Hewlett Packard has introduced an upgrade to its popular 14.1-inch dv2000 entertainment suite, the newest Pavilion dv3000 with metallic silver keyboard and interior. As with all HP’s machines, this one can’t be called an ultra portable: despite it’s screen size of 13.3 inches the laptop is quite heavy and thick. So, if you don’t plan on spending too much time in the fields with this machine, its excellent features can totally make up for a lack of portability.
Compared to the dv2000, a number of modifications and improvements has been introduced in the new model, however some parts are exactly same as in its predecessor. One thing in particular that leaves an impression is the combined USB/eSATA port, in fact HP was one of the first laptop producers to offer this feature. This offers support to both existing USB peripherals and upcoming eSATA ones.
The laptop in its basic configuration starts at $1,800 and comes with a fast 2.5GHz T9300 Intel Core 2 Duo processor, GeForce Go 8400M graphics card with HDMI-out (it’s fast enough for watching HD movies at 1,280 x 800, but don’t expect hardcore gaming support from it), 2GB of RAM, a 160GB disk, a low-light webcam, and a dual-layer DVD burner. The OS is Windows Vista, and, unfortunately, HP hasn’t released the drivers for Windows XP, so downgrading is pretty much impossible. Read more