Sony VAIO VPC-EE31FX/BJ 15.5-Inch Laptop (Black) Review

Customer Ratings:

I just got this laptop for $448 at Walmart and I love it. It looks a lot more expensive than it is, has more than enough power for everyday use and is loaded with features wireless Wi-Fi, webcam, 4 USB ports, HDMI, Sony assist feature for troubleshooting and maintaining the laptop and more. Coming from a 12 inch screen, the 15.6 inch screen is like looking at a flat screen TV. The speaker volume is nice and loud. It is realatively light weight, but at 5.9 lbs heavier than many. I do wish the battery life was longer. But so far, I'm lovin it.

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I purchased an Hp almost 2yrs ago. The motherboard went out on me twice, all though I was happy with my turion 64 dual core, I needed something more stable and I was done with HP at that point. After doing some research, I read that Athlons are actually best in desktop computers because they use more power but are faster than turions. When I compared the specs they seemed pretty equivalent to my old HP laptop which ran great with Windows 7. I guess the big seller with the turions was the 1mb cach, which I took note that this computer has as well. This computer however uses DDR3 which is faster than DDR2. I had 3gb in my old laptop with ddr2 and this has 3gb of ddr3... I want to say this is faster but it really is not.

I almost feel my turion had more of a zing when doing a lot of multi-processing. But all in all for the price you can't beat it. I mean I purchased this exact computer over the summer at walmart for 590 and ended up taking it back because I wasn't ready to spend that much yet again on a laptop when I just spent 700 on my hp 2 yrs ago..

As most store bought computers the manufacturer tends to load it up with their garbage "helpful" software, which really only slows the machine down more. I would recommend removing that useless stuff, but hey, if it doesn't effect you than no need.

Final thoughts, if you can get this computer for $449 it's a great deal. Jump on it, if I had one big complaint vs my hp it'd be the sound. The speaker quality could be better but hey for $449 can't have it all..

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Do not be dissuaded by the reviews giving this laptop only one or two stars. Most of those complain about characteristics common to almost all new laptops, like the position of the keypad; or they are based on comparisons between apples and oranges.

I like the full keyboard including a separate numerical keypad. But, that means everything is shifted to the left. Most new laptops are configured this way. But, it is hard to rest the computer on my lap and use it without cramping my wrists to one side. In addition, the vent slots on the bottom of the computer are placed so that there is no place I can rest the computer on my left knee without covering some of the vents. I have resolved both of these problems by placing a piece of Plexiglass on my lap and resting the computer on it. The computer felt hot on the bottom near the vents when I rested it on my lap, but when I rest it on the Plexiglass, it still feels cool, even after hours of use. The Plexiglass support also allows me to shift the placement of the computer so that I do not need to cramp my wrists to one side. I usually have this piece of Plexiglas with me to use as a writing board, anyway.

I am trying to restrict my comments to an evaluation of this computer without drifting into a review of Windows 7. Having said that, I used a computer with Vista on it and did not like Vista. Somehow, I am finding Windows 7 to be very nice, even though there are strong similarities between them. Already I have found some things easier to find and do than on Windows XP, like add a second keyboard configuration.

The keyboard is nicely responsive. The display is crisp and clear, even on battery. My old HP laptop went to a less bright display on battery. I have allowed the battery to go down until the low battery warning appeared, but did not time how long battery life is. I am guessing it is around three hours.

I am pleased that the larger, wider "letter box" format still allows the computer to fit into the bag I used earlier to carry my old laptop.

The touchpad can be programmed so that a tap to the upper left corner functions just like a right mouse button. It has taken a while, but I have finally learned how to find the right spot quickly. I let my finger slide over the corner around the touchpad and then lightly onto the touchpad. Then I simply raise my finger and the menus prompted by the right mouse button appear. I have also found the touchpad responds to the padded area below the tip of my index finger better than to the tip of my finger. There is no need to tap hard on the touchpad. It responds to electrical capacitance between it and your finger.

I know there are problems for synchronizing Palm Handhelds with Windows 7, since Palm handhelds ceased to be available well before Windows 7 was introduced. I was able to download a free copy of Palm Desktop Software, version 6.2 and it runs well on this laptop. My handheld is a Sony Clie' and I have a Sony Memory Stick card for backing up all of its data. My Sony Vaio computer has slots for memory cards, but neither of them accepts a Sony Memory Stick. My Clie' does not synchronize with the Palm desktop software, but I can export my Palm files to a thumb drive and load them onto my Sony laptop. To update calendar items without making duplicate entries, I delete the user name which deletes all entries. Then I can enter my user name again and load updated Palm files.

I do not play games, but surf the Internet and do word processing. The keyboard is very comfortable for continuous touch typing. This computer has plenty of power for what I do.

I know some have had difficulty installing a printer on computers using Windows 7, but I had no trouble at all. I am finding this is a great laptop. Surfing the 'Net is faster on the same wireless connection I have been using now for a couple of years.

I had some problems a few days after I got this computer. SONY's support people were very polite and helpful. I documented everything with e-mails to technical support. After a while it became clear to them that my hard drive was failing. They told me a local technician would contact me and replace the hard drive. He came to my house within the specified time frame promised by the technical service people. He also left the software installation discs. Those are a $40 item if purchased on-line. Hard drives are like water pumps on automobiles. They can last a long time, or they can fail shortly after installation. (I once had a new water pump fail within its first 100 miles.)

Overall, I am pleased with this computer. I have been using it for more than a year since the installation of the new hard drive. Not only has it been flawless, but it is a delight to use.

Honest reviews on Sony VAIO VPC-EE31FX/BJ 15.5-Inch Laptop (Black)

With a $400.00 budget I compared two laptops from W-mart, an Acer Aspire 7714Z-4643 with an Intel Pentium P6100 for $358.20 and the Sony VAIO VPCEE31FX/BJ AMD Athlon P340 for $403.20 both with 3GB of RAM. The Acer is a great deal and spec-wise is superior of the two with L3 cache and an excellent 17.3" screen in a very slim design.

I am not a gamer although I wanted something responsive and the Pentium 6100 with the L3 cache clearly benchmarks faster than the Athlon P340 but the VAIO uses ATI Radeon 4250 graphics. After using both laptops the Acer booted up noticeably faster although the VAIO appeared to perform more smoothly overall. They were both very responsive for my needs which are mainly to browse the web, use MS Word and Excel (The Starter Edition that does not expire is included), watch videos and listen to music from MS Media Center with the ability to multitask well.

I ended up keeping the VAIO because of the build quality, excellent island style keyboard with 10-key, great touchpad, and the included Sony software which I found very useful and enjoyable to use. One feature I like is Sony's VAIO Gate that conveniently places your favorite icons easily available from a neat drop down menu at the top of the screen.

The numeric keypad is great to have even though the touchpad will be off-centered, there's no way around it unless you want your left index finger at the [J] key and the right one at the [ ;] key on the home row. The VAIO 10-key configuration for a laptop is easy to adjust to and very efficient after just a short period of use.

Having installed Norton 360 internet security the VAIO still performs very well with no noticeable slowdown.

PROS:

+ Athlon P340 is plenty fast and responsive even without L3 cache.

+ Excellent build quality and feel.

+ Great screen with ATI Catalyst control center software for adjustments.

+ Comfortably responsive keyboard and touchpad.

+ I personally like Sony's software.

CONS:

Weak speakers. (bought a Logitech Z-305 sound bar which is amazing)

Only 3GB of RAM.

Glossy palm rest shows smudges and finger prints.

Textured touchpad has good feel but bumps may wear out over time.

Price is higher than the competition for relative specs although VAIO build quality is better.

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I have had this computer for about 16 months. It has been buggy from day 1, but I assumed it was a Windows 7 thing since it was relatively new when I bought the computer. I have finally decided it must be this computer. It won't shut down unless you force it to due to some Sony program running in the background. I have tried to figure out how to shut it off to no avail. The DVD drive has gone bad, the power cord has gone bad, and it randomly shuts down periodically. What a $500 lemon! Stay AWAY! I'm going back to Dell

Review of Acer Aspire S5-391-6495 13.3-Inch Ultrabook (Black)

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $999.99
Sale Price: $699.99
Today's Bonus: 30% Off

Excellent product. It has an excellent cost benefit. It is light, the operating system starts very quickly and is very beautiful.

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Wow! Does this thing ever suck. Black screen, refuses to let you login, freezes at frequent intervals, hard to navigate from screen to screen. Add the egregious Windows 8 into the mix and you have a computer that is virtually impossible to use. Oh, and be sure to call support and be sold a totally useless service contract! These people deserve to go out of business. Minus five stars.

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PRO...

weight, super light and pretty user friend to tote around

DOES hook up to the Apple thunderbolt screen, not easy to find for a ultrabook

guess, overall it's "fine"

CON...

HATE the windows 8

the backspace button is jacked

the overall feel of the computer is kinda plasticy

Overall, my company gave me the choice of picking a PC or MAC, in retrospect, I should have just got the MAC, pretty much same price and called it a day. :(

Reviews of HP 15.6" Pavilion dv6-3025dx Entertainment 4GB Laptop 500GB

Customer Ratings:

I bought this laptop from best buy in early September of 2010. I would have given it 4 stars, but after only a month of use it quit working. I think the graphics card may have overheated. The system lights would come on but nothing showed up on the screen. Also it happened overnight when the laptop was on, but not in use.

Luckily hp fixed it free of charge and it is working great now. The ram, hd space, and processor are all really great and pretty fast for the price of this laptop. My only complaint is that the graphics card only has 128 mb of dedicated memory which is not great. Luckily the proccessor makes up for it and i can still play most new games on low settings. Older games work fine.

Also the track pad is a pain and not comfortable to use. you just have to push down a little bit to hard to click. Fingerprint scanner works great, and also the HDMI output is great to watch high def movies on a tv.

Overall its a good buy but if youre into gaming or other graphic applications get a laptop with less hd space, a slower processor, but a better graphics card.

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I have had nothing but problems with this laptop. The hard drive crashed and I had a friend who replaced it for me. Now the battery is bad and needs replaced. That is with only occasional use and minimal downloading. I also bought my sister the same computer and hers doesn't even work anymore! Piece of junk and wish I had never bought it.

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An Awesome laptop with possibly the WORST touchpad on the planet...I mean i haven't been able to type one whole sentence for 6 months now without having it get erased or minimized...It seems that the body of the computer senses palm heat and makes the pointer jump all over...Don't listen to the people that tell you that you can fix it through settings...because you can't...It's actually a two handed touchpad and I have forgotten the good old days of using one hand to navigate...I actually use two hands...one to navigate and one to push the left button...While writing this review I actually had to rewrite it twice and maximize google chrome 4 times...I swear it's as if the people that designed it weren't even thinking about testing while they were in development. ..Because if they did they wouldn't have put it on the market like this...Laptop speed and extras...A++++...

Laptop touchpad....A horrible F MINUS!!!

Best Acer Aspire S7-391-9427 13.3-Inch Touchscreen Ultrabook (White) Deals

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $1,549.99
Sale Price: $1,145.99
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The Aspire S7 line has quite a few models with flavors of processors, screen size, and what not. One of the newer models is the 9427 iteration. I have used it for about 3 weeks now, and the S7 is a very well designed product, well thought out, and durable. The aluminum chassis is a things of beauty and durability, making the ultrabook lightweight as well, 2.8lbs. The bottom is a tough plastic or polycarbonate which is well designed and looks very good. The cooling vents were well thought out, the hot air is pushed out the back, so using the laptop on your lap is very comfortable with no heat buildup. The S7 9427 comes with network 10/100MB and HDMI to VGA dongles, along with a leather like carrying bag, and a Bluetooth mouse. These added goodies are very welcomed in this kit. There are some major plus sides to this Ultrabook, but a few flaws, such as life no thing of beauty is not without those. The bullet list to be concise:

Pro's:

Fast Processer i7 2.0

4GB RAM

256GB SSD

Dolby sound, awesome speakers, great placement on the sides

HD 10 point touch screen, accurate and mind blowing resolution

2.8lbs

2 USB 3.0 ports

HDMI

Gorilla Glass

Illuminated Keyboard

Middle: Battery life has been around 4.5 hours with wifi on, on balanced mode do not believe anyone telling you the life is 6-7 hours. You will not see that with normal use and wifi on. One of the points for accessories, the Acer store has a second battery that screws in on the bottom which is flat, contoured, and has a battery life indicator on the side. It adds on about 3-4 hours, when used as reported on the Acer forums from people that have bought them, looks very nice it fit and form. I am purchasing one, price is $149.

Con's:

SD slot has the SD card sticking out, it does not click in. Not major, but should click in all the way.

Fans get loud at times, but this can be adjusted by software settings. Make sure to have the latest BIOS update.

Accupad, touchpad, (or whatever you want to call it) can be a little annoying with the clicks takes a little getting used to however, no accupad has been flawless even MBA. The Elan software can be adjusted for the swipes, clicks, and gestures though.

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Most people buying this computer are the type of people seeking the best of the best. This computer meets those expectations in many ways so I will give it 4 stars DESPITE the appalling "secret" I am about to reveal:

The USB to Ethernet "goodie" dongle included with this computer is USB 2.0 and not USB 3.0!!

You might not think it would make much of a difference, but you would be wrong. When I bought a USB 3.0 to Ethernet adapter (for approx. $30) my speed when wired went from 24 MBPS to 36+ MBPS. In fact, no matter what time of day or night I use my computer now, the wired speed never falls below 36 MBPS -whereas before I felt thankful to get 24 MBPS (sometimes it would drop as low as 16 MBPS!). So, a more than 50% difference in wired internet speed.

What a deceiving trick! To buy a top of the line computer, pay top dollar, and then be given a hand-me-down USB 2.0 chip set adapter for Ethernet as a supposed "goodie" when the computer itself is wired for USB 3.0. To confirm it's a USB 2.0 adapter versus being a USB 3.0 adapter, go to your device manager while your included (and outdated) "free" Acer Ethernet adapter is plugged in. That will tell you.

Shame on you, ACER.

UPDATE RE FISHY PRICING AS OF 4/1/13:

I got this computer for $1,456 (the price at that time was fluctuating daily between that price and its current $1,539). So, I'm wondering if Square Trade and Amazon have some sort of deal going....because the moment the price drops below $1,500 the cost of the Square Trade warranty drops from $299 to $181 for the exact same coverage. Fishy, fishy price fixing. BUT -THE COMPUTER OVERALL IS GREAT... even with its flaws. At this point in time, you literally can't find better.

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Myhard drive died after 5 weeks and now the laptop does not boot up. Acer does not have a support center in each state, you have to call the Support number in India and then send the product at your cost to their center in Austin Texas for repair. This by all means is the worst quality laptop I have ever purchased. While the design is good there are too many 'advertising induced' gadgets loaded as part of an OS which already has many security issues.

The hardware design is great, the quality extremely poor and the support horrible. Do not purchase this product and look at other brands. $1700.00 all in in addition to Office Tools, 5 weeks of transfering and loading all the applications from WIndows 7 to Windows 8 with hardware failure. What a disaster!

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I have been using the S7 for about 3 days now and love it! the touchscreen is fantastic with Win 8. The keyboard is a little shallow but you get used to it. No problem with the wi-fi like some have mentioned. The only thing I would have liked to see is longer battery life. Also I purchased the Targus USB 3.0 Dual Video Docking Station and it works great with the S7; super helpful with my dual monitors and other peripherals

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Pros: This is a great ultra portable rig. I got it from another website because I had a gift card and I'm so glad I did!

1) It is fast and SO thin but feels sturdy in your hand.

2) The screen is crisp and has great viewing angles and brightness. The touchscreen is a little gimmicky right now but if Windows 8 ever gets some good apps then maybe it'll make it more useful.

3) The keyboard is awesome and easy and comfortable to type on.

4) The SSD's in raid 0 are crazy fast.

5) The sound from the speakers is much louder than I expected coming from the bottom of the machine but can get muddled if you're playing it on your lap on something soft like in bed.

6) Wi-Fi problems have been fixed and runs very smooth.

Cons: These cons are very small to me but there are a few:

1) The trackpad is a little flaky as well as the gestures but the gestures work great on the touchscreen its self

2) Fans can get a little loud in hotter environments but that's to be expected when you cram so much power into such a tiny frame

3) Intel 4000 graphics aren't great but you're not buying this as a desktop replacement

Other Thoughts: It can run games like WoW and Diablo 3 on medium at 1080 but that's now what you buy this for so that's just a bonus. If you're looking for one of (if not the) thinnest and lightest computers that can actually do work then you've found it.

Toshiba Satellite L505-S5993 TruBrite 15.6-Inch Grey/Black Laptop Review

Customer Ratings:

This is my first laptop. I was shopping on black Friday, have heard great things about Toshiba laptops, and they had this one for 499.00 so I said what the heck and got it! I also ordered a wireless router. A few days later the box came and I could not be happier. The best thing about is the the display. It is very sharp, bright, and clear. The keyboard is nice as well. I can't stand the touchpad, but I think that's a common problem with all laptops. I immediately went out and bought a wireless mouse to use with it. The sound is not great either, but again, I think that's common with laptops. It seems pretty sturdy, and runs cool. It does not get hot, and the fan doesn't even run when the ambient temp is around 65 degrees. Setting up the wireless network was a breeze, and when I started up the laptop, it found the signal immediately, and never loses it. The computer is very fast and I have not had one problem. Very satisfied..and wow what a great price I got--this is a well equipped laptop.

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I had looked for a while for a laptop after my desktop died and the Toshiba L505 series was one of my finalists. It has not disappointed me and at the price ($499) for the specs (4g ram/500g HD)it has been the a great machine.

One plus with this machine is that it came with very little "bloatware"Norton trial, Microsoft Office 2007 trial, and some games. So, if you buy this machine at a "Box Store" don't let them con you into optimization for an extra $50-$100, you can do recovery disks and bloatware removal on your own.

The only downside is I really wish it had an HDMI output for streaming movies to my flat screen from places like Amazon, but the VGA or USB output will have to suffice.

No HDMI is only reason I didn't give it 5 stars, other machines in this range offer it and hope Toshiba will soon.

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This is my second laptop and my first was Toshiba too. The first one stayed with me for Four years and did start to die.

So I decided to purchase this during the Black Friday Deal and the price was seducing! I got it a few days ago and wow!

This laptop is worth every dollar! The only thing you might consider before purchasing is that the battery doesn't stay too long when unplugged. If you need it for home use then this is it and at an amazing price!

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This is my 3rd laptop, 2nd Toshiba. I got one of these on Black Friday for my son, and just ordered another for myself. I love Win 7! There is very little preloaded crap to remove and it is super fast. Having the numeric keypad on the side and an amazing screen add to its sheer awesomeness. The touchpad is ultra cool. I must agree with other reviewers that the sound is lacking, but I did not purchase the laptop to be my primary music player so I still gave it 5 stars. I was shocked when I first closed the laptop, being used to ones that latch. This one doesn't latch and the tension hinge (which keeps it closed in lieu of a latch) wants to slam shut in the last few inches, whereas those that latch have to be pushed all the way closed. It survived that rough close and my 1st Toshiba, four months old and running great for my college student, survived a 3 foot drop onto carpet. If a Toshiba can survive me, it has my loyalty.

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I bought this machine 2 weeks ago to replace an old personal eMachines laptop, I use an IBM Thinkpad for work. This computer stacks up nicely compared to all the other laptops I've used. First, the screen is very bright and vivid. I love the number pad, it's great not having to hunt and peck for the numbers across the top of the keys. Without a doubt, the memory and RAM are great at this price point. Unfortunately, I didn't get the great deal some others did, but even at $579, it's still a good value. I've already loaded up my iTunes and other applications and it runs smoothly and quickly. It was a breeze to set up.

The only draw back is the touch pad, as others have mentioned. When I bought it, I'd read some reviews that pointed to the frustrations this thing caused, but I figured people were just being picky. They weren't it stinks. First it's a bit hard to see, but that's not such a big deal. The real issue is the application. I've gone in and adjusted the settings every which way possible, I can't get it to function as I want. I ultimately turned off the tapping function (way too sensitive at every setting) and I'm still not happy. I find myself using the pad and it randomly adjusts the zoom level of the screen. I've no doubt that this issue can be resolved with some setting, but I can't find it.

To summarize, the touchpad is bad enough to take away 1 star, but the pros far outweigh this con, especially if you use an external mouse. Do your research, you probably won't find a machine with this much to offer at a similar price point.

Cheap Hewlett Packard G7-1318DX Dual-Core A4-3305M Accelerated Processor

Customer Ratings:

I can truly say that I'm really happy that I made the purchase and the Seller was awesome! This HP laptop has excellent graphics and the sound is very good on it! I made the purchase because I already own an HP 15.6 inch laptop and I just wanted this one as a back up for that one and I really like 17 inch screens because everything is bigger and brighter...lol. I really enjoy it, it's built very well and it's similar to my other HP. The battery life is fine and I have absolutely no complaints. I am so glad that I bought it because HP along with Acer in my opinion makes really good computers! You will not go wrong with purchasing this HP G7-1318DX Dual-Core A4-3305M Laptop!

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would be nice if they had sent a start up disk along with the unit. Norton either was attacked or just stopped working and now the computer is full of viruses. Tried several things to clean it up but at this point it is too far gone for that to work. the only option now is to reboot the OS and manage connections much better.

Got an email back from. The seller telling me to contact the manufacturer to resolve the issue. They are the ones that sold this unit. They are the ones that got the money. So anyone wanting to purchase o refurbished computer from this company please look anywhere else. ANYWHERE

Reviews of Celio REDFLY C8N

Customer Ratings:

If you have a compatible smartphone, this is the handiest accessory you can have. In a package of less than 2 pounds and measuring 6 x 9 x 1 inches, you have the logical extension for your smartphone, giving you a very sharp 8 inch screen, a suprisingly usable keyboard, two USB slots that can be used to hold flash drives.

You connect your smartphone via a USB cable or Bluetooth and you have everything you need to do your business. Essentially, you've just tied a dumb terminal to your smartphone. There's no software to load, no settings to fiddle with, no hassles or problems.

Your smartphone screen is now on the 8" Redfly screen. Instead of the miniscule keyboard on your smartphone, you use the surprisingly capable Redfly keyboard. (I'm not sure of how they did it, but the less-than-full-size Redfly keyboard doesn't feel cramped to my large hands.)Connectivity and application software are supplied by your smartphone.

Quite frankly, the Redfly allows you to go without your laptop on many occasions. You can use Windows Mobile Office or pick up one of several office-like applications that are more powerful. Adobe Acrobat Reader (or a third party programs) allows you to readPDF files comfortably. You can browse with your smartphone's install of Internet Explorer, Opera, Skyfire or other browser.

It is a pure hoot to use this two pound wonder. You can throw it into a small bag and carry it everywhere. The idea of harnessing the power of your smartphone, leveraging its connectivity, built-in computing power and applications. Plug in a flash drive, which are now available in 64GB capacities, and there's little in the way of typical productivity work you can't get done.

The rechargeable battery will last 8 9 hours on a charge and recharge your smartphone over a USB connection.

Are there drawbacks? Yes. You are limited to the capabilities of your smartphone, so viewing online Flash movies will most likely be out of the question and your smartphone processor may not be anywhwere near as speedy as you would like when you are banging out a long memo. The battery is not removable: there are people who need even more than 8 or so hours on a charge. The power adapter does not have foldable prongs which makes it unnecessarily difficult to pack in a carrying bag.

Beyond that, the Redfly comes close to being an act of technological brilliance. It takes advantage of the increasing power of smartphones and makes them more usable, without making the technology more complex. Nice move!

My review, by the way, is based on the C8 model, which is the same as the C8N except for the plug-in video import capability.

Jerry

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What can I say about the RedFly. This is a ingenious product. It makes so much sense to harness the power of a smartphone and display it on a nice big screen with a full size keyboard for input.

The great thing about it is that you dont have to buy any software. You don't have to worry about loosing data or having hard disks crash. You don't have to worry about viruses or keeping anit virus software up to date. You don't have to worry about fire walls. You always have a good fast free Internet connection (though your smartphone). You always have your data with you (in your phone) even when you don't have your Redfly with you.

This thing is real well made. Its built like a tank and has better build quality than my Dell laptop. The battery life is incredible and it keeps my smartphone battery topped off at the same time. It takes about 1 second to boot up (try that on your netbook). The bluetooth connection is instant, fast, and stable.

I could go on and on but I think you get the idea. Lately I have been enjoying watching movies through my ipod touch on the Redfly big screen. Very slick!

Bottom line is that you have a good smartphone there is no reason anymore to carry a big heavy, expensive laptop. Get a Redfly and lighten your load!

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I have been looking for a (reliable) way of getting a larger screen and keyboard for my Windows mobile phone for a LONG time. Celio delivers here with a very well thought out device with great customer service! (take advantage of the complimentary 15 min overview).

Being a network admin requires near 24x7 access to the network. Not having to lug my laptop around wherever I go (and much cheaper than paying for cellular modem card) is wonderful!

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this is a very well made and thought out product. it is perfect for the traveler or even someone who doesnt travel but doesnt want to lug a laptop around with them. I use it for taking notes in college classes and it's amazing battery life is very handy. very handy and thoughtfully designed product.

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NOT SO FAST. The Redfly Companion my not work as expected depending on your security settings. Most companies are moving to a more secure mode of connectivity with their pone products. This means your Smart Phone Bluetooth setting cannot be set to "Discoverable" mode. Therefore, the Redfly paring is a one-way street not allowing the phone to discover it like other Bluetooth accessories. Because of this you cannot pair your Redfly to work un-tethered. Most inconvenient. However, if you don't mind having your phone hooked up with the USB cable, go for it.

Review of HP ProBook 4545s 15.6" Inch Notebook PC, AMD Dual-Core A6-4400M

Customer Ratings:

Purchased this 4545s ProBook at TigerDirect, $500, using Amazon for their gurarantee's 12/25/12.

Bought because: value for the money, non-gloss screen, both Windows 7 pro and Windows 8 operating systems included.

Works well.

Spent some time uninstalling the not needed "extras" HP supplied. Going to have to talk with Microsoft about product key because there is no COA on this machine.

One irritating point: touchpad was a bit centered for tapping. You have to tap more toward the center of the pad than other laptops. I "fixed" this by uninstalling the HP touchpad software. It becomes "normal". If you want the two finger stuff, go over to Synaptics and get the latest download.

Will report back when/if there is anything more to report.

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Great laptop and Tigerdirect is a great company. They are responsive if there is an issue and want you to get your product and this product is great. Fast loading, good screen resolution. Not sure about the camera yet as I haven't tried it. The touchpad isn't that great though. Get a mouse. That is my only complaint though. Everything else is great though

Best Deals for HP ProBook 4545s 15.6" Inch Notebook PC, AMD Dual-Core A6-4400M

Shocked that I ordered this laptop from TigerDirect on Wednesday afternoon and my kids were setting it up on Thursday afternoon! Less then 24 hr from ordering to delivery. That is what I call lightning fast delivery.

Purchased it for my Freshmen College student. She is thrilled, as are the rest of the family. The only problem is it Doesn't seem to Come Pre Loaded with Office 2010 as described. So now I must spend additional money that I wasnt prepared to spend.

Aside from that. The silver finish is sharp. The audio is OK. I Was looking for anti Glare & this display is excellent IMO. We have owned several Laptops but this is our 1st HP. So far the kids have played DVD's, CD's, downloaded their favorite music and Skyped. Everything working perfectly. The Camera was awesome.

Only have it up and running for a little over a day but so far no complaints. At a sub $500 purchase price. This seems to be an excellent choice for my New College student. Just wish it came with Office 2010 as described.

EDITED REVIEW 08/10/13. Well after being so excited over this laptop. The bottom dropped out. Hard drive crashed within a week. Went thru the drill with HP tech only to be told to send it back to where I purchased it. Tigerdirect was terrific during the return process.

I decide to re-purchase the same computer. Two cant be bad! No not two in a row. 2nd laptop arrived lightning fast. Turned on the computer and it seemed to respond perfectly. Unfortunately over the next day or so. All the same problems began to arise.

The DVD slot had 2 be forced open. It took longer and longer 2 boot up.(up to several minutes) None of the USB ports were recognized. The speed of the computer slowed to a snails pace. Over and over it Constantly loaded upgrades. Something went wrong every time we booted it up. Spent another hr with HP tech going thru the drills. Guess what? Same thing! Hard Drive NG. The HP tech told me 2 send it back 2 the store.

Sent 2nd unit back. Again Tigerdirect.com was terrific but Im finished with this HP 4545s ProBook. Price was right. Specs were right. Didnt work. So disappointed.

Honest reviews on HP ProBook 4545s 15.6" Inch Notebook PC, AMD Dual-Core A6-4400M

I love this computer. It has so many little extras such as a fingerprint log in. So cool. I have had no problems with it at all. It runs fast and the fan is not loud at all like on my other lap top. Shipping was fast. I am very happy with this purchase.

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Not being a technologically advanced person, I knew I wanted to snatch up a Windows 7 before it is too late. But, I thought I also might want update this computer to Windows 8 at a later date. This computer offered both and I thought that would be a nice option. I will never load Windows 8 on this computer. I now know you have to have a touch screen to make Windows 8 user-friendly. This computer does not have that. This is a large computer in my opinion. It has a large screen and keyboard and is pretty heavy. I am not going to carry this computer, so I like that it is pretty substantial. I love typing on the keyboard.

Reviews of ASUS X55A-BCL092A Laptop Computer / 15.6-inch Display Screen

Customer Ratings:

I was super hard pressed to buy a laptop for my job, but pretty short on cash. I bought this laptop as a referb and got a decent deal on it.

Pros:

-Lightweight and compact. (I actually had to buy a smaller bag to carry it in even though it had the same screen size as my last laptop.)

-good for surfing the net

Cons:

-Low processing power/memory (I have a difficult time multi-tasking with this laptop. its pretty much a single task dedication machine)

-Only 2 USB ports

-No indicator lights for things like numlk or capslk

For the most part this laptop suffices as a basic running machine, but dont expect to much from it.

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I got this laptop for less than $300 and I love it. I just wish it came with operating instructions. I love the handwriting element,but can't find the pen that goes with it.

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My laptop isn't functioning as I expected nor meeting the standards describe in the advertisement. I unable to type in a web address into the server or write or send e-mails. This laptop is useless and I would like a refund or a new machine.

Cheap HP Pavilion dv5-1000us Entertainment Notebook PC

Customer Ratings:

I was very eager to get my HP Pavilion only to find that they all have an overheating problem that leads to a shot motherboard. Unfortunately even if you replace the motherboard the heating issue will not be repaired so you can look forward to replacing another motherboard until you buy a Mac in frustration. HP will not admit this is a design flaw and they need to address this so until then Bye-bye PC, Hello Mac.

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I bought this laptop just over 1.5 yrs ago, but finally decided it was time to write a review on this monstrosity.

I paid over one thousand dollars for this, and having had positive experiences with HP in the past I thought this would be the perfect laptop to lug around when starting University.

Okay, I will begin by saying that I hardly ever carry this laptop around, and usually keep it sat on my desk or use it while lying in bed. The few times I have traveled with it, it has been for short extents of time and I would carry it in a highly-padded computer bag. I am positive I took better care of my laptop than many people, however, I guess that doesn't change a thing if the laptop is already poorly made. I will now list the problems I have encountered in my DV5-1000us from the day I got it up until today (1.5 yrs later):

*The easy pad (touchpad) controls stopped working many times during my first few months of use, however, now work 99% of the time. One thing that has not changed, although I believe this is simply a design flaw is that you can't skip, pause, play, or stop songs on itunes unless you have the itunes window displaying immediately infront of you. Because of this, I deem these controls useless since it's just as easy to press any of these buttons simply from the itunes window. It is also very annoying when you want to control itunes, but can't simply use the touchpad.

*The sound card: This computer has an awful sound card simply because it continually turns on and off. I have a password-login which I must use to access my computer, but if the computer falls asleep, sometimes the sound card turns off which requires me to close and reopen my computer screen, relogin and then wait a minute for my computer to allow me to actually use it while it makes a loud engine sound. It's not that bad, but quite an annoying flaw.

*The keyboard:After a few weeks of using my laptop, the keyboard buttons would easily jam and sometimes the plastic holding them to the laptop would pop up and the keys would essentially "break." They all worked, however, many became loose or stiff after this.

---And today my keyboard simply stopped working, so I am now typing on a usb keyboard (which is actually much better than my laptop keyboard and it only cost $18!) I should mention that although this laptop cost over one thousand dollars, the keyboard is not water resistant and also easily attracts dirt under the keys. It cost nearly $400 to fix my laptop keyboard (and I live in the Silicon Valley right next to HP!), and simply put: This computer itself isn't even worth $300-$400!

*The "paint job" -when you open up this laptop you will see "small, smooth metal squares." These are painted on and can easily be chipped off -my laptop is a perfect example!

*The "mouse paint job" The mouse pad on this laptop is a great size and I love that it is centered, rather than placed to the side like in some other HP DV's and Toshiba Satellites, however one day I came home after class and while studying next to it, noticed that the mousepad was scorching hot. I figured, "Hey, it's an HP!" HOWEVER, just a few minutes later I go to browse the internet and notice the metal paint job on the left-hand cursor had BURNT OFF! This was only after around six months of use, and to this day nearly the entire left-hand cursor is burnt-black.

*The graphics card: You wouldn't think it would be bad, and it's not that bad...BUT it is a very cheap, OLD graphics card and can cause computer games to skip around.

*The INTERNET: I have LOST COUNT of how many times the internet on this computer has suddenly stopped working. You will be browsing the internet and WHAM! You will close the lid to your computer and come back to it and WHAM! No matter how or when it happens, this laptop will find a way to disconnect to the internet (another reason I should mention that I simply keep it in my apartment room). It is NOT easy to reconnect the internet when this happens. Especially if you do not have access to the router, it is basically trial-and-error each time this happens -and it happens quite frequently and usually waste a few hours trying to fix it. For some reason there is no solution to this problem, because one method can fix the internet one time, and not work at all the next! ---The touchpad wifi control sometimes can mess up and stay on "disconnected/orange" even if you try and try and try to enable it and make it blue. This is NOT a portable laptop, because many times it doesn't even pick up wireless points many other laptops do!

*The safety-rubber attached to the laptop IS ATTACHED WITH FREAKING ELMER'S GLUE!!! Okay, so maybe it's not...however, a few of the pieces of rubber placed on the very bottom and screen fall off. They literally will just melt off...You will feel something sticky and realize the rubber is melting off.

*built-in microphone of poor quality. I didn't even REALIZE this laptop had a built in microphone like my mom's new mac, simply because...It doesn't pick up sound unless you have your mouth to the screen -and how many people do that?!

*CD-rom sometimes doesn't function -you will insert a CD or DVD and be all stoked to listen or watch it when nothing pops up. You go to my computer>CD/DVD-drive to notice it hasn't picked up the fact you just put a cd or dvd in. Sometimes it says, "NO DVD/CD INSERTED." and jot-fully pop out the CD/DVD door as if you really needed that lol So again, you should restart your computer...and get used to it if you buy this...

Okay, I know i doesn't sound like alot, but trust me...these cons really get to you after a while, and I haven't even mentioned (although I think this happens to most HP's), all the things which stop working and error messages which randomly pop up.

I know this is a very LONG review, but if it stops you from buying this laptop or at least lets you know what you are getting yourself into, then I'm happy.

I WANT to like this computer, and put aside all of these issues...but I just can't. If this were a $300-$400 computer (the cost to fix my keyboard haha), then I might shrug it off as annoying as it is...but what ever happened to getting what you paid for?

I do not recommend this laptop to anyone and the only reason this review is so long is because the problems-list associated with the laptop...goes on and on. :/

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I've had this lap top for over a year now and I am impressed to say the least. I use this machine every day for hours at a time for work, school and personal use and it still works as good as the day I bought it. I noticed a lot of people have had trouble but I assume they must of got a lemon. I def recommend this lap top. It has been great so far.

Honest reviews on HP Pavilion dv5-1000us Entertainment Notebook PC

I purchased this computer in July of 2009 and it has never failed from day one. I use it for work and home and for heavy graphic use, AutoDesk products including 3DS Max. I purchased another HP machine (Dv6) because I could not upgrade this one any further to work with the newest software I need. I would recommend the Dv5 any time and will continue to use mine as a back up till it dies. For me HP has made an excellent product.

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I purchased the Pavilion dv5-1000us to replace one that had the screen die. This is awesome and fulfilling every need and expectation.

Great price and great deal..

Best HP SPECTRE XT TouchSmart 15-4010nr 15.6-Inch Ultrabook (Silver) Deals

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $1,349.99
Sale Price: $869.99
Today's Bonus: 36% Off

HP Spectre XT TouchSmart Ultrabook Review

Highlights: Stylish with a full HD 15.6" IPS touchscreen display, Core i7 ultra low voltage cpu, 8GB RAM, 500GB hard drive with 32GB SSD cache.

The HP Spectre XT TouchSmart is HP's top of the line Windows 8 ultrabook. Like all ultrabooks it has a dual-core ultra low voltage Core i-series cpu with HD4000 graphics; in this case HP has chosen to pair a Core i7 with 8gb RAM, which adds a 15-20% speed boost over the Core i5's with 4gb RAM often seen in ultrabooks. The screen is a 15.6" wide-angle IPS touchscreen. A 5400rpm disk with a 32GB SSD Intel Smart Response cache provides storage. The HP is powered on the go by a 4 cell 48wh battery.

The HP comes nicely presented in a black cardboard case. A soft beige cloth bag encloses the laptop, and a black nylon bag stores the power accessories.

On the outside the HP is a stylish and thin brushed aluminum wedge which calls to mind a largish MacBook Air. Weight is just under 5 lbs, about 1/2 lb heavier than the 15.4" MacBook Pro Retina. It feels very sturdy, if a bit unwieldy when held by the side with one hand due to the width, which is 14.87 inches. The bottom is a nice soft-touch material with a vent in the back for the fan, and vents on the sides for two speakers (two more speakers are under the screen behind the keyboard). Inside is a wide palm rest with a large trackpad. The trackpad is set in a depression, and is made of glass. The spacious keyboard eschews the common practice of adding a numeric keyboard to 15.6" laptops. The hinges are sturdy and a bit stiff the display can be opened without holding down the base of the laptop, until a certain point when the base starts to lift.

Connectivity is good. The HP is one of the few Windows laptops to have a Thunderbolt port. Unlike many other laptops, the two USB 3.0 ports on the left are not blue colored. The USB 2.0 port on the right can be used a charging port when the laptop is off. Rounding out the ports are an HDMI port, Ethernet RJ-45, a headphone/microphone combo jack, and an SD/MMC card slot. A Kensington MicroSaver lock slot is also included.

The 2x2 a/b/g/n WLAN is provided by Intel and supports wireless display (WiDi) for connecting the laptop to compatible TV's or adapters. Intel Smart Connect Technology can be configured to wake the laptop from sleep periodically and download email, etc. This could be useful if you need to just pick the laptop up and go with all your email already downloaded. Bluetooth 4 and an HD webcam are also included.

The HP comes pre-installed with Windows 8 64-bit. A recovery partition is included to reset the laptop to factory settings. Windows 8 makes this easy via the settings menu.

It is not easy to get inside this laptop. Fourteen Philips screws protect the underside. More await inside. However, once opened up the 6Gb/sec SATA hard drive and 6Gb/sec mSATA cache drive can be replaced, although the cache will need to be disabled first via the included Intel Rapid Storage Technology console. The single memory slot is populated with 4gb RAM, and another 4gb is wired on.

The warranty for the non-customizable model 15-4010nr is standard at 1 year. However, the customizable 15t-4000 (not always available on the HP web site) comes with a 2 year warranty. This model can be customized with Windows 8 Pro, a faster 7200rpm hard drive, or an SSD.

The black keyboard is wide and spacious. Unlike most 15.6" laptops, the HP does not have a numeric keypad which means the keyboard is centered, and combined with the spacious palm rest provides a decent typing experience; although it is no match for the Thinkpad keyboards of old. The arrow keys skimp on the size of the up and down arrows; it would be better if the 4 arrow keys extended below the rest of the keyboard slightly (as in some Lenovo's) to make them easier to find and allow for full size up and down keys. The Windows function keys are tied to brightness, loudness, screen, wireless on/off, etc, which means that you must press the "Fn" key to activate the regular Windows F1 F12 function keys. This is particularly annoying when having to refresh web pages with Fn-F5. In a nice touch, Alt-F4 works as usual to exit a program (Alt-Fn-F4 would be a bit much). In contrast, the Lenovo Yoga does this better by dedicating the F5 key to refresh and the F4 key to the exit function (particularly important with Windows 8 Metro style apps which often have no other way to force an exit). The caps lock and wireless on/off keys have a small LED to indicate when they are on. The keyboard backlight can be turned on and off by the F5 function key. This key always remains lit itself so it can be found in the dark.

The highly configurable Synaptics touchpad works well and the glass surface is smooth to the touch. It is set in a depression and there is no question when your finger gets to the edge of this trackpad a good thing. The touchpad can be turned off by tapping at the top left, which illuminates a small LED next to it. This functionality can thankfully be disabled in settings. The pressure required to click the touchpad is a bit too much and doesn't have very good feel; however it is rarely necessary to actually click it as a tap for left click and two-fingered tap for right click are usually sufficient. Selecting text is the main exception, where a click and drag is often required.

The display is a bright, glossy 15.6", full HD 1920x1080 IPS touchscreen panel. The IPS designation stands for "In Plane Switching" and indicates that the display has great viewing angles from the top, bottom, and sides. It is a bit on the heavy side, however overall the laptop is not unbalanced. The ability to interact using touch is surprisingly natural in Windows 8; scrolling around web pages and moving/resizing/closing windows works very well. In Metro apps, touch is even better and the familiar two-finger zoom function works great in Internet Explorer, although oddly not in apps such as the news app. The panorama photos in the travel app and the maps app are particularly fun to interact with via touch. If Windows 8 is a success, touch will be an important reason why.

Alas the days of 16:10 aspect ratio displays are gone and this display is no exception at 16:9. While this is great for viewing YouTube, Netflix, etc, it is not great for viewing photos and interacting with lots of on-screen windows, because the vertical space is limited. Landscape photos have large black side borders, and portrait photos are even worse. This is one of the main usability issues of this laptop. It's a shame that manufacturers don't address this, as Apple has done with the MacBook Pro 16:10 displays.

To partially mitigate the lack of vertical real estate, the task bar can be positioned on the right or left side of the display so it doesn't take up space at the bottom. This also makes the task bar easier to interact with via touch, especially when using the "fingers behind the display, thumb in front" technique.

Display brightness is excellent, and can comfortably be used 1 or 2 steps below maximum in most situations. On battery, the brightness can be adjusted through it's full range. Contrast is good, and images and video pop nicely. Color range (gamut) is decent, but does not cover sRGB. Calibration would be required for better accuracy.

The glossy display makes for strong reflections. At certain angles, even the silver palm rest and the keyboard backlighting can cause distracting reflections (luckily the keyboard backlight can be turned off with the F5 key). In direct comparison, the Retina MacBook Pro does a better job of reducing glare.

For some, the high resolution of 141 dpi may result in text that is too small, and a finicky touch experience when interacting with windows. The Windows control panel for display personalization allows boosting text, icon, and window border size by preset or custom percentages. A custom setting of 113% seems to result in windows and icons that are more touch-friendly, and text that is nicely sized. Oddly, this setting does not affect native W8 apps like the news reader, which has no zoom function either. Browser text size can be zoomed using two fingers on the touchpad or screen for Internet Explorer, and via the touchpad or "Ctrl +" and "Ctrl -" in Google Chrome.

Performance of the HP Spectre XT TouchSmart is very good for an ultrabook, probably due to the 8gb of 1600MHz DDR3 memory and Core i7-3517U cpu. This cpu nominally runs at 1.9 GHz with Turbo Boost to 3 GHz. The Windows Experience Index clocks in at:

Processor 7.1

Memory 7.9

Graphics 5.7

Gaming graphics (1664 MB) 6.4

Primary hard disk 5.9

That's an overall score of 5.7, quite good for not having a dedicated graphics card.

The HP handily beats the Core i5 Lenovo Yoga, benchmarking at 13,722 in Google Octane vs the Yoga's 11,853. In the Furmark OpenGL benchmark, the HP pleases with 367 "Furmarks" vs the Yoga's 245. The benchmark was run fullscreen at 1024x768, with no anti-aliasing.

The SSD disk cache works surprisingly well, and the disk rarely seems to be a performance bottleneck. With caching set to "Maximum" (the default) in the Intel Rapid Storage Technology Console, CrystalDiskMark reports 4K write speeds of over 30MB/sec! Set caching to "Enhanced" and this falls to 0.6 MB/sec. This is because the Maximum setting does write-back caching (writes written to disk in a lazy fashion) while Enhanced does write-through caching (all writes written immediately to disk).

Note, these benchmarks were done on an HP customized model (15t-4000) with a 7200 rpm hard drive, not the standard 5400 rpm model (15-4010nr). The 5400 rpm drive should still provide good performance due to the SSD cache.

8GB of the 32GB SSD cache drive is taken to support Intel Rapid Start, which is a kind of fast hibernate which kicks in after two hours of standby. The laptop wakes up and writes the contents of memory to an 8GB partition on the SSD, then shuts down. Pressing the power button brings the laptop back up in about 5 seconds. For some reason the Intel Rapid Start configuration utility is not included in the laptop build, however you can download it by searching for "intel rapid start download".

The Spectre XT TouchSmart is very quiet in casual use. The fan is often turned off. Even when the fan is on, it is usually not very loud, and is never obnoxious. HP Coolsense is included, which senses when the laptop is moving and runs the fan more often to keep your lap cool. In practice, the laptop doesn't get too warm, and Coolsense can be turned off to keep the fan from running as much. The one place that gets a bit warm is the well-placed fan vent on the underside at the rear.

The HP has four small speakers, two underneath on the sides and two behind the keyboard under the display. It can play quite loudly, and produces a bit of a thump on the underside. Audio enhancement is provided by Beats Audio, which boosts bass and treble, while performing all kinds of phase and other manipulations which make the audio sound "wider" and "more dynamic" (read: distorted). Thankfully there is a Beats control panel which can turn Beats off, and which also has a 9 band equalizer to customize the response curve. Dolby V4 on the Lenovo Yoga does a better job than Beats, although the HP still sounds better because it has better speakers. Once configured, the audio is pretty decent for a laptop.

Battery life is provided by a 48wh 4-cell non-removable battery. This is probably the biggest disappointment. Netflix streaming only lasts about 3 hours and 20 minutes with the brightness two steps below full. In contrast, the Lenovo Yoga can stream Netflix for about 5 1/4 hours at one step down from highest brightness (to match the HP). Casual web surfing might last 4 hours on the HP with the brightness lowered to 1/2 or less (which is still pretty readable indoors).

The power brick is not too large, yet the AC cord is ungainly quite thick with a large three-pronged plug. The power plug that connects to the laptop seems a bit thin and weak, although it inserts far enough into the laptop to have good support. It sticks out over an inch from the side though which gets in the way.

In summary, the HP Spectre XT TouchSmart is one of the top Windows 8 ultrabooks available as of this writing. HP made almost all the right choices to make this a very nice package. Although pricey compared to other laptops with similar specs, the HP stands out for its responsiveness, stylish looks, and big bright touch-enabled wide-angle HD display. The SSD cache works very well; an SSD main drive is not necessary, although nice to have as a factory option or via the ability of the end user to replace it.

Improvements would be to reduce weight by 1/2 pound, replace Beats Audio with Dolby V4, increase battery life by 50%, reduce the bulkiness of the power cord, and (Holy Grail time) move to a 16:10 1920x1200 display with low reflectivity.

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Update: 5/29/13 HP will not help me get this broken laptop replaced in time for the business trip that I bought it for. Even though it was already sent in for repair (under warranty) and they were unable to repair it, they are telling me that they have to try to repair it two more times before they can give me a replacement. It's been a month without a laptop now and I need it for my trip, so I had no choice but to purchase ANOTHER laptop just 5 months after spending $1300 on this one. I purchased a Samsung Series 7 and couldn't be happier with it so far. Sharper screen (even though they are both 1080p), HOURS more battery life, USB 3.0 ports that actually work as USB 3.0 ports without having to search for strange drivers that I never actually found, much more accurate color out of the box, less fan noise, and an amazing trackpad that does not register my palm and move the cursor every time I type a sentence. Most of all, it's not broken as this HP Spectre STILL is. Go with a Samsung or Sony, or switch to Mac... HP is only pretending to sell high-end devices that they can't back up with the customer service a high-end consumer device deserves. Full story of my problems are below in my last update:

It's 5/24/13 and I've been trying to get this laptop fixed for weeks. My laptop is a total lemon.

4 months after purchasing this laptop for my work in photography and filmmaking, the screen began to go absolutely haywire. It flickers, flashes, then gets stuck on screens of random lines and colors. I'd barely used the laptop prior to this starting, as I own much more powerful PCs at home. This is basically my business trip machine and I've only had to use it on one trip. From my experience, it looks as if the graphics card is fried, however it works fine when attached to an external monitor, which leads me to believe that there is faulty wiring going to the display.

2 weeks ago I began the warranty process with HP, sent the laptop to them for repair. It came back with the note that all they did was reinstall Windows. Now, with a fresh Windows install it is still unusable... absolutely nothing has changed. Even before I installed a single program. This is, and always was, a problem with the hardware.

I called HP support again and they started a new warranty repair, but I am going on the exact business trip that I bought this laptop for next Sunday. I will not even get the label to ship it to them until Tuesday. They would get it Wednesday. Then they'd have to ship it back, fixed, Thursday for me to get the laptop back in time. Considering it took them 5 business days to reinstall Windows the last service call, I seriously doubt they will repair a hardware problem in one day.

I'm at a loss of what to do at this point. I was escalated to HP Corporate on the phone today and explained my situation. I've been entirely polite, as I find that to be the best way to get things resolved with customer service. I asked to ship the computer to them myself, today, without their label to make this go faster and they can't let me do that. I asked for a loaner laptop while it is getting fixed and they can't do that. I asked for an exchange for a refurbished unit and they can't do that. I feel I am being completely reasonable here for a $1300 laptop that hasn't even survived 4 months of light use. I bought this mostly for video editing on the road, but had not even done any video editing on it yet, so I am definitely not pushing the system yet. I'm not asking for a refund, I'm just asking for my SECOND repair in a row to come with a loaner that I can use on my business trip! I mean, it's been 19 days now without a laptop and we're just now starting the whole repair process over again.

Corporate told me that they could send me a loaner if I had purchased a business laptop. That basically they don't care that I need this laptop for business because it's a consumer laptop. The problem is, I did plenty of research before purchasing this laptop and, at the time, they did not offer business laptops with 1080p IPS monitors, something I absolutely need so that I can color calibrate the screen and work on 1080p video. This laptop has professional specs (that outclass their business machines) and a professional price (that is more expensive than most of their business machines) but needing it for business doesn't concern them.

I own two HP desktop machines, each one costing over $2,000... an absurd amount for Windows PCs, but I really do need this stuff for business. I am a designer, photographer, writer, and filmmaker. Search my name on Amazon and you will find some of my cookbooks. I have done the design and food photography for cookbooks with over 1 million copies in print. Last year, I co-authored, designed, and photographed Great Food Fast, the 5th bestselling cookbook of the year. I am also a filmmaker. On June 4th, an award-winning movie I shot called "The Battery" will be released nationally by the same distributor as Super Size Me and Exit Through the Gift Shop. The movie was entirely edited, sound mixed, and color corrected on HP computers. My HP computers did the work of an entire post-production studio. When it comes to design, photography, and filmmaking, I have to constantly defend my use of Windows PCs instead of the more industry accepted Macs, so I guess this is my lesson learned.

Now, here I am, flying up to NY next week to promote the national release of my movie, and even after 19 days dealing with HP, I won't have a laptop to bring with me. I need to go up there to film and then edit commercials and promotional material requested by the press and my only option is to buy an entirely new laptop to do this... leaving myself with a $1300 paperweight that I'd be lucky to sell used for $800 if an when it ever got fixed. Quite honestly, I'd be afraid to sell it used, as I don't want to be responsible if and when it simply broke again for the next sad sack who purchases it from me.

Stay far, far away from this model... and I'd say to stay far away from HP if you expect a working device, or at least a warranty repair to take any less than a month. I'm still holding out hope that HP will read this and look up my case, under the name Christian Stella. But, seeing as I already have a caseworker (Diana) at the highest level of customer service, and she can't do anything to help me, I'm sure I'm simply screwed.

Quite honestly, I feel like filming myself taking a hammer to this piece of crap, since I won't even be able to use it for the first thing I actually need to use it for. I have no confidence in their repair technicians after the last repair resulted in them simply reinstalling Windows, something I could have done myself.

You can search YouTube for "Christian Stella Spectre Touchsmart" if you want to see how bad my issues with this laptop are.

Best Deals for HP SPECTRE XT TouchSmart 15-4010nr 15.6-Inch Ultrabook (Silver)

I didn't order this exact one off of Amazon, but rather ordered directly from HP. Generally speaking, I really enjoy the laptop. Everything seems to work great and it has all the bells and whistles you would expect from a unit at this price point. Screen resolution is bright and sharp, the keyboard has a really nice feel to it, all the peripheral connections are really nice. Loaded it with Win8 Pro and it's running great.

My only concern is the build quality. As I was swiping to change screens (from the left edge of the screen) I noticed that the screen was actually sticking out and above the case creating a little lip. It's not really consistent with the rest of the edges, so I'm pretty sure it's not a design 'feature.' When you press on it in the lower left corner, it seems to stick down into place, but come on... for a $1300+ laptop, you shouldn't have to squeeze the display back together because it isn't assembled properly. I'm a little surprised that this made it through QA/QC. Now to decide if all the positives outweigh the shoddy workmanship.

Edit 12/28 So I went ahead and got a RMA for the system I ordered directly from HP. In the meantime, I went ahead and ordered one directly from Amazon just to see if it was a consistent manufacturing defect, or if I had just gotten a bad unit. Well, in traditional Amazon fashion, the system arrived in 1 day and it doesn't have the same problem at all! Very excited to have received a good unit.

Honest reviews on HP SPECTRE XT TouchSmart 15-4010nr 15.6-Inch Ultrabook (Silver)

UPDATE 03/23 Upgrading the mSATA to 256 GB SSD

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This laptop's SATA 3 on the mSATA connector, but only SATA2 for the regular HDD. No worries I have upgraded my mSATA SSD drive to 256 GB, but it wasn't easy here's what I did. Hopefully it will save you some trouble.

Installing the mSATA SSD

-------------------------------

1. Was able to get the screws out back plate off without much trouble.

2. Remove the existing mSATA and put in the new one.

3. I chose not to have the existing HDD, so I removed it. (256 GB is plenty of space for me and I chose to have longer battery life than space. Just having an SSD has added 30 45 mins easy to existing battery life).

4. Even if you choose to leave the HDD in there, it is recommended that you disconnect the HDD so that it doesn't interfere with the new install of OS. You can reconnect it later.

Installing the OS and making the mSATA bootable

------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. I chose to install Windows 8 via a bootable USB.

2. This laptop comes with a UEFI enabled motherboard, so you need to format the USB as FAT 32. UEFI will not recognize NTFS format for booting. Need a USB of more than 4GB

3. Mount the Win 8 ISO and copy all the contents to USB.

4. You will need another USB, also FAT 32 and copy the Intel RST drivers from here %208*&DownloadType=Drivers. Get the f6flpy-x64.zip file and unzip the contents to the USB. Win 8 will ask for these drivers during install.

5. Change the BIOS to boot from USB.

6. Insert the Win 8 USB only and reboot the machine.

7. You will get Win 8 prompt to install proceed and choose advanced options. You will not see any drives listed.

8. Insert the USB with Intel RST drivers and click load drivers installer will detect the drivers and install will proceed.

9. Once the OS is installed, pls go to the Control Panel\Hardware and Sound\Power Options\System Settings and turn off "Fast Startup" this was the biggest sticking point for me. I went through the entire setup twice before this, but everytime when the system went into the hybrid sleep mode and woke up, the system would not detect a bootable drive and I did not find anyway to recover from this than to go through the entire process again.

10. I also disabled Hybrid Sleep. You won't need all these features, your system is so fast while booting from SSD, that you won't miss them.

11. Install all the drivers for the machine I stayed away from Intel Rapid Start and Intel Smart Connect drivers, just to be safe.

I have the SSD running since 2 days and its working great so far. Keeping my fingers crossed. Let me know how your install goes, or if you have any other tips.

BTW, I did some hard drive speed tests and I am getting the advertised speeds (450+ read and 250+ write). I also upgraded the SSD firmware from Crucial website.

MY ORIGINAL REVIEW

-----------------------

Let me start of by saying that I would have given it 4.5 stars if I could. I was looking for an ultrabook to replace my trusty old Dell Vostro 1520 (Core 2 duo). This was my criteria:

1. 13 15 inches.

2. Core I5 or Core I7

3. More than 4 GB or RAM

4. Touchscreen.

5. 1080p display.

6. Ability to upgrade

I was willing to compromise on the processor and ram and not anything else. After several weeks of doing some research online I narrowed it down to the HP Spectre XT touchsmart and ASUS zenbook ux32a touchscreen. I was completely blown away by the Asus Zenbook, it has to be the most beautiful windows machine out there. But there were several things working against it. It came with a Core i5 and 4GB of ram and the worst part its not upgradeable. Although there is a higher priced version available with an i7 and 8GB of ram, but its nowhere to be found.

Why I chose the HP Spectre XT

---------------------------------------------

I found that the HP Spectre XT touchsmart matched all of my criteria better than the Zenbook, so I started paying more attention to it. I am actually glad that I purchased this machine over the Zenbook because of the 15.5 inch vs 13 inch screen. I am a programmer and the bigger screen definetely helps while looking at code.The 1080p IPS screen is awesome and I absolutely love it! I do like the fact that this machine comes with an i7 and 8GB of RAM. The integrated SSD is great and resumes the machine in a matter of seconds. I love the keyboard and the touchpad and had absolutely no issues with them. The aluminum body definitely gives it that premium look. The speakers are quite good and I am more than happy for my use. The touchscreen works flawlessly and compliments the Windows 8 UI very well. Its not the lightest ultrabook around, but you have to remember that this is a 15 inch ultrabook.

The best part about this ultrabook is that its completely upgradable. You can even find a repair manual on the HP website which shows you how to replace each and every component. You can replace everything including the RAM, hard drive, battery which is really cool.

My biggest gripe is the battery you will be lucky to get 4 hours out of it. But I don't travel a whole lot and I can compromise with that. I would have give this laptop 5 stars if the battery life was a bit better. I am planning on upgrading to 256 GB SSD and that should help with the battery life and performance. The power adapter could have been designed better for a $1200+ ultrabook. Its just an old style brick and nothing fancy about it.

Inspite of the battery life, I highly recommend this ultrabook. You are no going to find a better ultrabook at this price point with comparable specs.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for HP SPECTRE XT TouchSmart 15-4010nr 15.6-Inch Ultrabook (Silver)

I purchased this laptop because of it's sleek design and touch screen. Everything was great the first couple of hours. Then I powered it down and left it to charge over night. When I came back to it, I noticed that the power adapter light was still orange. I powered on the laptop, and the battery charge was stuck at 11%. I unplugged it, plugged it back in, even changed power outlets, nothing worked.

I checked the reviews to see if anyone else had this problem, and read a few complaints about the screen coming off of the bezel. When I checked mine, sure enough, same issue on the bottom left of the screen. I sent it back to Amazon and decided to try my luck on a second one.

When I powered on the second laptop, the first thing I noticed was a dead pixel. My first thought was "You've got to be kidding me!" Then I checked the screen, and it was coming out of the bezel on the bottom right.

Doesn't HP check these things before they ship out? I'm shocked that a laptop this expensive has these types of manufacturing defects. I sent the second one back and will wait until later this year when the Intel Haswell Ultrabooks come out. Hopefully there will be a nice ASUS Ultrabook since I doubt I will be buying another HP product any time soon.

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The ability to place the screen right behind the keyboard keys is what makes the touchscreen really user friendly. The keyboard placement itself is also easier on the hands for typing. I can see how reading pdf files in "tablet mode" will also be really helpful, especially for material with tables that are often too small to read. I didn't realize until just a few minutes ago that I can turn this machine on its side to get a "portrait mode" for reading documents. I will be using this in a classroom where the adjustability will come in handy to more easily access the screen while standing and while the computer is placed on a tv cart shelf that's at about counter height. I'm excited about this machine. I've got the features of my Note 8 tablet merged into a very cool laptop.

I purchased mine from Best Buy because I needed it right away to replace a 2-year old Lenova that's got a failing hard drive.

Update: You'll need a mouse for this thing because the touchpad is a little weird (for me anyway) and the touchscreen doesn't always work for certain links I've tried getting into or that are too awkwardly spaced to click on with accuracy. I still will keep the 5 star rating because this thing is still an awesome machine and the touchscreen has worked for most things that I do. I thought I'd have issue with the lack of a 10-key pad, but the touchscreen keypad has worked just fine for everything I've done so far. Still, it's something to consider for people who do tons of data entry.

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I love this laptop because the special Eazel hinge makes screen adjustment and positioning so, so comfortable. Just what I wanted in a convertible. I've had it about three months now. I went from a souped-up Lenovo laptop (ThinkPad series) to this. The R7's large 1080 touchscreen is simply gorgeous and just right for Windows 8.

The keyboard is backlit--a deal-breaker for me, which had knocked out some earlier convertibles (e.g. the Yoga). But it's true what people say about the keyboard's space button: it mis-strokes unless you learn to press it near the top of key, as opposed to lazily pressing near the bottom edge. So that's a slight adjustment I had to make as I began to use it.

Other than that, I love this laptop. Mainly b/c I work and play on it long hours and I move around as I do. The adjustable hinge allows the laptop to adjust to me---tilting the screen higher, lower, changing angles, coming forward towards me, back away from me---as I move around from sitting straight up, to more of a slouch, to laying down, whatever. *I SO HOPE ACER KEEPS THIS HINGE IN THEIR CONVERTIBLE DESIGNS*, but they probably won't b/c high powered reviewers squawked too much about the repositioned track pad. I never use the track pad and use the touchscreen + a wireless mouse instead (which can wire up on airplane if needed), so the track pad is a non-issue. I would trade the repositioned track pad for a more comfortable working and browsing experience any day. The components are standard-to-above for this price point. You get *a lot* for your money here.

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Hey there,

I really dig the Acer Aspire R7. I love my tablet but wanted the full CPU power of a regular laptop and this is it. I did buy at Best Buy as they were much cheaper for some reason.

While investigating the R7 it was everything I was hoping for. Nice processor/RAM, touch screen, tablet convertible... perfect! I almost went with an ASUS "something or other" which was very nice but in comparing I discovered the R7 had the better screen resolution and the speakers on the R7 are quite good. I've never had a laptop with excellent speakers so that was an unexpected bonus.

I spoke with 3 Best Buy associates and they all tried to talk me out of the R7. They were quite adamant I might add. Here's why they didn't like the R7... The screen doesn't fold flat (true), the keyboard is in the front... That's it! They were horrified by the configuration.

Here's why their "dings" on the R7 were actually a benefit for me... I thought the keyboard in the front was brilliant! I always disable the touch pad because I end up deleting huge paragraphs of info without even realizing it. Even with auto save it's hard to get back info I typed 30 minutes ago that got highlighted and backspaced out of existence when I wasn't looking. Gah! Not with this rig! I can leave the touch pad on and jump on it as needed and it is never in the way. I have long fingers and I like to rest my hands in front of the keyboard, off of the laptop when typing. I wasn't sure how that was going to go but I found it to be a better typing experience on a table and in my lap. I'm thinking that some folks may not like the keyboard up front but it was an improvement for me.

Part 2 is the fact that the screen does not fold flat in the tablet configuration. I have to admit I was in the store 3 hours messing with the R7, comparing it to other convertibles and it did bother me but I decided it was still in a configuration I could use as a tablet anyway so I bought it. In reality the partly open tablet configuration turned out be be a bonus! Seriously!

With the slightly raised top it gives me a place to hold the computer without having to put my fingers on the screen. You can get a good grip too. Who knew? When I found myself carrying the R7 around the house with my music blaring and the sports/politics news updates running wild, I kinda smiled and realized that the gap at the top was a very lucky move by Acer. At least for me anyway. I can't imagine that was on purpose but who knows? The flat convertibles do look very slick with the flat fold down. If you need that look then by all means get the flat rig. However, once the functionality of the slightly open top comes into play when toting this rig around you will love it. Promise! :-)

Note that as a tablet the R7 does feel a little heavy. I am 6'5" 220 so I swing it around the house no problem but for the Shire folk (Hobbit reference for fun) or the lovely, dainty ladies this probably isn't your best bet if you are looking to carry it around like your tablet.

I'm not much of a gamer (I dabble just a little) but I'm thinking this wouldn't be great for that. However, video, audio, multitasking, ergonomics etc. are fantastic. The coolest (temperature-wise) running rig I've ever had by far. I like the thin profile. Note that the arm that holds the screen is very firm and sturdy. I was concerned that it would be "floppy" but it is quite the opposite. It feels very high quality.

No DVD bay. With that, I have needed to load software from a CD but so far I've found all the software online. So no problems there. I'm sure there could be something that is not online so we'll see how that goes if that occurs.

In summary, it's a nice laptop as performance goes. Very well rounded with the resolution and speakers. Nice high quality "feel." I mostly use it as a laptop (in my lap, sometimes on a table) and as a tablet about 2-3 times a week. Probably not a MMORPG rig but video, audio and the rest is outstanding. Plus, I think the chicks dig the flipping screen thing. They know who they are. :-)

If you agree with the keyboard/touch pad comments and the configuration comments, and looking for a nice convertible laptop I think you are going to love the R7 like I do. Best rig I've had by far.

Thank you,

Rob

Honest reviews on Acer 15.6" Laptop 6GB 500GB + 24GB | R7-571-6858

I purchased mine from best buy which is a few hundred dollars cheaper but I LOVE MY NOTEBOOK!!! My goal was to find something with the keyboard across the front edge and the tough pad in the back. This FLAW in every other laptop prevented me from purchasing another after the disaster of my first laptop. It's just more ergonomically correct to have the keyboard up front! Anyways, I'm using it now to write this review and as long as this machine runs, I can't see myself ever getting a different one!

The second best feature (after the wonderfully placed keyboard) is the tilt screen. It can really be used in "tablet" mode. Over all this is a wonderful product and I would gladly purchase it over and over again. And if I had a problem with any replacement, I'd buy it from a different seller!

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Acer 15.6" Laptop 6GB 500GB + 24GB | R7-571-6858

ive never wrote a review before but I was really on the fence about this laptop for over 3 weeks.i read all the bad stuff ppl had to say bout losing connection. my worked fine right out the box.i love it I just wished I would have gotten it sooner.so don't believe all the hype ppl talk trash.thanks

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List Price: $1,425.00
Sale Price: $999.00
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I bought this laptop to be reliable, a little more hardened for travelling, and heavier duty for interfacing to projectors and other devices while still having enough speed and memory to perform well. I use this computer for everything from e-mail to AutoCad drafting. Battery life is very good depending on the use. With e-mail and Skype, the battery will last for several hours.

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