HP ENVY dv6-7245us AMD Quad-Core A10-4600M 2.30GHz Notebook PC Reviews

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $799.99
Sale Price: $640.00
Today's Bonus: 20% Off

I picked up this laptop from a local computer store, and I'm loving it so far, the advertised 4 speakers (5 if you include the subwoofer) sounds better tan all my other laptops, maybe it's the beats speakers, or the subwoofers.

I didn't see the finger print reader, so that was a real plus, the hp fingerprint software is fast and easy to use, no problems so far.

The core runs at 1400mhz idle, 2300mhz with a decent workload, and 3100mhz with turbo core/turboboost, it's a A10, which means its a quad core

Details

A10-4600 APU

radeon 7660g APU 3GB dedicated memory

(note that the core and gpu are combined (APU)

6GB (4+2gb) DDR3 1600mhz (PC3-12800) 2 slot

Expandable to 16 gb (2x8gb)

1366x768 (720p hd) screen

640gb 5400rpm HDD

12.7" Sata II DVD (kind of flimsy, convinced me to give it 4/5)

Replaceable with universal 12.7mm caddy (google it)

Full size keyboard, island style (not backlit)

I belive a 720p HD webcam

Dual mics

Power2go 8 included

HELP:

To disable fn keys: settings>change of settings>general>advanced startup, you can acess the bios from there (yess, windows 8 has a bios, it's just well hidden)

Can't connect to network, disable and reanble the wifi adapter va network and shavings center, there seems to be a glitch

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Simply the best computer to get your schoolwork and gaming done in. I purchased this because as a college student things get demanding sometimes and every once in a while you get bored so this is where this baby does the job!

Best Deals for HP ENVY dv6-7245us AMD Quad-Core A10-4600M 2.30GHz Notebook PC

If you need maximum power for a low price this is the way to go. gets schoolwork and gaming done right quick. With the quad core processor you play almost all new games and windows 8 makes it even better.

Honest reviews on HP ENVY dv6-7245us AMD Quad-Core A10-4600M 2.30GHz Notebook PC

I like the laptop. I like the finger print password feature. Makes it easy for me to log on without the hassle of correcting typos.

The colour is fantastic.

6 GB RAM, 5.67 GB Usable. Not bad. Pretty fast at first but have slowed down a little even though I don't have much on it yet.

It's easy to carry, and I absolutely LOVE the audio output from this machine, which is much better than my Toshiba.

It used to stay cool at first. I've had it for about a week and I can already feel the hardware heating up even though I'm not gaming or running demanding applications. I hope this won't be a problem even though I'm using a cooler with it.

Overall, I'm satisfied with the product. I hope it will last.

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Really fast start-up, had it up and running in a few hours. Windows 8 takes some getting used to, but I got the hang of it in 1 use.

Review of Samsung NP-Q430-JSB1US notebook: 14 Inch LED, 2.4GHz Intel Core i5

Customer Ratings:

I purchased a refurbished unit from Best Buy $540 back in February. Overall, I really don't have any complaints and think this is a very nice computer.

My original price range was about $600 but at some point I figured I was going to end up paying about $800 for a 14 inch Samsung QX410. The week I decided I needed to just 'buy it' I found the Q430 for this great price.

*14 inch screen The 14 inch screens tend to be more expensive than the 15.6 inch that predominate. If you are looking for more portability the 14 inch screen is a good size.

*trackpad buttons this laptop has what I would call traditional 'touch pad' buttons which is what I was used to. I don't use an external mouse since I like to keep my hands on the keyboard.

*keyboard keyboard has a good feel, chiclet style, the screen is nice. aluminum

*aluminum finish the outside cover is a nice understated black aluminum, and the gray aluminum on the keyboard is nice. My wife has a Macbook Pro and they look similar. I am not a big fan of those shiny finishes of other models and this one has a nice professional non-flashy finish.

*LCD the LCD is advertised as glass. It looks nice. Some reviews I have read mention a glossy finish. I cannot really say that I have noticed it to be a distraction. I am a software developer and use the computer in different places and outside and I have not had a problem with seeing the screen.

some negatives

battery life I usually use the computer plugged into the AC so I don't have an accurate estimation of battery life. However, my best guess is somewhere between 2 and 2.5 hours. The other day I was working in a restaurant and got about 2 hour and 15 minutes. From what I gather it seems like the nVidia video uses a lot of power. Some of the newer laptops in the the $800 (like the QX-410) use nVidia Optimus which somehow increases the battery life to something like 5 hours +. Also, there is some type of app on the system that only recharges the battery to 80% so that the battery will last longer over time. You can configure the charging to full strength if you wanted although I have not.

software On the QX-410 that I was going to buy there was a version of Microsoft Office 2010 starter other laptops of different manufacturers also come with this version as well. On this Q430 it did not come with this version. It only came with 60 day trial of 2007.

other software no CD/DVDs came with the system. No recovery CDs. I tried using the recovery software and it seemed somewhat of a pain.

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Acer AS7552G-6436 17.3-Inch Laptop (Black) Review

Customer Ratings:

Acer Aspire 7552g-6436 Review, as of 24 hours...

I'm coming from a Dell inspiron 2200.

Con's :

So at first glance i noticed the keyboard has tabs on the keys instead of keys. seems a little flimsy

only time will tell.

Not really happy with the power cord either but as the zen master says "we'll see".

The placement of the usb and other ports on both sides instead of the rear is less than perfect in

my opinion.

The Middle Ground : Price vs. performance.

So far the CPU has yet to disapoint, despite some decent games and multi-tasking i have throw at it.

Even though it's only an AMD Caspian and lacks level 3 cache and suffers from low clock speed this cpu

should serve well for a few years at least, its also an upgradable option, if you know how and if you can

get your hand on an AMD x940 you can expect a little bump. For the Price this N950 is about as good as it

gets for amd and they are only on par with the fastest i5's. BUT at least it has 4 threads not 2 like the i5's.

640gb western digital blue 5400rpm hard drive, is ok and plenty big but slow, HD tuner gave it 55mb min 85mb

max transfer.I have ordered a kingston v100 64 gb for this laptop, and will let you know more about that upgrade.

I installed a kingston v100 64gb SSD, and let me tell you it is FAST. I did not like the error messages

i got when cloning the drive, but after hitting ignore a couple times everything seems to be fine, if i end up

having to jump through hoops to fix it i will let you know. I assume if i have a problem with the ssd then

i can always put the hard drive back..Hd tech wont run on windows7 even in compatiblity mode.

So i used hd tune which gave me reads at 148mb's on twice, though i did have one test show 169mb's.

Makes me wonder if this sata controller is 1.5gb or 3.0gb as i should have in theory got only 143mb/s reads

with a sata 1 or 1.5gb controller.

Pro's : The screen is amazing ! Nice and sharp ! Really Pops out at you. I know its not 1080 but 720 is

still easy on the eyes compared to 1024x768 on 14.1 inch monitor.

The laptop has many features that are upgradable, including the Hard drive ( yes you can have 2 , after you

purchase another hard drive tray from acer for $29.99 ? must be how the corporate exec's get their bonuses,

i mean really 30 bucks for a piece of bent metal ? SAD !!)

Also their is 3 memory slots as newegg reports so you can have as much as 12gb of ram.. smoking for a laptop

in this price range.

And yes the 6650m ATI radeon can also be upgraded, not that it's the weakest part of this system by any means.

I'm getting 80+ FPS in BF2, Cod4 and other games with all set to max settings.

I have heard and read about a bios mod for acer computers that unlocks all kinds of goodies, which i will

try in the near future.

Conclusion : This is a great laptop for the price of 700.00 or so, despite some limitations with AMd CPU's.

If your looking for a solid gaming laptop for a low cost, this as7552g-6436 will not let you down.

I hoped this helped someone.

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I'm very picky when it comes to buying a computer. I searched for WEEKS before buying a laptop, read reviews, hit the Net repeatedly, went to every computer store in our area. This was not the best laptop I found. That honor went to a SONY system that cost 1400 bucks. This one was almost half that price. For the price, the Acer was the best in its class. I found no other computer than the Sony that even came close.

The first thing I noticed (and yes, odd how certain things are important to different people) was the textured surface that is not only resistant to fingerprints... it laughs at them. I had previously owned a high-powered Gateway and it fingerprinted like a fiend. I was constantly cleaning the cover. So this was an important thing to me. Minor I know, but important.

I know there are gamer boys out there that will run this through all kinds of specs tests and say "oh the hard drive is slow" (what, at 5400 rpm? Are they kidding?) or that it's a "slow processor" (quad core 2.1g? Again, are they kidding? Yeah it's not 3 ghz, but it's no slouch either). To each his own. FOR THE AVERAGE PERSON-including gamers-this will prove a power-packed system for what I consider to be a very low price.

Quad core 2.1 processor, good hunka RAM, large size hard drive (for a laptop), quiet operation, good solid feel, and a gamer-level graphics card that has stood up to every nasty thing I could throw at it (and I threw a LOT at it).

The only negative thing: I'm not all that impressed with the screen. It's a good resolution, is quite visible, but it has a glare problem (as exists with many laptops) and one can definitely see (especially on dark screens) a difference in lighting pattern behind the screen. Nevertheless, it's just fine for almost all applications and the flaws really don't show up anywhere but movies or games with dark backgrounds. For 729 bucks, I can live with a less-than-perfect screen. It does bug me a bit however. I have seen anti-glare screen covers for about thirty bucks (gah, 30 for a piece of stick-on anti-glare plastic? Greed greed...) so the addition of such a device should make the screen much more visible in harsh-light situations such as bookstores or offices with overhead lights.

The keyboard is full size and responsive. Gotta love the multi-touch mousepad (although I always attach an external trackball for my own use). The laptop is not a lightweight, but not nearly as heavy as other 17" systems I've seen and is significantly thinner than laptops I've owned in the past. It has a sleek look and style to it that I find pleasing, without excessive lights and gizmos to distract from operation.

I suggest first thing making recovery disks when the system presents that option. You'll need a number of DVD and a LONG time. But it's good insurance. I also recommend going through the software offerings and remove anything that even remotely looks useless (I won't name names like McNorton or similar software). Anything that is "trial" can be booted as pretty much useless. The more you remove, the faster the system will run. Acer isn't alone in quantity of garbage software on the system. So give yourself a bit of setup time and get it where you want it to start with. Be sure to set the POWER and PROCESSOR settings to the kind of use common for you. Me: MORE POWER, BABY. :D

On a scale from 1-10 I'd give this a 9. I would have loved to see BluRay rather than a DVD drive. I like that it has USB ports on BOTH sides of the computer (I would have liked to see one on the back, but that can interfere with cover issues on some laptops, and may not be a good idea overall). All in all this is a very solid and powerful computer that is in the price range of a standard "business" no-frills laptop. I haven't seen anything else that even comes close for the price.

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I was a little hesitant to purchase this laptop because I normally buy HP products. However, the price was much cheaper than the HP and so I gave it a shot based on the specifications. I was pleasantly surprised. It is constructed well; I like the textured surface that doesn't show scratches and smudges as easily as the HP. It is a little heavy, but not as much as I would have expected for a 17.3" laptop. I was happy to see that the model I received did not need a separate adapter for a second hard drive like the older Acers did. It packs plenty of horsepower, although the first thing I did was remove windows to get rid of all of the resource-sucking bloatware. For some reason, the restore disk creation software requires five DVDs and you cannot select what software to install during installation. I downloaded a clean copy of windows and started fresh, using the license key under the laptop.

It has three memory slots. I used the money I saved by buying this laptop to add another 4 gig of ram. I am currently running Fedora 14 with Windows 7 as a Virtualbox guest with minimal performance issues (other than video, discussed below).

Hardware: Screen is amazing. Laptop has the potential to run warm, but I use the Xpad Slim and haven't noticed any heat issues yet. The computer seems to be constructed solidly. I don't like the keyboard as much (the keys are flat squares, but they depress like a normal keyboard so I can't complain).

If you plan on using Linux, be aware that the video card driver from ATI does not support the new kernel--you'll have to google to get it to work--and you will have to blacklist drivers to get the wireless working but with some tweaking everything on the laptop but the multi-gesture function of the mouse pad works. There are some annoying video issues that I hope will be fixed with an ATI driver update (e.g. persistant watermark in the corner, sleep issues, VirtualBox issues) but hopefully that update will happen soon. Oh, and install the 32-bit version of W7 in VirtualBox or you will see a serious performance hit to the virtual machine.

From a hardware perspective this is a great deal. If you're running windows 7 only there should be no issues at all, aside from the unneeded additional bundled software that slows everything down.

Update:

The video and wireless problems have been resolved by Fedora updates (Fedora 17 x86_64), and something else must have been updated, because I re-installed windows 7 64bit in VirtualBox and found a significant performance INCREASE over the 32bit. If I ever have to run windows, I can pop in and out of it in seconds, and it now runs in what feels like native speed, with the exception of 2D video acceleration (for some reason 3D still works). I am still absolutely happy with this purchase.

Honest reviews on Acer AS7552G-6436 17.3-Inch Laptop (Black)

Okay everyone just to let you know I am a gamer! I bought this to take with me to work and to school. So far I am very pleased with the laptop. The screen is epic. I have read a few complaints on the key board. Now I am very picking when it comes to my peripherals. I have always carried around a desktop key board for my gaming on the go, along with a mouse because who wants to play video games on a track pad? Well After using this key board for about 5 minutes , I no longer carry a spare key board with me. The response and the fell of the key board is enough to satisfy even the pickiest of gamers. The track pad is very fast very responsive but I still carry around a wired mouse. The feel of this laptop is very sturdy with out being over weight. Its nice solid construction makes me feel comfortable while carrying it around. The finish on the outer case is amazing. I am a finger print fanatic. With my old laptop 30% of the time I was wiping finger print smudges off of them. The finish on this thing is great no more finger prints. The interior is okay the key board rests on a nice metal finish that doesn't not attract finger prints either but the problem is the boarder around the screen and, the edge of the whole thing there is that same old shinny black plastic finger print magnet.

Now lets get down to the gaming part of my review. The performance of this laptop is incredible. I was not only shocked but I was amazed at how well this thing handles games.

Frame rates:

Call of duty modern warfare 2 80-90 fps.

battle field bad company 2 30-45 fps.

Portal 2 60 fps.

fall out new vegas 60 fps.

counter strike source 60 fps.

left 4 dead 1 and 2 60 fps.

EVE online 50-80 fps.

Aion 45-60 fps.

These bench marks come from FRAPS. The video settings are maxed out at 1600x900 vsync is on for all the steam games. everything set to highest setting.

Like I said the gaming is great. that little video card powers threw pretty much anything you can throw at it.

I am not a professional laptop reviewer by any means. And I have read some awful things about this laptop threw different websites. I fell those reviews are punching this thing around pretty hard. They are also comparing it to laptop that cost 200-300 dollars more then this one. So I cant tell you to buy it or not. But what I can say is, If I needed a new laptop again, I would buy this one all over again.

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***Update*** After having this laptop for sometime I can tell you I will never purchase from ACER again. The customer support is sub-par with no driver updates coming in the last year and a half. The CPU fan is extremely loud and replacement parts are not easy to come by and Customer support cannot even provide you with part numbers. I will be going back to HP where you can get support and parts for your purchases.

*****************************************************************************************************

This is a great laptop for the price I paid $725 and I am very pleased with my purchase. I can not speak to the way Acer sets up the operating system as I never even booted into it. I used a copy of 64-bit Windows with the Key from the bottom of the computer to do a fresh install from the get go. I highly recommend to download the drivers ahead of time, many are not in Windows 7 by default.

Pros:

1) Very fast using multi-threaded applications i.e. Handbrake.

2) Full size keyboard with number pad.

3) Few hardware LED's, the last laptop I had looked like a UFO. This Acer is very sedate I like the simplistic design.

4) Graphics are amazing for this price range.

5) Unit is very quite while routine operation. You can hear it pretty good while intensive operation such as encoding video.

6) Atheros Wi-Fi 802.11N is implemented quite well. I am able to get two rooms away and maintain 7MB/s transfers of large files.

7) Three DDR3 slots in mine it came with two 2Gig sticks of Kingston 1066 Ram. I am upgrading the third slot with a 4Gig stick.

8) Second hard drive bay for upgrades.

Cons:

1) Battery, only a six cell battery and the nine cell from Acer is $128.00 for a battery(wow)With mixed usage I am looking at 2hr 45min.

2) LCD screen viewing angle. Your face needs to be parallel to the screen and your eyes level with the top or the colors are completely washed out.

3) Single touch pad bar. I really wish the left and right buttons were separated, although I am getting used to this configuration.

4) Speakers are on the base right below the screen. I listen to a lot of podcasts and like to close the screen, if I do close the lid it muffles the sound.

5) Second hard drive bay requires a caddy that does not come with it.

6) Acer support website is useless and they will not provide and tech. manuals for their products,a service I have had multiple other vendors do without question.

Over all I say near $700.00 this is a deal for a 17inch DTR.

***Update**** I have seen some confusion on here as to the unreadability of the RAM. This laptop has 3 DDR3 slots that can hold 4Gigs a piece for a total of 12Gigs of RAM. Current configuration is using two of these slots leaving one free for immediate upgrade to 8Gigs.

Reviews of HP Pavilion dv7-4285dx Entertainment Laptop - Intel Core i5-460M

Customer Ratings:

Top notch value. The i5 processor is a big plus and a noticeable difference from my last PC. The computing experience is elevated using this machine. The aluminum finish gives this a nice clean cut look. The battery life is 3.5 hrs which is excellent considering the power of the machine. The beats audio sound system is a pleasant touch when viewing multimedia. Also for those who are tired with all the "log-ins" online the fingerprint reader is a great bonus that can automatically sign you in with one swipe of the finger. With all the features, this laptop can go toe to toe with any other 17" laptop on the market and is drastically cheaper.

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I got this laptop and after haveing an Acer for so long this laptop really makes you relize what quality and performance HP gives in thier PC's.It has a fingerprint reader which is so nifty cause I just scan my finger to log on to any website or enter my computer super security.This laptop is wi-max ready which is helpfull for anyone who needs long distance internet.The Silver titianium shell is durable and pretty.This is the nicest laptop anyone can get for the price;Also consumer report's gives HP laptops Dv7 modle notebooks 74 out of 100.

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I can't say enough good things about this laptop. Flight Simulator X works great. Windows 7 is so much better then Vista, it works! Battery life is super long I have gone about 6 hours without the need to plug it in. It has room for a dual hard drive witch I like. The i5 processor is really fast. I love the Beats Audio System it sounds super.

Honest reviews on HP Pavilion dv7-4285dx Entertainment Laptop - Intel Core i5-460M

I have had this computer for 4 months now and I love it. For one thing, I love the exterior design. Be forewarned however, if you have you laptop in your room like I do and you don't turn in off every night, the HP symbol on the back glows... VERY bright, I have to set something on top of it to block out the light so I can sleep (I haven't checked, but there might be a setting to turn it off).

When you lift the lid of the laptop, you have a very neat and tidy layout. The screen is huge, so there is enough room on the keyboard to have a numlocks pad. I also like the mouse pad. You can use two fingers to scroll and you can also zoom in and out on any screen (I just tested this on the desktop too, and it changes the size of your desktop icons when you do that). On my older laptop, the finger pad, left and right buttons were all separate, but on this HP it is all on one pad, so that took some getting used to for me.

I also like having the finger scanner. I use it to log on to the computer quickly no more typing in user passwords. You can also use it to log on to other websites, such as skype, wellsfargo, hotmail, gmail, facebook, etc. HOWEVER!!!!!: DON'T EXPECT TO BE ABLE TO USE THIS FEATURE IF YOU ARE A GOOGLE CHROME USER!!! I hear it works on internet explorer and firefox, but as of YET, it is not compatible with google chrome. Personally, I can live without the finger scanner to log in to various sites until chrome gets this worked out I have no intention of switching to another browser.

The Webcam is FANTASTIC! I love it. Very high quality. It even has some fun features that come with it; faces, hats, drawing. It's cute. The microphone is also amazing. It will even pick up a very quiet whisper.

The graphics are beautiful, and the colors are very vivid. I am not a huge computer gamer, I just play Halo and Guild Wars and a lot of minigames on bored.com, but everything looks great while I play.

The speakers are good. I think the associate at Best Buy was right when he said that in order to use the Beats Audio to its full potential, you would have to get some external speakers or listen through headphones. But when I'm walking around the house, the speakers are good enough on their own.

USB plugs are on the side, not on the back. I like it when they are on the backside of the computer, because whatever you are plugging into the computer would be out of the way, but that's not possible with this computer because of the battery. It also only has 3 USB plugs.

The computer itself is also quite quiet. As I sit here now, even with multiple programs running and without the computer even being plugged in, it is very quiet just the faintest whisper of a fan.

And the battery life is long. Probably about 7 hours. I usually leave it unplugged on the kitchen table and it will last for about a week without it needing to be plugged in so long as I use the battery saving preference and close the lid when I'm done with it.

Before I decided to get this computer, I read the good and bad reviews from multiple sites. From my experience, it seems that people who wrote the bad reviews probably had a defective machine which is a risk with anything you buy, whether you're buying a laptop or xbox or a washing machine.

All in all, I love my computer. And this computer has turned me into a HP FanGirl. After this computer I got a HP External Harddrive, mouse, and my bf and I just bought a new HP Printer yesterday.

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Overall this is a great PC. It has performance, value, attractive, and reliable. I've bought 2 of them (one for me, one for my neice).

Review of Acer Aspire S3-391-9499 13.3-Inch Ultrabook (Champagne)

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $999.99
Sale Price: $749.99
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Super slim, efficient power usage, and Windows 8 is (mostly) a great operating system. I have 0 complaints about this notebook besides the few issues I have with Windows 8. (However, I still view Windows 8 as an improvement over Windows 7 overall).

A word of warning for the media user; the speakers are very quiet, and even at the highest volume, watching shows on it can sometimes be hard to hear. I use my iPod station as speakers, so this isn't an issue for me, but it's worth mentioning.

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I am very happy with this purchase so far. It is taking me time to get used to windows 8 but the computer is super fast with the solid state hard drive. The customer service was great I had a question and they responded right away.

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This laptop is all I expected. The color looks great. I'm still getting used to Windows 8, but apart from that, it's awesome. Only problem I see is that it has no cabled network port, but I already expected that. Also, I have seen other reviews talking about the wireless network card. To tell the truth I haven't had any problems with it yet, it's working great.

Honest reviews on Acer Aspire S3-391-9499 13.3-Inch Ultrabook (Champagne)

The laptop is so light I get nervous that I might hurt it --So far (6 months) I haven't. It's perfect in my backpack to take to class. Windows 8 is definitely something to get used to -It's truly my only complaint and is really about the operating system. Choose wisely my friend I would recommend getting a touch screen with Windows8 -I didn't get a touch screen and have to use an external mouse instead.--Get the touch screen!

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It's really portable but the battery can only use for about 3 hours. And I think it's cost-effcient. I just can say these things.

Buy Sony VAIO T Series SVT13134CXS 13.3-Inch Touchscreen Ultrabook

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List Price: $799.99
Sale Price: $689.99
Today's Bonus: 14% Off

I've really got used to having a touchscreen on my phone and Kindle Fire, but as an author I also really appreciate a proper keyboard. So with that in mind, when it came time to choose a new PC, I decided to plump for the new touchscreen Windows 8 ultrabook from Sony.

My experience started off in rather a bad way, with my first ultrabook lasting a mere two hours before it gave out, never to reboot again. However, the Amazon returns and replacement service was excellent and the very next day I had another ultrabook at my door. This one, it seems, is going to last longer than the first. I've now had it a full 5 days and I've run it through its paces and set everything up on it. I'm using it to write my latest book and also to do all those lovely touchy windows 8 things on the wonderfully clear 13.3" 1366 x 768 touchscreen. My first impressions are that this PC is a gem.

Things I like:

1. Speed of restart from sleep no more waiting and waiting to start using it. You simply close the lid when you're done and then reopen it when you want to continue. It takes about 2 seconds to be ready to use.

2. The ability to switch between the touchscreen, touchpad and keyboard (all interchangeable) once you learn all the gestures and shortcuts it's a really quick user experience.

3. The zippiness of it my previous PC was a three year-old desktop. This ultrabook seems about 6 generations faster.

4. Windows 8 apps Netflix, Angry Birds, Skype, CNN News and a plethora of other apps run just like they do on an iPad or Kindle fire.

5. It just works I know, you expect it to work, but sometimes new things can be a little weird.

So far there is nothing I dislike about it (apart from a lack of some Windows 8 apps but more and more are arriving each day).

I could go on about the battery life, the ports, the keyboard and everything else, but you can read all the technical specs above. the bottom line is would I recommend this PC? Wholeheartedly YES!

Update 8/14/13: I've now had this laptop for 6 months and it's still performing flawlessly. It does a whole lot more than I ever imagined, now that I have attached a second screen to it for when I use it at my desk, as opposed to traveling. Everything I've thrown at it has worked flawlessly. I must admit I'm not a huge fan of Windows 8, but, hey, it is what it is. I love the touchscreen aspect. I love the speed. I love the reliability. Oh, and the battery life!

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I got this from work about 4 months ago. I think four months is ample time to be able to give an accurate review of this ultrabook. I really wanted to love this laptop, but I don't. It's very sharp and stylish with its black and silver design but almost laughably clumsy.

Allow me to explain. First and foremost you have to hold the bottom whenever you open it because the hinge mechanism is tight and the bottom isn't weighty enough. Secondly, once you have the laptop open the first thing you'll notice is not the lack of an HD screen but rather the strong glare back into your eyes if there is a light nearby. The screen reflects way too much light and I find myself moving the display back and forth throughout the day just so I can read. Thirdly, the keyboard (although I have to admit that I am getting more used to it) feels carpal tunnel inducing. There is simply very little give to the keys so you feel as if you're tapping away on a flat surface (although touch screen tablets are not uncomfortable). I prefer the feedback you get from other keyboards (such as Dell's XPS line). Additionally, the keys are not smooth but feature a slight rough texture that feels rather cheap.

The touch screen is a cool feature but I must admit that I never use it. It's just not comfortable to hang your arm in front of your screen for an extended period of time. I use a wireless Logitech mouse because the trackpad is annoying as well. It doesn't recognize when you lift one of your fingers off of it unless you take both of them off. This becomes very annoying when you're scrolling (with two fingers) and you take one off so that you can move to cursor to click on something and it continues scrolling down!

I should also mention that about two months after I had it, the touch screen input stopped working. I tried all kinds of troubleshooting, even formatting the hard drive and reinstalling Windows and all drivers but in the end it was a hardware issue. I must give credit where credit is due and after talking to Sony they instructed me to bring the laptop to any UPS store (I didn't have to wrap it) and they would overnight it to their service center in Texas. I received several calls from Sony informing me of the current repair status while it was gone (very unexpected). Within two weeks I had the laptop back in working condition.

My final gripe is that even though I have Windows set to sleep when I close the lid, about once, sometimes twice a week, I get home after leaving work and find the laptop burning hot because it never went to sleep.

We ordered about 15 of these for the office and the feelings are mutual among all of us.

All in all, for the price it is not a terrible laptop but I do think you can find better. It's doing the job as a work laptop but I would never buy it on my own nor could I recommend it to anyone.

Best Deals for Sony VAIO T Series SVT13134CXS 13.3-Inch Touchscreen Ultrabook

For me it came down to this Sony T Series and Asus Vivobook. Price point is very similar; I give Sony the slight nod with hardware specifications, the quality of keyboard and the ability to swap out the battery. Upgrading RAM on both laptops is possible, but I am unsure of the added value. If you are running something that needs 8GB RAM, you shouldn't be buying an ultrabook.

For the keyboard, both feel shallow but the Sony's keyboard is a bit more comfortable (at least to me). Since this laptop is fairly new, check out the reviews on the old non-touchscreen T Series. It is exactly the same except for the screen and upgraded hinges. The screen still bounces when touched, but stays in place and feels solid (so far).

The laptop has a quality feel. If you press around the casing you can flex the topcase around the "Tab" and "Caps Lock" keys, everywhere else it feels solid. Also, the screen has a slight flex but does not seem to be a negative, I believe the touch screen design beefed up the sturdiness from the prior years model.

The design has a business type feel, square edges, I think it might keep its style longer than the Vivobook. The Sony is simple and understated.

One concern I had was the placement of the touchpad. I prefer this to be centered below the space bar to avoid activating the mouse cursor with your palm while typing (on this model it is centered on the topcase), but that does not seem to be an issue on this laptop. Even with contact, the touchpad seems to ignore the touch of the palm. Fan noise, yes the fan is audible on start-up and when resources are heavy, but it hasn't bothered me too much. With any ultrabook relying on a fan for cooling you are going to have this issue.

If you are coming from a Windows 7 environment expect a learning curve. I have read reviews of people who hate Windows 8 and at times the multiple gestures can prove frustrating. Give yourself some time; understand the four points of control on the touchscreen to navigate your system. The windows button is your friend if you get lost. The less you use your keyboard, the better the Windows 8 environment becomes.

I see these ultrabooks as the best of both worlds. A computer that can function as a tablet, but still gives you the tools needed for business use. For the cost (under 700) you are not taking that big a gamble, avoid spending too much on higher grade laptops, use this for a year or two and upgrade again. Spending over $700 on an ultrabook seems like a waste of money to me.

Honest reviews on Sony VAIO T Series SVT13134CXS 13.3-Inch Touchscreen Ultrabook

I love this laptop! I have only had it for a couple months but from what I can tell it is a great laptop. I'm using in for college and it is the perfect size. Exactly what I wanted.

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I have gone through hell with the T-Series. After writing an initial positive review the computer started to freeze every 2 hours or so. The only way of fixing it was to do a hard shut down. I sent it to Sony THREE times, leaving me without a computer for over a month. Each time I'd receive the computer, turn it on, and 2 hours later... freeze. Gahh!!!

Finally, they upgraded me to a refurbished (it should have been new, not refurbished) T series but with higher specs. While it is a full keyboard, the keys are very shallow. I'm a transcriber -unfortunately, the keys are less than ideal.

Review of MSI G Series GT70 2OD-001US 17.3-Inch Laptop (Black)

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $2,299.99
Sale Price: $2,129.89
Today's Bonus: 7% Off

Full disclosure, I bought this computer from a different vendor and not through Amazon. That said, I had to put a review out there to warn folks.

I got the computer and it was fast and well appointed. But within a few hours of getting things set up, the HDMI stopped working. I thought it was a the cord. Got a new one. Still didn't work. So, I tried the DisplayPort. It worked. Yay! I figured I could live without the HDMI as long as I didn't lose the DisplayPort too.

A few hours after that, I was playing Skyrim, getting that set up the way I liked it and...game freeze. Not unheard of with Skyrim, so I blamed the game. I tweaked and played with it, but it just got worse. After about an hour of fiddling, the machine got blazing hot and I got a video card error message. Mmm, not Skyrim's fault after all.

I called the vendor that sold me the computer and they confirmed that my video card was in the process of dying. So, the computer was basically a dud.

I know this happens but, this was the second MSI laptop to die within hours of ownership. (I will post a review for that machine as well.) I got an RMA for the comp, so I'm not going to criticize MSI's customer service. But, their quality control leaves a great deal to be desired.

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This machine has a price above the average of other laptops, but when talking about speed, this machine rules!

Having the Windows 8 being started in 1 second is really great!

The quality of the hardware seems great too.

And the button to activate the fan whenever you want is a nice feature too.

Best Deals for MSI G Series GT70 2OD-001US 17.3-Inch Laptop (Black)

This newer GT70 series are the most powerful well rounded single graphics card laptops on the planet for what you pay for it period, and if MSI could have better quality control for there hardware and software as well as compatibility of parts I would no doubt give this PC a 5 star review but the one I received had a few problems I with it and I must tell people so they no and so hopefully MSI will know and fix these problems so this PC can be the awesome monster it should be. With this being said I am going to try my luck with the next level model up from this that has almost all the same parts and if that one fails too then I will review it as well to let people know but about it but since amazon is refunding my money for the PC I'm gonna go for it again and find out if this was an isolated problem or and abundant one. Look below for pros cons and more detail of my review.

NEGATIVES

Windows 8 was only supposed to take up 24 GB of my SSD when its updated but some how it used up 40 GB.

When I delete items from my hard drive some how they were still taking up some or all of the space after being deleted.

I had to spend hours and hours messing with this pc to try to get it to work properly but could not get it to do so.

Windows 8 is rumored to use up to 8GB of ram sometimes so you better have A lot more than that.

Windows 8 has a new interface and everything is not where it used to be in previous windows and it did not have a tutorial to teach me how and what to use it so I had to Google how to use some of the stuff in Windows 8.

Some of the Programs on the PC wont start up till 60 seconds after the PC is at the windows desktop screen.

The PC Would run STARCRAFT 2 1920X1080 AA2 AF4 60-90FPS depending on what part of the game your in but there were times in this game and in other where for no reason the game will drop to single digits or teens for frame rate for no reason and it happend at least 5-10 times an hour and sometimes A lot more and would stay constant, I believe this was caused by an overheating graphics card or some form of incapability in this PC of hardware or software and I came to this conclusion after updating my drivers all across the system witch lessened this affect but was still happening far to often but after I turned a Hi powered personal fan on my PC the problem minimized even more to almost nothing especially if I turn on the AC in my house.

The battery cannot supply the PC to run at full power at all and when you max out what it can hand you have around an hour of gaming, 1.5 hours for movie and 2 hours for internet Ive seen some reviews that say they got these numbers up about 1/3rd but they just turned down all the power and brightness settings.

Can some times disconnect people on your wifi when you power up your pc but this might be something going in with my router as well but it is a brand new 300$ router so might be compatibility problem.

POSITIVES

+ GTX 780M The single most powerful mobile graphics card on earth as of today and more power effeciant than last gen cards.

+ 16GB DDR3 1600MHZ

+ 4th Gen i7 quadcore processor that is more effecient than previous generation i7's.

+ The best bang for the buck for single graphics laptops.

+ SSD with normal HDD so you can have the best of both worlds with speed for games and space for all else.

+ Nice 1080p screen.

+ USB 3.0 for fast data transfer from 3.0 capable devices.

+ killer lan that works great most of the time.

+ Beautiful and awesome multi color programable keyboard with little to no imput lag most of the time except startup.

1-10 RATINGS FOR THE PC WHEN ITS WORKING RIGHT LOL.

8.0 GRAPHICS, You can get about 2 times the power from a dual 780m but you will have to go 18 inch and spend $4000+.

8.0 SOUND, You get great stereo sound from the laptop speakers but will need a nice head set to get surround sound.

8.5 WIFI, ETHERNET, BLU TOOTH, all work fast if your at the right range and have no interference as far as I can tell but some times they will have some problems like when you turn on your pc you can disconnect people on your wifi lol.

9.0 KEY BOARD, Little to no input lag and its beautiful.

9.0 TOUCH PAD, Works better than any Touch pad I have ever used but its a touch pad so it still sucks for gaming lol.

8.0 SCREEN, 1080p 60hz and it looks nice but it is not the cleanest looking, most colorful or brightest but still good.

9.0 HEAT FROM TOP OF PC, Your hand will be very dry and comfy on the keyboard.

7.0 HEAT FROM THE BOTTOM WHILE ON YOUR LAP. It will get pretty warm on the left side where the graphics card is.

10.0 PRICE FOR THE MONEY.

I hope this review helps people who are looking at a gaming PC and dont stop with my review or amazon look around at other people and websites to see what other love and hate before you buy.

Honest reviews on MSI G Series GT70 2OD-001US 17.3-Inch Laptop (Black)

The products are quality with some great thought into the design & parts. I would say overall the performance is 4 outta 5 stars.

MSI does not offer replacement keyboards on their "Steelseries" version laptops nor does Steelseries. You have to send it in for "service" which has a 2 week turnaround. I will not pay to have someone else to do such a simple task that I have done hundreds of times. Replacing a keyboard is simple. Nor will I send in my laptop for 2 weeks. That's ridiculous.

There are no aftermarket replacement keyboards either. Do not buy. I have officially boycotted all MSI products because of this. I have burned 5+hours with support from both MSI and Steelseries on this problem.

Buy from a manufacturer who offers replacement parts. Hardware goes bad, you want to be able to replace it.

This is why they get 1 star.

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Look, I acctually haven't bought this particular laptop but I am a fan of MSI and just thought that the reviews of the previous two people were a bit off, being of course that one person hadn't even bought his/her laptop from Amazon (could've been from some crazy pop-up tent on the beach for all we know), and the other individual who had valid concerns (that would make me mad too) was describing an older laptop model.

I bought the model down a peg (because this one was too pricey for me) and its wonderfull. So I just thought I'd add some balance to these reviews and the one star rating this product received from the two reviewers.

Toshiba Portege M780-S7241 12.1-Inch Laptop (Titanium Silver) Reviews

Customer Ratings:

I am a student that has had my Toshiba M780 for about four years. I you are at all capable in correctly setting your power consumption, which is very versatile, the battery can last for 3 to 4 hours. I have sat through many long lectures with the ability to take handwritten notes in tablet mode. I am able to utilize AutoCAD 2006/2010/2011 & Revit in both PC and tablet modes. With current battery technology any laptop is going to require AC to run for extended periods. The tablet note taking has been invaluable as a student. I would only ever buy a tablet that has a stylus for writing on. Whats the point of having a tablet you have to type on, it's a waste in my opinion. You might as well buy a regular laptop, because your just substituting a hard keypad for a soft one that is a drain on resources, which in my opinion completely defeats the whole purpose. Having the ability to hand write notes on downloadable lectures and textbooks not only completes the lectures but allows me to stay organized and carry a lot less. I have a soft notebook for different classes so all I have in my backpack is my tablet PC and the textbook(if it's not available for download). If I ever have to go back to last semester notes I can at any time and know exactly where they are without looking on my shelf for an old notebook. My Toshiba M780 was expensive, but worth every penny and I would do it all over again. When I made my purchase Tablet PC choice was limited. If your a student, shop around and when you buy familiarize yourself with the configuration options ESPECIALLY the POWER MANAGEMENT, because little tweaks can make a big difference on how long the life of the battery will last. Overall I have not been disappointed in my M780, yes I would like it to run a little faster, but I could also clean up what's in the startup a little more and Everyone has to be careful when we load ANY software, because generally almost any program you install puts itself in the startup BY DEFAULT and WILL bog your system down. So whenever you purchase ANY new computer you MUST remove ALL software you won't be using and trim down what you do use in your startup. If more people realized these simple facts they would have much more satisfying systems. Simple configuration can go a long way, it's unfortunate many people overlook the little things that end up stacking over time, which bogs EVERY system. Sadly, Common sense escapes many of us. If we utilize the tools available to us and choose those tools carefully for the particular job, there is a point to which the tool should not be blamed. The Toshiba M780 has been a great tool for my uses.

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This laptop is great giving user both laptop and tablet experience. Can be converted into tablet. Stylish and eligant. Love using it.

Best Deals for Toshiba Portege M780-S7241 12.1-Inch Laptop (Titanium Silver)

Recommended by a software company it disapoints in numerous important ways.

OS: Windows 7 is confusing and slow compared to Windows XP on my Acer DuoCore 6593.

Display: The screen is fuzzy and out-of-focus.

Battery life: nowhere near the stated 4.8 hours. With less than 2 hours battery life this device is useless for the intended purpose...electronic health records which are accessed in the examination rooms. Okay I suppose I could just settle for a 2 hour work day :) but come on Toshiba....be honest!

Core 7 processer: I was prepared to be thrilled by the increase in speed. Instead I found it not as fast as my old Acer laptop even with it's slower-speed hard drive and smaller number of cores.

Tablet rotating screen: I never even used the tablet feature because of the low battery life. The stylus was an extra-cost feature ($35) which I found expensive.

Conclusion: A total waste of money which also damaged my business:

I never was able to use the electronic health record system because of the poor battery life in the examination room.

So....I spent $12,000 for the software and $2,000 for the computer; both of which are useless to me.

Paul in Napa

Buy Acer Aspire AS5734Z-4512 NoteBook Intel Pentium dual-core

Customer Ratings:

Bought this here because it was the "Midgrade" computer available for purchase at my college bookstore.

Works great for my school tasks.

Especially like the keyboard and wide screen

Only downsides is the lack of extra features.

Only has 2 USB ports and NO HDMI.

But I bought it for school work, and it does everything I need very fast.

Definitely worth it for school.

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I have owned this computer now for 2 years and its pretty dependable, overall good for basic school work and business work. I am an Audio Engineer and primarily work in live venues but when I come home to work on some audio software this computer slows down quite a bit and isn't great at multi tasking. WHEN USING SOFTWARE. However my girlfriend uses it for Adobe products such as photo shop and In Design and it seems to work great for her. Overall good computer but I'm looking for something with some more power

Best Deals for Acer Aspire AS5734Z-4512 NoteBook Intel Pentium dual-core

Decent notebook and spec for the price. We've had the notebook for 2 weeks and it's fast and capable. The speaker volume is rather low but that's the only gripe so far.

Honest reviews on Acer Aspire AS5734Z-4512 NoteBook Intel Pentium dual-core

Received the product in a timely manner. When I tried to boot the system, received errors that the system could not boot up. Determined that the OS partition was missing. This is where not having an actual recovery CD/DVD rather than a recovery partition on the hard drive is frustratine. After about eight hours of working with the system was able to re-establish the OS partition and use the recovery partition to reload the OS. Communication with the company was by email only and time consuming. Product was a gift and ended up being very embarassing.

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I don't have this computer personally, but my friend does. He loves it. He is not into gaming, but it does the job for his everyday web browsing and school tasks.

Cheap DELL LATITUDE D820 C2D 2160 2048MB, 80GB, DVD+-R/CDRW, WiFi, XPH

Customer Ratings:

I received a used Latitude D820 recently and have been very pleased with its performance. The battery life is good, the performance has been robust and responsive. The only thing I find missing on this computer is a webcam. The speakers are a little tinny, but with headphones the sound is great. I like the nice large screen too! Enjoying my Latitude D820!

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This machine is extremely durable. Despite what others might say about it running apps slowly, they don't know how to manage their OS. This machine can run any application, including Adobe Creative Suite apps well. Sure, it's not the fastest thing on the market, but it's a 2.0 dual core CPU, it's a great deal, and for any student/office person trying to save money while still getting things done, it's a great buy. The hardware holds up great, and don't let others tell you it's slow because of how they treat their OS.

Best Deals for DELL LATITUDE D820 C2D 2160 2048MB, 80GB, DVD+-R/CDRW, WiFi, XPH

The only downsize was the battery is nearing the end of it's life, so I will have to buy a new battery. But, overall this computer gave me exactly what I was looking for. It was handled and packaged neatly. No damage, and in good shape for a used computer!!

Honest reviews on DELL LATITUDE D820 C2D 2160 2048MB, 80GB, DVD+-R/CDRW, WiFi, XPH

This is a great laptop, solid, easy to use, I like that it locks when closed. I didn't find it to be slow as others have said. The keyboard keys are slightly raised, which I liked. The only minor things I didn't like was no numbers pad, so I had to use the numbers across the top, it's a very HEAVY laptop, but worst of all, the battery life was really bad. Two hours max, and it wasn't just my battery, I ordered a backup and it was the same way.

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The laptop works okay. It is a little slow and the display fonts are very small. Was able to enlarge them some. Since it is an older laptop you can't expect "like new" and you don't get it. For what I purchased it for which was occasional travel use for a particular purpose, it works fine. Arrived well packaged and you get what you pay for.

Reviews of Sony VAIO PCG-FXA47 Notebook (1-GHz Athlon, 256 MB RAM, 20 GB hard

Customer Ratings:

If you are serious about buying a laptop and you want quality for a good price, then this is the laptop for you. I find the Sony FXA47 to be an excellent laptop from the start. The Sony software included is handy. I bought the 48-Mo. warranty extension from Circuit City, so I don't feel any need to be concerned. Most importantly, the battery lasts the full three hours as promised in the manual. This is good for travel, even though it is heavy. I find that the included weight saver makes no sense if it only saves you 0.4 lbs. Performance on this laptop was a little slow when I first started using it, but after a few days of use it seems to speed up in performance. The DVD/CD-RW is a bit noisy and makes the laptop shake, so that might not be a convenience for business travelers on planes. Overall, a good laptop, w/a few glitches here and there. Definitely good for home/office users, but travelers might certainly want to look at something else less heavy and w/o a noisy cd player.

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The Sony VAIO PCG-FXA47 offers a great combination of features, rubber-to-the-road performance and affordability for the home user who wants the freedom of a laptop. The DVD/CD-RW drive drew me in, and the fast processor and generous memory sold me. The 20GB hard drive should be plenty for almost everyone (documents/photos/Quicken), although a user editing digital movies might have to think twice. This laptop comes with 10/100 NIC, so DSL connectivity is a snap. The software shipped with mine was also very useful. Note that it comes with serial & parallel ports as well as 2 USB ports, so connection to your peripherals is also convenient. The price is very good considering all you get. All in all, a good deal!

Best Deals for Sony VAIO PCG-FXA47 Notebook (1-GHz Athlon, 256 MB RAM, 20 GB hard

The FXA47 is a sleek machine and when it works, it is wonderful.

I run a number of machines with XP and all perform better than this laptop, especially my Dell laptop.

The FXA47 hangs repeatedly when using standard programs such as the microsoft office family. Frequent crashing makes the computer nearly useless.

This is my second FXA47; the first was replaced due to these same problems to no avail. Beware!

Cheap Dell XPS 12 Convertible Ultrabook Laptop Tablet i5-3317U 4GB 128GB

Customer Ratings:

I love the laptop (I would have absolutely loved it, if it were not for the issues noted below), it is light and easy to convert between a tablet and a laptop. This is one of the very few touch screen laptops in the market with 1080p resolution and I absolutely love the extra real estate. With Windows 8, the touch interface seems to come alive, especially some of the Microsoft bundled apps with Windows 8, like travel, news, finance etc which you can experience to its fullness. Btw, I have the Core i7 version.

The battery life is decent, I get about 3-4 hrs max compared to my old Lenovo which would last 6-7 hrs. The lack of ports is also an issue, it does not have SD slot so you have to carry a card reader, it also does not have a VGA or HDMI port so you have to buy a converter to display out to VGA or HDMI. I knew about this going in so not something that deterred me from getting it.

Now the negatives about the laptop. There are 3 things that is bad and I hope Dell fixes these issues:

1. There seems to be some issue with copy/Cut and Paste functionality i.e. you can copy/cut some text but the paste will not work. Dell forum is filled with complaints about this and the 2nd issue below with no resolution. This is what make it very difficult to use since I depend on this to work flawlessly and there is no workaround about this except try multiple time and eventually it will work. But you definitely need some patience for this and this is the worst issue with the laptop.

2. The track pad mouse stops working very frequently and it is absolutely annoying when you keep on touching the touch pad to move the mouse and nothing happens. Having touch does help since I can touch screen to get the desired result. I carry an external Bluetooth mouse otherwise it would drive me nuts.

3. The 3rd thing is the adaptive brightness, it seems to have a mind of its own i.e. the screen brightness will change for the same light condition and it is annoying. Fortunately there is a workaround i.e. turning off the "Adaptive brightness" in the display settings as part of the power option.

I am hoping these are driver/software issues and not hardware issue and Dell is going to fix the 1st two issues otherwise in the long run I am probably going to regret having the laptop since I expect these functionality to work out of the box.

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This is one of a new breed of convertible laptops created to take advantage of the Windows 8 paradigm, which allows use as both as tablet and a laptop. While this category is expected to grow, right now, there are essentially only a modest number of entrants, and only two that could be reasonably be called innovative: The Dell XPS 12 (this one), and the Lenovo Yoga 13. The Dell and Lenovo sport similar power specs (cpu, memory, hard drive, battery life), but the Dell has a much higher resolution, better, screen. In my opinion, the Dell takes that competition handily.

Focusing on the XPS 12, this is a terrific piece of hardware, with a lot of pros, and only a few significant cons.

Summarizing,

Pros:

Beautiful super high resolution 1920x1080 12.5" screen

Very high build quality

Terrific innovative screen that rotates in the frame to go from laptop/keyboard to tablet configuration

Very responsive with even the base configuration of an Intel I5 processor and 4Gb memory

Incredibly fast boot time (10-15 seconds)

Very good keyboard

Responsive touchscreen which operates in both laptop and tablet modes

Fast SSD drive in all configurations

Decent webcam (1.3mp)

Light, portable charging cable.

Bluetooth, Wireless N (5 + 2.4Ghz)

Backlit keys on keyboard

Eh:

Battery life is 5-5.5 hours.

Weight is 3.5 pounds, which isn't heavy, but isn't super light for a 12.5" laptop. A bit heavy feeling in tablet mode

Speakers are predictably mediocre for a small laptop

Base configuration has only a 128Gb SSD hard drive. However, the hard drive IS user replaceable.

Cons:

No HDMI or VGA port. Only a graphics mini displayport, which means you will need to carry a mini displayport -> HDMI or VGA adapter if you want to use this for business or with a TV/external monitor.

Memory is soldiered to motherboard and is not upgradeable. Fortunately, even the base configuration 4Gb of memory is more than sufficient.

Only two USB ports (both USB 3.0, however)

Battery is not easily user swapped/replacable

No built in media card reader. If you want to the SD card from your camera, you'll need to carry an external reader.

No GPS

Of the cons, the worst, in my opinion, is the fact that the battery is not easily swapped/replaced. While the 5-5.5 hour run time is pretty respectable, one can expect battery life to diminish over time, and I am not looking forward to dealing with that eventuality. Also, I like to carry a spare battery to swap out for long trips. That's not possible here.

Having struggled with various underpowered Android based tablets, including the Asus TF301/keyboard dock, I can say that using the XPS 12 in tablet mode is like a huge weight has been lifted. The XPS 12 screams when surfing the web, which is something I can't say about any Android (or Mac) tablet I've used--and I've used a lot of them.

People have complained about the lack of apps in the Windows 8 app store--and it's true that the Windows 8 app store is pretty anemic compared to Andoid or Mac. But some of the most important apps are there (Skype, Netflix, etc.) and it's still growing. There are enough to make using the tablet mode acceptable now...and the responsiveness provided by the Intel I5 processor makes it a pleasure to use.

There are a few configuration options available for the XPS 12, all related to the processor (a few speeds of I5 and I7), memory (4Gb or 8Gb) and hard drive size (128Gb or 256Gb). My recommendation: Any of the available processor speeds will be more than acceptable and the difference between the I5 and I7 processors for almost any user will be negligible. Similarly, most users will not need the 8Gb of memory. Windows 8 runs perfectly fine on 4Gb of memory. Unless you plan on running memory hog processes (advanced video editing, certain scientific apps, etc.) you won't need the extra memory. If you do need the extra memory, however, you need to order the laptop with 8Gb installed from the factory, as the memory is not user-upgradeable (it's soldiered to the motherboard...grrr...) A larger hard drive than the 128Gb SSD that comes installed on the base model is definitely a nice feature. But the hard drive IS user replaceable, and the incremental cost of getting the 256Gb mSata SSD from Dell is more than it would be to buy that 256Gb mSata SSD on the aftermarket and clone your 128Gb drive onto it. (You will also wind up with a spare 128Gb drive that way). Unless you are scared of the idea of hard drive cloning/migration, I'd recommend that path. Please note that this laptop uses the mSata configuration hard drive, rather than a full sized SSD to save space. mSata drives tend to be a bit more expensive than standard SSD drives.

Overall, this is a terrific laptop, and buying the least expensive configuration version is, for most, the recommended route.

Best Deals for Dell XPS 12 Convertible Ultrabook Laptop Tablet i5-3317U 4GB 128GB

Very nice, compact 12.5" laptop. Touchscreen is responsive and has a full size keyboard. The keyboard separates this from the Microsoft Surface and many other conversion products, which have small, abnormal keyboards. Overall, the laptop is fast and loads programs and apps quickly. The startup time is awesome thanks to the SSD hard drive.

Out of the laptop / tablet conversion products this is definitely one of the best. It is not perfect and here are my only complaints. First, it does not support SD cards, which I was able to overlook by buying a new micro USB jump drive. The new ones hardly stick out of the computer preventing them from damage, so this will solve the problem unless you need multiple USB ports for other things. Another negative is the lack of an HDMI output. I used this very often on my old computer when traveling. It is great to put movies on the computer and play through the TV in hotels. However, you can purchase a cable to convert the mini-display port (correction) to HDMI for less than $20. (Update: I found the cable on Ebay for less than $4). This solves that problem. The final issue I have with the XPS 12 is the weight. At 3.5 pounds, it is fairly light laptop but a very heavy tablet. This prevents it from being a great tablet or conversion product. Don't get me wrong it still works as a tablet, and I use it as a tablet while laying around or traveling. I must say it is very nice to only have to carry one device while traveling!

Overall, this is a great product. With the ability to flip the screen and turn it into a tablet, it separates it from others. It is faster than any tablet and works as well as most ultrabooks. If it was a bit lighter, it would be amazing! Some people say it isn't worth the price. To me, it is. I no longer need a tablet and a laptop. In fact, I sold my tablet and my netbook, which paid for more than half of this device. I would definitely recommend. I also looked at the Asus Taichi. I chose this device solely due to the poor battery life on the Asus.

Honest reviews on Dell XPS 12 Convertible Ultrabook Laptop Tablet i5-3317U 4GB 128GB

I researched this laptop for six months before purchasing the same configuration from Dell for less.

It is difficult to separate a review of the laptop itself from a review of Windows 8. Windows 8 is the next step so I figured I might as well get used to it. If I had to review it after one day I would have given it one star because of the learning curve. A week later I absolutely love Windows 8.

The laptop itself is awesome.

Pros:

Touchscreen is very responsive in laptop and tablet mode. (I downloaded all recommended driver updates and patches from Dell a couple of days after receiving it.)

Keyboard is the best I've ever typed on and a comfortable size. Backlit keys are a must, since my old XPS spoiled me; the onscreen keyboard is a pleasure to use.

The beautiful display, at 1080p, was another must. Pinch to zoom works great, so it is simple to zoom in if everything appears too small.

In the Windows 8 environment zoomed images are crisp and clear. I have small fingers so I have no trouble using the touchscreen without zooming in most of the time. In the desktop environment, which looks and behaves like Windows 7, it is possible to adjust the size of icons and font to make it more readable, which I found necessary to do.

Very light for a laptop, (compared to my 7lb, 17 inch studio XPS), and practical as a tablet. Not having to buy a tablet plus a new laptop made this

purchase highly practical. I do rest it on my lap or a surface due to the weight, but it is better than any tablet I've seen.

Extremely fast boot up. Connecting to the internet only seems to take long (30 seconds) because the laptop is on instantly (10 seconds).

Impressive to look at...Rotating screen elicits ooohs and aaahs.

Acceptable battery life.

Cons:

Touchpad is temperamental. Not sure if its just me, but it does different things, or nothing at all, although I tap in the same place the

same way. However, I mostly use the touchscreen (which is the point), with a mouse. (A Bluetooth mouse is the best option to leave USB ports open.)

This laptop is stingy with USB ports. Connecting an external DVD drive, like the ASUS External Slim Black 8X DVD-RW Stylish Diamond Cut Design Optical Drive SDRW-08D2S-U/BLK/G/AS uses both ports. I could have lived without the external battery level indicator if I had another USB port.

Observations:

Without a touchscreen I imagine Windows 8 could be frustrating to use. With a touchscreen and a couple of days to learn, Windows 8 is fun.

This laptop was made for Windows 8 and vice versa. Although there is no SD card port this is not an issue as there are all kinds of inexpensive external readers.

I would not recommend this as an only computer. I still own a laptop with large storage capacity; as well as an external storage drive for all my photos and videos.

Initially, a Dell rep I chatted with told me this was too much computer for me, (they are probably right but who says ordinary folks can't enjoy a cool machine like this one?)

Recommendation:

If you have the extra money to spend, this is the only convertible laptop worth it.

Update: 8/4

Started having issues with internet dropping out only on public wifi and touchscreen not responding, after about two months of use. Called Dell: Tech remotely downloaded some patches I did not see the first time and fixed both issues as well as the trackpad issue I was having. Enjoy my xps 12 more than ever now and have not identified any other issues. In fact I find myself using my old laptop less when I am at home.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Dell XPS 12 Convertible Ultrabook Laptop Tablet i5-3317U 4GB 128GB

I've only had the XPS 12 for a week and so far, I'm impressed. Everything works great. I've had no trackpad issues at all. I got the i5-4gb version and due to the SSD, it works as well as my old XPS L502X (i7, 8gb) and that's saying a lot. WiFi is very good (tested speeds at home/work & I'm getting higher speeds than all my other devices). Flip screen & overall build is solid -feels sturdy, not cheap (long lasting). Keyboard feels good, not cramped & its back lit. Speakers are surprisingly good IMO. On the net, I watched several reviews with the only complaints being 1) the trackpad, which is working nicely for me and 2) too heavy as a tablet -sure, it's not an iPad but I didn't expect it to be. Still, very nice though. For those who have not used Windows 8, it takes a bit of getting used to (but easy). Best way I can describe it -it's like having two operating systems (Win7 & Win8). Another plus -minimal bloatware. There are other options out there -ie. -smaller tablets like the Surface (you'll have to buy a keyboard & accessories) or other convertibles like the Lenovo Yoga (keyboard is unprotected when flipped, feels odd). This may not be for everyone, but it fits the bill for me, like it a lot.

**UPDATE 5/25/13***

I've used the XPS 12 over a month and everything works great. I paired it with a Toshiba Dynadock (running two extra screens, wireless keyboard/mouse, printer/scanner, Ethernet & extra USB 3.0s) and it's great in Desktop mode. As mentioned above, I'm very pleased. Excellent portability, solid tablet & wonderful desktop. I use it for everything -work & personal. Love it.

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Customer Ratings:

I wanted 1920x1080 resolution in a thin and light with Sata III, USB 3.0 and HDMI 1.4. The choices were this, this and this. It's a very good system all in all. I highly recommend using an SSD such as an OCZ Vertex 3. The computer boots 3x faster with an SSD. I deducted a star because of the difficulty of upgrading parts (memory, hard drive, etc). It is not as simple as removing a few screws. You can easily damage the unit in doing so.

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I purchased a Dell laptop for my son from Amazon and this seller filled the order. A few weeks later the laptop died, either a bad power supply or motherboard. I called Dell to initiate a warranty claim, and they told me this machine was registered to someone else. The seller claims that was impossible and send it back to them. I did, and they replaced it with another unit. (Which was a long drawn out process with a lot of broken english involved)

So I receive the replacement and a few weeks later it dies as well, Dell accepts the registration but says it will not warranty because it is a USED LAPTOP. At this point I've paid for the item plus shipping it for repair twice and the seller will not cover anything.

SUMMARY: They sell used faulty equipment and represent it as new. Amazon's "A-Z" claim has done the Z part on this one ZERO, They have not even so much as given me a status update. Save yourself the aggravation and buy locally. These guys are scamming people.