it doesn't keep me awake at night while on. It's definitely a matter of individuality but the fan noise hasn't in any way impacted where or the way I use the W100.

Screen(s)

The W100's screens are centerpiece of the device since there's literally nothing else and they do the job well. They are based on Toshiba's TrueBright technology and have good brightness, color accuracy, viewing angles and text is laser sharp. In standard clamshell laptop mode the bottom screen can appear a little dark compared to the top screen but fortunately screen brightness can be set independently for each screen so it's possible to make the bottom screen brighter than the top and thus evening out the brightness. The screens are glossy so the W100 isn't good for outdoor use but it works as well as any laptop in shade.

Keyboard & Mouse

The virtual keyboard and mouse are most impressive and are controlled manually via the button on the left of the bottom screen; press it once to toggle the keyboard and quickly twice to toggle the mouse. Both work on either screen even simultaneously and they provide haptic feedback on both screens as well. The keyboard has six different layouts that allows it to be configured for optimum size and features based on the task at hand. I find typing on this keyboard MUCH better than any other touch screen keyboard I've tried and even with pretty big hands (I wear extra-large men's gloves) I can get 40+ WPM out of it. I typed this review on it and while it's not something I'd do normally writing large amounts of text on this device is practical if not entirely efficient but it's awesome for on the go and walking around typing.

The virtual track pad while virtual is very much like any physical track pad found in netbooks and laptops, many are just smooth surfaces these days anyway. Ironically the W100's track pad isn't multi-touch enabled and it is not quite as effective as the keyboard but it helps immensely by adding increased precision and comes in particularly handy in situations where apps are a little difficult to work with in Windows 7 given the small screens, the old argument that Windows doesn't work well on small screen devices is largely mitigated by the track pad.

Ports and Integrated Hardware

There aren't a lot expansion ports or integrated hardware in the W100 understandably but the necessities are here, one USB 2.0 port, a micro-SD slot, one 3.5mm headphone jack, two internal microphones and a decent one megapixel web cam good for video calls and conferencing. Perhaps the biggest thing not here is a video output but it should be possible to hook up an external monitor or projector via the USB port.

Performance

For a device of this size and the less than mighty 1.2 Ghz U5400 Pentium Ultra-Low Voltage processor and on-chip Intel HD graphics the W100 is rather speedy. The performance overall equals a modern entry level laptop and is much better than the typical Atom-based netbook. The 62GB SSD helps to boost disk I/O tasks significantly in many cases and as a result the Libretto boots, shuts down and goes in and comes out of sleep quickly. My informal tests show the W100 cold booting and becoming responsive in about 40 seconds and that's with a few startup apps loading. I've been running Office 2010 for the last three weeks, primarily Word, Excel and OneNote with zero performance issues.

Entertainment

The W100's strengths are geared towards productivity but it's not just all work, it serves well as a media player imbued with all the power of Windows so just about anything you could want in the world of media will be possible. I found 1080P playback to be spotty but everything 720P and below played well, including regular DVDs using an external DVD drive. And while the W100 doesn't afford the ability to play the latest high-end blockbuster PC games there are thousands of casual and Flash games that will work great including the touchscreen classic Plants vs. Zombies (PvZ). You may have to disable one of the screens however as in the case of PvZ, I'd recommend turning off the top as the bottom stays cooler and that's now easily accomplished in Windows 7 using the Win+P keys. The internal speaker is VERY weak however, even in a quiet room there's just not much volume coming from it so for most media playback headphones will be needed.

For the avid reader, Windows supports all of the major eBook sources including Kindle and the Barnes & Noble Nook which both have basic touch support in Windows 7 and will sync up and share content with other reading devices such as standalone Kindles and Nooks. None of the readers I've tried work well in portrait mode as they are not dual screen aware but they do work well in landscape mode using both screens. Any type of document that breaks naturally like a web page should work fine spanning both screens.

The W100 really shines as a mobile web browser especially if you have the Japanese W100 with a WiMax radio. Any browser, any plug in (Flash, Silverlight, etc.) and at PC speeds compared to mobile device speeds. A nice development in the browser world is the inclusion of Windows 7 features in Firefox 4 including multi-touch.

Productivity

The W100 runs Windows so its uses as a productivity tool are limited only by imagination and I won't go into much detail but it's all here, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Photoshop, etc., any application that will run well on an entry level laptop with Intel integrated graphics. If you find working on a netbook (a very fast netbook) a productive experience then the W100 should work as well as long as the virtual input devices agree with you and of course there's always Bluetooth keyboard and mice.

Wireless

The W100 includes both a WiFi 802.11n and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR radio but the W100 proper, the Japanese version includes a WiMax radio. If you're lucky to live in a 4G area like me and have a W100 you'll at least want to try it out, it's amazing how much faster Sprint's 4G compared to Verizon's 3G which I have had on my Tablet PCs for four years. 4G coupled with the Libretto's portability make it a fantastic device for mobile web browsing and other on the go network action. If you have a good signal you may find WiMax preferable to WiFi because it can often be faster.

Conclusion

If the Libretto W100 were in the $500 to $700 range I don't believe Toshiba would be able to make enough of them, it's unique design and its full Windows 7 OS put a lot functionality in a little package. At its current price it's hard to recommend and it certainly won't win any value product awards but its FAR more than an overpriced toy, it's a full function computer that can go anywhere and do most anything. If the battery life isn't an issue for you there's simply nothing currently that will match the W100's mobile productivity.

I love this device and I can't put it down.

Cons

Mediocre battery life

Doesn't work well in portrait mode

Fan noise will bother some

VERY weak internal speaker

Pros

Great overall performance

Good virtual keyboard and track pad

Exceptionally mobile

Integrated 4G provides fantastic network speeds for great on the go web browsing and streaming video

Honest reviews on Toshiba libretto W105-L251 7-Inch Dual Touchscreen Laptop

This is an amazing item, i'm glad i didnt get anything defective. Mt libretto runs amazingly, the features are magnificent, and i love the sleek style of it!

I noticed they go for way more on here though....

I typically buy everything on amazon because i can find it cheaper, but this product turned out to be the opposite.

Toshiba's website sells this products for only 1,099.99 where as on here its going for 1,699.99.

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Look I'm not going to sit here and say the Libretto isn't flawless because it is. But what device isn't? They all have issues it is up to you to decide if you can deal with it or not. Clearly the Libretto is pricey and not everyone will be able to justify purchasing it and that's fine you have no arguments from me that is totally understandable.

The biggest complaint I have seen people talking about is the noise the fan makes. It is loud you can't dismiss that but me personally it doesn't bother me. The funny thing is my computer fan makes more noise and irritates me more compared to what the fan on the Libretto does. Unless you have super sensitive ears I don't think you will notice it much though unless you are in a super quiet room in my opinion maybe other Libretto's are different and thus it is hard to judge for sure just how loud the fan noise is.

The battery life is clearly a concern as well but I'm not sure what else they could have done to make it better. I think with technology as it is today and the punch they put in this little portable computer they did a fine job doing so. I'm sure as other models are developed they will learn and be able to do more but this is the result of a first run model.

The internal speaker is weak no doubt about that but it's made to be a portable device so just use some headphones and you should have no problems.

I also can see how people may have issues with Windows 7 and being a touchscreen yes it can be a struggle at first navigating the "start" menu and what not but I think the more you use it the better you will get it doesn't happen overnight just play around with it and learn to adjust to it.

Best Toshiba Qosmio X305-Q720 17.0-Inch Laptop Deals

Customer Ratings:

I've had this laptop for a while now and have loved it every minute I've had it.

Pros The Dual graphics cards, the processor speed, 4 GB RAM, good display and very good overall machine everything works well together. Laptops of equal capabilities cost significantly more.

Cons Weight, Battery life, finger print magnet, lack of choice on colors (even just a black color alternative would suffice)

Notes on buying from Amazon.com I got the laptop from Amazon for a cheaper price then anywhere else I found it. The delivery was right on-time and the packaging was done very well to protect the product. I was hesitant to order such an expensive electronic device from an online third party distributor but was very impressed with how it was handled and the quality of the product.

Graphics -

The dual video cards running with just over 1g dedicated memory really make my games run smooth. I haven't experienced any lag in my online gaming since I started playing them with this laptop.

Processor -

The dual processor at 2.26GHz and 4G RAM are very efficient at handling anything I've tried to run on it so far, and believe me I've tried to push it.

Note: you must load 64bit Vista version or it can only use 3Gb of the ram.

Display -

The screen is beautiful, it displays colors without any odd shadow spots or fuzzy areas on the edges. The only downside I've seen with the screen is on the default resolution settings without perfect vision some text can be a little difficult to read without moving your eyes closer then arms length.

Hard Drive -

The 320Gb HDD is ample space for a laptop.

Optical Drives -

The drive loads anything you put it in very quickly and quietly. I have not had the opportunity to test out the DVD LabelFlash, but it was just a weird addition to this laptop and I don't see myself using it much if at all.

Bluetooth -

The Bluetooth links up quickly and doesn't fluctuate, I use a bluetooth mouse and it feels more precise then my Razor Diamondback I use on my tower.

Webcam/internal microphone -

The webcam is extremely clear and everyone I have used it with say that it does not jump or static at all even with fast or jerky movements in front of the camera. The microphone is pretty good, sometimes I'm told I sound distant. It is very good about canceling out sounds coming from the laptop. I still prefer my headset over this mic however, it just isn't quite as clear as a headset.

Media buttons -

The touch buttons at the top of the keyboard are a little odd to me, I try to keep my hands away from the top of the keyboard because they are so sensitive to any touch.

Sound -

The four main speakers and the subwoofer are great, I don't know why they put the subwoofer on a laptop but it does add a nice feel to a game when you've got it in your lap.

Battery/ AC Adaptor -

The AC adaptor is a massive 5Ibl brick, but considering what it's powering that isn't too surprising. The battery in this laptop is nearly worthless, you can adjust the settings as to what is actually running when you switch to battery power, but this still will only get you thirty to forty-five minutes of power. I only use the battery if I am switching rooms or plugs. If your battery dies while you're running your laptop it switches to what Toshiba called lockup mode, you have to plug the AC adapter in get a good 15-20 minutes charge on the battery. Then remove the AC and battery for 1 minute reseat the battery do not plug the AC in and power it up to get it out of Lockup mode. Annoying, but supposedly it protects your system from negative side-effects of loosing power while running. Something else of note, The back side on the bottom gets VERY HOT very quickly, make sure you have good airflow or a cooler pad.

Software -

I've barely found any use for the preloaded software, The Speech system is useless without training yourself to speak abnormally. The Norton and Office trials are full access trials which is nice, but ultimately useless after 60 days. The full version of Microsoft works is also very pointless unless your just using it for personal stuff, most professors or businesses wont except MSworks formatted documents. I haven't had a chance to test out the Face recognition, Disc Creator and Ulead DVD movie factory.

Weight/Size -

This is a beast of a machine, though it is a laptop you almost can't treat it as such. It weighs 15.09Ibs which is very heavy for a laptop. It also is extremely large on most of its dimensions. It is a 17" screen but when it is closed there is an additional 1/2" of computer in front of the screen, so it is too big for 90% of all laptop bags that would hold a 17" laptop. It is also 2.5" plus feet on the back side which is too thick for most pouches that laptop bags use to hold the laptop in place.

Design/Colors -

The only color this laptop comes in is flashy, if you like that kind of thing it works. If you don't you don't have any other options. The keyboard is overly shiny, it shows every single fingerprint and after an hour of working on an essay my keyboard looked five years old and gritty till I polished it over with a lentfree cloth. The touchpad uses a heavy duty surface, but this causes it not to register your movements all the time, sometimes you'll slide your finger across and the mouse will stop moving for a second halfway across the screen. Not a big issue but annoying when it stops just short of what you're trying to get to. It also does not have a scroll pad or wheel which is just an inconvenience. I have taken to only ever using my external mouse. The display screen is also a finger print magnet. I don't recall ever touching my screen, I use the edges of the monitor to open and close it, yet there are prints on the screen in many places.

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The laptop I brought is fast. I already own a fast desktop that has a Windows Vista rating of 5.0. This machine is 5.9 but that extra point 9 seems to make it twice as fast logging into the internet, downloading, and gives a nice edge with computer gaming.

Best Deals for Toshiba Qosmio X305-Q720 17.0-Inch Laptop

I got this machine to replace my aging desktop that wasn't worth another upgrade. The day of the P4 is over. The specs on the Q720 are amazing and cost a lot less than my "state of the art' desktop did in 2003. This machine has done an excellent job of handling the daily tasks I throw its way: CAD, graphic design (CS3 and Corel X4), gaming, and digital DJing (M-Audio Torq).

Although I am overall very happy with the system specs, there are a few things I do not like about the Q720. The glossy keyboard gets pretty nasty, a short battery life (to be expected, really), the max resolution is low for a screen this size, the integrated webcam sucks, there is no internal Bluetooth and the design on the lid is just awful. I already dealt with the lid by wrapping it with a custom decal I made at work. Call your local digitial printer/sign shop if you're bothered by the design.

I consider most of the above problems to be rather trivial based on my usage and I still give this laptop a 5 star rating based on performance. The negatives of this laptop are easily compensated for by the dual NVidia 9800M GTS, 4 GB of DDR3, 64 bit OS, a Quadcore at 2.0Ghz and other little features such as wireless USB and a built in FM tuner. I also appreciate the quality sound hardware. After a few cosmetic alterations, the Q720 is the laptop that I was waiting for.

Honest reviews on Toshiba Qosmio X305-Q720 17.0-Inch Laptop

I puchased a Qosmio and right after the warranty ran out the lcd screen went blank. Turns out this laptop has a defective motherboard and it costs as much to fix this as it would to just buy a new laptop. I contacted Toshiba and although this is a known issue (found through search on the internet) they will not back up a defective product. We have other laptops older than this one that have worked wonderfully for over 5 years. I would not trust the Toshiba motherboard in the Qosmio they are defective and Toshiba will not stand behind their product.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Toshiba Qosmio X305-Q720 17.0-Inch Laptop

Awesome Laptop for a portable Gamer. Little on the heavy side and the battery life isn't great. But what do you expect with a Nvidia Geforce 9800 GTX?

Discount HP Pavilion dv7-4280us 17.3-Inch Entertainment Notebook PC (Silver)

Customer Ratings:

I've been using this computer for about 3 weeks now, and am quite happy with its performance and battery life. It has switchable graphics and automatically (unless disabled) switches between built-in graphics when battery powered and dedicated graphics (ATI HD6550) when wall cube powered. I don't use this computer for gaming, but the HD6550 is a fairly respectable card. Battery life is listed at 7.75 hours. I was originally seeing around 6 hours in my typical usage scenario (see note re change below). I am also pleased with its thermal management. When working hard it gets warm but not hot. Air exhaust is on the left, toward the back of the case, which is an acceptable location. Since it is billed as an "entertainment" laptop, there is a goodly amount of HP software installed for managing audio, video, photos, etc. I thought I would remove most of this, but found it to be relatively inoffensive and even useful at times. The hard drive is a generous 750 GB, so I wasn't too concerned about needing to free up space. I did disable the built-in backup management software in favor of adding a second 750 GB hard drive (this required purchasing an HP4000 series drive caddy and cable). I made the new drive (7200 RPM) the primary drive and relegated the slower 5400 RPM drive that came with the 4280 to backup. Having two hard drives did, of course, reduce battery life somewhat, but I still get around 5.5 hours not bad at all. I can now do backups in-situ via partition imaging, plus daily backups to an external USB drive. Regarding that the HP4280 has a powered eSATA port (combo USB and eSATA), which I use with a Seagate GoFlex Pro 750 GB drive with eSATA interface and it is fast (GoFlex pro uses 7200 RPM drive which matches the one I swapped in and made my boot drive).

There is also a fingerprint scanner which can be used to log in (password entry is still available as alternative). You have to spend a few minutes registering your fingerprint (plus one alternative print) but after that, you can log in by just swiping your finger over the scanner. It took some getting used to, but I now log in this way almost exclusively. One little trick I found place your finger over the scanner, then hesitate for just a bit (about 1/4 to 1/2 second) before swiping and it will read much more reliably. At least that's the case for me maybe I "trained" it that way. ;-)

My only real complaint is that the touch pad implementation is well, just awful. As has been noted by others, it's almost impossible to position the cursor and click to select without moving the cursor off target, and if you touch the case near the touch pad that moves the cursor. Really annoying. I added a Logitech M705 mouse which uses their tiny unifying receiver (I leave it plugged in all the time), and it works quite well, even with the receiver on the opposite side of the computer (that location works best for my carry case).

One last note this beasty has a blue ray player and Beats audio very nice combo for watching HD movies.

Overall, I am very happy with this computer. It lost one star for the schizoid touch pad and the slow hard drive.

Update 2011-05-10. Recently updated Synaptic Pointing Device drivers, and there were definite improvements in touch pad operation.

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I am no stranger to laptops, this is my 6th. I've owned Dell, Toshiba and Asus laptops, this is my first HP. It is replacing my Toshiba x205-s9349 which at 3 1/2 years old has become sluggish and a couple of times shut off by itself signaling the end might be near. I spend all day (and night) on my laptop and use it for surfing, photography, watching streaming movies, updating my iPod and iPhone and watching Blu-ray movies. I also use it to watch streaming live events on ESPN3 such as ALMS racing and college football which on my old laptop I connected to my TV via 25FT HDMI TO HDMI Cable. After checking reviews and features, I found this model had great reviews and most of the features I wanted. It also was a few hundred dollars less then other computers with the same features (6gb ram, 750gb hd, Blu-ray reader, 17" display, HDMI out, 802.11n, Bluetooth). The only thing I was weary of was the Windows 7 64bit OS and running older programs. To date, I have had no issues and Windows 7 is similar to Vista, so not hard to figure out.

Pros

Blazing fast, high end processor

High end graphics with excellent LED screen

Blu-ray player

17"

Aluminum casing

Long battery life

Price

Finger scanner

Cons

No Firewire or any type of expansion card slot to add it

The converter part on the power cord gets pretty hot

Neutral

Sound, even though it has the Dr Dre Beats Audio, it still sounds about the same as my old Toshibia (although that system also had a highly touted Harman Kardon speaker/subwoofer system). Obviously sound is limited to the small size/speakers limitation of laptops.

HP Laptop reliability reputation. There was a report out a couple years back showing HP to have the worse reliability, in the upper 20% after 3 years. It was also noted that it makes the most laptops and that the smaller laptop makers, like Toshibia, had lower failure rates. To me, that study sounds flawed in that if there are so many more HP laptops, many more are going to need repair so I am not sure about the methodology of the study or if HP quality (or anyone else's) has changed since its been out.

UPDATE: I have had the computer for 9 months. 2 problems arose and were quickly fixed by HP. First, the A/C adapter stopped working. They shipped one no charge. For some reason Fed Ex shipped the part from SC to Atlanta and instead of going to the local distribution center here in metro Atlanta, it was sent to TX. So that delayed the part, not HP's fault though. I did not have to send the bad part back.

The second thing that happened, according to the H.P. Support Assistance software and third party S.M.A.R.T. software, I had some bad sectors on my hard drive, the kind that a Windows scan and fix can't help. So I contacted support, gave them the error code. They told me I needed a new hard drive and would have a supervisor call within 2 business days. The supervisor called the next day, Friday. He told me I would ship it out and I had 15 days to ship the bad one back. They take your credit card number and will charge it if they don't get the broken part back in the time allowed. It was stressed that if I sent it back after 15 days, they still won't refund the money. I got the feeling if I wasn't comfortable doing the swap, they would have me send the entire laptop in. They paid shipping of the part both ways. So, again, the distribution center is in SC and I am in Atlanta. The part arrived on Saturday, the next day. I bought an external USB drive, partitioned it so it was slightly smaller than the HD on the laptop. I followed the Windows 7 directions to make a mirror image which includes making a boot disc. It took a few hours to make the mirrors of c: and d: which was under 300GB total. d: is HP's backup partition. I swapped out the drives, and used the Windows boot disc with the external USB HD connected that had the mirror image and in a couple of hours, my computer was exactly like I had it before. HP sent discs, but I didn't need them by using Windows Backup. Once I made sure everything was right, I swapped back to the old disc and did a boot and nuke, erasing all content. One more swap and everything is great.

So, HP support has been great.

Best Deals for HP Pavilion dv7-4280us 17.3-Inch Entertainment Notebook PC (Silver)

I bought this computer after researching on Consumer Reports for a laptop to replace our home computer (a Dell desktop). Once I narrowed down my choices to this computer and a Toshiba Satellite, I read the Amazon reviews for this computer and was convinced (espectially, when someone said that they bought it to replace their iMac). At first I was thinking of switching to an iMac, but after doing my research I found this computer to be the best rated for my specific needs. I have a shop on Etsy and need a computer with a lot of memory and the ability to run multiple programs at once. I have to say that I am VERY pleased with my decision! This computer is beautiful (much better looking than the pictures), fast, lightweight, and incredibly easy to set-up. I took it out of the box, plugged it in, and within 10 minutes was ready to go! No software to load, no confusing user's manual, and very user-friendly. I was able to set-up my wireless internet connection and wireless printer in minutes with no complications. Windows 7 is an absolute pleasure to work with and I love the entire set-up of the computer. Also, the screen for this computer is huge and makes you feel like you're using a desktop :)

I've never purchased an HP product before, but I will definitely be a repeat customer in the future!

Honest reviews on HP Pavilion dv7-4280us 17.3-Inch Entertainment Notebook PC (Silver)

I read the reviews about thet touch pad and thought, "How bad could it be?" I did not realize how much I do use the touch pad until I got this computer. It's practically impossible to use. I bought a mouse and am trying to get used to that. Otherwise I really like it. I use it to play SL which is a huge test of a graphics test and it performs very well. If you buy it go ahead and get a mouse, don't try to beat the touch pad, you'll end up with sore fingers.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for HP Pavilion dv7-4280us 17.3-Inch Entertainment Notebook PC (Silver)

I've had this computer for about two months now. It was easy to set-up, had a fast processor, good graphics and screen quality, an enormous amount of memory, and a nice feel to the keyboard (although the tracking pad is useless). Unfortunately, I went to turn on this laptop recently and it failed to boot and emitted loud beeping sounds for several minutes. After three hours with an HP tech support person who had me open up the computer and reset a few hardware items and software, I ended up at the "please send your laptop to us for service." Yes, it's under warranty but I don't have my computer for 2 weeks and of course am missing deadlines. After I complained that a brand new laptop should work for longer than 2 months, the tech support person replied, "electronics are not guaranteed." Hm. Anyhow, I've been buying and using computers for 20+ years and have never encountered a new machine that has failed in two months.

UPDATE, September 5, 2011: In mid-August, HP fixed the keyboard and updated the BIOS so the computer worked for a few weeks more. Sadly, when I turned on the laptop today it proceeded to beep, had problems booting, and demonstrated keyboard failure again. If you buy this machine, make sure you back up your files daily. You'll need them.

Reviews of Lenovo IdeaPad U310 13.3-Inch Touchscreen Ultrabook (Graphite Gray)

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List Price: $659.99
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I generally gravitate towards Lenovo ThinkPad products for business, because they've always worked well for me in the past. I usually stay away from the IdeaPad line, because they're inferior, but I purchased this laptop for my dad, and was pretty pleasantly surprised. First off, the roughly equivalent ThinkPad (Carbon X1 Touch) is about three times the price, so I was heavily motivated by price as a factor. Of course the Carbon is a great laptop (I've used the previous generation for over a year, and I love it completely.) but it's tough to justify spending $1800 on a laptop that my Dad is going to use for email, Internet browsing and playing solitaire.

First off, the construction quality is fantastic. It feels very solidly built, and all the pieces fit together nicely. The touchscreen works great, and overall the screen looks pretty good. I like the fact that it has a lot of USB ports. (My ThinkPad has only two, which can be a real problem sometimes.)The hard drive, although theoretically slow, seems pretty zippy. I'm guessing this is because of the 24GB SSD that's attached. (It doesn't show up as an extra drive, so I can only assume there is some proprietary caching mechanism that it uses to keep the stuff that needs fast access on there.) The fact that it has only 4GB of RAM (non-upgradeable) was also a concern to me, but I've found in practice that setting up the virtual memory on an SSD makes 4GB seem like a lot more, since the HDD doesn't have to churn when swapping out programs between physical and virtual memory. I am a very heavy multi-tasker (I even have a second monitor so that I can multi-task) and the 4GB of RAM has never seemed to slow down the computer.

There are some negatives, which is why, although I'm very happy with the laptop, I was reluctant to give it five stars. First of all, I'm not nuts about the keyboard. Windows 8 has quite a few "special" new buttons that I've become accustomed to, such as the search button and the settings button. Many new laptops have these buttons on the function keys, but this one does not. Also, I found myself constantly trying to hit the backspace key, and instead hitting the "home" key, taking be to the beginning of the line. I don't have this problem on my Carbon X1, because the backspace key is the rightmost key on the keyboard. Finally, I hate glossy screens. If glossy is your thing, then this might not be a big deal to you, but I can't stand them. The ThinkPad has a matte screen finish, as do most business-centric laptops I've come across. I realize that the glossy looks pretty in the showroom, and might make a screen stand out among others, but they're impossible to keep clean, especially on a touch-screen device, and I avoid them whenever possible.

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The WiFi never worked correctly on this device. It would drop signal constantly and give very low connection speeds. I called Lenovo tech support and they told me to return it because it is a defect in the network card. Google "lenovo u310 wifi" and you will get a 70+ page thread made over a year ago about how this problem exists. Lenovo acknowledges it but still sells the device like it is.

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Three stars is stretching it a bit, but I am giving them on Lenovo's reputation alone. About a month after buying this thing, it began refusing to wake up from sleep mode. I did lots of research, and discovered that Lenovo's answer is to partition the drive and reload Windows. Um...NO. I don't have the skill or confidence for something like that, which is why I bought a new computer in the first place. I have since turned sleep mode off, which means that if I unplug my computer and toss it in my backpack without shutting it down, the battery is half dead by the time I get to the coffee shop. Meanwhile, all this trouble was supposedly caused by a Windows update, but Lenovo could wow me by dealing with it in the right way fix it FOR ME.

Hybrid SATA and SSD looks like a bad idea at this point. If I had a do-over, I would go with something with only a SSD.

Honest reviews on Lenovo IdeaPad U310 13.3-Inch Touchscreen Ultrabook (Graphite Gray)

I purchased this laptop for personal use. For the price, I am satisfied with it. It is built well, speed is fast. I very like its lightweight and the feel of touch. Recommend.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Lenovo IdeaPad U310 13.3-Inch Touchscreen Ultrabook (Graphite Gray)

For being a brand new computer, I was and still am really surprised at how slow it is. I have a two year old laptop from work that is much faster. Internet is slow, programs are slow. I wanted to return it, but it was passed the 30 days. I will probably end up selling it. Really bummed because I really wanted to like it.