Discount HP Pavilion dv7t QE Laptop - Windows 7 Home Premium, Intel

Customer Ratings:

Completely changing my review. I had a lot of problems with how slow it is on line, but it turns out to be my router not being new enough to deal with this new and fast laptop. I couldn't understand why my other laptops were performing well and this one was so slow, but it was my own ignorance, not the fault of the computer. This seller is VERY supportive. The service has been amazing all along. He responds immediately and is always patient. I am sorry I gave an initial negative review. It is a little odd to have a bigger keyboard (that goes with a bigger laptop), so I sometimes click on wrong keys that make the computer do bad things. But this is not the computer's fault. It is mine.

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Having owned this laptop for about 4 months now has made me realize how much faster this unit is than the dual core DV7 that I "retired". I used to think that my old LT was fast, but this one runs circles around it. And if that wasn't enough, since I only paid about $800 for mine, I cracked it and added 8 more GB of RAM (16 Gb total now) and a second 1TB HDD that is used for automatic backups. So for less than $1100, I have a screaming demon of a laptop. Love it!

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I read the previous review and worried a little. I did get a bad product on first shipment, but company that sold it to me stood behind it and replaced it. (Eluktronics, great bunch of people)

It is running great and doing what it is supposed to. I'm very happy.

Review of Acer Aspire AS5732Z-4598 NoteBook PC - Intel Pentium T4400 2.20GHz

Customer Ratings:

I have had this labtop for over 1 year and it has never let me down once, i am even writing the review for it on the labtop right now. It may be a little cheaply built at parts, but runs fast and works great. I have had no issues with the DVD player, USB ports, Audio/Head Phone slots or Ethernet cable slots at all. I use this labtop every day for daily things (school, work, ect) watching movies on it is great too! The screen is nice & Large, good for computer gaming too. I would recomend this computer for an average things, its not specific for any 1 purpose, which is why i love it. (It may be highly priced, so wait for it to go down a bit)

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I bought my Acer Aspire 5732z at Office Max for just under $400. Performance-wise, it's an awesome little computer that's quick and fairly easy to use. I don't do any video games that would require a fast processor, so I can't comment on that. The only issues I have with it is 1)the power cord falls out very easily and many times I thought it was plugged in only to have the computer flash a low-battery message or, if I'm on a hidden-object game, just shut off. 2)the touch pad is off center, which takes a little getting used to, and it's very sensitive, so I'll be typing along and the cursor will suddenly jump up several lines. These issues are just minor aggravations, so I still give the laptop 4 stars.

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this is a very nice computer for the price. i underestimated the ability it actually has. it is fast, reliable, and has not given me any problems. i dont do much hardcore gaming, but flight simulator X. it suits me fine at about 10 fps on average, even with a basic processor. i would reccomend this computer, although now i am moving on to a better computer for high school in the 1000 dollar area.

Honest reviews on Acer Aspire AS5732Z-4598 NoteBook PC - Intel Pentium T4400 2.20GHz

If I could give it less than 1 star I would. This laptop is poorly designed and not worth the price listed here. For what its worth it when I bought it back in June was about 150 cheaper on newegg.com. The first issue I had was the video wouldn't work with my kvm, it was constantly flashing between video modes. The second issue and one that ultimately lead to its demise was the right mouse button built into the front surface. It's a smooth surface button built into the case and looks like it would be good to work with however due to poor design this one kept clicking on its own. The entire system was rendered useless because the right click was pretty much constantly 'clicking' on its own. I'd tap on it thinking it was stuck and it would be fine for about 5 mins, then it would start again. You cannot deactivate it in the bios or software either.

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I bought this to replace my netbook that I loved, but accidentally damaged a while back. My netbook mostly met my needs and I liked its small size.

With the advent of Windows 7, some of the advantages of a netbook were lost, in my mind, anyway, so I sought something that would run Windows 7 Home Premium with ease and had an optical drive for a project I was doing at the time, and more comfortable keyboard.

This Acer was a perfect fit for me. I'd prefer a smaller footprint, but form really does follow function and the trade-off is really worth it.

The unit, plus power cord and mouse fit very well into my briefcase, while leaving plenty of room for other stuff.

Business people may prefer the more efficient processors that are coming out now, but for a casual user like myself, this one has what it takes and more.

I docked one star, because even though it's perfect for me, there are more powerful and efficient laptops out there for the power users among us.

Discount Alienware ALW17-6869sLV 17-Inch Laptop (Silver)

Customer Ratings:

Let me start off by saying this is the first review I have ever written. I don't want to write a book or anything, but I would like to try and help some people looking at this laptop. First we bought this computer mostly for my son. He is slowly becoming a gamer and does robotic programming. We wanted to buy a computer that was upgradeable but powerfull with its own stand alone specs . We looked for about 2 months . Looked at the Toshiba Qosmio, Asus G750 and Msi. All seemingly worthy of purchase. But after agonizing for two months we decided on this particular alienware model. This computer is everything we thought it would be and more. First I will talk about the packaging. The packaging could have been a little better. The Amazon box was damaged on one end and the AW box inside had a minor ding on the same end . Looks like loose industrial paper wrap could be upgraded to something more substantial. But there was no damage to the laptop. We received the shipment as promised within a few days of ordering. Great service! Now to the computer. The start up is quick and easy. The first thing we did was check the internal specs of computer and everything checked out as listed except one minor bit of wireless info, this model comes with 802.11 ac instead of the 802.11 bgn which we thought was a bonus. We were pleasently surprised at how clear the display was for an anti-glare screen. We have always had glass type screens so we were a bit leary but this is much more easy on the eyes. This being our first gaming type of laptop we were concerned about the overheating nature of these type of laptops but we have not experienced that type of heat from this computer. The ventilation on this is excellent, the center of the keyboard gets slightly warm after about an hour and fifteen mins. The fans are hardly noticeable and are very quiet compared to what we had. We are just getting started with the gaming but my son said their is no lag on what he has played so far, mostly Minecraft and StarTrek online gaming. This laptop is one of the most stoutly built designs I have ever seen. It is very solid, and looks wonderfull or bad ass whichever you prefer. The battery charger is a bit on the big side but at 240 hrz it has to be. But oddly enough its not very heavy.and has rubber slip pads on the bottom corners to prevent slippage on your desktop. I read that someone wanted to know if this model had a webcam. It does have one but haven't had a chance to use it yet. We have a friend that has a computer repair business to look our new laptop and was nice enough to check the cpu performance levels and said that it had peak performance standards and told us it was a good buy. We are very pleased with this laptop purchase and hope it lasts several years. Thanks Amazon !!! I thought I should mention that we did purchase a laptop cooler just in case. But we hardly use it. but doesn't hurt to protect your puchase. fyi, it was a Cooler Master Note Pal U3 model. Fits it perfectly.

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Its a little bigger than i expected but I'm a big guy so this definitely wont be a problem, I have already opened it up and installed a 128Gb crucial mSata card and reloaded OS to that.

I would be carrying this around and was thinking that it might be too heavy but after getting it I don't see it as being a problem, it would go from the house to the car and from the car to another house so no subway or taxi or far walks. I saw someone complain about the touchpad but the sensitivity can be adjusted which makes it usable. I would advise anyone who is going to purchase to actually get their hands on a 17inch so they have an idea of the size or use some cardboard and rough out the dimensions.

If anyone has questions feel free to ask I would try to answer them best I can.

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First off I wish to state, I was an Alienware hater. I only bought this one as I was having bad luck finding a laptop I was happy with and this one was clearanced out at a local store. I ALWAYS went with a "lesser" brand. Asus, Toshiba, Samsung. As they were priced lower for the same specs. But now...

I just got this model from a different retailer that was local to me. And boy am I impressed! For comparison I will list my previous laptop:

Samsung Series 7 Gamer NP700G7C-S01US

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Series-NP700G7C-S01US-17-3-Inch-Laptop/dp/B006MX0WHU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1381587049&sr=8-2&keywords=samsung+series+7+gamer

Now, I will list comparisons:

-The Samsung is more flimsy, the screen wobbles more and the entire chassis just seems more flimsy. The Alienware is lighter but more sturdy, thanks to the magnesium alloy framework and aluminum outer body. The screen doesn't wobble, the keyboard has no flex, or if it does I don't feel it.

-The Samsung is fairly closed up. 1 screw and you can slide off a bottom panel which allows access to the 2 bottom sticks of ram, and the hard drives and optical drive. The Alienware on the other hand you remove 2 screws and the ENTIRE bottom slides off! You can access the bottom 2 ram slots, the HDD's, optical drive and what a concept, everything else, easier to clean the fans on and everything! Heck you can even replace most of the components yourself as the Owners Manual has a full step by step guide on replacing EVERYTHING! (Of course while in warranty I'll let them worry about it.) But it's nice to know that for the future when out of warranty I can replace core components much easier.

-The Samsung has a 120Hz display and the Alienware doesn't (it's only a 60Hz) but I honestly can't tell the difference, so while spec wise the Samsung wins this one, for my personal tastes, the Alienware is perfectly fine.

-It is unfair to compare last years specs to this years specs, but suffice it to say, it was an upgrade. But this one I won't label any winner as it would be one sided with the Alienware winning in about all categories. But it's also comparing Apples to Oranges.

-Samsung is a little fatter at it's fattest point (Rear). But is thinner at it's thinnest point (Front). The Alienware is pretty much uniform from front to back. Believe it or not though, the Alienware fits much better than the Samsung in my bag. An Everki Beacon Backpack. http://www.amazon.com/Everki-Backpack-Console-18-Inch-EKP117NBKCT/dp/B002WOBBVO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381587845&sr=8-1&keywords=everki+beacon+laptop+backpack The Samsung took some fighting to get it in the bag and the bag zipped up. The Alienware just slides right in!

-Samsung Power brick is thicker, but smaller in the width and length than the Alienware. The Alienware power brick looks like a giant sat on the Samsung one and squished it some! But it does help make the bag not be as thick. Thus allowing a little more ease of zipping the bag up.

-Samsung wins in optical drive department as it came with a Blu-ray drive stock and the Alienware doesn't. Nothing that buying an external won't fix (or ordering an internal and upgrading yourself) I already had an external Blu-Ray drive for another laptop I no longer have so I'm not bothered by this, but it may bother others.

-Samsung also may seem to win in the HDD department as it has 2x Seagate 750GB 7,200RPM HDD's. But if I wanted for about $80 more I could have bought a 1TB 7,200RPM HDD for more capacity. Instead I went with a Samsung EVO 250GB SSD for boot and turned the included 750GB into the data drive. Another note, if your welling to pull the Alienware apart almost all the way, underneath the keyboard is an Msata slot for an SSD, so you could have a Msata SSD and dual HDD's in the Alienware. The Alienware also has built-in RAID. So while the Samsung may give you more HDD space upfront, most likely your be putting in an SSD like I did on both machines. (Samsung has an OCZ Vertex 3 120GB SSD in it.) Also with Alienware's capability of over time going to Dual HDD's and an Msata SSD, in the longer run the Alienware wins. (I could have say a 250GB Msata SSD and 2x 1TB HDD's for over 2TB of data and a ultra fast boot drive in the Alienware. So the Alienware wins this one in my books.

-Alienware wins customization, as you can customize the lighting in 10 different zones: Numberpad, 3 zones in the main keyboard, the touchpad is backlit, the Alienware name under the LCD lights up. There is 2 bars and the Alien head that lights up on the lid of the LCD display, and there are 2 bars that wrap around from the side to front that can be colored. The lid is one whole channel and side/ front lights is 1 whole channel. Plus the Power LED (1 channell) and HDD, Wifi and Caps lock leds (shared channel) can be customized. The power LED can be fixed to use one color for when it's plugged in and a completely different color when not plugged in and operating off battery.

-It is a tie in sound as the Samsung has a little more bass, thanks to the dedicated subwoofer, but the Alienware can get far louder and fill a large room with sound fairly easily and without much distortion. Though it does lack some of the bass, but not all the bass. I am hard of hearing an am finding that about 40% volume is decent on the Alienware, whereas I would need about 60-70% on the Samsung. I am planning on buying a bluetooth speaker system to help with the bass. I found a decent one that will do bass really well while not taking up too much space.

-The Alienware also has 4 macro keys that you can map to different functions and keystrokes, the Samsung doesn't..

-The Alienware has far better cooling than the Samsung, with practically the entire back half of the bottom being vents. The gpu gets fan AND passive cooling thanks to the vents over the gpu heatpipes. So it gets double cooling when you have a cooling pad.

-Temps wise, The Samsung would need to be lifted about an inch (at max) to get decent airflow. The Alienware doesn't need this and really doesn't need a cooling pad, though I did buy a Coolermaster Notepal U3 to help out on the hot days or such.

-Reliability, is something I will have to review later. And I will in a few months. But the Samsung needed to be sent in twice! Not once but twice in the year I've had it for repair and I have had nothing but issues when it came to hardware reliability on the Samsung. About 3 months into ownership on the Samsung it had to be sent in, then about 2 months after getting it back it had to be sent in again. Both times where for faulty hard ware. (Cpu first, then the GPU second). (This could have very well been a lemon, but it ruined it for me.) I spend a lot of money on something I expect it to break much later on in life. I hold this standard on all high ticket items. So the Alienware is and will be held to this regard as well.

All in all I am extremely impressed. The Alienware was designed for power users. You have full access to the components. Heck even the User's guide has a guide for all that! The build quality really seems to be there. Looking back, none of my other machines ever where this sturdy. You can also see it when you remove the bottom. Overall I am really impressed and have been converted from a hater to someone who will really, really consider an Alienware in the future. But this also depends on how reliable this machine is over the course of the year/s.

Any questions, just ask me/ comment me or whatever. Thanks for reading!

Honest reviews on Alienware ALW17-6869sLV 17-Inch Laptop (Silver)

Like the appearance of the alienware laptops and configuration, performance is very good, play cool. Amazon promotion orders, price is dell's official website cheaper a lot, and not wait a long time to take the arrival of the goods.

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There is a little problem with the computer. The mouse pointer will shake when the computer is busy processing assignments.

Discount Sony VAIO Pro SVP13215PXB 13.3-Inch Core i7 Touchscreen Ultrabook

Customer Ratings:

SECOND UPDATE

===================

(1) Speakers

(2) Build

(3) Temperature/fan noise

(4) Tips

(5) General Thoughts

(1) Speakers: I know some of the professional reviews said they aren't the greatest but they are not terrible for the size. No, you're not going to get blown away and you're not going to get deep bass. The built-in speakers are located around the hinge, facing up and slightly toward the screen. The sound doesn't get distorted at max volume and fills a standard room pretty adequately at max volume. I'm sure the small size also provided some challenges for the engineering team, so I'm not disappointed.

(2) Build: The more I play with it, I'm not convinced that it's mainly carbon fiber. I sense that there is a decent amount of "plastic-y" material in there but I'm not complaining. The only issue it gives me is the accuracy of the trackpad when not on a hard surface (see the second update to this review below).

(3) Temperature/fan noise: OK, I'll concede a little here with some of the other reviewers. I'm not so concerned with the noise as much as I am with the durability of components that heat up this much. Yes, when the fan gets going, the exiting air temperature is very hot, and the underside of the laptop is as well. SpeedFan reported temps as high as 78 degrees Celsius (172 degrees F)!! That's hotter than any other desktop or mobile computer I've owned without additional heat-mitigating mechanisms. I just hope the components are able to handle that temp--at least it's an SSD instead of a traditional platter. It's also a little bit away from the hot components. The extended battery gives a little relief since it pushes the laptop up a little like a stand.

(4) Tips: There are quite a number of Sony updates to install including a firmware/BIOS update. When you click on the assist button the updates are listed under "software" instead of "updates". I got an error message installing Intel Anti-Theft indicating that the device was not compatible with it. It is. I was able to fix it by going into the BIOS settings and clicking on enable TPM and AT (even though it already was). After a few reboots, it recognized it OK. One thing that drove me crazy until I figured it out... the only way to get to the UEFI and BIOS settings was from a "shutdown" state, then pushing the "assist" button.

Another tip, this doesn't use the camera for light sensor as some have speculated. It uses the dedicated sensor next to the "assist" button. I personally do not like this since if a directional light is shining down on the device but not lighting the surrounding, it is thrown off. I have LED lighting in the main room of my house and it is constantly auto-adjusting the brightness. I believe there is a way to turn this off but I haven't played with it. It also has issues with adjusting brightness when your arm blocks the light for a few seconds. Why would your arm do that you say? Oh, I don't know, maybe because it's a TOUCHSCREEN laptop!! Come on Sony, so perfect in every other way! Again, not so bad that I would return it. I still think it's one of the best Haswell Ultrabooks on the market.

Purchase tips in the first updated review below.

(5) General thoughts: I haven't bothered to fix my Android tablet yet (the Asus TF300T is a pain to replace the digitizer unlike any other device I've owned). This has all but replaced my netbook and tablet that were used previously for separate tasks. All in a footprint smaller than either one individually. I am looking forward to the Windows 8.1 improvements. I have not installed the preview. I want to wait for the more stable release. On another note, the Intel Anti-Theft is $6.99 for one year on Amazon here.Intel 1 Year Anti Theft Service for Ultrabooks and Laptops Totally worth it for me. I take this everywhere.

FIRST UPDATE AFTER flying with this (and for the first time, without an additional tablet)

===================

(1) TRAVEL THOUGHTS

(2) CASES

(3) OTHER QUIRKS ("Flex", touchpad, wifi, fan)

(4) TABLET REPLACEMENT?

(5) PURCHASE TIPS

(6) TAKE APART/DISASSEMBLY

(1) TRAVEL THOUGHTS At first I thought a 13.3" device would be too big to use on the airplane comfortably especially if someone in front of me reclined. I must say this was not the case--furthermore, this is where the touchscreen really shines. Since it is very light, I can hold it closer to me and use it like a tablet without having the keyboard get in my way. The on-screen keyboard also helps for this. I had to ask my colleague to hold the laptop for a second and when I handed it to him he was shocked at how light it weighed!

(2) CASES: The EasyAcc 13.3 inch Laptop Sleeve Bag Case Cover Neoprene Shock Resistant Pouch Protective Handbag for Apple Macbook Air 13, Macbook Pro 13, Acer Aspire S3, Asus Zenbook UX31, Lenovo IdeaPad U300s, Samsung SERIES 9 NP900X3B, Toshiba Satellite Z830, SONY S... did NOT fit this ultrabook so be careful which MacBook Air Cases you choose. I ended up using this Case Logic QNS-113 13.3-Inch EVA Molded Laptop / Macbook Air / Pro Retina Display Sleeve (Black) because it also lets me use the ultrabook in the case itself and I can also stash my second really thin screen (GeChic OnLap--read my review there) GeChic On-Lap 1302 13.3 USB Powered Thin Slim LCD Monitor with ThunderBolt/Mini Display Port Adapter for Apple Macbook Pro Air 13 in the same case! I can also use the Case Logic 14" Case Logic LAPS-114 14-Inch Laptop Sleeve (Black) but it doesn't let me use the laptop in its case. TSA had no issues with either case and I didn't have to remove the ultrabook.

(3) OTHER QUIRKS: So, I think I have figured out the problem with some people reporting touchpad sensitivity and issues. The chassis is carbon fiber and has some "flex" to it. Therefore, if the ultrabook is not fully on a hard surface, and more specifically, half on a hard surface and the palmrest hanging off, the touchpad must be getting compressed inside somewhere as it bends between the palmrest and the touchpad. That is the only time I had issues. If it were fully on a hard or soft surface it operated normally. Imagine taking the laptop and pushing down on the palmrest while it is half over the side of a desk. That is what seems to be happening with me at least. Easy enough for me to adjust so it's a non-issue for me.

The fan noise that people are complaining about I must admit can get annoying sometimes, but I have not tried too much in the way of intensive operations yet. The initial DropBox sync (about 7GB for me) kicked up the fan a lot and it was noticeable. In airports and other areas, it wasn't too much of a distraction, but time will tell if I will be the "weirdo" with the noisy machine in day to day meetings, etc. Ah well, I guess I will have to avoid playing video games during my business meetings!

I did not experience any major Wifi issues other than with networks that do not broadcast SSID's. There are a large number of Sony firmware updates available so I would suggest installing them if you are experiencing issues with bluetooth, wifi, and NFC (which I haven't tried yet). My problem is that the Sony Vaio Update app keeps getting an error so I will contact Sony shortly.

(4) TABLET REPLACEMENT? My Asus TF300T's digitizer broke prior to my flight and it's a pain to replace so I haven't done that yet. Needless to say, I've used the Sony Vaio Pro 13 in many situations that I would have used the tablet for and honestly, I feel less restricted than under Android limitations (read: multitasking, productivity office apps, etc.). I have all but replaced it and since it actually weighs less than my TF300T with keyboard dock, I'm happy to be using this. Yes, it's a little bit large for some situations, so I might hold out and get a decent 8" Bay Trail tablet when they are released later in the year.

(5) PURCHASE TIPS: So, after playing with this for a while, and knowing that some options are pretty expensive, here is what I can offer: most of the components are fixed and not upgradeable. If you can afford it, go with the highest processor and memory that you can. The memory is soldered to the main board. The SSD, however, is Samsung's new XP941 PCIe "M.2" form factor SDD. While they are not available for sale (that I could find) other than to OEMs right now, it is likely they will appear in the market soon. Going from the base 128GB, it costs $220 for 256GB and $720 or so for the 512GB. While the speeds are among the fastest you will see today for SSD, I might be willing to hold off on that, especially since it appears to be user-replaceable (no confirmation on that but see below). Your best shot is to keep searching for them online and see when they pop up cheaper in the future.

(6) TAKE-APART AND DISASSEMBLY: While I have not tried it yet, there is now a good tear-down video and pictures so you can see for yourself.

ORIGINAL REVIEW:

===================

In this review:

(1) In the box

(2) PROs (+)

(3) CONs/Quirks (-)

(4) Windows Experience Index Ratings, Battery Life, and Performance Observations

(5) Extended sheet battery thoughts

(6) Thoughts on travel/portability/business use

(7) General Thoughts and Thoughts on tablet replacement

(1) In the box: power cord and adapter with neat USB port in transformer, brief setup pamphlet, VGA Adapter.

I thought I would include this section because there was some confusion as to whether the USB-powered Ethernet wireless router that attaches to the power adapter was included. Sadly, it is not. It is also not listed as available for sale (as of this date) in the US. If you need the part number (since it's hard to find), it's VGP-WAR100 and is available on Sony Asia's website

(2) PROs

Great battery life (later)

Super thin AND great battery life!

full-size spacing on keys

Tight integration between hardware and Windows 8 (even some 8.1 features done Sony-style on Windows 8.0)

Screen lifts for the most part with one hand (better than I could have expected)

brightness is decent

Carbon fiber build seems flimsy (because it bends) but actually feels and appears to be durable (if that makes sense)

Really light.

Did I mention that it's really thin and light?

(3) CONs/Quirks (not all are really terrible and I've overcome some as described)

Yes, there is a known WiFi issue. Supposedly, Sony is working on a fix though not all their stores and call centers are familiar with it. However, that being said, I did not experience any major issues. Just in case, I have a WiFi adapter I can use if needed.

For me: lack of Thunderbolt port is a disappointment but I understand that Sony had to sacrifice some things for such a thin laptop. I would have preferred Thunderbolt over HDMI but that is just me and the market supports the decision to stick with HDMI right now.

Lack of Gb Ethernet. Really wished it had this but a lot of ultrabooks are forgoing this option these days. To overcome this, I purchased a nifty Asus USB router (see below under travel)

The large amount of flex in the build makes using the touchscreen difficult to use or at least not as "seamless" as it could be. The screen vibrates back and forth a lot with each press making for a slightly uncomfortable but bearable experience. It certainly does not replace a tablet feel (nor is it meant to so no stars deducted). It's just that it feels like the touchscreen could have been left out altogether but I must admit I still use it extensively over the touchpad (but maybe not over a travel mouse).

The sheet battery is not flush to the device (more on that below under the "extended battery" section).

The keyboard is a little awkward for me, but to be fair, I'm accustomed to a 12.1" netbook keyboard. The keys for me are spaced too far apart but I can still type pretty fast and it doesn't seem like it will take a lot of getting used to.

The lights for the backlit keyboard are visible from underneath the keys when you are looking at the device. It's kind of annoying and I wish it were just the letters that were lit instead of an outline of the keys.

Silly dedicated "assist" button launches Sony's troubleshooting and repair/recovery apps. I'd rather be able to customize a dedicated hardware button (and maybe I can?)

(4) Windows Experience Index, battery life, and other performance measures

Overall: 6.3 (internal HD4000 graphics being the limiting factor)

CPU: 7.1

RAM: 7.6

Graphics: 6.3

Gaming Graphics: 6.3

HDD: 8.6

It isn't meant to be a super high-end gaming machine. The idea here is thin and light...but seriously, it does a pretty darn good job at everything else while it's at it. Data transfer rates are extremely good. If I get a chance, I'll post some samples.

Battery Life is really really good. I use Battery Bar and it varies it's estimate based on use but going from a full charge on just the main battery without the extended sheet battery, it varies between 7-8.5 hours, way over Sony's 6.5 hours estimate. To be fair, I have only been installing software and not anything otherwise intensive. With the extended battery which is almost double capacity, I would easily believe Sony's 13-14 hour claim and then some. Time will tell and I will update if this changes.

Performance is pretty snappy and I haven't noticed any major hiccups but to be fair, I haven't done a whole lot other than web browsing and software installation. I'll update as time goes on if it changes.

(5) Extended Sheet battery thoughts:

Honestly, I have mixed feelings. Since there are really no pictures for this model, I thought I would post this so you have a good idea of what it is like. I will post a picture soon as well. For starters, it does NOT sit flush with the laptop. In other words, it adds a significant amount of depth (almost double) but at least it is a smaller footprint and not the whole side of the laptop. It serves as a stand while it is attached. One thing I do wish: the cover for the connector for the extended battery can be difficult to remove form the laptop (it has a spot to reattach to the extended batteyr to hold it in place but even that is a pain to do in a hurry. If I have to switch batteries in a hurry or switch to the extended, it can be irritating. A sliding cover would have been more practical (but I'm not sure if it's feasible space-wise)

(6) Travel and portability thoughts:

For me, extended batteries are almost a necessity and I'm so used to just ordering them that I ordered it with the device. As I am using this, I am actually thinking I wouldn't need it if I were just replacing my netbook/laptop. Since the sheet battery adds such significant battery life, I might use it to replace what I normally defer to my Asus TF300T tablet for (notes, travel, work on airplanes/trains, etc.).

I will update this review soon--I have ordered two different MacBook Air cases and will see how they fare.

I also ordered the Asus WL-300NUL pocket WiFi router (ASUS Multi-Mode Pocket Router (WL-330NUL). This can be used in much the same way as the Sony part I mentioned above with the added benefit that it can also be used as a USB ethernet adapter and standard WiFi adapter as well.

For travel, I also ordered a USB combo mini outlet surge protector Satechi Compact USB Surge Protector for Charging MP3 Players, iPhone, Blackberry, Android, and Windows Mobile Phones and an inline surge protector TRC 90510-10 Lap Top Surge Protector 3-Wire which should arrive soon.

(7) General Thoughts and Thoughts on Tablet replacement:

I was really hoping for a Haswell ultrabook convertible that would double as my desktop via a nice Thunderbolt dock for two monitors, GbE, USB 3.0 drives, etc. I was hoping for said ultrabook to also double as a tablet and take advantage of Window 8 handwriting recognition with a digitizer (this does not have a digitizer). In the end, while this may have been a purchase out of frustration in waiting or the "perfect" device to come along, I think I am happy with it. The near-instant on feature is nice so that certainly helps in pushing the case to replace my tablet. I can still think of a need for a decent tablet with digitizer (perhaps a future "mini" Windows 8 tablet with Bay Trail?). I thought about the Sony Duo 13 as well but the limited one angle kind of was a dealbreaker for me. In retrospect, it might be more of what I was looking for. The trackpad is becoming more and more of an after-thought for me as I use the touchscreen more so the fact that it is much smaller on the Duo may not be bad. At least it isn't behind the keyboard like on the recently announced Samsung device. The Asus Transformer Book Trio is probably the closest to what I wanted but it may not be released until much later this year. For now, I would say I'm very happy with the purchase and will continue to evaluate my needs as I go on in terms of living without a tablet.

I do hope that Thunderbolt becomes more common and is standard in the near future. Partly due to cost and partly due to ignorance, I think people are missing out on something great that might be too early for it's own good. It's almost like the "Apple Newton" was way ahead of its time and didn't succeed because of ignorance and cost until Palm released their version of the PDA when the market was "ready" for it. I'm hoping this is the time for TB.

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I returned this laptop to the Sony store (even after receiving a second/replacement for the first). The major issue remains the wifi connectivity -despite an 18 July "update" from Sony, there is STILL a problem with the wifi. I have an above average knowledge of computers and I walked through all the basic and advanced troubleshooting steps (and, yes, my router/network works fine, I have other computers connected via 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, g and n; and, yes, I tried multiple wireless networks around my neighborhood). The problem is, simply, the wifi hardware or firmware in this computer. There are other problems (extremely loud fan, troublesome trackpad) but those can be solved via software/firmware updates (although Sony makes this painful try clicking your country preference for EACH (of many) updates over a 2 hour period, meaning you can't walk away from the computer as it updates itself -seriously, Sony, too hard to grab the country preference ONCE from the user?). Bottom line: this computer was released to the consumer before it was ready, and users are paying the price (in wasted time and energy). Sony, like HP, has been added to my "Don't Buy" list for the foreseeable future.

Best Deals for Sony VAIO Pro SVP13215PXB 13.3-Inch Core i7 Touchscreen Ultrabook

Pros:

**no wifi issues what-so-ever

**great battery life due to Haswell

**very light and durable

**lightning fast and the keyboard feedback is fantastic

**1920 X 1080 ultra-thin touchscreen is gorgeous

**SD card slot on the side allows a card to be inserted flush with the case which greatly extends this ultrabook's storage capacity

**touchpad is very good and the speakers are amazing

Cons: somewhat expensive (but the Sony quality is worth it)

Other Thoughts: Best ultrabook on the market

Honest reviews on Sony VAIO Pro SVP13215PXB 13.3-Inch Core i7 Touchscreen Ultrabook

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program November 2013 Consumer Reports gives top rating to Vaio Pro 13" Ultrabook Overall scores for 13" laptops are:

Sony Vaio Pro Ultrabook = 79

Macbook Air = 74

Toshiba Kirabook = 73

Asus Zenbook = 67

Macbook Pro = 66

Consumer Reports really tests stuff thoroughly. I assume they are not taking into account the OS, but still, Apple should get their act together. The Asus Zenbook is rated higher than the MacBook Pro, made me spew my sip of Kopi Luwak at the thought!

My Rating = 4.5 Stars:

*** Wifi Update Below***

Avid Mac User Perspective: Tip Of The Hat To Sony And Microsoft

In 1980 my grandmother gave me $3,000 all in one dollar bills so I would know how much money it was to purchase an Apple II+. That's roughly $8,500 in today's money for less computer power than my current microwave. I have exclusively only owned and used Apple computers since. My only brush with Windows is once or twice using an uncle's computer during the holidays to look up something on the web and wondering why the OS was asking so many questions. Unlike many Mac users, I have nothing against Windows, no old blue screen of death wounds. It's a bit like Portugal, never been there and thus have no opinion. Under the normal forces if nature I would never consider a Windows machine. I would head straight to Apple's website and compare models within the happy, familiar, and comfortable Mac universe. It is only by the good graces of the Vine program that I have the Sony Vaio Pro Ultrabook to review. Bottom line: I love this Sony product, here's why.

BUILD QUALITY:

Excellent. Carbon fiber body is strong, sleek, and very lightweight perhaps the lightest 13.3" laptop on the market (sorry Apple). Very sophisticated looking. Battery life is good, not terrific, but good enough for me. The black is chic, though if I had a choice, might choose silver. I like how opening the display slightly raises the rear of the ultrabook, creating more heat dissipation and a comfortable typing angle also the presence of rubber feet prevent the unit from sliding.

DISPLAY:

Also excellent, the best laptop display I've seen very clear and crisp. Touchscreen works very well and is surprising useful. Sony has obviously leveraged their considerable TV experience into creating a tremendous laptop display. Once again, and it pains me to say it, but I prefer this Vaio touchscreen display to the MacBook Pro's. After this experience, I hope Apple will eventually refresh their laptop line with touchscreen technology.

KEYBOARD:

Very good. High quality and comfortable to use, a nice balance between firm and softness. Palm rests are also great. Can feel the quality throughout.

TOUCHPAD:

Once I figured out how to right and left click (click in either lower left or right area of touchpad) the touchpad has worked very well. I have not experienced the problems expressed by other reviewers. I do use the Ultrabook on a hard surface like a desk or table, per the instructions. The system utilizes upper left and right "hot corners" which at times confuse the touchpad's pointer causing it to flicker on those areas. I believe this to be a Windows issue, not Sony. Only complaint is that I cannot find touchpad adjustment ability anywhere in the system. Under Control Panel -> Mouse there is no trackpad listed. The option to turn off "tap to click", and make other adjustments, would be nice. On a Mac such things are easily done in System Preferences. If anyone can tell me how to adjust the trackpad on the Ultrabook, I would appreciate the knowledge.

FAN & HEAT:

I used the Ultrabook for many hours, once again, following the directions to use only on a hard surface. The fan comes on periodically, not that often really. When on, a bit noisy, nothing bothersome. One could interpret "noise" as being "an effective fan" that quickly dissipates heat and thus is protecting your investment. I'd rather have an effective noisier fan than a silent fan that doesn't do the job. The Ultrabook is mostly cool to the touch, impressive for a mighty machine.

WIFI:

I have a 3 year old Cisco Valet router, nothing fancy. Wifi has performed well for me, an effective signal within approximately 25' of the router. My iMac is located about 40' from the router and receives 5 bars, while the Sony Vaio Pro 13 Ultrabook was unable to connect from the same distance. I have ordered a couple of external wifi dongles to improve the Ultrabook's reception by having the antenna outside of the body will report back with the results. In reading other reviews I was very concerned about wifi performance, an issue that has effected the new MacBook Air as well. My conclusion is that the Ultrabook has good, but not great wifi range. Hopefully a firmware or software update will fix the issue.

SETUP:

Following the brief directions in the enclosed literature, setup was very easy. Downloading the initial Sony and Windows updates took about an hour. Installation of the 12 Sony updates is a bit of a bother because you must affirm your country for each one over and over. Midway through the screen went black and freaked me out! The troubleshooting guide confirmed the setup wizard had crashed. A reboot got everything back on track and the remaining 6 updates were installed. For some reason the Sony App updates are not downloading properly, they say "pending" but never go the next step. Machine has been very stable since.

SPEAKERS:

Not that great, ok. But I really don't expect genuine hi-fi from built-in laptop speakers. For any sort of good sound, you'll want a quality pair of external speakers.

PERFORMANCE AND WINDOWS 8:

The Ultrabook is a pleasure to use, very snappy and completely silent thanks to the solid state drive (except when fan comes on). More than adequate for everything but hardcore gaming or other graphic intensive activities. For it's intended usage, this machine has far more horsepower than most will ever need. I must admit, I rather like Windows 8. Microsoft has clearly gone all in with the iOS like interface. The "Tiles" system is excellent, highly functional, customizable and flows seamlessly into the touchscreen capabilities. Tiles is a combination of the Mac dock and launch pad, and in many ways, Tiles is superior to either. The "desktop" mode interfaces with the Tile system poorly, yet I'm happy to remain in Tileland most of the time. Apps launch in a very iOS manner as well and Microsoft has provided dock like navigation in a clever way. I do feel the iOS Windows 8 type features are better suited for a laptop than a desktop where part of the joy is to sit a ways back from the display. I would welcome a similar touchscreen/ Tiles type interface in the next MacBook Pro. Not so interested in seeing it on an iMac.

The included Mail app could be better, I'm awaiting the arrival of the year subscription to Office to test that out.

Is Windows 8 better than Lion? There are elements of Windows 8 that I prefer, yet I'm a diehard Mac fellow and on the over all do prefer Mac OS. However, I do offer a tip of the hat and a respectful wink to Windows 8.

CONCLUSION:

Assuming my experience for the last few days is indicative of what you should expect from the Sony Vaio Pro 13 Touchscreen Ultrabook and assuming a lightweight Windows based Ultrabook meets your computing power needs (ie no heavy gaming) then I confidently recommend this product. We'll see how it performs over time, if it conks out in 6 months I'll be very sad. All in all, pleasantly surprised by the entire experience and consider myself a proud Vaio owner. I do apologize, this review was typed on my iMac (g).

4.5 Stars Highly Recommended

*** Edit 9/1/13 ***

The Vaio Pro 13 continues to perform well. I do wish Windows 8 had either gone all Tiles, or, remained with the traditional desktop. Mixing the two very different systems together is a little confusing. As for the issue of limited wifi range, here are two solutions that have worked for me:

1) TRAVEL SOLUTION I purchased the TP-LINK TL-WN822N Wireless N300 High Gain USB Adapter from Amazon. It has increased the Vaio's wifi range quite a bit. Now the Vaio picks up the same signal as my iMac and functions well, where before only the iMac could received the wifi signal. The adapter is a little clumsy, but I concluded it would be more effective than a smaller one. Here's the link http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-WN822N-Wireless-External-Antennas/dp/B00416Q5KI/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

2) HOME SOLUTION I refuse to give the cable company yet more money for an additional router in the back of the house. Instead I purchased a TP-LINK TL-PA4010KIT AV500 Nano Powerline Adapter Starter Kit. It cleverly sends the broadband signal to another part of your home via existing electrical wiring. I connected it to a spare wifi router (TP-Link N600) and have successfully extended the home network wifi range and avoided cable company fees. Here's the link http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-PA4010KIT-Powerline-Adapter-Starter/dp/B00AWRUICG/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

SLEEVE/ CASE: I chose the Case Logic 13.3" Molded Laptop Sleeve. The sleeve is a little bit too large for the Vaio Pro 13, though adding padding to the inside (a piece of foam or velvet) has solved that issue. The sleeve fits quite well into my Osprey Packs Comet Daypack. A great pack that needs a well padded sleeve, like the Case Logic, in order to provide adequate protection.

Sleeve link http://www.amazon.com/Case-Logic-13-3-Laptop-Sleeve/dp/B00E66JILG/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Osprey Comet link http://www.amazon.com/Osprey-COMET-P-Packs-Comet-Daypack/dp/B007X0UAQY/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

I hope this has been helpful

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Sony VAIO Pro SVP13215PXB 13.3-Inch Core i7 Touchscreen Ultrabook

I purchased this machine last week after running a Sony Vaio Z540 for over 3 yearstime to change.

Lets put is this way:

The screen is fabulous I can actually work on two word documents side by side on a 13.3 inc screen and see what I am doing. Viewing angles are very good in my view and even though the max angle the screen bends back is not great it does not matter as the screen resolution and viewing angle compensates for this. The touch works very well though I have still to get used Windows 8...

Keyboardthis really blew me awaythis keyboard is more comfortable than the desktop keyboard I have at work (which is a nice Logitech waive). Plenty of travel on the keys and I literally make no mistakes. The track pad does not interfere either by throwing the cursor accidentally to the other side of the screen .

One thing to note is that the back edge screen when opened liens on the surface you are working on thereby elevating the back of the keyboardthis helps typing become more comfortable. However if you work with this thing on your lap a lot (especially wearing shorts) this may bother you as the back of the screen has quite a sharp angle so it does dig a bit into your legs. with long trousers on this is not an issue.

Trackpadis very nice. I haven't yet started to play with the configurations (which may be adjustable) but the double tap does not always seem to catch on. As I use a blue tooth mouse anyway this does not really bother me. Multi gesture touch works very well and it is a smooth feel which is nice (not like some other touch pads I have used)

Speedcomputer is really really fastits like working with an Ipadwakes up in a second and a full restart takes about 20 secs.

I have notices that the fan seems to kick in when the graphics card is working when video streaming from the net and generally when you are in a hot room (I live in a hot country). I would not mention this but the fan is a little noisy though certainly not unbearable.

Battery time is fineat least 6.5 hours and I like the screen pretty bright. So I guess if I was meaner on the backlight it would mean longer.

I have seen the comments on the wifiseems to be ok on my machine so I hope this is not something that will start....

computer looks a million dollars so if you are looking for a looker you've got onenice and slim and really weightless (1 kg... what else can one ask for). It does collect plenty of finger prints on the keyboard palm restI have the black model so maybe go for the silver if you are touchy about this (my previous vaio was silver but then the keys got really dirtyou cant win...)

Cheap HP Pavilion dv6-7020 us 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black)

Customer Ratings:

This computer is fine...except for the audio. Yes, you read that correctly. Despite the fact that one of this computer's big features is Beats Audio, the volume on songs and videos has a mind of its own and fluctuates all the time. HP recently released a driver to fix the problem, which temporarily worked, but the volume fluctuation began to creep back into the audio about a week ago and is once again in full swing. According to the HP Support Forum, the company continues to work on finding a solution. Regardless of whether the problem gets permanently fixed, I find it totally unacceptable that a computer containing a feature geared towards audio went onto the market with such an awful audio flaw. It's downright irresponsible on HP's part and I am severely disappointed.

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I was still using an HP dv1170us (vintage 2005) which is still working fine, but it's dated. I wanted a replacement, so I bought its cousin, the HP dv6-7020 figuring it's close enough of a cousin to my old workhorse that I'd just settle into it like a favorite shirt.

A lot of my favorite features are still there. I like being able to turn off the touchpad (it's a double-tap in the upper left corner) when I'm using a trackball, and I like being able to cut the wi-fi off with a button press when I'm watching movies or listen to music (this is, after all, an entertainment laptop) and save some battery life. An improvement is no ports on the back of the laptop. That's a serious plus in a tight space like a library or on a plane when you can't have stuff sticking out of the back of the laptop and have it up against anything like a wall or seat.

Some features I liked are gone. Instant Play is history, no more turning on the laptop to just use as DVD player hardware and double the battery life like my old laptop could do. However, the battery life is improved enough that it's about a wash. I really liked the actual latch to keep the lid shut too, but that's gone on the DV6-7020.

Some features I like are added, for example the HDMI output for a projector or HDTV, the fingerprint scanner for security and the built in webcam, none of which the old entertainment laptop had.

The laptop feels a bit big after the 14" notebook I've been used to, and the difference seems like a lot more than 1.6" going from a 14-inch notebook to a 15.6-inch laptop. I didn't think the added size would make much difference, but it's definitely noticed. It's okay, but this is as big as I'd go with a laptop. Anything bigger is overkill and sort of ruins the goal of portable devices (which is to be portable, of course).

Best Deals for HP Pavilion dv6-7020 us 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black)

My new laptop arrived today via UPS. I opened the box and had it set up in 5-10 minutes. It is awesome!!! Setting up all my user preferences now. Got on-line in 5 minutes. Got my hotmail & gmail up and running in 10 minutes. Sounds great, looks great. Really happy with it so far. If I run into any problems, I will adjust my rating, otherwise it is perfect!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I love it!!!!!!!!! Screen is really big 15" and the keyboard is just right. Love the separate number key pad. Typing is a breeze and keys are all logical and feels great. I would highly recommend this model and brand to anyone! Really love it!

Honest reviews on HP Pavilion dv6-7020 us 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black)

I recieved this item yesterday and i found nothing is working even the processor. Its completely dead. i just wasted my time calling the HP support team. I just returned this item to amazon. I didnt expect this kind of item from Amazon. They didnt even tested the basic things for the laptop. Beaware of HP laptops, dont expect that everything from HP will work. The customer service can help you only when your machine UP.Unlike Dell, HP will not be giving any door service and you have to ship the new item back to HP for service which is even more horrible.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for HP Pavilion dv6-7020 us 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black)

Purchased HP DV6 7020 US new in the winter of 2012. Barely used it. By June, 2013,the screen would go black and stay black, and the laptop suffered from repeated "unexpected shutdowns". Went round and round with HP tech support in India for hours on end as they tried and failed to resolve the problems remotely. Sent it to the HP repair center in Texas to be fixed. They did the same thing that phone support had done return to factory setting, update bios, reinstall OS. Same problems within hours of getting it back from HP. Finally, I got approval from the HP repair center to send it back to HP to repair but then, they never sent me the mailing label and did not return repeat phone messages (to the HP repair facility in Texas). So, I wrote a letter to HP corporate consumer affairs in Palo Alto. This must have gotten someone's attention, because I got a phone call and an e-mail from a case manager with their Escalation Team. The case manager was quite helpful and orchestrated the repair that I had been promised. So, I shipped it back to HP in Texas yet again for another go at repair. This time, they replaced the MOBO. Got it back and...the battery would not charge but there was no indication from the monitoring system that there was a charging fault. Output of charger tests as good with a VOM, so the battery is just not charging. I suspect it has something to do with the new mother board that HP installed. Upshot: back to HP for another fix. The laptop has spent more time in transit and in the hands of HP than with me for a couple of months. When it works, it is actually a fine computer with good specifications and some helpful HP user interface software. But, it has proven to be quite unreliable. I have owned computers for over 20 years and have never seen a product with so many reliability issues. But, I'm stuck with it now.

Review of Lenovo X1 Carbon 34442DU 14-Inch Laptop

Customer Ratings:

Pros:

Fast, Solid build quality,Low fan noise, Low heat, Excellent keyboard,

The only con i could find was the trackpad isn't as slick as some of the newer ultrabooks and feels a bit wobbly when I click it. If you can get past that, it's an amazing laptop.

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Reviews of Dell Inspiron 15 i15RM-4146SLV 15.6-Inch Laptop (Moon Silver)

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $699.99
Sale Price: $639.99
Today's Bonus: 9% Off

It's a very nice computer with nice resolution. At first, I was put off by the fact that it contained Windows 8; however, I gave myself a chance to learn it, and now I think it's great!

I soon got Windows and Dell support for it, and am very satisfied.

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I love this laptop.... it works so fast and takes a couple secs to boot up and shutting down takes less than 2 secs...

I am totally happy with my Dell laptop....I have gotten used to Windows 8 too...it's not to hard to figure out....infact I like it and now when i use my Windows 7 machine I tend to find myself slide to see what's to the other side only to remember it's not my new laptop..

The memory 1 TB is the bestest....love it...

Anyone thinking about this purchase go ahead make it.....it will be a great investment...

Happy Customer

Best Deals for Dell Inspiron 15 i15RM-4146SLV 15.6-Inch Laptop (Moon Silver)

The keys are pretty small and when I got the laptop the keyboard was not properly fixed....It was making noise when I press any key. I pushed it and it was ok (though I feel its not comfortable yet). The rest is pretty good especially the display...The weird keyboard I have ever used...

Honest reviews on Dell Inspiron 15 i15RM-4146SLV 15.6-Inch Laptop (Moon Silver)

I thought that I was going to be lost since it has Windows 8 but I love it so far! Can't complain and I received it within the same week I ordered it!

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Dell Inspiron 15 i15RM-4146SLV 15.6-Inch Laptop (Moon Silver)

Dell has a long reputation of not being able to keep their machines cool. After just 3 months, my computer would overheat to the point of automatically shutting off. I've had to take it apart, pull the heat sink off the CPU, only to find that there was almost no thermal paste, and what was left had the consistency of dried out gum. Also, the heat sink makes an arc, passing from the CPU over the graphics card part of the motherboard. The heat from the CPU just gets passed on to the graphics card, so my GPU is always about 15 to 20 degrees hotter than the CPU, which gets up to 80 degrees with just internet browsing! Horrible design.

Also, the battery dies after 2 months. What's the point of having a laptop that you have to haul around the power cord or else it dies after 5 minutes?

Dell lies about battery life. They said it would last 6 hours light use, 4-5 hours moderate use, and 3 hours with heavy use like gaming. Lie. When I first bought it, it lasted 1 hour with heavy use and 2.5 hours with light use. Then, like I said, the battery completely died after 2 months.

Never buy a dell, period. This is not a one off situation. Search the internet about dell overheating and dell skimping on hardware. You'll find lots of results.

Also do a search on how horrible their customer service is.

Cheap Acer AS5738Z-4111 15.6-Inch Blue Laptop (Windows 7 Home Premium)

Customer Ratings:

After making a lot of comparisons between the various laptops being offered since Windows 7 was released I found the Acer 4111 to be an outstanding buy at $479.99 through Amazon. It has so many nice features, 4 gigs of memory, 4 USB slots, a built in modem, 2.1 gig CPU and I could go on and on. It is a long list of features. I have only had it for 4 days and am impressed with it in so many ways. So far I am pleased with Windows 7. It seems pretty solid and it does have some nice touches to it. A word of caution on this model is that it does not come with backup DVD's. You will need at least 4 blank DVD disks and the built in backup program works very smoothly.

One irritant I ran into was a very annoying Macaffe (trial version) pop-up window every few minutes. I solved that by deleting the program. As the Acer comes with a 320 gig hard drive you will find that you have only about 260 gigs free. There is a lot of junk on the hard drive that could come off to free up more space.

I recommend this Acer and gave it 5 stars. I also am very well pleased with Amazon.

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At first, I really liked this Acer. Great display, Win 7 runs well, everything loads quickly, startup is fast. The keyboard felt a little flimsy, but I figured it was me. Yet, instead of my typing improving as I got used to it (I'm a pretty good typist) more and more errors appeared: many missed letters, r letters coming in double, just like another user reported. In less than three weeks of use, the key for Q became stuck, and i had to flip up the flimsy little cover to get at the actual mechanism; eventually that hinged cover came off. I spent a lot of time setting this macchine up, and to think that I will have to get rid of anything personal, like quickbooks and tax info so that I can get it fixed -well, let's just say I'm NOT happy!! Never mind lost productivity because I'll have to go back to my old, slow-as-molasses XP laptop. I gave it three stars because everything else is great.

Best Deals for Acer AS5738Z-4111 15.6-Inch Blue Laptop (Windows 7 Home Premium)

I got this last week and am generally pleased. The display is great--large and very sharp. Everything works very quickly, and there weren't too many junky programs preloaded.

HOWEVER, they keyboard is really terrible. It fails to recognize about 1 in 10 letters I type. Then, sometimes, it doubles letters. It is very, very frustrating to type on this thing. I would not recommend it if you have lots of typing to do!

Honest reviews on Acer AS5738Z-4111 15.6-Inch Blue Laptop (Windows 7 Home Premium)

I've been itching to review this laptop ever since I bought it.

I was one of the people who bought it on Amazon even before the release date. I was in need of a new laptop and was looking practically all over the internet for good deals on laptops. I almost picked a not so good laptop before I checked my email and found Amazon's message about new laptops available with windows 7.

I checked at all the computers by ACER (yes, I specifically wanted an acer because I haven't ever had problems with the Acer computers I've used). I found this computer, read all the specs, and oh you know it.. I jumped on it! Was so eager to receive it that I paid for 2 day shipping.

AT 479.99, this was a great deal, so i didn't at all mind paying the extra bucks for fast delivery. Amazon, true to their reputation, delivered this faster than I expected.

I opened my laptop's box, and it was love at first sight. Turned it on, got on the internet, and started typing, and... that was when the problem started.

The keyboard seemed nothing short of annoying! I am a pretty fast 'typer', and having to repeat practically everything i typed really got on my nerves.

I immediately knew I had to call Acer, after all, this came with a one year warranty (thanks to God). The Acer customer service tried all they could to help me 'fix' this keyboard issue (like most reviewers on here have already mentioned), but all to no avail. I was eventually told to send in the laptop for repair.

I had to spend additional bucks to send in my laptop to the Acer office in Texas. I wasn't getting mad though, cos apart from the typing issue, I had already fallen in love with everything about the laptop... and windows 7 was just so lovely (Well done Windows. Don't worry about what that Modern-day, hip dressing dude says about you..lol)

Anyhoo, I now have my laptop back, and the keyboard is working PERFECTLY! I think if I found this laptop at the current price Amazon is selling it, I'd close my eyes and still buy it. It's worth every penny (Then again, If you think about it... original price + 2 day shipping + gas price to staples to ship it back to acer + shipping fee kinda all equals this current price). And worry not if your keyboard is misbehaving, Just send it in back to ACER.

I know I've said enough already, but I just wanna add, the huge screen is a big plus when watching movies, videos, etc.

The numerical pad is a bonus. I thought it would hinder my typing, and take up unnecessary space, but it is not.

The Webcam is Awesome.. so clear and works good with skype! The microphone is loud too, and speakers work great..

The mouse pad was slightly getting on my nerves, but all that resolved when i disabled the extra gestures, by clicking on Mouse from control panel. I also removed the plastic cover on the mouse pad (the one with the multi-gesture touch pad picture on it), and all these changes helped.

Ok. That's about it.. :-)

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Acer AS5738Z-4111 15.6-Inch Blue Laptop (Windows 7 Home Premium)

I ordered this laptop the day Windows 7 was released, and so far I am quite happy with it. Maxed out RAM (4 GB), Super-sized hard drive, dual-core Pentium (this is Intel's NEW line of Pentium CPUs), nice display.... Video is integrated but it's plenty good for watching DVDs, online video, web surfing, photos, etc. Windows 7 runs fast and slick on this bad boy.

Now, here is what ANNOYS me:

1. The keyboard blows. Acer has tried to imitate the new, flat-style keys (like Apple, Sony), but they seem to have it all wrong. The key placement is funny and I find the keys to be flat, crowded, indistinct, and difficult to get used to. The result is more typos. The keyboard probably won't be a deal-breaker unless you're planning to do lots of typing, or write a novel. Since this is a wide laptop, they've included a numeric keypad. I could do without that, but others will find it handy.

2. The track pad. The good: it has a button which allows you to easily disable it. The bad: If it isn't disabled, your hands will constantly brush against it as you type....hence even more typing errors. I disabled much of the multi-gesture functionality and that helped quite a bit. (Another tip: Get a good wireless mouse (such as the Logitech V450 Cordless Nano Laser) to use with this.)

3. The hard drive makes a distinct CLICK sound when it parks the heads. At least, I *think* this is what is happening. I'm curious if others have this same clicking sound? Write comments! If it's the hard drive "click of death" I'd like to RMA it with Acer...if not, I can probably ignore it as it's only once in a while that it happens.

Other than that... Excellent value for the money. It's on the large side. Make sure you buy the right-sized case.

Best Dell Inspiron 17R i17RM-5129SLV 17-Inch Laptop (1.8 GHz Core i5 Deals

Customer Ratings:

Good computer. I like the number keyboard on the left and the large screen. I was surprised that it did not come with excel however. I like the long lasting battery as well. I would also recommend getting malware and virus protection on the computer from the get go.

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Love my new computer. Still learning the Windows 8, but otherwise it's perfect! I would recommend this computer. Dell computers are great.

Cheap Apple MacBook Pro MD318LL/A 15.4-Inch Laptop (OLD VERSION)

Customer Ratings:

Let me start with the good:

So awesome. Great OS, fabulous improvements to the existing line bumping up the processor speed and adding the thunderbolt port. This is my second MacBook. The first one I had was a 2006 model, not the Pro. I fell in love with it. This one has had the same effect. I had upgraded my old MacBook to Lion, so I kind of knew what I was getting, but hadn't been able to enjoy some of the awesome new multi-touch features. The improvements to the OS have been relatively gradual, but substantive. The feel of this machine compared to the old MacBook is far superior. The Unibody construction is solid, sleek and beautiful. It is everything I'd hoped it would be from a look and feel standpoint, but somehow a bit more sturdy.

For the not so good, I got the stock screen which is VERY glossy. I mean ... REALLY glossy. It's still beautiful and has better color reproduction than I could ever expect from a notebook. The reflectiveness of the display is only a minor inconvenience if you work in a controlled-lighting environment like me (I prefer it dark) or if you can crank up the brightness.

My real problem with it? The statement of 7 hour battery life is not just mere exaggeration -it's a lie. I challenge anyone to show proof that through anywhere near normal use can get more than 2.5 hrs out of it. I've got the brightness all the way down to just one notch above 'off' and the keyboard backlight off. The first full charge of this battery got me only about 2 full hours. Enabling the battery timer is useless. The "Time remaining" goes from 4 hours plus to less than 2 hours over the span of about 10 minutes. It's a joke. It's so bad that I'm thinking I only got half a battery or something.

I have an extended battery on a Dell notebook that gives me 7.5 hrs of regular use, and had an extra "slice" battery that attached to a Compaq elitebook that gave me 7-8 hrs. I know what 7 hrs of battery looks like. This ain't it.

My only other complaint is that it gets really hot. There's a reason they aren't called laptops. :-)

If you buy this don't go into it expecting 7 hrs of battery life, and you'll be perfectly satisfied.

All that being said, I think I'm done buying Windows PCs.

UPDATE:

With the help of some responders to my original review, I am seeing much better results from the battery close to 5 hrs + of normal use. Leaving the original text of the review intact, but updating the rating to the 5 stars the product deserves. I'm extremely satisfied. Very happy Mac owner. :-D

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(This review was typed on this machine).

I researched this purchase EXTENSIVELY via Amazon, Best Buy, other retailers, and my local university (with educational pricing for staff/students/faculty). In the end, I ended up purchasing this machine from Best Buy as the price was the same and I had a line of credit (although I had to pay tax: hey, someone has to help pay for our roads, right?)

In short, I can't say enough positive things about this purchase. This machine is INCREDIBLY fast, the interface is slick (although it takes some getting used to coming from the Windows world especially window minimizing and the function keys), and with an iPhone 4S and iPad 2, iTunes syncing is a DREAM compared to Windows (on purpose, El Steve?).

The screen is plenty big (if you're waffling between 15" and 17", go to a local Best Buy or Apple Store and play around with each the 17" has better resolution, but lift them up and check the weight I prefer the 15" for portability and weight, but you're choice will depend on use), and I ordered the 8GB memory package from Amazon (which should show up any day now). Regarding memory I will say: 4GB is just enough; the OS and apps eat up just about every bit, so I'm looking forward to 8GB.

The backlit keyboard is a dream to type on, the magnetic charger is kid-proof, and the multi-touch trackpad alone is well worth the price (I'm a big fan of the two-finger "reverse scrolling", the back-and-forth swiping in Safari is SO convenient, and the 3/4 finger swiping to bring up LaunchPad and the like is great).

My sole complaint is the lack of USB ports, but only because I'm using a Logitech M305 wireless mouse. If I had a true Mac-compatible Bluetooth mouse this wouldn't be an issue, but in hooking up an external USB drive for Time Machine backups (a Western Digital 2TB) and the Logitech dongle, I'm out of USB ports when I have to sync my iPhone or iPad. But hey, with everything else being incredibly integrated, I'm not complaining THAT much.

Taking and syncing videos and pictures via my iPhone (the local Christmas parade!) is flawless, and iTiVo is a must for those with TiVos.

Regarding apps, take a look at Moom, Alfred, DaisyDisk, AppTrap (for uninstalling apps), and Handbrake.

I may end up getting the Applecare plan (part # MD012LL/A), but if I do, I'll get it elsewhere ($244 from other sites vs. $335 from Amazon, just do a search on Google Shopping for the aforementioned part number).

In summary, this machine is already making my life easier with regard to home pictures and video, expanding my family's use of our iPad, and backups. Good-bye Windows, Hello Mac!

Best Deals for Apple MacBook Pro MD318LL/A 15.4-Inch Laptop (OLD VERSION)

(Over three years of experience in IT with Mac Products)

-=[750GB Version]=-

I've been maintaining/repairing computers for ten years but the product that has made a huge impact on my life is the Mac. After working with Windows NT, 98, 2000, and XP. I'm glad that I was introduced to the Mac line when the White/Black Macbook was just coming out. Since then, once you go Mac, you can't go back.

Apple is a great company, many people think they've overrated and overcharge for their products. The main product you're paying premium for is their operating system and customer support. The operating system is what makes the Mac run so smoothly and safely. You can see the OS works very well with the right specifications, and worry free in regards to getting a virus. How often do you hear about a Mac user running into a virus issue, rarely.

I've worked with the old Macbook Pro 15" with the i7 Dual Core. This is a huge upgrade from that, it has a performance score twice as much as last years model. This is one of the latest processor in a laptop market today. This is an i7 Quad Processor, and of course I am happy that this is an Intel processor and not AMD. I upgraded to Corsair 8GB 1333mhz Ram. Together with the processor makes this a great buy for multitasking.

The screen is very reflective. When I use this outdoor it proves a problem to see and I end up squinting at times. But if you're majorly using the screen indoor (like I do), you will only see how beautiful this screen lights up. It's really instant on thanks to being LED and you can see how thin that screen is. The resolution on this Macbook is a big improvement over the last years model as well, thanks to the 1GB graphic card.

Now you're probably wondering, why I mention this Macbook is for everything. Three simple reasons, it has the graphics card (1GB) that can make it do the most intensive graphic program, we've reached the time when programs are being made for both Windows and Mac, and lastly it can have Windows 7 installed as well.

The graphics has amazed me. I've played Starcraft 2, Day of Defeat Source, Team Fortress 2, and Grand Theft Auto IV on high settings. I even can play Battlefield 3 as well while on Medium setting and the quality is beautiful (installed on Windows). The graphics card plays an additional role in the speed of the computer. You can have a great processor and a large amount of ram. But when it comes to watching HD videos, video editing, or playing games, the graphic card has to be good a well. 1GB I guarantee you will have plenty and is just on par with a desktop gaming computer. Most games that are graphic intensive recommends 1GB, looks like this Macbook is prepared!

Many people say, "Mac's are not made for gaming". You can definitely prove them wrong now, you have a 1GB card and that saying is old now. There are many games out available for Mac and they work stunningly great on it. I am surprise myself that Battlefield 3 ran so great! You can get AutoCad, Photoshop, and so much more. But if there's a certain window product you need to install, well here's my third reason.

You now can feel like you paid for TWO laptops and operating systems, thanks to Boot Camp.

You can install Windows 7 on this laptop thanks to boot camp. Just hold down the ALT key upon boot up after you install it and choose either Mac or Windows to use. Apple has a built in program that walks you through it just like turning on a computer. It's so simple. you'll have Windows 7 on this laptop in an hour, thats how long it took me. Thanks to having Windows installed, I can install any program I want. This has a 750GB hard drive so there is a large amount of space for both OS. This Macbook is now definitely made for everything.

Sorry to say but the battery life is not the rated seven hours unless you plan to only do word documents, light internet surfing, and brightness all the way down. If you play games, browse the web heavily, socialize, webcam, and brightness all the way up, you'd get most likely 3-4 hours only. This is ok for me because I can adjust accordingly of how much power I need. If I'm in class, I'll be having my brightness level down and the battery can last long just fine. As for gaming, I'll make sure to be at a desk and with my power adapter handy. Battery life doesn't affect me whatsoever, and comparing Mac to other 15.4 inch laptops, the Mac has a great power management built in the OS that makes sure it uses next to no battery usage while on standby.

Overall for the price, you're not paying for just the cool factor of Apple, but for the customer support as well. If you have a problem with the Mac, there's a Genius Bar in the Apple Store there with experts to help you out. Within the first year after purchasing it's free help. Even after the one year they will not mind taking a look to see what the problem is. But with warranty, whatever problems occur they will help you step by step and take the right actions to make sure you leave the Apple Store satisfied in solving your problem.

I do not work for Apple, but if I did I'm sure I'd enjoy sharing my experience with why Mac is far more superior at Windows. I used Windows for years but a Mac is so much easier to use in comparison, I've converted many of my family/friends into using it, and they now feel the same way I do about what their next laptop should always be.

Honest reviews on Apple MacBook Pro MD318LL/A 15.4-Inch Laptop (OLD VERSION)

I got my first MacBook Pro in 2006. It worked like a dream and I could not have had a better computer on which to complete a PhD. At that time there was iLife with iWeb so I could launch a website instantly having created a dot mac (later Me) account. It worked tremendously until about 2010, after which I foolishly decided to trade it in for a souped up second hand model (thought of as a cheap MBP upgrade) that was unfortunately coming from non authorised apple repairers and was faulty. I've learned my lesson. With the new MBP I purchased Apple Care almost as soon as I got the machine extending its authorised warranty service for 3 years.

So now I'm typing this on the new MBP. I have noticed that the battery does not really seem to last 7 hours. In a way, it charges up worryingly fast to seem to retain charge. The sound (I mean videos and multimedia) is simply not as loud as the previous MBP, maybe the loudspeakers are less powerful. My iPhone 4S seems to be louder than this (when not connected to external sound systems). The default screen is glossy though you can get a matte. I just have to say it is too glossy and the default should be a matte screen with the option for gloss. The glossy screen would prevent its adequate use in full sunlight and I have to put up with my reflection. I have since fitted a Moshi iVisor that helps considerably.

Significant improvements to the last MBP include the improved magsafe connector the wires of which do not get frayed and exposed due to stressful kinks between the plug and the power cord; the new design prevents kinking by keeping the cord straight. The unibody feels nice and rigid and keeps itself cool without the loud fan of the previous MBP. It is now very much more solid and silent as it works. You can't even hear the hard disk, so it feels like it has a SSD.

For its price, this computer is not worth it. My old MBP was considerably cheaper and Apple have really jacked up the price. The amount of RAM in the standard model (4GB, 8 would have been better) even with 750GB hard disk does not seem sufficient for the price.

The software is more troubling: The problem is the reduced iLife capability such as killing iWeb and issues with OS Lion. With OS lion, I just don't understand Mission Control, it seems to be a useless gimmick. The updated Safari browser works a lot worse than before, I can never seem to get the window I want (e.g., in the past when I opened Safari naturally it launched on the home screen, then you changed window and if you started a new window it would retain the same window, but the control of these windows is now much diminished). Features like Spaces and Stacks are also gimmicky. Each time I start the computer it reopens the software I took pains to shut down at the end of the last session. Disabling this does not seem to work. It constantly seems to open iCal even though I don't want it to do so. This process of reopening a great deal of software makes the booting up very slow. Ironically, the booting up speed is not faster than my old MBP, it may even be slower.

This MBP, if you want the bells and whistles such as 16GB of RAM (installable yourself), Apple Care warranty protection, leaving aside cosmetic externals like a hard shell or an antireflective screen will set you back an additional $750 approximately. That makes this computer about as expensive as they come. Of course these two features are optional, though perhaps a lower price with an iWeb type capability may have helped.

As for the future, I don't think an MBP without a CD/DVD drive would be very useful in the much anticipated upgrade (as rumoured). The improved IvyBridge chip will excite techies though will really jack up the price even more. I am very pleased with this MBP overall and will just end up spending far more money than is justified.

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I needed a new laptop and got the Mac because of I wanted a Unix based system for programming. I've been dual-booting into Linux for too long and though Linux is outstanding, many softwares do not have a Linux version (don't get me started).

It's been 3 weeks with the new Mac and so far I am very pleased with my purchase. However, there are certain things that the Mac is missing which seem like daily necessities to me. It would seem that Apple purposely left them out in a snobbish attempt to establish "the Mac is different".

Depending on the kind of person you are and your usage type, these may or may not be a deal breaker for you.

1. It does not have a standard uninstaller. Coming from Linux's package managers, this is absolutely disappointing. You may have heard that uninstallation is as easy as trashing the app but I wish that were true. Some apps leave files scattered on your hard disk which are hard to find and trash for even a fairly tech savvy person. There are 3rd party softwares, free and not, which can do the job for you but didn't you already pay a premium for buying the Mac?

2. It does not have built-in read-write (r/w) NTFS support. That means if you have an external NTFS formatted drive or a PC that you are sharing with the Mac, you can't persist anything there. Again, compared with the built-in NTFS r/w support in Linux, this seems to be soooo year 2000. There are 3rd party softwares that do this, of course, for a cost.

3. The laptop keyboard does not have a DEL key, only BACKSPACE (called delete, go figure). You can Fn + delete to delete but I'd think delete is quite a commonplace functionality to be missed out.

4. It does not have HOME or END keys either. You can control + A for home and control + E for end but frankly, do you really want to remember all these shortcuts?

I work on computer programs for a living and have figured out ways to work around the above problems. IMHO, not everyone may be willing or able to do that. The graphics and aesthetic is beyond cool but PCs can boast of that too.

Lenovo Ideapad G555 0873-74U 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black) Reviews

Customer Ratings:

First my cons:

1) Lower quality WiFi transceiver it seems

2) Impossible to type with jumping cursor until I disabled the touchpad

3) I could shave in the shiny reflective screen

4) The battery drains faster than the advertising

5) I'll add the bloatware myself thanks if I think I need it

1) I experienced some dropped connections that now apppear to be isolated to the extranet WiFi at work though both my Lenovo T60 and an Asus eeePC 901 I keep at work have never dropped a WiFi connection. The G555 did so repeatedly not keeping the connection for more than a few mins at times. I would have to disconnect and connect to regain my connection. At home the WiFi did not get dropped across the house but the performance was half to my Asus eeePC 1000H that I keep at home. So sitting next to the router the G555 could achieve only a 75Mb/s connection compared to 150Mb/s for my 1000H. Across the house the G555 drops down to 32Mb/s less than half again of the 1000H. I attribute this to seeing for the first time a Broadcom transceiver vs Atheros or Ralink. I noticed on the Lenovo support website for the G555 that the lastest drivers are from Atheros. Does this mean that Lenovo has done a WiFi switcheroo in production and I'm just one of the unfortunates not to receive version 2 of the G555. Why are the latest two drivers from Atheros?

I fixed 2) by buying a mouse and disabling the touchpad, I've never had to disable a touchpad on many a laptop before. There is no sensitivity setting for the touchpad available.

3) The screen is very reflective making it harder to see in a bright room or with a window behind me. I thought reflective screens like this disappeared a decade ago, how much could it possibly cost today to add a non-reflective screen.

4) The battery is advertised as 4 hours but I got low power warnings after 2.5hrs on Windows 7 Power Balanced setting. This of course was a little expected due to higher performance CPU and GPU than my ASUS machines.

5) Finally as mentioned in many reviews there is a silly amount of bloatware installed, I removed 90% of it. The software installs are located on the D: drive.

Other than the above the rest is pretty good for the price. It feels pretty solid, its fast. The screen is nice and bright (if only they had made it non-reflective). The camera seems to work fine, all the basic features are there that I enjoy on my ASUS eeePC machines. My mum will be happy (she did not know a mouse could be used with a laptop). Hopefully Lenovo can fix a few of those issues I mention for future owners.

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Don't listen to all these idiots and negative comments this is a great computer it does everything you need for basic computing. It is perfect for college students. I got the G555 with the HD screen and is great. The wifii works great if you're having problems get a better ISP or faster internet. Don't spend a lot of money. This computer is perfect.

:)

Best Deals for Lenovo Ideapad G555 0873-74U 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black)

I accidentally discovered the Lenovo when shopping at my local bookstore. I liked the features and the price so I gave it a try. I LOVE my Lenovo. The features and the speed are unbeatable in this price range. I ordered the exact same laptop for my partner and he loves it too. I will never purchase another brand of laptop again!

Honest reviews on Lenovo Ideapad G555 0873-74U 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black)

I've had a multitude of laptops from the old Commodore on. The last couple have been from HP. This is without a question the best laptop I've ever had! And the value for the money is unbelievable! It does more and works better than the raw stats show. It was here about a week after I ordered it and was ready to go right away. I strongly recommend the laptop and this vendor.

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The keyboard is terrible. While typing, the text jumps around. You will suddenly find the current line of text has jumped up 2 or 3 lines and has inserted itself into the middle of another sentence. Even while doing email, it will jump from the body of the email into the subject line.

I disabled the touchpad, so it's not because I'm leaning on it accidentally. Unless you type verrrrrry slowly, one finger at a time, the text jumps around. Someone said that's what you can expect with cheap laptops.

If my desktop hadn't just died, I would return this Lenovo.

I am typing this review using the keyboard from my desktop computer. So much for mobility.

HP Pavilion 15-b150us 15.6-Inch Ultra Thin TouchSmart Sleekbook Reviews

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $749.99
Sale Price: $519.99
Today's Bonus: 31% Off

This laptop packs a lot of features into an incredible price. For your everyday email, browsing, spreadsheets, etc. this machine with its quad-core processor handles everything with ease. I was most impressed as I tried out some more entertaining apps (games) as well as streaming videos nice and smooth and the system doesn't get hot or every feel like its working hard. For its features, I love the full size keyboard as well as number pad, and there is plenty of memory and hard drive size for what I need.

One of the coolest new features, which took me some time to get used to, is the ability to use the touch screen. Once I got used to Windows8 and the touch interface, I've found that if I use anyone else's notebook I wind up touching their screen and am surprised when nothing happens. Its great for quickly browsing through photos, scrolling through web pages and getting around the new Windows8 interface.

My only criticism would be that it needs a higher definition screen (which of course would make it more expensive) so its a qualified criticism.

If you are ready to ditch your old notebook and jump into the world of touch with a full featured notebook at price that can't be beat, this is the machine for you.

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Don't let the price fool you, this laptop has lots of power and compared to my old Intel unit, is at least 3x's as powerful when it comes to graphics. I'm a digital animator, I budget on excel, and do just about anything you can imagine on my computer, so if this baby can handle everything I throw at it, it'll handle everything you can throw at it too.

Best Deals for HP Pavilion 15-b150us 15.6-Inch Ultra Thin TouchSmart Sleekbook

After doing some research on laptops, I came across this specific model and was impressed with the specifications. I had read many people dislike Windows 8, so I was a bit skeptical. However, since I bought it, I can't seem to stop bragging about it! The laptop is thin, sleek, and fast! The screen size is perfect and clear. I LOVE the touchscreen! It makes everything so much easier and faster! I use on a daily basis to access my email, view documents, etc.. and it works marvelous! Love it!

Honest reviews on HP Pavilion 15-b150us 15.6-Inch Ultra Thin TouchSmart Sleekbook

Pros: Starts quickly, handles even memory-intensive programs quite well, responsive touchscreen.

Cons: Touchpad over-sensitive, right and left buttons are very loud and annoying.

Without a good touchscreen, Windows 8 is a real irritation, since the interface for starting and managing programs was optimized for a touchscreen. However, this Pavilion has a very responsive one that also does a decent job of resisting smudges, even if it does need a good cleaning easily once a week.

My big concern for this computer was power. I use Photoshop quite a bit and wasn't at all sure that it would handle it. Those concerns cleared up right away. Programs open up very quickly, including some of the typically slow ones like Libre Office and Photoshop.

The touchpad is very sensitive, so much so that you'll very likely want to disable the swipe function (just Google disable swipe on Windows 8). You'll also probably want to set Chrome to Desktop Mode or it will swoop open and closed without your wanting it to.

The thing that most annoys me now that I have those settings is just how noisy the trackpad buttons are. In a quiet room, they're irritatingly audible, the kind of thing that would drive a highly-strung roommate quite insane, I suspect.

So for the price, it's quite a decent deal. As the specs suggest, it's a bit heavy for a "carry it around all the time" tablet, but if I were traveling and didn't want to be limited to a mini, it's still easily portable.

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I've had the laptop for about a month and I can still say that I made a good investment! The option of having a touchscreen and a regular keyboard is cool; the touchscreen and the keyboard works flawlessly! The image quality is great; the colors on the screen are very vibrant. The speed of the laptop is great, even when I multi-task and have several windows open. The design of the laptop is nice too! In my opinion, this laptop works just as great as a MAC laptop (I have a MAC laptop that I use at work) and it is MUCH cheaper, which is a HUGE PLUS!!! I highly recommended this laptop to my family and friends!