I replaced my four year old HP ZE 4305US with a DV4T. I went for maximum battery longevity as I can't always be hooked up to a charger when teaching nor when on a plane given most US carriers haven't figured out how to provide outlets on their planes.
My System: 1. Standard Core 2 duo 2.0 Ghz (More speed needs more power thus more battery drain.) 2. Intel graphics (The optional Nvidia uses more power) 3. 4 Gb RAM 4. Ultimate 64bit 5. LED display (Minimum power use) 6. 12 cell battery
Pros: 1. On arrival I charged the battery and then did the Cnet torture test of playing a movie until the battery died. Result: 5 hours and 12 minutes. 2. In good lighting the key board is easy to see. 3. Key board feels good 4. Vista Ultimate 64 bit is wonderfully better than XP Pro for this long time XP fan. XP was great, but it's time to go away has come. there's a new dog in town.
Cons: 1. Keyboard is hard to see in poor light...this model is not backlit. 2. Unit has three USB ports, but the two on the right side are so close that only plugs will fit in together. Two flash drives will not. This is inconvenient but easily side stepped by buying an inexpensive Belkin laptop USB distribution bank.
Of interest: The 12 cell battery is large and significantly protrudes from the bottom. The plus side is that it elevates the back of the computer giving the keyboard a rake of a few degrees while giving the cooling ducts more desk clearance. However the 12 cell is heavy.
I really like this laptop and am thrilled with the endurance. My 4305 lasted a max of 30 minutes with a new battery just doing word.
Doing work on a coast to coast flight now is ever possible with a 2 hour movie thrown in at the end.
Of Interest: Photoshop CS3 works fine on it with no screen delay.....I was worried the standard intel graphics would be an issue, but it's not.
I'm not a gamer therefore no games were ever played for this review.
I’ve just received my Pavilion DV4 Series Special Edition; 4GB Ram, 290GB HDD and 2GHz CPU.
Previously I had a Pavilion Asian Odyssey DV2833TX Special Edition. The two notebooks are much alike. The DV4 has a slightly larger screen and the RAM, HHD and CPU are almost if not doubled the size of my DV2833TX.
The touch pad buttons are somewhat an improvement, not having to push them completely down to click is a welcome change. I also love the fact that the wireless on/off switch is now located with the touch sensitive media controls; it cleans up the front of the notebook and contributes to a modern fresh look and fell. The keyboard is also again like the DV2833TX excellent, it’s easily the best I’ve ever used except for the ‘backspace’ key; it doesn’t have the same sound as the rest of the keyboard. As for the design it’s not as eye catching as my Asian Odyssey but it’s better than a plain black cover.
Power cable; awesome. Now with the new series of hp notebooks the power cable end that actually plugs into the notebook is big and solid with a stung fit so it doesn’t fell as if it’s going to break easily.
Although a great notebook there are some set-backs that need to be worked on. The fan noise is rather loud compared with my DV2833TX. There is also only 2 USB ports, I would like to see 3 but it does have an HDMI port to compensate. I also don’t like the way the screen is attached to the body of the notebook; the long lengthy hinge isn’t what I prefer, would like to see the same set-up as the DV2388TX.
Overall it’s a great machine with plenty of power, would recommend to anyone.
I am fourteen years old and my father bought me this laptop yesterday. I am very happy with it and haven't had any problems yet. Below are the pros and cons.
Pros; Very good quality on screen. Good keyboard, you don't really have to press down really hard for the keys to work like on some desktops. The keys are nice and flat like I like them, too. Good sound also, I watched a movie and I was completely satisfied with qualities. The fan is very quiet, nothing bad about it.
Cons; Like any other laptop, It gets warm if you block the fan. I would get something to put on your lap under your laptop if you don't like heat, I do so I don't have much of a problem. You can easily see the fingerprints on the top of the laptop (back of the screen, if you know what I mean.) Random; It may just be me not used to these mouse pad, but I dont like it that much, but its ok. The design looks really cool too! Overall; this laptop is very cute, good quality, If your t hinking in getting it, do so!
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