Apple - MacBook - Slim aluminum 17-inch Mac notebook

Our biggest statement yet.

A battery that lasts up to 8 hours.¹ A high-resolution widescreen display. Now everything in the 17-inch MacBook Pro is huge. Except its size and weight.

The longest-lasting Mac notebook battery ever.

The battery in the new 17-inch MacBook Pro lasts up to 8 hours on a single charge¹ and can be recharged up to 1000 times² — compared with only 200 to 300 times for typical notebooks. To do this, Apple engineers custom-designed lithium-polymer cells to create the largest possible battery, then they went even further: They built the battery right into the computer, eliminating the space-consuming mechanisms and housings that standard removable batteries require. The result is a battery that’s 40 percent bigger than the previous generation and offers up to 8 hours of wireless productivity on a single charge — all in a notebook that’s less than an inch thin, weighs just 6.6 pounds,³ and remains the same price as the previous-generation model.

But building a battery that lasts up to 8 hours is only part of the story. Giving it a lifespan of up to 1000 recharges required breakthroughs in battery technology. Apple electro-chemists developed advanced chemistry that maintains the battery’s charging capabilities longer than ever. And while most notebooks wear down their batteries by charging them at a constant rate, the 17-inch MacBook Pro takes a different approach. Using an Apple-developed technology called Adaptive Charging, a microchip on the battery constantly communicates with the computer to determine the optimal way to charge its cells, adjusting the current up and down depending on a variety of conditions. Combined, these advancements offer a dramatic improvement in battery lifespan: more than three times the lifespan of typical notebook batteries — up to five years. atch a video

A breakthrough in battery design.

Only in the 17-inch MacBook Pro.
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A breakthrough in battery design.

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2.3 million pixels of perfection.

With the high-resolution LED-backlit widescreen display on the 17-inch MacBook Pro, you get desktop-quality color in an Apple notebook for the first time. The moment you open your MacBook Pro, you’re greeted instantly by full, corner-to-corner screen brightness. The 1920-by-1200-pixel resolution (133 pixels per inch) means you can view more palettes and windows or watch HD video in its native 1920-by-1080 resolution. Perfect whether you’re working in the studio or out in the field, the display offers a 60 percent greater color gamut than previous generations for richer, more vibrant colors and a 700:1 contrast ratio that makes whites brighter and blacks blacker. In addition, the seamless glass enclosure makes the display stronger and more durable. Because it’s power efficient and the glass is mercury- and arsenic-free, it’s greener than ever. And now you can choose a standard glossy display or an optional antiglare display, depending on your needs. Learn more about MacBook Pro and the environment

Graphics in full force.

The MacBook Pro reaches a new level of high-speed, high-end game-playing power. Not to mention pure performance for graphics-intensive applications like Aperture and Motion. Use the new NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics processor for great everyday performance with up to 8 hours of battery life.¹ Or switch to the discrete NVIDIA 9600M GT graphics processor for the fastest, smoothest, clearest graphics yet. Learn more about graphics

Precision aluminum. The new gold standard.

Carved from a single block of aluminum, the new unibody enclosure is slim and streamlined, making this MacBook Pro the world’s thinnest and lightest 17-inch notebook — just 0.98 inch thin and 6.6 pounds. But it’s not just for looks. The rigid construction of the unibody also makes MacBook Pro more durable than ever. So you can throw it in your bag and pull it out at a photo shoot, in a hotel room, or on location without a second thought. Learn more about design

Even the keyboard is advanced.

The rigid aluminum keyboard webbing has been cut precisely to hold the keys. And the keys are curved to perfectly fit fingers. The result? Pure typing bliss. The keyboard is also illuminated, so when you’re in low-light settings, such as airplanes or conference rooms, you can always see what you’re typing.

It all just clicks.

The first thing you might notice — or not notice — is the button. The entire trackpad is the button, so you can click anywhere. Without a separate button, your hands have 39 percent more room to move on the large, silky glass surface. Use two fingers to scroll up and down a page. Pinch to zoom in and out. Rotate an image with your fingertips. Swipe with three fingers to flip through your photo libraries. Swipe with four fingers to show your desktop, view all open windows, or switch applications. If you’re coming from a right-click world, you can right-click with two fingers or configure a right-click area on the trackpad. The more you use the Multi-Touch trackpad, the more you’ll wonder what you ever did without it.

All-new Multi-Touch trackpad

Multi-Touch comes to MacBook Pro in a spacious, smooth trackpad that is also the button. Watch the video

Everything fits.

The 17-inch MacBook Pro supports up to 8GB of 1066MHz DDR3 memory and comes with a large 320GB hard drive,⁴ so there’s plenty of room for your photo and video projects and other files. It also offers an optional 128GB or 256GB solid-state drive, which has no moving parts for enhanced durability. And for burning DVDs, it includes an ultrafast 8x SuperDrive. You can upgrade the memory and hard drive yourself, or take it to an Apple Authorized Service Provider.

Ports with possibilities.

The 17-inch MacBook Pro is iPod, iPhone, digital camera, and external hard drive ready. If it has a cable, there’s a place for it. You’ll find three USB 2.0 ports and a FireWire 800 port for connecting faster peripherals. The Mini DisplayPort is a perfect fit for the new Apple LED Cinema Display, the first display designed for a MacBook, with a built-in iSight camera, microphone, and speaker system. MacBook Pro even recognizes what you plug in, so you don’t have to install new drivers.

Think fast.

Inside the 17-inch MacBook Pro is a powerful Intel Core 2 Duo processor running at up to 2.93GHz. It’s based on groundbreaking 45-nm process technology and advanced Core microarchitecture. With the 1066MHz frontside bus and 6MB of shared L2 cache, MacBook Pro runs applications faster and more efficiently than ever before.

Your studio to go.

Wherever you go, wireless capabilities go with you. With the latest 802.11n wireless technology built into MacBook Pro, you’re always seamlessly and effortlessly connected to the wireless world out there, at home, and at work.⁵ MacBook Pro automatically finds available networks and allows you to join them with just one click. Then surf the web, send email, video chat, print, stream your music, and more. Bluetooth capabilities are also built in, so brilliant accessories can become your wireless accomplices. And when a Wi-Fi network isn’t available, you can connect to the Internet anywhere there’s a cellular network using the ExpressCard/34 slot and a 3G wireless card. With up to 8 hours of battery life, do everything you need to do, wherever you need to do it.

Be everywhere at once.

Cleverly integrated — almost hidden — at the top of the MacBook Pro display is an iSight camera. Use it with iChat, and you can be anywhere without actually being there. Video chat with a buddy, share a video with a colleague, or present to a client.⁶ Use iSight with Photo Booth for fun photo effects. And there’s no need to waste valuable primping time installing software or configuring the camera. Like everything Mac, iSight just works.

Apple - MacBook - Slim aluminum 15-inch Mac notebook

From the aluminum unibody to the LED-backlit display, MacBook Pro has been precision engineered down to the smallest detail.

Precision aluminum. The new gold standard.

Carved from a single block of aluminum, the new MacBook Pro unibody enclosure is slim and streamlined with a soft-brushed surface and stunning contours. But it’s not all about beauty. The unibody also makes MacBook Pro more durable than ever. So you can throw it in your briefcase or messenger bag and pull it out at an airport, in a hotel room, or on location without a second thought. Learn more about design

Brilliant brilliance.

The moment you open your MacBook Pro you’re greeted by glorious, full screen brightness. But that’s only one gleaming quality of the glossy LED-backlit widescreen display. The picture is brilliant and sharp from corner to corner. And anything you view — including the ultrathin display itself — is a spectacular experience. The seamless glass enclosure makes this display strong and durable. And the display is power efficient and mercury- and arsenic-free, so it’s greener than ever. Learn more about MacBook Pro and the environment

Graphics in full force.

The MacBook Pro reaches a new level of high-speed, high-end game-playing power. Not to mention pure performance for graphics-intensive applications like Aperture and Motion. Use the new NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics processor for great everyday performance with up to 5 hours of battery life.¹ Or switch to the discrete NVIDIA 9600M GT graphics processor for the fastest, smoothest, clearest graphics yet. Learn more about graphics

Even the keyboard is advanced.

The rigid aluminum keyboard webbing has been cut precisely to hold the keys. And the keys are curved to perfectly fit fingers. The result? Pure typing bliss. The keyboard is also illuminated, so when you’re in low-light settings, such as airplanes or conference rooms, you can always see what you’re typing.

It all just clicks.

The first thing you might notice — or not notice — is the button. The entire trackpad is the button, so you can click anywhere. Without a separate button, your hands have 39 percent more room to move on the large, silky glass surface. Use two fingers to scroll up and down a page. Pinch to zoom in and out. Rotate an image with your fingertips. Swipe with three fingers to flip through your photo libraries. Swipe with four fingers to show your desktop, view all open windows, or switch applications. If you’re coming from a right-click world, you can right-click with two fingers or configure a right-click area on the trackpad. The more you use the Multi-Touch trackpad, the more you’ll wonder what you ever did without it.

All-new Multi-Touch trackpad

Multi-Touch comes to MacBook Pro in a spacious, smooth trackpad that is also the button. Watch the video

Everything fits.

The 15-inch MacBook Pro has a hard drive up to 320GB² and holds up to 4GB of RAM. So there’s plenty of room for your photo libraries, video projects, and files. With fast 1066MHz DDR3 memory, you can run more applications at once and instantly access even more of your stuff. Burn DVDs using the ultrafast 8x SuperDrive. MacBook Pro also offers optional solid-state drives, which have no moving parts for enhanced durability.

Ports with possibilities.

The 15-inch MacBook Pro is iPod, iPhone, digital camera, and external hard drive ready. If it has a cable, there’s a place for it. You’ll find two USB 2.0 ports and a FireWire 800 port for connecting faster peripherals. The Mini DisplayPort is a perfect fit for the new Apple LED Cinema Display. MacBook Pro even recognizes what you plug in, so you don’t have to install new drivers.

Think fast.

Inside the 15-inch MacBook Pro is a fast Intel Core 2 Duo processor running at up to 2.93GHz. It’s based on groundbreaking 45-nm process technology and advanced Core microarchitecture. With the 1066MHz frontside bus and up to 6MB of shared L2 cache, MacBook Pro runs applications faster and more efficiently than ever before.

Your studio to go.

Wherever you go, wireless capabilities go with you. With the latest 802.11n wireless technology built into MacBook Pro, you’re always seamlessly and effortlessly connected to the wireless world out there, at home, and at work.³ MacBook Pro automatically finds available networks and allows you to join them with just one click. Then surf the web, send email, video chat, print, stream your music, and more. Bluetooth capabilities are also built in, so brilliant accessories can become your wireless accomplices. And when a Wi-Fi network isn’t available, you can connect to the Internet anywhere there’s a cellular network using the ExpressCard/34 slot and a 3G wireless card. With up to 5 hours of battery life, do everything you need to do, wherever you need to do it.

Be everywhere at once.

Cleverly integrated — almost hidden — at the top of the MacBook Pro display is an iSight camera. Use it with iChat, and you can be anywhere without actually being there. Video chat with a buddy, share a video with a colleague, or present to a client.⁴ Use iSight with Photo Booth for fun photo effects. And there’s no need to waste valuable primping time installing software or configuring the camera. Like everything Mac, iSight just works.

Your own team of experts.

Every new MacBook Pro comes with professional advice, award-winning service and support, a world of online resources, and thousands more reasons to love your MacBook Pro.

AppleCare

Your MacBook Pro includes 90 days of free telephone technical support and a one-year limited warranty. But if you purchase the AppleCare Protection Plan, you can extend that coverage to three years from the original purchase date of your MacBook Pro. Learn more

The Genius Bar

Have questions or need hands-on technical support? Get friendly, expert advice at the Genius Bar in any Apple Retail Store. Trained at Apple headquarters, Geniuses can answer all your technical questions, troubleshoot problems, and even make repairs. Learn more

Online tutorials

Everything you need to know about your MacBook Pro is online at Apple.com. Watch video tutorials on iLife, Mac OS X, Aperture, and more. Learn some new MacBook Pro tricks. Get MacBook Pro tips. And find out how to love your MacBook Pro even more. Learn more

Laptop Asus Eee PC 701 4 GB

The Asus Eee PC 701 4G is the new affordable ultraportable notebook that's bound to be on many consumers' Christmas wish lists this year. Retailing for $399 or less, the Eee PC isn't exactly a workhorse, but it will do just about every basic task you'd need from a laptop. Our initial hands-on actually proved it does more than we expected, but the more detailed review below helps explain exactly why we’re so excited about a $400 notebook.

BUY the Asus Eee PC 4G (white)

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see all pricing for the Asus Eee PC 4G (white)

First, the specs for the review unit we have on hand, which is the Eee PC 701 4G:

• Processor: Intel Celeron M ULV 900MHz
• Graphics: Integrated Intel GMA 900 GPU
• Storage: 4GB of Flash-based storage (SSD)
• Memory: 512MB of DDR2 RAM (667MHz)
• OS: Xandros Linux (Asus customized)
• Screen: 7-inch screen with 800 x 480 resolution
• Ports: 3 USB 2.0, 1 VGA monitor out, headphone jack, microphone input, SD card reader (SDHC compatible), Kensington lock slot, Ethernet 10/100
• Webcam (0.3 MP)
• Battery: 4-cell 5200 mAh 7.4V Li-Ion (rated at 3.5 hours)
• Wireless: 802.11b/g Atheros
• Input: Keyboard and Touchpad
• Weight: approximately 2 lbs with battery, 2.5 lbs travel weight with AC adapter.
• Two-year warranty

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Build and Design

The designers at Asus had no easy task creating an attractive ultraportable notebook while also making it cheap to produce. The case seams match up with reasonably tight tolerances, plastics feel thick (though the pearl-like white plastics look cheap) and the display hinges are molded into body with the battery. Lifting the display cover you find the amazingly small keyboard surface and even smaller touchpad resting below the recessed display and speakers. In short, the build quality is quite high despite the low cost.

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The design of the Eee PC is something truly unique in the market. Weighing in at just two pounds and delivering a performance level similar to a full-featured budget notebook, the only notebook that comes close to “directly” competing with the Eee PC is the Fujitsu LifeBook U810 tablet PC … which retails for more than $1,000 at the time of this writing. The next closest competitor to the Eee PC would be traditional ultraportables like the Toshiba Portege R500 ($2,000) and the Sony VAIO TZ ($3,000).

True, the more expensive rivals come preloaded with Microsoft Windows XP or Vista and feature a range of superior technical specs … but our review of the Asus Eee PC shows this tiny white titan packs an impressive punch.

Screen

The screen is 7-inches diagonally with LED back lighting and has a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. For the sake of a reference, below is what you can see when you pull up the homepage of the site you are on right now:

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The Eee PC might not have a glossy, high contrast display like most notebooks made in the last year, but the bright and even backlight helps make for an enjoyable reading experience. We even found the quality of the colors more than sufficient for viewing movies or You Tube videos.

Below is a screenshot we took on the Asus Eee PC of the YouTube.com homepage, this is a good example of what you'll see using the Eee PC screen resolution and size:

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Operating System and Software

Asus teamed up with Xandros to develop a customized version of the Linux operating system for the new Eee PC. Microsoft Windows requires a significant amount of storage space on the tiny 4GB SSD, and the added cost from installing genuine Windows would have added to the final retail price of the Eee PC. Despite the lack of Microsoft software the Eee PC is remarkably easy to use. Xandros developed a point-and-click user interface that looks and acts similar to Windows … but easier.

A view of the "Internet" tab displayed after startup. (view large image)

The Asus Eee PC comes preloaded with more than 40 applications for everything from work and email to listening to music and watching movies. Unlike the many free applications that come preinstalled on Windows-based computers, almost none of the applications on the Eee PC can be considered “bloatware.” In fact, almost every application on this notebook is both useful and easy to use.

The "Work" tab. (view large image)

The "Learn" tab. (view large image)

The "Play" tab. (view large image)

Click on the “Web” icon and the Firefox web browser opens. Click on the “Documents,” “Spreadsheets,” or “Presentations” icons and the Open Office application (compatible with Microsoft Office) opens so you don’t have to purchase additional office software. Click on any standard movie file and the video plays in either the Media Player application or inside Firefox … you don’t need to spend hours searching for video plugins and codecs, the movies just play. Don’t waste time downloading iTunes. Just plug in your iPod and the Music Manager detects the music player and begins importing the songs.

The point is that the Eee PC just works. We only wish we could say the same thing about the many Windows-based notebooks we review.

The "Settings" tab. (view large image)

In fact, the only minor issue we had where something didn’t work on the Eee PC right out of the box was the built-in 0.3 megapixel webcam. For whatever reason the camera was by default turned off in the BIOS and we had to go in and enable it for the camera to work. For something that dubs itself as "Easy to learn, Easy to work, Easy to play" that's not exactly “easy.” We don't think grandma will figure out how to enable the webcam on her own. However, this issue is easily correctable by a BIOS update from Asus … so if Asus fixes the problem all you have to do is click on the “Add/Remove Software” icon and click the “install” button when a new BIOS is available. On that note, Asus already made several updates available at the time of this review.

If the fact that Asus uses Linux is a concern for you, then don’t worry. Asus recently announced that they are teaming up with Microsoft to release a version of the Eee PC that will come preloaded with Windows in 2008. Neither company specified which version of Windows will find its way onto the Eee PC, but given the 4GB SSD and low voltage processor Windows XP is the obvious choice. Whether or not Windows will help or hurt the performance of the Eee PC remains to be seen. In any case, you can expect the cost of a Windows-based Eee PC to be higher.

Speakers

The speakers on the Eee PC are hard to miss. They are located to the left and right of the screen and, thanks to their black speaker grills, stand out in comparison to the rest of the all white notebook. The location might appear odd, but it provides a clear path to your head for maximum listening pleasure. Despite the diminutive size of the built-in speakers they worked quite well for watching movies, playing games, or listening to some music while moving from room to room in my house. With the volume set to max, the decibel meter registered ~75dB at one foot. The audio was only slightly distorting on high notes, but stayed mostly clear.

As is common with small built-in speakers, the high and upper midrange came through well, but bass didn’t sound nearly as impressive. Thankfully, Asus included a standard headphone jack on the Eee PC so it is quite simple to connect headphones or an external speaker system if you want a superior listening experience.

Keyboard and Touchpad

Most low-priced notebooks currently on the market feature poorly built keyboards that show significant flex/bounce when typing pressure is applied. Much to our surprise, the keyboard on the Eee PC is remarkably firm, though the keys are small and have a large degree of “wiggle” when pressed.

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The keyboard on the Eee PC is very, very compact. The first two days I spent typing on the Eee PC were quite frustrating as the small footprint and tiny keys require you to use a “hunt and peck” style of typing rather than traditional touch typing methods. This means that passwords get mangled, emails look like gibberish, and playing games that require keyboard commands becomes quite aggravating.

Of course, once I got used to typing on the tiny keyboard the keys felt just fine … but this keyboard isn’t designed to be used as a primary/main computer. For users who would buy this notebook as their “main computer” in their home or office, a full-size keyboard and external mouse are recommended.

The touchpad and single button (with left and right “rocker” buttons underneath) are easy to use and responsive. The only issue we encountered with the touchpad was that the small size made it a little difficult to use when moving across the screen and it was easy to press the wrong side of the single touchpad button (so sometimes a right click turned into a left click).

Performance

Our regular selection of performance benchmarks can’t be used with the Eee PC given the fact that it is a Linux-based notebook. However, we can measure the time it take to perform a number of simple procedures in order to give you an idea of how the Eee PC performs. Please keep in mind that the speeds listed below will vary depending on the number of applications you have open at any given time (multitasking always slows things down).

• Startup: ~12 seconds
• Opening and loading the NotebookReview.com website in Firefox: ~3 seconds
• Starting playback on a 700MB AVI video file: ~3 seconds
• Starting the Open Office application: ~6 seconds
• Opening a 3.64MB PDF document: ~3 seconds
• Opening a 2.35MB PowerPoint presentation: ~10 seconds

For those interested in the speed of the 4GB SSD, hdparm benchmarks the SSD buffered read speed at 21.78 MB/sec. For comparison, a Lenovo ThinkPad T60 with a fast 7200rpm Seagate hard drive has a buffered read speed of 54.62 MB/sec and a Toshiba Tecra A9 with standard 5400rpm hard drive has a buffered read speed of 44.87 MB/sec.

While the Eee PC won’t win any awards for performance within applications, startup is remarkably fast and overall performance is fast enough to keep most users happy.

Port Selection and Expansion

Front: Indicator lights (view large image)

Left side: 10/100 Ethernet port, empty modem port, USB 2.0 port, air vent, microphone in, and headphone jack. (view large image)

Rear view: AC power jack (view large image)

Right side: SD card reader, two USB 2.0 ports, VGA out, Kensington lock slot. (view large image)

If you open the bottom panel on the Eee PC (which may void the two-year warranty) you'll find a standard DDR2 RAM slot and a PCI-E mini card slot for possible future expansion. We tested the Eee PC with both the standard 512MB memory and a 1GB memory module. Theoretically, a 2GB module of RAM should fit in the slot just as easily as a 1GB module did ... but we didn't have a 2GB module available in the office.

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Heat and Noise

Even with the low voltage processor and SSD drive, the Asus Eee PC produced as much heat as any other notebook in the same price range. The keyboard and bottom of the notebook got quite hot even under normal use, and the fan was always running in an attempt to keep the system cool. Fan noise was among the quietest we’ve heard. The only way to tell the fan is blowing is to put your hand next to the air vent to feel the warm air blow past.

Below are heat overlay images showing where the Eee PC warmed up (in degrees Fahrenheit) during normal extended use. You'll notice that we only listed one temperature for each side ... that's because the Eee PC is so small that they're basically only one temperature for the top and one temperature for the bottom.

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Wireless

The Eee PC uses an Atheros AR5BXB63 wireless module for 802.11b/g wireless Internet access. Reception is quite good for a budget notebook. The Eee PC maintained a connection to my home router from anywhere inside my three-level home and from anywhere in my front or back yard. At the editorial offices for NotebookReview.com the Eee PC managed to stay connected to the office router even after I left the building and walked across the parking lot. The wireless connection only dropped to 75 percent signal strength after I walked more than 50 yards away from the building. Being able to travel a distance equivalent to half the length of a football field means you won't have trouble browsing the web with the Eee PC.

Battery

Under normal use, backlight at 100 percent and using wireless for web browsing and watching a DivX movie at 75 percent volume, the Eee PC managed to deliver three hours and 23 minutes of battery life. We were hoping for more given the low voltage processor and flash-based storage, but for a $400 notebook the battery life is still very good. Lowering the screen brightness and turning off the wireless card should provide enough battery life for prolonged use.

While the battery life was reasonable, we did experience some minor problems with the on-screen battery meter. After two hours and 8 minutes of browsing the web wirelessly and watching a DivX movie the low battery warning popped up on screen and reported that the Eee PC would shut down in 3 minutes unless it was plugged into a power source. The Eee PC then kept working for another one hour and 15 minutes before the notebook shutdown. Bottom line, the on-screen battery indicator cannot be trusted.

BUY the Asus Eee PC 4G (white)

Amazon.com $479.60

see all pricing for the Asus Eee PC 4G (white)

Conclusion

In the end, the Eee PC is the single most impressive notebook we've seen priced below $400. The technical specs might look sub par, but the usability and overall performance of the Eee PC rivals notebooks costing several thousand dollars more. Granted, you can't install Photoshop on this little notebook and you can forget about playing Bioshock on this thing, but the Eee PC can do just about everything you “need” to do with a notebook while on the go.

The only features missing from the Eee PC that really stand out are the lack of Bluetooth 2.0 and the lack of a Verizon or Sprint wireless card option. If Asus can find a way to add these features to the Eee PC we will go as far as to say, “No home should be without an Eee PC.” As it stands now, the Eee PC is a truly impressive ultraportable with a value much higher than the sale price suggests. The Eee PC can't replace a full-featured desktop or notebook, but it makes the perfect choice if you are in the market for an ultraportable notebook for school, work, or vacation.

The Eee PC might have a weird name, but it's one of the few products that lives up to the marketing hype. This notebook truly is “easy to learn, easy to work, and easy to play.”

HP Pavilion dv5t Entertainment Notebook PC Review

What do you do when nearly every major notebook manufacturer has imitated the design of your best-selling consumer laptop? You give it a whole new look and add compelling new features, including an accelerometer to help protect data in case of a tumble. And with Intel's next-generation Centrino 2 processor and chipset and Nvidia's latest graphics card under the hood, the HP Pavilion dv5t (available in the July/August timeframe) backs up its sweet aesthetics with some serious horsepower.

Spiffed-Up Design

A welcome departure from HP’s older Imprint Finish, the Pavilion dv5t is decked out in onyx and chrome and features a subtle grid pattern that extends from the lid to the keyboard deck. HP calls this liquid metallic look the Imprint 2 finish, and it’s certainly striking. It’s almost as if HP poured the bad-guy cop from Terminator 2 into a notebook mold. This finish extends to the sides of the system as well, giving the ports and optical drive a unified appearance. The dv5t is a bit on the heavy side at 6.4 pounds, but with a one-inch thin profile it slips easily into a case or backpack.

Other subtle touches make the dv5t stand out from the crowd. When the system is on, an HP logo shines bright white on the lid. Likewise, you’ll find “magic chrome” touch media controls that light up only when the notebook is running. These controls were relatively responsive on our tests, but sometimes we had to swipe the volume bar too many times to get the desired result. About halfway up the keyboard, the deck switches from the grid pattern to a speaker grille of the same color. While overall this offers an effect of depth, the whole system collects fingerprints pretty quickly—especially on the lid.

On the left side of the dv5t are a VGA port, an expansion port for HP’s dock, Ethernet, HDMI, eSATA, one USB, FireWire, a 54mm ExpressCard slot and a 5-in-1 memory card reader. Along the front are two headphone and one mic jack, and on the right, you’ll find the DVD burner (You can also upgrade the optical drive to a Blu-ray player for $200), two USB ports, a modem jack, and a Kensington lock. You’ll also find a fingerprint reader on the keyboard deck.

The full-size keyboard thankfully forgoes the glossy treatment for a matte finish. Keys were well spaced and offered good feedback. We wish HP would change its trackpad, though. As with the dv6700 series, the trackpad dragged a bit with the moisture from our fingers after only a couple minutes of use. We also noticed that the keyboard got warm after about an hour of use.

Display and Sound

HP goes for the frameless LCD look with the dv5t’s 15.4-inch widescreen. As we’ve seen on such systems as the Lenovo IdeaPad Y510, the notebook has glass that extends to the edges of the bezel for a crisp, clean look. Our system was configured with a 1680 x 1050, 15.4-inch panel with a BrightView Infinity treatment for enhanced movie watching. And while it showed a lot of glare (we could check our teeth using the screen as a mirror, even when the system was on), movies looked fantastic with excellent horizontal and vertical viewing angles.

Sound was also impressive, thanks to the dv5t’s Altec Lansing speakers. Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab” sounded as good as it would on a small boom box. In fact, this notebook produced enough volume to fill a kitchen with plenty of sound.

Above the display is a VGA webcam, which followed our movement well and is paired with CyberLink’s YouCam software. The images were a little dark in office lighting, though, even after we used the software to brighten them.

HP Pavilion dv5t New Features

To help users protect their data stored on the hard drive, HP took a page from its business notebooks and endowed the dv5t with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection technology. Using an accelerometer, this technology automatically detects if a notebook has been dropped and automatically stops the generously sized 250GB hard drive from spinning. The dv5t’s new eSATA port provides another way to safeguard your photos, videos, and other important files by enabling lightning-fast backups to an external drive that features that type of connector.

HP’s popular QuickPlay feature has been enhanced, as it provides quick access to more entertainment options with the touch of a button (although Vista has to be running). These include DVDs, videos, photos, music, karaoke, games, Internet TV, and streamed or recorded TV if you spring for the optional TV tuner. The dv5t also tries to address the learning curve of creative multimedia projects by bundling built-in demos. For example, one shows you how to add music to your slide shows or videos.

Blazing Productivity and Graphics

The dv5t is the very first notebook we've tested that is powered by Intel's Centrino 2 mobile technology, which features an enhanced processor, a 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T9400, 2GB of RAM, and a brand-new chipset. We can’t share the benchmark results yet, but we can tell you that the dv5t is one of the fastest notebooks we’ve ever tested. Just as important, the dv5t multitasked like a champ. We played a movie, download Mozilla’s Firefox, chatted with friends via IM, and surfed the Web simultaneously, and this notebook didn’t show a hint of lag.

The most pleasant surprise was the dv5t’s graphics performance. HP has kicked Nvidia’s aging GeForce 8400M GS card in favor of the new GeForce 9600M GT. This GPU managed a startling 12,550 on 3DMark03 and 3,937 on 3DMark06. Only two mainstream systems have beat these graphics scores: the Alienware Area-51 m15x and the Apple MacBook Pro. Such high numbers mean you can easily play a handful of 3D games with most of the effects enabled, if not all. On our F.E.A.R. tests, for instance, we saw 76 fps on autodetect mode at 1024 x 768 resolution. When we bumped up the settings to maximum, that number dropped to a still playable 38 fps.

Wi-Fi and Battery Life

Featuring Intel's WiFi Link5100 wireless card, a required component for any system which bears the Centrino 2 moniker, the dv5t showed wireless scores of 18.9 Mbps and 16.9 Mbps at 15 and 50 feet, respectively, from our access point. Both are more than 1 Mbps higher than the average for the mainstream notebook class.

Battery life was not as spectacular. Using MobileMark07, the dv5 lasted 2:45 with Wi-Fi on, and 2:49 with Wi-Fi off, which is 20 minutes and 27 minutes less, respectively, than the category average. We will update this review with our own Wi-Fi Web surfing test to confirm these results.

Software and Warranty

In addition to a 60-day trial of Norton Internet Security 2008 and PC Recovery software from SoftThinks, HP bundles the dv5t with a host of multimedia programs, including HP PhotoSmart Essentials, Muvee AutoProducer Basic Edition, Sling Player (Slingbox sold separately), HP Games (powered by WildTangent), and The Sims Life Stories Laptop Edition. The company backs the notebook with a one-year limited hardware warranty and one year of 24/7 technical support.

Verdict

The HP Pavilion dv5t sports a redesign that makes other mainstream machines look old-fashioned by comparison and backs up its futuristic-chic appearance with fast performance. There’s more than enough oomph here for a smooth Vista experience, as well as for playing the latest 3D games. And with its sharp display and robust speakers, the dv5t doubles as a portable entertainment center. This is a worthy sequel to the dv6500t and one of our favorite 15.4-inch notebooks.

Toshiba Satellite Pro L300D-EZ1001V

Toshiba’s Satellite Pro L300D-EZ1001V is a no-frills $649 laptop for small business users who want to use their computer for work and play. Sandwiched between the company’s consumer-friendly Satellite line and business-driven Tecra series, this notebook is not as fun or feature-rich as the former, nor is it as secure or durable as the latter. Nevertheless, the Satellite Pro L300D-EZ1001V 15.4-inch notebook is worth a look for buyers on a tight budget who don’t want to take the time to clean away crapware.

Bare-Bones Design

Like the Satellite L355D, the Satellite Pro L300D-EZ1001V is as straightforward as they come. Underneath the matte silver lid is a matching deck with a black keyboard and bezel. The keys are ample, shallow, and easy to type on, if a tad noisy. Likewise, the touchpad is large and the touch buttons loud, but we like the frictionless surface. The Wi-Fi switch, headphone and mic ports, and 4-in-1 memory card reader are all located on the front side. Even better, at 5.8 pounds, this system feels light for a mainstream notebook.

With the exception of a lone power button, the area above the keyboard is blank: no launch buttons for Web surfing, configuration settings, or tech support and no multimedia keys, which would have been a nice addition for a notebook that’s touted as equally friendly for work and play. The new Vostro 1310, for example, has a more modern design and multimedia controls.

Display and Sound

When we watched Bobby on the 15.4-inch, 1280 x 800-pixel display, we were pleased with the color, brightness, and, in particular, the viewing angles (we were able to push the screen forward and backward, and watch from the sides). Toshiba’s TruBrite technology does a decent job of making movies look glossy without being overly reflective. Although not terribly powerful, the sound coming through the speakers was loud enough for watching movies in a quiet room.

Basic Ports, No Webcam

The Satellite Pro L300D-EZ1001V’s port list is pretty basic: three USB ports; a VGA port; Ethernet and modem jacks; headphone and mic ports; an ExpressCard slot; and a memory card reader, which works with SD, MMC, MS, and MS Pro formats. Too bad this notebook lacks a webcam, a feature we’ve seen on increasingly more notebooks, including budget models.

Business Features (Or Lack Thereof)

As a hybrid work-and-play machine, the Satellite Pro L300D-EZ1001V doesn’t have many business features, either. TPM circuitry, spill-resistant keyboards, shock-mounted hard drives, and 3D accelerometers are all standard in the Portege and Tecra series, but only 3D accelerometers, in addition to Computrace support and fingerprint readers, are yet offered in select Satellite Pro models. Our configuration came with Windows Vista Home Basic; Vista Business would have been a better choice for the target market, however.

Refreshingly, the Satellite Pro L300D-EZ1001V comes with less crapware than Toshiba’s consumer machines usually do—just Norton 360, Microsoft Office 2007, Google Picasa, Google Desktop, and Google Toolbar. That’s good news for those who want a clean image out of the box.

Performance

The Satellite Pro L300D-EZ1001V’s 1.9-GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core Processor scored a subpar 2,211 on PCMark Vantage. That’s 1,000 points below the mainstream category average. In real life, this low score translates to mixed results. Out of the box, it took 2 minutes to start up; that’s twice as long as a Vista notebook should take, particularly one that’s not bogged down with copious amounts of crapware. Then again, we had no problem watching a movie while running Norton 360 in the background.

The integrated ATI Radeon Xpress 1250 graphics card scored 1,312 on 3DMark03. Although that’s more than 3,000 points below the category average, the target buyer of this notebook likely won’t mind that you can’t play the latest 3D games or use multimedia-intensive programs, such as video editors.
Despite having an 802.11g—not n—wireless radio, the Satellite Pro L300D-EZ1001V showed strong throughput of 17.1 Mbps and 14.7 Mbps at 15 and 50 feet, respectively.

Battery Life and Warranty

The L300D’s battery life is also subpar: It lasted 1:40 on our DVD rundown test, whereas the average mainstream notebook lasts 2:18. Because this test drains the battery more than everyday usage, we estimate that if you were surfing the Web and using productivity software instead, the battery would last a little over 3 hours. The one-year warranty is standard and includes toll-free, 24/7 phone support.

The Verdict

Despite what Toshiba says, we suggest you think of the Satellite Pro L300D-EZ1001V as a consumer machine: With the exception of a crapware-free desktop, it has no features tailored for mobile professionals. Before you buy, consider the Fujitsu LifeBook A6120: for $150 more, it offers a larger hard drive, sleeker design, Windows Vista Home Premium, five USB ports, a webcam, and plenty of durability features, including a spill-resistant keyboard, shock-mounted hard drive, and a 3D accelerometer. If money is tight, however, the Satellite Pro L300D-EZ1001V offers a better keyboard, a less reflective display, and comparable performance.