Interested in the HP DV1000 Help!!

Hello Noesis.

It is a little hard to answer all your questions since the laptop is not out yet. It is only available (apparently) directly from HP. I have gathered quite a bit of information on it since it is one of the laptops I am considering for purchase. From what I read from your post this laptop seems tailored made for you. It is basically designed for the uses you state in your post. It is definatelly not a "gaming laptop" since it has a INTEL integrated graphics solution. Yes you can play chess with it and probably most games out there as long as they are not very taxing. In other words you will not be playing Doom 3 or Halflife 2 on this laptop. It has been designed with media in mind and can play MP3s and movies without booting windows. It even has features like 2 headphone slots so that 2 people can see a movie and listen thru headphones at the same time. The screen is supposed to be very nice (or so I've read) and it is one of the Briteview screens (same as Xbrite from Sony) I have actually seen the HP Briteview screen right next to a regular screen (on the same HP model notebook) and I can say that even though the regular widescreen HP LCDs look fantastic, in my honest opinion the Brightviews get the nod because of slightly better black performance. But you honestly have to be keen to notice the difference.

The design seems pretty slick, and from the detailed pictures that I have seen I looks awsome from every angle. BUT, I will save my final decision on the aestetics till I see it in person. Also I can't tell you about the construction quality since I have yet to hold the laptop in my hands, but if I had to guess I would say it is well constructed. Most, if not all, the HP laptops available right now are VERY sturdy and well constructed so this one should be no different. The size is what I call the "sweet spot" in laptops, which is 14". That way the screen is not too small and not too big keeping the size of the laptop itself "just perfect". As for the weight it is around 5.2 to 5.4 pounds which is easily portable. The thickness is supposed to be 1.2" which could be an average since the laptop starts thinner up front and gets a little thicker at the back where the battery is located. Then again it is not impossible that 1.2 is the measure of the thickest part. Battery life will be awsome since it is a centrino notebook with and integrated graphic solution and the battery is a 6 cell battery (if I remember correctly) so battery life should be around 5 hours while browsing the internet thru WIFI and doing some word processing. Battery life while watching a DVD was reported to be more than 4 hours which is extremely good if true, but I don't know if this is true. The 5+ battery life with WIFI one is basically a give and you can count on getting that.

Hope this helps, if there is anything else you want to know let me know and I'll post the answer if I know it.

Well, if you are interested in a small portable notebook I would recomend you get the Uniwill 12" notebook. You can buy the componets you want and make it really fast for half the price of the alienware almost. And believe it or not they are the SAME machien exept for the screen which is glossy on the Alienware. Expect to pay around $1400 to $1500 for a fully loaded one.

I you want something slightly bigger (but expensive) get a Sony Vaio S150 or S170. They are 13" and on the plus side have dedicated video cards so that you will be able to play 3D games on them without problems (Doom 3, etc). Unfortunately being a Sony means it is also expensive. Expect to pay around $2000 for one.

Then there is the HP DV1000. 14" screen, glossy like the Sony. Lots of cool features and from what I've seen so far cool looks too. Pretty inexpensive and I am 98% sure it is very well built. You can choose your components online but there doesen't seem to be TOP of the line stuff to choose. But you probably can change the RAM, HD, etc later. This laptop should be in stores in October (or so I've read) and should be around $1500 for a nicely equipped one.

For your needs any of the 3 will do. The Sony could be overkill if you are not interested in 3D gaming. But it's your choice.

Noesis - Have looked at the Fujitsu S6210? If you are not concerned about graphics this would work great for you. It has a 13.3 widescreen display and it is BEAUTIFUL. It is a similar technology to Sony's Xbrite. See the thread below for a review

http://notebookforums.com/showthread.php?t=31833

Consider HP nc6000 14.1" from their business side, or IBM T42 also.
If you are really thinking about this new HP, my suggestion is to order one. The shipping is free, and if you don't like it, HP will pay the return shipping. You really can not lose a dime. HP reps will even suggest that you order one on a trial basis. You can't beat it. Even IBM makes you pay the return freight, and usually the freight to get it to you.
My personal opinion on this new HP is that it is an expensive DVD viewer, and not much more. The two headphone jack setup kind of tips that off. Also the fact that it is a 14" widescreen seals that verdict.
But then, it may be the best deal out right now, I have no way of knowing. Since they are not in stores, order one, and tell the rest of us about it in a review.

Is watching DVD's the most important aspect of the notebook, or doing work??

As for "reconfiguring it" down the road, you can pretty much forget that with most notebooks. You can add RAM (don't order it with 512MB from 2 modules, for example, order ONE MODULE), you can change the hard drive, and that's about it without voiding warranty. (some people will tell you that changing the hard drive voids warranty, but just keep the original around). Upgrading the CPU down the road is probably the most exotic upgrade, and technically would void the warranty. Even if you bought a model with discrete video, 99% of them can not be upgraded. So, personally, I would not worry a lot about notebook upgrades. Pretty much the way you buy them is the way they will be. If you buy one today with wireless a and b and g, a year from now their may be wireless z, so there is nothing you can do about it, other than hope that there will be wireless z PCMCIA cards available at that time.

As you read through this website keep in mind that the majority of members here are gamers, and if the notebook doesn't have a good GPU, they aren't interested in it. I am a non-gamer for the most part, but it is still hard for me to get excited in most notebooks that have integrated video. The IBM X40 might be the one exception I would make to this, although I prefer the X31 which has a very old, small discrete setup. Since you don't want a 12", you can eliminate those, although they would be great for school.

I hope this helps you,

Andrew
Austin, TX