Barnes and Noble introduces the NOOK
- Average user rating:
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
-
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
4.5 stars
"A laptop that is powerful AND portable"
Pros: 2.5GHz Core 2 Duo, 3GB RAM, 250GB HDD, 256MB NVIDIA GFX, AGN Wireless & Bluetooth, LightScribe DVD-RW DL, Built-in Mic & Webcam, HDMI & S-Video Out, IR Port (Remote Incl.), 5-in-1 Card Reader
Cons: Price-- but there are HP coupons available, Speakers
Summary: Without a doubt there are many ways one could customize this laptop, so keep this in mind when reading other reviews, because we don't know the exact specifications of the other laptops. This is why I'm going to touch on all the important features of this laptop, why I chose to upgrade several of them and how this composition could benefit you, so you can make an informed decision of whether this laptop is right for you.
Let's briefly touch on all the parts that play a major role in our decision in order of appearance: Operating System, CPU, Memory, Hard Drive, Screen Size, Graphics Card, Optical Drive, Wireless, Battery and Other Accessories/Features.
Operating System
(Originally had: Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit; Upgraded to: Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit) --- Usually laptops come with a 32-bit version of Vista, however, this custom model is equipped with the latest 64-bit. The wave of the future is undoubtedly 64-bit technology. 64-bit processors have been pretty common in high end servers since 2004 and now 64-bit desktop machines are being offered by most PC vendors. Since 64-bit CPUs can handle more memory and larger files, and 64-bit processors are backwardly compatible with 32-bit operating systems and applications, it seems obvious that 64-bit hardware provides you with the ultimate in scalability. Also note that the 64-bit is the only one that can actually use 4GB of RAM and more, the 32-bit is maxed out with only 3GB.
CPU
(Originally had: 1.7GHz; Upgraded to: 2.5GHz) --- The 2.5GHz Core 2 Duo CPU is the fastest possible processor upgrade for this laptop model. My theory here is that no matter what you do with the laptop, everything will use the CPU. The CPU is not something you can easily (or at all) upgrade later on and if you plan on using your laptop for high-end multimedia, designing, running many multiple programs, you want to have a CPU to support it all. I also considered that I used to have a 3.2GHz CPU in my old laptop; just a single core. So all the programs ran full speed on 3.2GHz... some programs out there today don't understand two cores yet (Core 2 Duo ? 2 CPU's) and therefore the new laptop would seem over half as slow with just 1.7GHz, so I tried get as close to 3.2Ghz as I could.
Memory
(Originally had: 1GB RAM; Upgraded to: 3GB RAM) --- The more RAM you have, the more ?room? programs have to run to their fullest potential. Also, Vista does require at least 2GB of RAM (no matter what they say in technical briefs) to run itself flawlessly, so adding 1GB RAM extra only seems appropriate to compensate for additional programs and the nice new AERO design. Think about this also: If you get 3GB of RAM, HP has to add a 2GB RAM and a 1GB RAM stick (laptop only has two slots for RAM) which means if you later decide to upgrade your RAM, you only have to replace the 1GB with a 2GB stick. If you got only 2GB of RAM to begin with, you would have to replace two 1GB RAM sticks with 2 2GB RAM sticks ? much more expensive! So upgrading this for ~$50 extra, really is worth every penny.
Hard Drive
(Originally had: 120GB; Upgraded to: 250GB) --- I work with a LOT of websites, graphics, videos, music etc and all that adds up in space, so I wanted a decent hard drive size. Consider that you should probably get 1 HDD of 250GB and not two 120GB HDDs, just because two consume more power than one. 250GB of space is more than one should ever need, so upgrading to a 320GB HDD didn't seem worth my time or money. It's nice to have a large hard drive because you can put off carrying around an external one.
Screen Size
(Only comes in 15.4?) --- Which is exactly what I wanted. Not too small (12?) and not too big (17?). I wanted the ability to ?fan? out my programs and not mini/maximize them all the time and also a bigger viewing platform to create/design things. A 17? consumes far too much battery power and remember I said at the beginning that this laptop was powerful AND portable, so we pick a screen size that is the best of both worlds. The screen by the way has the brightview feature, which means you can see the screen from an angle and it won't turn black on you.
Graphics Card
(Originally had: Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator X3100; Upgraded to: 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS) --- The X3100 is actually not too bad, but I've always had great experience with NVIDEA and it was an option, so I went for it. The NVIDEA has 256MB of on-board memory, which allows for better game playing and designing because it can process the graphics faster. On another note, the GeForce 8400M has a s-video and HDMI out (more about it later on).
Optical Drive
(Originally had: SuperMulti 8x DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer; Upgraded to: LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer) --- It was only $15 extra for LightScribe, which is a specially equipped optical drive that can label your DVD/CDs. It's not really a must have feature, buy I had $15 to spare. Both options, whether you upgrade or not, have dual layer support. That's something I definitely wanted, because it allows me to use the new Dual Layer DVD's that can hold around 8.5GB of space as apposed to only 4.7GB.
Wireless
(Originally had: 802.11b/g WLAN; Upgraded to: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 4965AGN Network Connection and Bluetooth) --- G-Wireless is probably the most common of all, that's the wireless you'll find in coffee shops, hotels, etc, but N-Wireless is the new-comer here. It's much faster than G and probably will become overall popular just like the current G-Wireless. So it's nice to be ready for the switch, knowing you don't have to buy an additional card that you have to plug in to your laptop. I also added bluetooth so I can easily sync my gadgets such as pocket PC, phone, and perhaps use my bluetooth headset to take phone calls on my laptop.
Battery
(Originally had: 6-cell Battery; Upgraded to: 12-cell Battery) --- Well, although you could go with the 6-cell battery, and assuming you tweaked your power plan in Vista, the laptop would run moderately for about 2 hours. Two hours is not enough for me, so I decided to upgrade to a 12-cell battery. With my power plan I clocked it at 5.5 hours ? plenty of time to do some writing and browsing while listening to music. The downfall I didn't think about was that even though this is not the extended battery, it does stick out in the back. Actually, it sticks out towards the bottom but the smart thing is that the battery equally raises the laptop in the back, which actually provides more cooling room and it's just like old laptops when you pull out the plastic clips on the bottom back. It doesn't bother me, but it might bother someone else.
Other Features / Accessories
(Originally had: Microphone, 5-in-1 Media Card Reader, S-Video, Remote Control; Upgraded to: Microphone, Webcam, 5-in-1 Media Card Reader, S-Video, HDMI w/ NVIDIA GFX card, Remote Control) --- The only real difference is that it has a Webcam built-in too, which was a must for me. I never liked dragging around another piece of equipment and this webcam is actually very nice ? I would say much better even compared to some of them in stores. The microphone is also pretty cool because now you can do video conferencing any time, any where.
The laptop also has blue lit media keys above the keyboard (QuickPlay, DVD, Previous, Play/Pause, Next, Stop, Mute, Volume Up/Down). To the left side: S-Video, VGA, Expansion Port 3, Ethernet, Modem, HDMI, 2 USB, Firewire, 5-in-1 Media Card Reader. To the right side: Power jack, 1 USB, optical drive, ExpressCard/54. On the front it has: Power light, battery light, hard drive light, IR, wireless on/off switch, microphone input, 2 headphone out. On the top of screen it has two microphones, one to left of webcam and one to the right.
The speakers by the way are Altec Lansing, which I personally like Harmon Kardon better, but there was no choice on that.
It has a nice, large touch pad with scroll space on the side and touch pad off button above the pad.
The HDMI out is great because you can then plug your laptop in to your high definition TV and play music, movies and pictures from your laptop on your TV. The included remote allows you to close your laptop lid, sit on the couch, and control your media comfortably without having to touch the laptop in the process. You can do all this whether you're using the s-video or HDMI. Also, if you subscribed to Netflix, had the MyNetflix media center plugin, you can watch hundreds of movies anytime, streaming directly to your TV.
Let's talk about the design. It's great. Looks very sleek and shiny. The laptop as some art around the keyboard and on the back of the laptop lid. All the art and colors are protected with a special coating so your mouse pad will never turn black and your wrist won't fade the colors over time-- so if you take care of your laptop, it should always look like new. The top of the monitor has also NO hinges to lock with the laptop when you close the lid. You just shut it, open it, without any unlocking. At first I thought this might be bad, but it actually closes firmly and it's never bothered me.
OVERALL
This really is a nice laptop and if you get all the accessories and features like me, it will run around $1500, but luckily, at the time of purchase there was a $500 off coupon. Evey once in a while there is a $300-$500 (one time even $600) off coupon, so keep an eye out for it. I wouldn't have bought this laptop without the coupon. --- A quick search showed there is currently a 30% off coupon for your laptop purchase for exactly this model, so that's almost as great as $500 off.
OTHER THOUGHTS
Be sure you REALLY want a 64-bit operating system. Research more to make sure it suits your needs, because although it should be cross compatible with 32-bit software, sometimes you are out of luck. Granted, 64-bit is the future, but the world is a little behind on that. I will say though that there is decent software (anti-virus, spyware protection, etc) out there for 64-bits. Also, don't be afraid of Vista anymore. Yes, there are many negative posts out there, but Service Pack 1 has been released and it runs just fine for the above average user. The weight of the laptop with 12-cell battery is about 6.5 lbs, which is great considering my old one was over 8lbs... and this is with a 12-cell battery, I'm sure if you only got a 6-cell it be somewhere little over 6lbs.
One final thought: I upgraded this laptop to MY needs, I'm no where suggesting you should get the exact same features/upgrades. You might not need all of that, but if you were able to follow my logic, you can see why I did what I did.
