Dell Inspiron 17R 17.3-inch Laptop Review

Dell's Inspiron 17R is a slimmed down desktop replacement that provides a more compact and lightweight design. This high end model comes equipped with a higher resolution display and Blu-ray drive. At $1000, there are less expensive Blu-ray equipped systems or models with better graphics for gaming. It does a decent job of being a good general purpose desktop replacement without costing too much.

The other major design choice Dell made for the new Inspiron line up with the placement of the screen hinge with respect to the back of the laptop. The Texas computer giant introduced this forward-placed hinge design in its high-end Adamo notebook. On the Adamo, the design allows for port placement in the rear of the computer. On the new Inspiron R series, the hinge design is used to improve the range of screen movement - i.e., the display can be pushed back a lot further.

Product Specs

• Processor: 2.4GHz Intel Core i5-450M
• Memory: 4GB RAM
• Storage: 320GB hard drive
• Optical Drive: DVD±RW
• Screen: 17.3 inches (1,600x900 native resolution)
• Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 5470 (1GB)
• Weight: 7.1 pounds
• Dimensions (HWD): 1.4x16.5x10.9 inches
• Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)

One of the big failings budget notebooks often face is a bouncy keyboard or an unresponsive trackpad. In order to make the laptop more affordable, companies have to skimp somewhere and after general build quality, it's usually one of these two components. Fortunately, the Inspiron R doesn't seem to suffer from any of these issues.

The glossy screen has a resolution of 1,600x900 pixels which is noticeably more spacious than the 1,366x768 pixel screens which are now the norm for 15.6in laptops. This allows you to, for example, easily work on two documents side by side or use programs with lots of palettes and windows more easily. The screen is bright, but image quality wasn't the best. The backlight was a bit uneven and viewing angles were a little restricted. However, as long as you're in the middle of the screen, colours are accurate.

The broad width of the Inspiron means the keyboard and numeric keypad don't have any oddly placed or undersized keys. The keys don't give a huge amount of feedback, but they're still comfortable to type on. The touchpad is large and accurate, but the buttons are a little spongy – we'd prefer a firmer, more responsive feel.

For a large laptop, the Dell Inspiron 17R has a modest weight at 5.83 pounds. It is fitted with Intel Core i3-350M/ i5-450M processors, has a memory of 4GB 2 DIMM DDR3 1333Mhz which is expandable up to 8GB and a hard drive of 500GB. The 17.3" screen allows for excellent and quality-size views as it has a display resolution of 1600*900 pixels. To further aid in this, the Dell Inspiron 17R battery has a mic and a 1.3MP web camera. For music lovers, the laptop has SRS Premium sound and stereo speakers which produce great quality audio. In addition to 802.11n WiFi, the laptop allows for optional WiMAX and Bluetooth and has an Ethernet port. It has an Esata/USB combo connector and a media card reader (7-in-1). Additional features include a DVD burner and a Blu-ray Combo Drive.

Dell Inspiron 17R's operating system is Genuine Windows 7 home premium 64-bit and the laptop is provided with a one year basic service warranty. The laptop's numeric key allows for easy and comfortable typing.

Dell’s 17.3″ desktop replacement has a 1.3MP web camera and mic, stereo speakers, SRS Premium Sound, 802.11n Wi-Fi, optional WiMAX, Bluetooth option, an Ethernet port, three USB ports, an eSATA/USB combo connector, HDMI and VGA outputs, a 7-in-1 media card reader, and a numeric keypad.

The newly designed 17R has a brushed glossy finish in Mars Black, Peacock Blue, or Tomato Red color.

One downside to this notebook was the included graphics card. It is equipped with an integrated Intel graphics (Intel HD Graphics to be specific), and you probably won't be able to play most modern computer games without a custom video card. That's fine as I'm not an avid gamer.

I initially bought the 17R for school as well as personal reasons, and I was delighted to find out Microsoft Office 2010 Starter was included. I had been using Microsoft Office 2007 for quite some time, so it was a relief to find out that I would be upgrading. The software pack was even included in the initial price of the laptop.

The Inspiron 17R battery sports a choice of Intel Core i3 and i5 processors. The base configuration includes Core i3-350M 2.26GHz, 4GB DDR3 memory, 320GB Hard Drive, 17.3″ HD+ (1600 x 900) WLED display, 8X DVD+/-RW, and Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OS as standard.

Other features includes 802.11n WiFi, 1.3MP Webcam, 6-cell battery, HD Audio 2.0 with SRS Premium Sound and Intel HD Graphics.

Where the Inspiron R really excels is overall performance and multimedia playback. This model has 4GB of memory combined with an Intel i5-430M processor running at 2.26GHz. Dell has added the 64-bit version of Windows Home Premium and a 500GB hard drive. This is enough power to cope with any scenario and multi-task intensive apps like movie playback with ease. It can even handle a late night gaming session from the 1GB ATI Radeon HD 5470.

The 1600x900 17.3-inch screen is sharp, but we found it too glossy in bright environments. That said, it’s perfect for movies or gaming. Points also go for brilliant audio fidelity. The speakers have a great range and while we still don’t buy the virtual surround sound from the SRS Premium audio, it does provide great music playback.

The 17R-2211OBK is part of Dell's Inspiron 7 series of 17.3-inch desktop replacement and multimedia laptops. It's big brother to the Inspiron 15R series of 15.6-inch mainstream laptops, such as the Dell Inspiron iM501R-13230BK ($599.99 list, ). They share a similar glossy, metallic lid, which is a fingerprint magnet. The 17R-2211OBK's glossy, silver keyboard deck is much more resistant to smudges. When the lid is closed, the 17R-2211OBK's chassis has an appealing profile. The front edge tapers back from top to bottom, and the back-end of the laptop sticks out about a third-of-an-inch past the lid's hinge. This feature allows users to bend back the screen further in constrained seating situations. The 17R-2211OBK uses a traditional-style keyboard, which includes a dedicated number pad. The touchpad is smooth and its soft buttons are easy to use.

The LED-backlit display has a native resolution of 1,600 by 900, surrounded by a glossy black bezel that features a 1.3-megapixel Webcam and integrated microphone. The screen displays crisp colors, but I felt it wasn't quite as bright as with other laptops. Like most laptop screens these days, the 17R-2211OBK's display is glossy, but it wasn't as prone to annoying reflections, such as I experienced with the Dell iM501R-13230BK's screen.

Dell covers the Inspiron 17R with a one-year warranty, the industry norm among home and home-office notebooks. However, the company does offer in-home service (at least, after Dell reps try to diagnose and fix your problem remotely). Other laptop makers, such as HP, typically require that you send the unit in for repair unless you pay extra for an in-home tech-support package. You can also extend the Inspiron's warranty at reasonable prices, opting for a two-year deal for an additional $69, or three years for $119. By way of comparison, HP's two-year plan, with in-home service, costs around $112.

The Inspiron 17R is a good choice if you’re looking for a desktop-replacement notebook with style at an attractive price. You won’t get mind-numbing performance from this model, and its 3D performance is best suited to, at most, low-end gaming, but it's more than capable of handling your everyday productivity and multimedia workload. If you require a bit more 3D muscle, however, the Gateway NV7901u is your best bet in this price range.

HP Mini 210 Laptop PC Review

The HP Mini 210 netbook is one of the most popular netbooks on the market today. It’s not just a slim body and a flashy top that draws consumers to the HP Mini 210, which we are reviewing in hot red, but also the great design, HD screen, keyboard and usability. In essence, the HP Mini 210 is the total package — though like all good things there’s a little room for improvement.

The HP Mini 210, like the Dell Mini 10 (here's an idea: everyone name their netbooks the same thing!) can be configured with a $35 Broadcom's BCM70012 Crystal HD accelerator -- it's a slightly older model than the Dell's BCM70015. Released just yesterday, Flash 10.1 Beta 3 was optimized to support the Broadcom card, and the Mini 210 definitely reaps some of the benefits of it, but that's only after you download it from Adobe's site and then update the Broadcom drivers. When that was all said and done, the HP Mini 210 battery didn't have any issues playing back a 720p Avatar trailer on YouTube, but unlike the Dell Mini 10 it had issues going up to the 1080p setting. The video proof is below, but according to Broadcom the issues have to do with Flash 10.1 Beta 3's compatibility with the older version of the card. Though that's a bummer, we assume most will be content with the 720p playback considering the screen resolution and the Pineview chipset's lack of HDMI support. We should also note that Flash videos played much better in Google Chrome -- we got a few "Not Responding" errors in Firefox.


As we learned with the Dell Mini 10, playing local HD content is highly dependent on software. A downloaded 1080p Iron Man 2 trailer played back without pauses in the preloaded ArcSoft TotalMedia Theatre software, but playback of that same video was choppier in Windows Media Player 11 and VLC Player. There's no doubt in our minds that the HD playback experience on the Mini 210 is miles ahead of that of a Pine Trail netbook without Broadcom inside and that counts for something. However, we have to say that it isn't as seamless as it need to be for the end user and the solution continues to have more restrictions than NVIDIA Ion-based netbooks.

Here is a quick breakdown of our review unit:
Model: HP Mini 210-1003xx
CPU: Intel Atom N450
Chipset: Intel NM10 Express
Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150
Display: 10.2-inch screen on 1024x600 resolution
Storage: 160GB Seagate Momentus 7200.4 SATA Drive
OS: Windows 7 Starter
Power: 40W AC Adaptor, 6-cell Lithium-ion hp mini 210 laptop battery
Human Input: Pointing device - HP Clickpad supporting Multi-Touch gestures with On/Off button, Keyboard - 93% Full size island-style keyboard
Others: Webcam with integrated microphone, 5-in-1 Card reader, VGA Out
Dimensions & Weight: 26.8 cm (L) x 17.8 cm (W) x 2.29 cm (min H) / 2.83 cm (max H), 1.22 kg

It will be available in a number of color options; Blue, Black, Red, Matte Black with Pattern, and Matte Silver with Pattern.

You will also be able to enjoy full 1080p HD content playback on both the HP Mini 2102 and 210, with the use of the optional Broadcom Crystal HD Enhanced Video Accelerator (add on card).

We've always been more partial to the Netbooks put out by HP's business side (such as the Mini 5102), but budget-conscious buyers can get largely similar systems from HP's consumer side with lower starting prices. The consumer lineup, previously anchored by the Mini 110, has gotten a modest makeover in 2010, morphing into the Mini 210 battery.

New to this version are Intel's latest Atom N450 CPU and optional lid colors. Most importantly, the awkward side-anchored mouse buttons have been moved to a more traditional spot below the touch pad, fixing one of the major annoyances of the Mini 110. There's also an option for the Broadcom Crystal HD video accelerator, which allows HD video playback (but is more of a mixed bag for streaming online HD video).

This allows the entire pad to be used for navigation, yet the buttons are still very easy to press. The only problem with this design is that you can't use separate fingers to navigate and click on the buttons at the same time. The pad itself feels very smooth and soft and it's perfectly responsive. It supports three gestures: pinching, scrolling and rotating. It doesn't get in the way when you type, but you can disable it by double tapping its top-left corner.

The touchpad buttons are concealed beneath the pad itself, which gives you more surface area for moving the pointer and makes the pad very comfortable to use.

The 10.1-inch display’s 1366 x 768-pixel resolution meant more screen real estate than the typical netbook resolution of 1024 x 600, but it also left us squinting at some dialogue boxes and articles. On blog.laptopmag.com, for example, we had to zoom in one level to read some posts comfortably.

Viewing angles were adequate when we streamed an episode of Leverage, but during dark scenes we saw some color distortion at more extreme angles. Under fluorescent lights the reflections from the glossy screen were distracting, though in dim lighting the issue went away. Horizontal angles were good enough for two people to watch video side by side. Vertical angles were also acceptable. During non-video use, viewable vertical angles are wider, but users may notice that colors on websites seem a bit washed out unless you push the screen back.

Battery life is a more important point for comparison, however, and aside from the design it is the HP Mini 210's main highlight. In our light use battery test, it scored a highly creditable 8hrs 39mins – two minutes shy of the Toshiba NB305 – good enough to facilitate an entire day away from the mains.

Good battery life, design and ergonomics, plus a reasonable £256 exc VAT price, mean that HP’s latest netbook immediately becomes one of our favourites. The Toshiba retains its A List crown thanks to a better trackpad and wireless, but it’s a close-run thing and the stylish HP is good enough to earn a Recommended award instead.

HP ProBook 4520s Review

HP’s four new ProBook models may not be as eye-catching as the company’s EliteBook 2740p tablet, but the notebooks do span a 13.3-inch to 17.3-inch display range and offer the latest Intel Core i3, i5 and i7 processors. Meanwhile pricing kicks off at $719; check out the full details and some hands-on first impressions after the cut.

The smallest model is the HP ProBook 4320s, with a 13.3-inch 1,366 x 768 display, Core i3/i5/i7 processor and up to 8GB of DDR3 memory. Storage is up to a 500GB 7,200rpm HDD, and there’s a standard optical drive (either DVD or Blu-ray) together with an ExpressCard/34 slot. Graphics range from integrated Intel HD through to ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4350 512MB, while connectivity choices include optional EVDO/HSPA (with GPS), WiFi (b/g through to a/b/g/n) and Bluetooth 2.1. There are also three USB 2.0 ports, an eSATA/USB combo, both VGA and HDMI, audio in/out and gigabit ethernet, together with an optional 2-megapixel webcam and a choice of 6-cell 47Whr or 9-cell 93Whr HP ProBook 4520s battery.

Specifications:

Intel Core i5 430M Processor (2.26GHz, 3MB cache)
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional (32-bit)
15.6-inch LED-backlit anti-glare HD display (1366 x 768)
Intel GMA HD Integrated Graphics
4GB DDR2 800MHz RAM
320GB 7200RPM HDD
LightScribe DVD+/-RW Optical Drive
Atheros AR9285 BGN Wifi, Bluetooth 2.1, 1Gb LAN
6-Cell 47WHr Battery
Limited 1-year standard parts and labor warranty
Dimensions: 14.64 x 9.83 x 1.09-inches
Weight: Starting at 5.27lbs

The ProBook 4520s gave us just over 2 hours (2:01) on our DVD battery-rundown test, in which we loop a movie until the battery dies. That score is around 25 minutes shorter than average for this class of notebook and 49 minutes shy of the time logged by last year’s ProBook. The Acer Aspire was only marginally better. Even the Gateway NV7901u, which sports a large, power-hungry 17-inch screen, lasted a bit longer (2:19).

Our review unit came with a 320GB hard drive loaded with a 32-bit version of Windows 7 Professional, as well as a generous selection of business-centric software and utilities, such as HP’s ProtectTools security software. (This handy suite includes password-management and file-sanitizer applications.) You also get Power Assistant, a utility that lets you select a power profile to suit your specific needs and allows IT personnel to track power consumption over a period of time.

Protect your notebook from the rigors of mobile work environments with the new metal design and dress it up with sophisticated color options (caviar and bourdeaux). With a 15.6-inch diagonal display, the HP ProBook 4520s supports optional discrete graphics with 512 MB DDR3 memory and features an HDMI output as well as preloaded multimedia software with one-touch button support. The keyboard layout enhances the streamlined notebook design, while the full-size keyboard with integrated numeric keypad allows you to type comfortably.

With a choice of discrete graphics, the HP ProBook 4320s comes loaded with the new ArcSoft TotalMedia Suite that allows you to play, edit and create video and audio files. New “multi-media controls” for video control such as play, rewind, fast-forward are now integrated into keyboard, simplifying work with video and audio files. And experience life in high-definition with the HDMI port that allows you to connect directly to high-definition displays.

We’ve covered the smaller end of the ProBook spectrum, but HP also offers two larger editions, the 4520s and the 4720s. At 15.6- and 17-inches, respectively, both machines come with numeric keypads on the right side of the keyboard. The ProBook 4520s battery (starts at 5.26 pounds, 14.64”x9.83”x1.09”) keeps the 1366x768 display, while the 4720s (starts at 6.51 pounds, 16.17”x10.49”x1.11”) gets a bump up to 1600x900.

As for the hardware, the larger ProBooks have the same options as their little brothers. Core i7, i5 and i3 processors coupled with up to 8 GB of DDR3 memory, 500 GB 7200rpm hard drives, and ATI Radeon 4350 graphics with 512 MB of vRAM.

The HP ProBook 4520s has a decent set of core hardware components for a laptop targeted for businesses. It's powered off an Intel Core i3-350M 2.26-GHz processor, 3GB RAM, 500GB hard drive, and onboard Intel GMA HD graphics. It comes with a DVD Writer, four USB, eSATA, HDMI, audio, and VGA-out ports. Not only this, the HP ProBook 4520s also incorporates Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi 802.11n and Bluetooth 2.1 wireless connectivity. A 2MP webcam and mic, ExpressCard slot, multicard reader, and fingerprint reader completes the HP ProBook 4520s' impressive feature set -- unrivalled by any laptop in our Top 5 Mainstream Laptops listing.

The HP ProBook 4520s laptop battery comes with a standard six-cell battery and runs on 32-bit Windows 7 Professional edition. This business laptop from HP also comes with a set of proprietary software that's quite useful -- it isn't bloatware.

To improve personal security, the 4520s offers an impressive suite of proprietary software that takes advantage of the Webcam (for facial recognition) and optional fingerprint sensor (not available on our review copy) to limit profile access based on biometric data. The hardware performed as advertised during testing, though I found that the (optional) 2-megapixel Webcam integrated above the display did a poor job of recognizing facial features under lighting conditions other than direct sunlight; the indirect lighting in our office did an impressive job of fouling up this feature during testing. Being repeatedly blocked from logging in due to poor image quality has the potential to drive a harried business user insane. Thankfully, HP offers the option of switching off the security suite at will, though small-business owners will appreciate features like Drive Encryption and a File Sanitizer. Also noteworthy is the QuickLook 3 software, a shell that displays basic contact and calendar info at the press of a button without requiring you to boot into Windows 7.

Overall the ProBook 4520s is a creditable low-cost "jack-of-all trades" laptop for working professionals, and the various customization options available offers budget-conscious consumers a little leeway in making the best of their budget. Pretentious color schemes aside (I had hoped for the caviar, but got stuck with the bordeaux), the latest ProBook is sleek, sturdy, and equally adept at home, in the office, or anywhere in between.

Fujitsu LifeBook E8420 Review And Specs

Fujitsu's Lifebook E8420 is a business tool with plenty of useful hardware and software features, and, most importantly, it's fast!

Its Intel Core 2 Duo T9400 CPU runs at 2.53GHz, and it's paired with Intel's PM45 chipset. Along with an Intel WiFi Link 5300 wireless networking adapter, it forms the holy trinity of the Intel Centrino 2 platform. The rest of the configuration comprises 4GB of DDR3, 1066MHz memory, a 320GB, 5400rpm hard drive, and a GeForce 9300M GS graphics adapter.

Specifications:

• Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 Dual Core Mobile Processor
• 1GB PC3-8500 DDR3 Memory
• 120GB 5400rpm SATA Hard Drive
• 8x DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Burner
• 15.4" WXGA (1280x800) Display With 1.3 Megapixel Webcam
• Intel GMA X4500HD Integrated Graphics
• v.92 56Kbps Modem, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11a/g/n Wireless
• Four USB 2.0, FireWire, HDMI, Type II Card Slot, ExpressCard/54, 3-in-1 Card Reader
• 14.1" x 10.1" x 1.4" @ 6 lbs.
• Vista Business, PowerDirector, Google Desktop, Google Picasa, Norton Internet Security

The design of the E8420 is nothing to write home about, but it's functional. The outside is matte black, while the inside is a dull, stormtrooper grey. Once you open the notebook up you will find a keyboard, which is a good size, flanked by speakers. The keyboard bends slightly when you type, making the laptop seem flimsy.

The 15.4-inch display has a native resolution of 1,280x800. It's also glossy, meaning it's reflective and difficult to see in bright light. For this reason we prefer a matte display. On the right-hand side above the keyboard is an LCD screen that shows information including battery charge, wireless status and hard drive access. Port options on the E8420 are lacklustre. On other Centrino 2 notebooks we have seen eSATA ports and USB ports that allow you to charge accessories even when the notebook is switched off. The E8420 features neither.

Fujitsu LifeBook E8420 battery is very clearly targeted at the corporate market and not the consumers. Even with this focus, the system seems to lack a number of features compared to similar corporate systems from the likes of Dell, HP and Lenovo in this price range. It might be nice that it comes with a limited number of software programs and a modular drive bay, but most consumers won't really notice either of these features.

Supplying more power and better performance with Core 2 Duo processor, the Fujitsu LifeBook E8420 notebook provides a highly flexible platform that can be configured to meet a diverse array of business demands. Coupled with renowned Fujitsu product reliability and durability, this notebook will shorten your return on investment cycle and lighten the load on your IT technical support team.

LifeBook E8420 from Fujitsu is a high-end notebook focused towards demanding business users who require a mobile desktop. Fujitsu offers many processor choices, maxing out with the T9400 Intel Core 2 Duo Processor this model has potential CPU speed of 2.5 GHz. NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS with total graphics memory of 256 MB is a Fujitsu premium graphics card available on the E8420. An integrated web-cam can be used with the Intel Wireless WiFI network, and for additional communication convenience this model has Bluetooth 2.0. For those concerned about security, a fingerprint sensor, along with a Two-level BIOS hard drive password protector is available. Additionally, this model comes equipped with many ports, from HDMI to a Docking port, all provided to help support a demanding business user.

In order to test the battery we set screen brightness to 50 per cent and then played a DVD. This gave us a battery life of two hours and 20 minutes, a good result. The addition of a battery in the optical drive tray should give this laptop great battery performance.

Speaking of performance, you won't be disappointed by the E8420. Our device achieved a very healthy PCMark05 score of 5365, meaning this device should meet the requirements of most demanding office environments. HDD access was particularly quick, and our laptop included a 250GB SATA drive. There is also a 1.3-megapixel webcam mounted on top of the display.

Right side bottom of case squeaks a little (not tight) but make no mistake that I am very pleased with the unit, it's capabilities & overall Fujitsu Product. I have bought high-end Sony, HP, Compact, etc. and am sick of their constant problems, defects and service problems. Ever since Acer took over Gateway that too is a nightmare.

As to technical issues, let me just say without a bunch of techno-bable that the unit is excellent and I have no need for a bunch of low-end consumer bell & whistles (sleep & charge, backlit keyboards, etc.). I much prefer the numerous interface capabilities with different ports and devices; and getting good use out of the dedicated Turbo Ram flash memory button with ANOTHER 4GB DDR3 RAM. I am hopeful Fujitsu will switchover to the 64-bit operating system with the advent of Windows 7; I surely intend to try.

The LifeBook E8420 is a solid machine, with good LifeBook E8420 battery life and performance, but we're still disappointed. Firstly, the E8420 lacks a lot of the features we have seen in the Centrino 2 releases from competitors, such as eSATA, USB charging when the laptop is switched off and the option of an SSD.

Finally the price, at AU$2299, is a real deal breaker. Equivalent offerings from Dell, Sony and Asus all come in a little cheaper, and in some cases offer more features and better performance.

The most likely culprits for this price hike are the discrete Nvidia graphics card, carry case and mouse. However, we see these as unnecessary extras — while a valuable addition like eSATA are noticeably absent. For this reason, we can't recommend the LifeBook E8420.

HP ProBook 4720s Review

Laptops designed to push desktops off the desk have come a long way from the behemoths of bygone times. A case in point: the HP ProBook 4720s ($1,025 as tested), a slick black beauty that can actually be used comfortably in a lap.

While 6.6 pounds may not sound light to some minds, it's positively airy compared to the old 10- to 14-pound desktop replacements of yore. Granted, you can't shrink the dimensions of a laptop much if you're going to build one with a 17.3-inch display -- the HP is 16.2 inches wide by 10.5 inches long -- but it's only 1.1 inch thick at its front edge, which together with its "expresso" brushed aluminum finish gives the HP ProBook 4720s battery a sleek appearance that belies its dimensions, as well as improving its durability.

Laptops designed to push desktops off the desk have come a long way from the behemoths of bygone times. A case in point: the HP ProBook 4720s ($1,025 as tested), a slick black beauty that can actually be used comfortably in a lap.

While 6.6 pounds may not sound light to some minds, it's positively airy compared to the old 10- to 14-pound desktop replacements of yore. Granted, you can't shrink the dimensions of a laptop much if you're going to build one with a 17.3-inch display -- the HP is 16.2 inches wide by 10.5 inches long -- but it's only 1.1 inch thick at its front edge, which together with its "expresso" brushed aluminum finish gives the 4720s a sleek appearance that belies its dimensions, as well as improving its durability.

Features:
3MB L3 cache
4 GB 1333 MHz DDR3 SDRAM
7200 rpm SATA II internal drive
DVD+/-RW SuperMulti DL LightScribe optical drive
Atheros 802.11 b/g/n wireless
Bluetooth 2.1
8-cell Li-Ion battery (73hr)
Colors: Caviar, Bordeaux
Brushed-aluminum finish
Genuine Windows 7 Professional 32
Weight: 6.55 lbs
Dimensions: 16.17 x 10.49 x 1.11"
Upgradeable to 8 GB memory
ATI Mobility Radeon 4350 graphics
3 USB 2.0 ports
1 external VGA monitor port
1 HDMI port
1 stereo microphone in
1 stereo headphone/line-out
1 AC power port
1 RJ-45 port
Optional RJ-11 port
1 eSATA/USB 2.0 Combo port
Express Card/34 slot
Media card reader slot
Optional 2 megapixel webcam
Spill-resistant keyboard w/ drains
Realtek Ethernet 10/100/1000 NIC network interface
90-watt SMART AC adapter

The ProBook 4720s battery combines solid performance, strong graphics, best-in-class security, and surprisingly good battery life in a neat 17-inch package. An inaccurate touchpad and grainy video playback hold the system back a bit, but at $1,059 for Core i5 power and discrete graphics, this is a value-priced desktop replacement that businesses will appreciate.

The 4720s has a clean and stylish appearance with a brushed metal exterior finish. The brushed metal is found on the screen cover as well as the palmrest inside the notebook. The dark copper or bronze finish complements almost any business attire and looks very professional. Inside the notebook the interior trim is split between the brushed metal finish and a glossy black trim around the keyboard. Both finishes hold up to most types of day-to-day abuse, including light scratches and fingerprints.

Build quality is very good; the metal finish adds strength to the screencover and prevents excessive flex. There were no screen distortions even when heavy pressure was applied to the back of the cover, meaning it did its job in protecting the LCD underneath. Compared to the older design which was entirely made of plastic, the new design not only looks better but also feels much stronger. Overall we were very pleased with the look and feel of the HP ProBook 4710s battery.

At first glance, the ProBook 4720s’s keyboard seems like everything we’d want in a workstation keyboard; it has a numeric keypad, all the keys are properly positioned, and there’s plenty of room to stretch out. As soon as we started typing, our opinion changed. The keys were a little small for our fingers, and not as responsive as we’d like. On the Ten Thumbs typing test, we scored a weak 74 words per minute with a subpar 4-percent error rate, while our typical score is 80 wpm with a 1-percent error rate.

The touchpad is much more difficult to work with than the keyboard, and the cursor jumped around as we navigated the desktop. Because the mouse buttons are built into the touchpad, users who use both hands will have a serious problem with the pointer jumping as they try to click. The pad supports multitouch gestures such as pinch-to-zoom, but we found them to be rather jerky and hard to control.

Finally, the HP ProBook 4720s has a 17.3-inch 1,600 x 900 display that falls short of Full HD resolution. It too has the same Core i3/i5/i7 processor options, up to 8GB of DDR3 memory and up to 500GB 7,200rpm HDD, but has the Radeon HD 4350 graphics as standard. No Gobi option, but the same ports and wireless choices together with a full-sized keyboard with separate numeric keypad. HP have outfitted with a standard 8-cell 73WHr HP 4720s battery.

To be fair, these business-focussed machines lack some of the multimedia appeal home notebooks have, but they’re all well made and discretely good-looking. We’re not sure the keyboards match up to, say, what you’d find on a Lenovo ThinkPad, but they’re very usable, as is the gesture-capable trackpad. HP are yet to announce specific pricing – they’ll only say the new models kick off at $719 – but they should go on sale this month.