HP Laptop Store

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HP Pavilion DV4-1140GO 14.1-Inch Laptop (2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5800 Processor, 4 GB RAM, 320 GB Hard Drive, DVD Drive, Vista Premium) For those who want to participate in today’s web based world with next generation mobile technologies in a stunning design, the HP Pavilion dv4-1140go Entertainment Notebook PC delivers! Designed from the ground up to get you online quickly, the dv4-1140go features reliable, high performing hardware with an integrated, preinstalled software package. Stay protected from the latest online threats with the award winning Norton Internet Security 2008. A full year subscription is preinstalled so you can connect online securely. HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection locks your hard drive into place when it senses abrupt motion to help prevent data loss. The built-in eSATA/USB Combo port enables fast backup to an external hard drive. Also personalized discs with custom laser-etched disc labels with LightScribe and preinstalled Cyberlink DVD Suite. Just burn data on the disc, flip it over and burn the cover image using any scanned image and/or text. Turn your next instant message into a live video chat with the integrated webcam, omni directional microphone and an IM program. Optimized for low-light environment it’s great for capturing short videos to share on your favorite social networking site. 14.1 diagonal WXGA (1280 x 800) BrightView Infinity Display Built-in Webcam and Digital Microphone Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X4500 with up to 1759MB Shared Graphics Memory LightScribe SuperMulti 8x DVD+-R/RW Drive with Double Layer Intel WiFi Link 5100a/b/g/n Wireless Bluetooth 10/100 Base-T Ethernet LAN 5-in-1 Bridge Media Adapter - MMC, SD, MS, MS Pro, xD ExpressCard 54/34 Slot 2 x USB 2.0, eSATA/USB Combo, 2 x Headphone out; Microphone-in, VGA, HDMI, RJ-11 (Modem), RJ-45 Approximate Unit Dimensions - 13.15 (L) x 9.45 (W) x 1.57 (H) Approximate Unit Weight - 5.18 Pounds
Customer Review: A nice serviceable laptop
I’ve been using a Dell Inspiron laptop for the past four years and had been feeling the itch to upgrade after so long. So needless to say I was quite happy to see the new HP DV-1140GO arrive on my doorstep. With a 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5800 Processor, 4GB of RAM, and 320GB hard-drive, the DV-1440FO gives me enough of an upgrade at a reasonable price to meet my needs.

If first impressions count for anything, this laptop is certainly good looking. The keyboard area is a shiny silver with the keys being shiny grey with black print. The print on the keys can be a little difficult to see in low light at times, but if you know how to touch-type this isn’t an issue. There are a series of “quick launch” touch-keys along the top that provide functions for watching movies, such as volume, play, forward, rewind, etc… These keys have worked regardless of whether I was using Windows Media Player, Windows Media Center, or the HP QuickPlay application (more on that later). They may work for other applications as well, but those are the only ones I tried. Also included is a nice little mini-remote that can also be used controlling playback from a distance. The top of the laptop is a deep shiny black that while attractive, loves to collect fingerprints. Luckily, HP has seen fit to include a cloth just for this purpose.

The 14.1 inch screen is about the smallest size I can handle in a laptop. It has a 16:9 aspect ratio and is bright enough and contrasty enough such that it isn’t unpleasant to be staring at for hours at a time, and watching movies on this screen is certainly pleasant enough. The downside is that the screen is very shiny and there can be quite a bit of screen glare depending on your lighting conditions. While I generally prefer a 17 inch or larger screen, the upside to a smaller screen such as this is that the laptop is much more portable and can be expected to consume less power. Discreetly placed above the top of the screen is a webcam and two microphones. While I can’t say that I’ve used them yet, their inclusion is certainly a nice bonus.

The DV4-1140GO comes pre-loaded with 64-bit Windows Vista Home Premium. I have to admit this is my first time with Vista but aside from having to get used to a few differences, I haven’t run into any issues. Usually a vendor feels the need to pre-load its systems with a profuse amount of bloatware, but HP has done a pretty good job keeping things to a minimum. It comes with a free 12-month subscription for Norton Anti-Virus, which I promptly deleted and installed another product. It also comes with a product called QuickPlay which seems to basically be an HP version of Windows Media Center. Since Vista Home Premium comes with Windows Media Center, I’m not really sure why I would ever use this. Also included is Microsoft Works. I feel that “Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007″ would have been a much better choice, but I suppose HP is looking to keep the price down.

The DV4-1140GO has just about every port or connector that is needed (no firewire though). These include a digital media reader, two dedicated USB ports, a combination USB/ESATA port, RJ-45 network connector, and an HDMI port, to name a few. All connectors/ports are on the left or right sides of the laptop. While this may not bother others, I prefer at least power and network connectors to be on the rear of the laptop. I’m not a fan of touchpads, preferring to use a mouse, but as far as touchpads go the one on this laptop is quite nice.

HP has seen fit to use the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD for this laptop. While this is perfectly adequate for most use, its inclusion means that the 1140GO is most definitely not a laptop for hardcore gaming. Of course, HP is not marketing it as a gaming laptop either, so that shouldn’t be a surprise. So if you load up the latest 3D shooter on this laptop and it’s performance isn’t what you expect, don’t say you haven’t been warned.

I have to say that overall I am pleased with the HP Pavilion DV4-1140GO. This laptop is well suited for general use such as surfing the Internet, watching movies, and listening to music. I have also found it perfectly adequate for doing software development on. I’d say this is a great laptop for students, but keep in mind that a student will likely have to obtain a version of Microsoft Office (available for low-cost from most educational institutions). The same thing holds if you are looking to mix in a little work while you’re not surfing the Internet, watching movies, or listening to music. If you keep this in mind, and if you’re not expecting a hardcore gaming rig, then the DV4-1140GO should fit your needs nicely.
Customer Review: Shiny and Quick but it’s no Macbook
I realize this is somewhat of an unfair comparison. After all, after using Apple’s computers for the past few years, anything using Windows seems a little …backwards to me. But, I’m giving this one a try and realize for many people, this is the reality of what they may get or buy. First:

Good things:
Very nice glossy screen
Bluetooth, WiFi,Memory Card Readers all built in
Lotta RAM
Keyboard which seems like the Powerbook G4’s one.

Bad:
Vista
Glossy Finish on the outside while looks great is a fingerprint magnet
Touchpad seems to get “greasy” really quick and this slows input down
Vista
Kinda bulky for a 14″
Vista

As a Mac user at home and a WIndows person at work, it’s with a bit of irony that I am trying this HP laptop with Vista at Home. While the hardware is nice for the price, it just doesn’t scream at me, “awesome”. The keyboard feels just like a G4 Powerbook’s which is nice but the keyboards on new Macbooks are a step above that now. Vista is…well, it’s sorta like a carbon copy of Mac OS X. That doesn’t work as well. Besides the blatant graphics ripoff, the style almost screams, “hey we can do that too”, except it just doesn’t have the intuitive feel of Apple’s world class operating system. But it sure looks pretty. If you need Windows and a new laptop, this baby is packed with most of the features you may want (bar the graphics). I prefer the VAIO’s for Windows laptops but admit this HP is nicer than previous iterations. Just not for me though.

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