Excellent value, features and performance.
Written: Feb 14 '05 (Updated Feb 15 '05)
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Pros: Lightweight, feature packed, and powerful.
Cons: BrightView means occasional glare - QuickPlay lacking.
The Bottom Line: Great value - buy it.
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| barbieca's Full Review: Hewlett Packard Pavilion dv1000 PC Notebook |
The following specs apply to my computer:
Processor: Pentium M 1.7 GHz
RAM: 512 MB
CD Drive: CDRW / DVD
Display: 14" BrightView Widescreen
Hard Drive: 60GB High Speed (higher RPM model)
Wireless Net Card: non-Intel option
Price: $1200 from HP Shopping
Owned: 4 Months
Design
The manufacturer did a good job of achieving a computer that is relatively lightweight and easy to transport and use while traveling, while maintaining a comfortable working size and an adequate display. I travel with my computer often and find that it is very easy to fit into most briefcases and can easily be used on your lap on an airplane. The speakers are located on the front of the unit (rather than on top near the keyboard) which is angled up so the sound travels to your ears. This is a nice touch, because it saves space on the work surface. The touchpad mouse can be turned on and off at the touch of a button which is useful while watching movies. There is a dedicated set of DVD and audio CD control buttons along the top of the keyboard, which are illuminated by soft blue LED backlights for easy accessibility on a dark plane. There is also a button at the top of the keyboard which easily enables / disables the wireless network card.
Other features include a standard built-in memory card reader, which can accommodate six different types of flash memory cards. Unfortunately, it will not accommodate CompactFlash cards, which happen to be used by both my camera and mp3 player. The unit has three USB ports and two headphone jacks, useful when watching a movie with someone else.
Performance
Processor
So far, the Pentium M 1.7 processor has provided more than enough power for all of the applications I run. The computer boots up very quickly and loads programs instantly.
Display
I opted for the BrightView option, which includes some sort of coating on the screen. The colors are vibrant and the pictures are sharp. DVD's look exceptional with the combination of BrightView and a widescreen display. The only complaint I have is that the coating used for the BrightView can cause a glare if the light hits it the wrong way. So far, I have not had a significant problem with this, but would opt to watch a movie in as dark a setting as possible. While I am very impressed with the picture quality on the BrightView screen, I have not seen a non-BrightView version and cannot advise as to whether it really adds value. If the display quality were comparable, I might opt not to get the BrightView due to the occasional glare issues. Overall, I would rate the display above average relative to other notebooks.
CD Burner / DVD Player
So far, the combo drive has provided speedy, high quality performance. DVD's play flawlessly. I have burned several audio and data CD's, which were produced without a problem. It takes approximately three minutes to burn an 80-minute audio CD using the included software.
Speakers / Sound
The Harmon Kardon speakers sound very good by notebook computer standards. My only complaint in this department is the lack of a dedicated volume control for non-DVD watching applications. You must adjust the volume via Windows taskbar menu volume control. The dual headphone jacks is a particularly nice feature not found on most notebooks.
QuickPlay
One nice feature of this computer is the QuickPlay feature, which allows one to play a DVD or audio CD without booting up the computer. The DVD/CD functions are controlled by the aforementioned dedicated keys atop the keyboard. So far, it seems to me that this feature works as intended. The drawback that I have found is the relatively bare-bones interface used by the QuickPlay system. So far, I have been unable to find a way to switch the display aspect of a DVD to widescreen (to make use of the unit's widescreen display) via the QuickPlay interface. The default setting seems to be for full screen, which means the movie will not make use of the entire width of the display. For this reason, I am usually forced to load up the computer anyway to use the DVD player software installed with Windows.
Battery Life
Excellent. You have a choice of a standard 6 cell or optional 12 cell battery when purchasing the unit. For me, size and weight was a priority, so I opted for the standard 6 cell. Apparently the 12 cell would add about an inch to the width at the back edge of the unit and undoubtedly some additional weight. I have been able to achieve exceptional battery life, even with the 6-cell battery. On a recent flight from San Francisco to Washington, I watched a DVD and performed normal computing for rest of the trip. When I turned off the computer just before landing, the indicator told me that I still had 30 minutes battery life remaining. This resulted in just less than 5 hours of battery time under normal use. I imagine that the larger battery would provide even more battery life. Since I selected the smaller battery, I was going to purchase the optional airplane power adapter. This now seems not to be necessary.
Drawbacks
After using my computer daily for about four months now, I only have minimal complaints, as listed below:
1. Memory card reader does not accept CompactFlash cards
2. No dedicated volume control for normal computing functions
3. Inability to switch to widescreen on QuickPlay
4. Keyboard can feel sort of flimsy if you're a heavy typer (as I am)
5. Occasional glare on BrightView monitor
Conclusion
Overall, I am extremely happy with the dv1000. It has an excellent feature set and delivers impressive all-around performance for the price. I would definitely recommend this model to someone in the market for a powerful, lightweight travel-friendly laptop.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1200
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Other
Processor speed: over 1000
Screen Size: 14 inches
RAM: More than 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW and DVD
Hard Drive (GB): Over 50
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barbieca
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Reviews written: 18
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