Design and Appearance (Cont'd)
HP includes a small infrared remote that can be used to control their QuickPlay application, which is basically an alternative to Windows Media Center. The remote can be stored in the ExpressCard slot when not in use, which is sort of a cool feature even if it makes the shape of the remote somewhat awkward. If you make use of an ExpressCard device, however, you will need to find the remote a new home.
Looking at the rear of the laptop, there's not much to see besides the ventilation grille on the right. We also get a good shot of the extended capacity battery, and if its size seemed awkward from the other angles it's even more awkward when you realize that the battery isn't exactly centered. If you put the laptop on a hard surface, it's not much of a problem, but we found the extended capacity battery made the notebook less comfortable to have sitting on your lap during use. For those who need additional battery life, it's a sacrifice they're probably willing to make, but it really would have been better if HP had been able to come up with a slightly different battery design/location.
Here's another look at the notebook, this time from the bottom. Once again, you can see how the off-center location might make things awkward if you use the large 12-cell battery. The standard 6-cell battery sits flush with the bottom of the laptop, so it doesn't present any problem.
Here's a look at the basic 6-cell as well as the 12-cell battery. The difference in size isn't really visible from this angle, but you can see that the larger battery has twice the capacity of the standard 6-cell battery (95 WHr compared to 47 WHr). Twice the capacity will result in twice as much battery life, give or take a few minutes, so for lengthier trips the option to get a 12-cell battery could come in useful.
Other than removing the battery, there are only two hatches on the bottom for the laptop. The middle one provides access to the memory slots and mini-PCI card, and the other covers the hard drive. While it is possible to dismantle the laptop further, most users will not need to do so; the only other potential upgrade you could make would be to the processor, and at present there are only two officially supported processors anyway.
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HP includes a small infrared remote that can be used to control their QuickPlay application, which is basically an alternative to Windows Media Center. The remote can be stored in the ExpressCard slot when not in use, which is sort of a cool feature even if it makes the shape of the remote somewhat awkward. If you make use of an ExpressCard device, however, you will need to find the remote a new home.
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Looking at the rear of the laptop, there's not much to see besides the ventilation grille on the right. We also get a good shot of the extended capacity battery, and if its size seemed awkward from the other angles it's even more awkward when you realize that the battery isn't exactly centered. If you put the laptop on a hard surface, it's not much of a problem, but we found the extended capacity battery made the notebook less comfortable to have sitting on your lap during use. For those who need additional battery life, it's a sacrifice they're probably willing to make, but it really would have been better if HP had been able to come up with a slightly different battery design/location.
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Here's another look at the notebook, this time from the bottom. Once again, you can see how the off-center location might make things awkward if you use the large 12-cell battery. The standard 6-cell battery sits flush with the bottom of the laptop, so it doesn't present any problem.
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Here's a look at the basic 6-cell as well as the 12-cell battery. The difference in size isn't really visible from this angle, but you can see that the larger battery has twice the capacity of the standard 6-cell battery (95 WHr compared to 47 WHr). Twice the capacity will result in twice as much battery life, give or take a few minutes, so for lengthier trips the option to get a 12-cell battery could come in useful.
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Other than removing the battery, there are only two hatches on the bottom for the laptop. The middle one provides access to the memory slots and mini-PCI card, and the other covers the hard drive. While it is possible to dismantle the laptop further, most users will not need to do so; the only other potential upgrade you could make would be to the processor, and at present there are only two officially supported processors anyway.
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JarredWalton - Friday, June 22, 2007 - link
They shipped the notebook with an ABG adapter (test setup on page 7). Of course, I don't have an N network right now anyway... GbE all the way, baby!nsparadox - Friday, June 22, 2007 - link
Hey Jarred,You wrote the entire article in the passive voice. Could you please try to write in the active voice?
crimson117 - Friday, June 22, 2007 - link
I would prefer the future perfect voice.JarredWalton - Friday, June 22, 2007 - link
Can't say I was necessarily 100% awake while writing it. Sorry if it was too passive for you. Perhaps in a perfect future I will manage to rewrite things better, maybe?bldckstark - Friday, June 22, 2007 - link
Thanks for the article guys, I am sure many other AT readers appreciate the work you hav put in on notebooks recently.I would like to see some more tests done on what I like to call "real world" notebooks. The ones I see most people buying for mobility purposes. These usually have 10 - 13" screens and have everything this HP has except the horrid battery life.
I just bought my wife a Lenovo notebook with a Vista business, Intel C2D, 2GB ram, DVD burner, 3 USB 2.0, 1 Firewire, Express card slot, flash memory reader, webcam, fingerprint reader, 6 cell battery and a 12.1" screen for only $1250 after rebate. This one gets 255 minutes of battery life and weighs only 4.4lbs with the 6 cell.
A friend at work has a 10" screen notebook that gets over 8 hours of battery life. He carries it around like a pad of paper all day.
I know several people with convertibles that love them, and they all have 12.1" screens.
My point is that if it has a 15.4" screen it is really a DTR, and should be outfitted like one. Not like a high mobility at the same price, worse battery life, and 50% weight increase. Please try to squeeze some of these into your testing in the future.
JarredWalton - Friday, June 22, 2007 - link
We actually have a smaller Tablet PC that we're in the process of reviewing. I think part of the problem is that companies are afraid we'll tear into the lappys that don't have great gaming performance or whatever. Hopefully, we'll be able to do more ultraportable laptop reviews in the future....