Review of Dell XPS L701X

When were just about to forget about Dell XPS notebook series Dell reminded us that this performance and style oriented series is still alive be releasing Dell XPS 14, 15 and L701x.

This high level of performance allows for regular office work, multitasking, multimedia and HD video applications to run at a high speed. This Dell XPS L701X battery is adequate for professional video editing and other high performance tasks. It also supports quite well games such as “Call of Duty 4”. This laptop is ideal for users who demand high speed performance.

Dell takes advantage of the slightly thicker rear of the chassis to house other ports, too. The gigabit ethernet port lives here, as do two digital video outputs: one HDMI and one mini-DisplayPort connector. You'll find no VGA port, we're happy to note.

XPS L701x is designed to be the loudest, clearest and cleanest laptops on the planet with built-in high-fidelity JBL speakers and Waves MaxxAudio® technology. Together they produce rich, full sound that delivers booming bass and razor-sharp clarity to your favorite movies, music and games.

I’m not going to make some half assed attempt at trying to justify why customers in the UK get shafted as opposed to customers in the USA. It’s been happening for years, and not just by Dell. The USA get cheaper prices, and more features. For example, I know you can pick up a backlit keyboard option for the whole range of Dell J70W7 battery for just $15 extra. The option doesn’t even exist yet in the UK, and it would have been something I would have definately gone with, because I do spend a lot of time typing in the dark, or with hardly any light on. That being said, the nice thing about the Dell XPS range is the fact that the parts are easily interchangable.

The GT 445M scores a little over 10K on 3DMark 06 at 1280x1024 on a bone stock machine. Vantage gave me a weird garbled screen, so I don't have any results for it yet. The chipset used is HM57, and memory is by Hyundai, but that might be different according to current stock at the factory I guess. The HDD on the lower right is the one I added in myself, the other one was factory installed. This machine also has 4 slots for DDR3 So-Dimm RAM. Dell XPS L701X battery delivered with an i5 processor have a different motherboard with only 2 slots. You can easily reach the RAM and HDD by removing a single screw on the bottom of the Dell XPS L701x.

However, what immediately catches the eye about the 17.3in XPS is its unapologetic bulk. With a starting weight of over 3.4kg and dimensions of 415 x 287.3 x 32.8-38.5mm, this laptop takes its role as a desktop replacement seriously.

The Dell XPS L701x's audio quality is impressive. Music playback is quite listenable, sounding fairly accurate and transparent, even when audio enhancements were disabled. Stereo imaging seems a little vague, but the JBL-designed speakers even deliver reasonable midbass content, though real bass was still absent.

This resolution allows the user to browse a website and skype at the same time, with the two windows open next to one another. High resolution video and picture editing might be problematic, while graphic design and low resolution editing are trouble-free. Gamers will need to afford a powerful graphic card to be able to support the native resolution. Most movies will be viewable with no black bars at the top and the bottom of the monitor.

Opening the XPS L701x up reveals a matt black screen bezel, which should make quite a few people happy. While the keyboard surround and palm-rest area are constructed from another single sheet of aluminium, this time it's in a brushed black finish matching the rest of the interior. Though fingerprints will be visible here, it's nowhere near as bad as something like Dell J70W7 battery, and is a small price to pay for the quality feel and solidity when resting your hands on it.

The clarity of the sound is still ok at this level. While demanding audiophiles will think of it as a disaster, the rest of us will find the sound experience provided by this laptop satisfactory when watching movies or playing games.

Speaking of price, it would cost you $1,149 to configure a Dell laptop like our review model - not too bad for a premium unit equipped with goodies such as discrete graphics and a Blu-ray ROM/ DVD+/-RW combo drive, enabling high-definition playback of Blu-ray movies with the included PowerDVD 9.6 software. The only difference is that Dell XPS L701X AC adapter (tested by our colleagues at PC World US) comes with two hard drives, an option which appears not to be available in the US.

Powerful graphics. Powerfully smart. The XPS L701x laptop has what it takes to take you to new levels of performance.

So far then, we're very impressed with Dell's new range. Unfortunately, the L701X's 17.3in screen is where we come across our first real disappointment. Dell still needs to differentiate its highest-end XPS Studio line, and one of the ways it has done this is by limiting the 'vanilla' XPS L701x to a maximum display resolution of 1,600 x 900. While this will be plenty for the vast majority of users, it can be a major caveat for those hungry for more desktop real estate. Because of this, sharpness isn't quite as good as on Full HD screens either, though it's certainly adequate for most and the lower resolution does make viewing small icons and text easier.

This Dell XPS L701x will be considered by most users to be on the heavy side. You might find it best to only move this notebook under exceptional conditions and use it as a desktop replacement. You will definitely notice the heavy weight when putting the notebook on your lap. If you factor the extra weight of the Dell XPS L701X charger, carrying around this computer will tire you, even if your praise yourself to be in good shape.

HP Folio 13 Notebook Review

HP is entering the arena of Ultrabooks with the HP Folio 13 Ultrabook. It is almost odd to see HP come up with an Ultrabook, so soon after they tried to sell off their entire computer division. The HP Folio 13 looks perhaps a bit chunkier than other Ultrabooks. This is because the thickness of this Ultrabook is the same for the whole Ultrabook, and not slimmed down where possible like alot of other Ultrabooks. A positive for this is that it is big enough to have an ethernet port.

The 1366x768, 13.3-inch screen is passable — it looks a little washed out, and the vertical viewing angles are narrow, as to be expected with cheap TN screens — but it isn't offensively bad by any means. What is curious is HP's "bezel in a bezel" set-up, where a glossy black rim sits inside a matte black rim, the ultimate effect making the screen look smaller than it is.

Specifications:

• Processor: Intel Core i5-2467M (1.6 GHz)
• Screen: 13.3-inch diagonal HD BrightView LED- backlit Display (1366 x 768)
• Memory: 4GB
• Graphics: Intel HD3000
• Storage: 128GB (Solid State Drive Flash Module)
• OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• Ports: USB 2.0, USB 3.0, RJ-45, HDMI, SD Card Reader
• Battery: 6-cell
• Weight: 3.305lbs
• Web Cam: HP TrueVision HD Webcam
• Dimensions: 12.54″(L)x8.67″(W)x0.7″(max H)

The lid and top half of the chassis (palm rest area) are all made of aluminum. The remainder of the notebook uses tough plastics wrapped in a soft touch rubber paint similar to a Lenovo ThinkPad. The entire frame is extremely solid and there is no flex whatsoever in the chassis (very impressive considering the thin dimensions of this 13-inch laptop).

Folks buy ultrabooks as a result of they want a skinny and lightweight laptop computer with good performance and superior construction, however the down aspect to the skinny and light-weight design is that you normally do not get a lot in the way in which of ports (and definitely no optical drive). That mentioned, the HP Folio thirteen manages to ship one USB 3.0 port, one USB 2.zero port, HDMI, Ethernet, and the extremely essential media card reader (which many ultrabooks sacrifice in order to make the laptop even thinner). The Folio thirteen additionally includes a single headphone/microphone combination jack (headset jack) however that’s all you get when it comes to audio ports.

The HP Folio 13 certainly isn't the slimmest, lightest or best-looking ultrabook we've seen so far, nor does it have the best screen. Those cutbacks, however, allow it to pack in some decent components while keeping the price low. We look forward to seeing just what your money will get you.

Great build quality, phenomenal HP Folio 13 battery life and a lovely keyboard/touch pad combo make HP’s Folio 13 one of our favourite ultrabooks. If you enjoy resting your laptop on your legs (guilty), gird your loins because those quadriceps are going to get nice and toasty.

The packaging content is pretty empty, it just comes with a setup instructions, charger and a HDMI to VGA adapter. I wish the HP Folio 13 AC adapter is to DVI instead since these days people are moving on to DVI. The keyboard is a full sized one and it is backlit. Tactile feeling is alright and the spacing between the keys is pretty comfortable as well. One small design that I liked about the keyboard is the mute and wi-fi indicator.

A quick test with CrystalMark showed that the 128GB SSD on the Folio isn't the fastest around. It had significantly lower sequential read speed compared to the Asus Zenbook UX31E, though its write speed was competitive enough. Overall, you're unlikely to feel much of a difference, but with a boot-up time of around 17 seconds, it's the slowest among the SSD-equipped Ultrabooks.

Its stiff clickpad gets tiresome; though it's fine for brief use, I wouldn't want to haggle with it for 50-plus hours a week. And, I've grown accustomed to a larger, richer, higher-res screen for watching movies. Perhaps this step down wouldn't bother me if I owned a connected TV or a set-top box with Netflix access, but I don't, and as you'd imagine, I don't enjoy streaming all three seasons of Arrested Development on a dim, reflective display. Truth be told, the new 15-inch Series 9 and its SuperBright Plus panel would likely be the perfect work-play laptop for me -- if I could afford it. But no matter. If we're talking about PCs fast, light, longevous and ergonomically sound enough to tote around when you need a break from your main squeeze, the Folio 13 is going to make a lot of people happy.

The touchpad is large (110x62mm), smooth and completely brilliant. It's the best touchpad we've used in an Ultrabook so far. In our tests, it was responsive, didn't feel resistive, performed multi-finger gestures without any problems (including three-finger swipes) and we never had to repeat an action while using it. Its left- and right-click buttons are located under the touchpad, and the extra area over the buttons can be used to move the pointer. We didn't have any problems whatsoever when pressing these buttons to perform drag-and-drop operations.

Once full HP FL04 battery tests have been completed, we'll return to fully review the HP Folio 13. Right now, it's looking like an excellent consideration for anyone in the market for a no-nonsense, well-built, well-performing ultrabook, albeit one that lacks the fanciness of some of its competitors. Practicality, you win...this time.

Deskbound users will look in vain for a Kensington lock slot, but they'll find a full-sized Gigabit Ethernet port as well as Wi-Fi for connecting to office networks plus Bluetooth for sharing data with smartphones. The Wi-Fi worked fine for Web surfing and Windows Update sessions. There are also one USB 2.0, one USB 3.0, and HDMI ports, as well as a headphone/microphone jack and the SD/MMC card slot that's missing from the Lenovo U300s and Dell Inspiron 13. The only thing missing is a VGA port for connecting older monitors and projectors, but HP sells an HDMI-to-VGA adapter for $40.

The HP Folio 13 offers solid performance, fast boots, fantastic sound, and the best HP Folio 13 battery life of any Ultrabook on the market. Business users will also appreciate the sturdy design, backlit keyboard, and Ethernet port, though they'll want to make sure they buy a version that comes with HP ProtectTools. However, the device also suffers from a stiff touchpad and the dimmest screen in its class.

HP has made a point of extolling its 9-hour life in advertising, so I made sure to put the little laptop through its paces. I’m pleased to report that it broke the 8-hour mark in two tests and made it all the way to 9:15 on a third before dying. That’s almost exactly as much as my ThinkPad T420 with an extended 9-cell Dell Studio 1736 battery – that’s it dwarfing the Folio in the photo above. While there’s no replaceable HP FL04 battery option, this should be more than enough for anything short of a cross-continental flight. I performed my tests with 60% brightness and medium-to-heavy web browsing, with some Flash video thrown in – if you spend all your time on Netflix or YouTube, expect that figure to dip a bit.

And cost, at least, is one area where the HP Folio is extremely competitive. HP is going to sell the machine for just $899.99; the Best Buy exclusive Toshiba ultrabook is thought to be that manufacturer's response to a potential HP product. For those nine hundred dollars, you get a reasonably robust set of specifications, including that spacious 128GB mSSD:

Because it’s sold as a business laptop, the HP comes with some pre-installed security software. One prominent program is HP SimplePass, which manages your online passwords. It also acts as a shortcut, making it possible to launch a specific web page and log in by pressing Ctrl and a number key. It’s a handy program if you take the time to set it up.

In stark contrast to the Folio 13's minimalist outward design is the busy Windows 7 Home Premium desktop you encounter when you first boot up. HP Games (Wild Tangent), RaRa music, Zya music, and HP downloads--as well as a number of more staid HP utilities and Microsoft Office 2010 Starter Edition--look gaudy in contrast to the elegant externals. HP's background images don't match the unit's appearance particularly well either.

As for that plastic bottom, it's here that HP installed a pair of vents. If you enjoy resting your laptop on your legs (guilty), gird your loins because those quadriceps are going to get nice and toasty. Although this makes use of HP's CoolSense technology, expect to feel some warm (but never scorching) air on your HP Folio 13 charger, even if you're just surfing the web. Throughout our testing, we also noticed an incessant, but not-too-distracting whirring coming from the vents. After awhile, it registered as white noise, but it's worth noting that this sound doesn't go away, and is especially discernible if you're working in an otherwise quiet space.

The HP Folio 13 is a solid effort from HP that, instead of blindly shedding features and usability in the name of thin-and-light, strikes a reasonable balance. It may be a tad pricey for some shoppers, but including a solid-state drive always drives up a laptop's price. This model should definitely be on your short list of Ultrabooks to consider. Thicker and heavier than the average ultrabook, the Folio 13 may actually be a more sensible option for many users.

Dell XPS L412z Overview

The XPS L412z a smaller sibling of the XPS 15z, is a 0.9-inch thin “super-portable”, weighing 4.36 pounds with a HDD or 4.12 pounds with a SSD drive. It delivers the Intel Core “Sandy Brigde” CPU – up to the i7, maximal 8GB of RAM, the Nvidia GeForce 1GB graphics with Optimus technology and ability to display 3D content onto an external monitor, a slot-style DVD writer, and a Dell XPS L412z battery life of up to 6 hours and 42 minutes with its standard 8-cell unit.

Specifications :

• OS: Windows 7 Home Premium
• Processor: Second generation Intel Core i5 processor
• Intel HM67 Chipset
• Graphics: Inthet HD Graphics and Nvidia Graphics
• Display: 14 inch LED display
• 1366 x 768 pixels screen resolution
• up to 8GB RAM
• 500 HDD
• Multi-Touch Touchpad, Card reader
• USB, LAN and HDMI ports
• Wi-Fi, Bluetooth data connectivity
• Battery: standard battery
• Battery Life: NA
• Weight: NA

Dell is going to release a new ultra-portable notebook, the Dell XPS L412z. The upcoming Dell XPS L412z has just 0.9-inch thick and weighing around 4.36 pounds. This ultra-portable notebook is featuring an Intel Core “Sandy Brigde” processor with up to 8GB of RAM. It brings a 13.3-inch WLED TrueLife display with edge-to-edge glass and offers 1366 × 768 pixels resolution. It boasts a 1GB of nVidia GeForce GT 520M graphics with nVidia Optimus technology, comes with choice of 750GB 7,200rpm hard disk drive or a 256GB SSD.

This Dell XPS L412z will also supports the nVidia Optimus technologies plus the Intel Wireless Display technology. The Dell XPS L412z 14-inch notebook is coming in at $999 upwards, based on the requirements.

The new Dell XPS L412z AC adapter has a ultra-thin and stylish body, it’s size of 23 x 335 x 234 mm, and weight 1.98 kg. The Dell XPS 14z laptop features, including a second-generation Intel Core i5 or i7 dual-core processor, a 14-inch (1366 x 768 pixels) WLED display, 4GB of DDR3 (1333MHz) RAM, 500GB or 750GB HDD, DVD burner, and support for WiFi 802.11 a/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, one USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 port, HDMI output, a 1.3 MP webcam, and pre-installed with Windows 7 Home Advanced Edition OS.

Dell's XPS L412z is a solid little machine, and it'll certainly serve its customers well, but it's just a little too pricey with some of its shortcomings. Gamers will want more than a lowly GT520M, and bargain hunters will demand a lower price from a 14" machine. In a way, the XPS L412z stuck between a rock and a hard place, though it's well-built, a pleasure to use and very easy on the eyes.

The XPS L412z incorporates a 1.3MP web camera, Waves MaxxAudio-branded sound system, optional Intel Wireless Display technlogy, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Gigabit LAN, Bluetooth, and full array of ports and slots, including HDMI and DisplayPort outputs, a USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 connector, and a 7-in-1 media card reader.

New details of laptop Dell XPS L412z been leaked. Dell XPS L412z charger thin-and-light laptops are equipped with a backlight 14-inch LED screen with 1366 × 768 pixels, Sandy Bridge CPU options, up to 8GB of RAM, SDD and HDD options, and Nvidia GeForce graphics with 1GB Optimus technology.

The notebook will also make use of Intel WiDi, a multi-card reader, USB 3.0 and Waves MaxxAudio speakers, which we suspect to be something similar to Beats Audio in select HP notebooks, the 14-inch XPS 14z will include Sandy Bridge CPU options as expected and up to 8GB RAM. Discrete Nvidia GPU options with Optimus will be made available as well, along with SDD and HDD options, HDMI-out with 3D support, backlit keyboard, slot-loading DVD drive and an 8-cell Dell U164P battery for over 6 hours of battery life. The 1366x768 resolution screen itself will have its own edge-to-edge glass for protection.

The Dell XPS L412z will pack Hard disk drive and SSD options, backlit keyboard, High-definition multimedia interface-by helping cover their three dimensional support, slot-loading DVD drive, as well as an 8-cell battery for more than 6 hrs of usage. The 1366×768 resolution screen on its 14-inch display may have new technology glass because of its protection. For that connectivity, the Dell XPS L412z will take advantage of Apple WiDi, a multi-card readers, and USB 3. ports. The product includes the Waves MaxxAudio loudspeakers, which we suspect to become something such as Beats Audio in choose Hewlett packard notebook computers.

Among mainstream laptops, the Dell XPS L412z offers better components and better performance than most competitors, with an Intel Core i7 processor, switchable Nvidia graphics, and a spacious 750GB hard drive. Though it falters a bit on Dell XPS L412z battery life, the attractive compact design and oh-so-comfortable keyboard gives other premium systems a run for their money. On the flipside, the premium may be too steep for some customers, who might prefer the Editors' Choice Dell L412z (Core i5), which offers solid mainstream performance without the luxury-class price tag.

It’s 8-cell Dell U164P battery power is allowing for up to 6 hrs of run time per single charge. This Dell XPS 14z notebook will deliver in US and then Canada on November 1st, other markets on November 15t with starting selling price $999.

Dell XPS L501x Laptop Review

The DELL XPS L501x is a laptop that can compete with the Apple Macbook Pro in terms of performance and quality. The XPS L501x has 15.6 inches of Full HD screen display, an Intel Core i7 and a 640GB HDD. The XPS L501x is not as attractive as the Apple Macbooks but it is more budget wise and much more powerful.

Specifications:

• 15.6 inch HD display
• NVIDIA GeForce® GT435M 2048 MB Graphics Card
• Intel Core i7 processor
• 4GB DDR3 RAM
• 640GB HDD
• 16x DVD+/-RW
• Integrated Gigabit Ethernet
• Bluetooth 3.0
• Intel Centrino Advance WiMAX 6250
• 2.0 MP Camera
• Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit
• 6 Cell Battery: up to 5 hours

The XPS L501X passes my not-yet-patented backpack test (where I see how heavy it feels when carried in my backpack as I commute on my bike), and the Dell XPS L501x battery life is pretty good (especially when compared to other, bulkier XPS models). Sporting an Intel i7 CPU (1.73Ghz), 6GB of memory and running Windows 7 64-bit Premium edition, the XPS has a 15.6-inch screen (capable of pumping out 1080p resolution content from the HDMI 1.4 connection) and comes with two USB 3.0 ports, a LAN connection and an nVidia GT435M graphics chip – just right for all the gaming you'll want to do.

What separated itself for people was just how good the particular Dell XPS L501x's inner stereo system loudspeakers seemed. They are certainly not an area about genuine computer speakers, but they're The very best we now have observed in a laptop computer. Apparent Treble plus a unexpected amount of mid-range and Largemouth bass make the XPS L501x fine for music or motion picture Play.d

The graphics card is also pretty good for a notebook. At medium settings, the Dell XPS L501x AC adapter churned out an average of around 30 frames per second in Crysis 2, Bad Company 2 and S.T.A.L.K.E.R, which are playable results, plus an ultra-smooth 60 frames per second in Trackmania on high settings. On paper, the GT 435M graphics chipset is roughly similar in terms of processing power to Nvidia’s decent-but-dated 9600GT desktop cards. Coupled with the fairly low resolution of the screen, it should be able to handle most other modern games at medium settings as well.

The HD theme follows through to the Skype-approved webcam, which manages to capture 720p video without fuss or dropping frames.This model also features an integrated digital tuner, so if you’re lucky enough to be able to pick up a signal on the mobile aerial included, you can watch your pick of Freeview. Sadly, it’s DVB-T only, so that’s means no hi-def telly, and inexplicably it’s left to the user to work out that Windows Media Centre is to act as your conduit to televisual delights.

On flipping to back, there is a JBL Subwoofer :) of power 12w, three heat vents & four rubber feet which gives elevation & better air flow. It contains a panel with 3 screws; upon removing one can add memory, WWan/TV cards easily. Mine is 9-cell Dell K4CP5 battery one, obviously it gives better elevation and also battery comes with charge level indicator.

We're also still trying to get an HP Envy 14 in for comparison, and it would be great to get some Sony laptops in for testing as well, but with every passing week we tend to lose hope. At this point, the latest Envy 14 revision has been around for over three months. It still looks like it compares well with the new XPS L501X, but the Radiance Infinity 900p panel is no longer an option, Waves comes standard while Beats costs extra, and Optimus trumps AMD's switchable graphics.

One thing confuses us about the mostly well-designed chassis; the Dell XPS L501x battery and hard drive activity lights are on the top of the case - behind the screen where you can't see them. On the other hand, there's a second battery indicator on the touch control strip above the keyboard. The Wi-Fi indicator here isn't a control for some reason - that's an option on the function keys - and the three touch buttons open the Windows Mobility Centre (complete with plenty of useful Dell controls), the Waves Maxx control panel for the speakers and one program of your choice. Multimedia, volume and brightness controls are on the function keys and although they're selected by default, it still seems a shame not to have them on the touch strip where you could quickly mute the system.

The Dell XPS L501x can be customised with one of over 100 designs on its lid. Ours came with the Dazzling Dreams design, which we thought was very unusual and attractive. What stood out for us was how good the Dell XPS L501x's internal stereo speakers sounded. They're not a patch on real computer speakers, but they're the best we've heard in a laptop. Clear treble and a surprising amount of mid-range and bass make the XPS L501x fine for music or movie playback.

I sent back the extended battery that came with the system (the 92 WHr 9-cell Lithium Ion) for the standard (56 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion), as the extended Dell K4CP5 battery was too tall and tilted the laptop to an uncomfortable angle. So much so I called and had them send me out the smaller one instead. The hard drive being a dud sucked, but I’ll say that is an isolated incident, and the replacement has been flawless.

The new design looks better, and it feels better as well—though we didn't have any real complaints with the Studio XPS build quality to begin with. The L501x has rounded corners and beveled edges that fit together snugly and look attractive. It's a sturdy laptop—not at the level of business notebooks perhaps, but definitely a step up from the Inspiron and other consumer offerings. Some may prefer the industrial design aesthetic of the Adamo line, but personally the L501x is more my speed. The palm rest is plenty large, with an equally large touchpad in the center. Like most modern laptops, the touchpad is multi-touch and gesture aware; it may not integrate with the OS as well as the MacBook touchpad does with OS X, but that's more of a Windows and application problem.

Dell has been peddling its premium XPS desktops and laptops for many years now. Like most products in its line up the L501X we received this month is a good looking, solid little piece of equipment.

The XPS L501x is not quite perfection in laptop form, but considering it’s loaded down with goodies and outperforms hardware going for twice the price, it demands to be considered by anyone after a powerful portable.

Typing experience on this keyboard is really really good. Keys are well placed, but one can be disappointed with absence of numeric pad. Above the keyboard is a capacitive touch panel which can be used to launch any one favorite application, Windows Media Control / Dell Utility & Maxx Wave Settings and also it has light indicators for Wifi, Capslock etc. The function keys be default are set as Multimedia Keys & Special keys like Brightness, WiFi, Monitor out, Backlit, Voulme & Media control buttons. But those can be reverted back to function keys, by changing a simple setting in bios.

If there's one thing that annoyed me about the XPS L501X – and it annoyed me about a previous Dell laptop that I looked at – it was the intrusive pop-ups from the pre-installed McAfee anti-virus software, which got on my nerves with their continual warning that "Your computer is at risk". It became more annoying when it did it while I was watching DVDs.

All of us went via a series of performance checks to give the particular Dell XPS L501x charger somewhat of a possiblity to extend the legs. Our own Blender rendering analyze carried out 2min 14sec utilizing a solitary thread with the CPU as well as 43sec when working with almost all eight accessible strings. 3DMark06 delivered due to 7390 3DMarks, as well as iTunes encoded 53min regarding WAV files in order to 192Kbps New music in 1min 16sec. They're powerful outcomes and are reflected within the generally snappy functioning with the Dell XPS L501x.

Although you can get an XPS L501x for as little as $629, with Core i5, Bluetooth 3, the combo Blu-ray/DVD burner and the superb 1080p screen the model we looked at is nearly twice the price at $1039. You can reduce that by leaving out a few of the options, but it's the combination of the screen, the sound system and the performance that makes the XPS L501x a winner. The word we keep wanting to use is solid - but in a good way.

HP Envy 17 17.3″ Laptop Review

HP Envy 17 powered by Intel Core i5-2430 processor and 17.3 inches screen offers better performance to do multi tasks. It has high resolution for its ‘big’ screens, rich in color and it has good brightness too. For storage media, this device offers an option with 128 GB mSATA SSD or two hard drives up to 1 TB.

HP ENVY 17 Specifiations:

• Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• Intel Core i5-2340M
• Radiance display
• AMD Radeon graphics
• 750GB 7200RPM hard drive
• Beats Audio with 6 speakers + subwoofer
• Slot-loading DVD+/-RW
• HP Radiance backlit keyboard + proximity sensor
• 91 WHr, 1000-cycle HP FN04 battery
• 6GB DDR3 SDRAM
• 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi with Bluetooth 4.0 and WI-Di

The Envy 17 is slim enough that you might not think, at first, that it qualifies as a true desktop-replacement machine. At just 1.25 inches thick and 7.5 pounds, this is an impressively sleek machine. The laser-etched lid and the chassis, both in bronze-colored aluminum, scream durability, resist showing fingerprints, and hint at the high-end components lurking underneath. The uncluttered keyboard deck is also aluminum, following the dark bronze motif. As with the lid, it has a dotted texture that comes from an etching method that we’ve seen only on Envy notebooks. The left palm rest gets very warm, however, even during mild usage.

The 3D experience isn't much to write home about, either. Relatively still scenes look good through the included active shutter glasses, but once the action starts, the image quickly gets blurry and fuzzy. Compared to a theatre, or even a decent 3D TV, where 3D suffers partly because of the limitations of the human brain, the experience is pretty pathetic.

Across the board, these bad boys can be configured with quad-core CPUs, and come standard with six speakers, a subwoofer, HP's CoolSense technology and support for HP Wireless Audio. The Envy 17, in particular, can be configured with either a 128GB mSATA SSD or dual 1TB drives. Naturally, like every other in HP's lineup, they all have Beats Audio on-board. No surprise there.

The HP ENVY 17 uses a chiclet style keyboard design. The short throw laptop style keys means that typing is a quiet experience. Surprisingly the tactile feedback on this keyboard is pretty good, with nice clicky response despite the scissor key mechanism. The larger 17in form factor also allows space for a dedicated numpad. Aside from the arrow keys being placed under the right shift key, the keys are positioned just like that of a regular desktop keyboard, making it very intuitive to use. The ENVY 17 keyboard also comes standard with backlighting, which is very well done. The letters are etched on the keys and the light shines through, creating a subtle, attractive, and unobtrusive experience.

The Envy 17 comes with 8GB of RAM, which is enough to either run many programs at once fluidly or run very intensive image and video editing software. The Envy 17 features an unbelievably generous 2,000GB of hard disk drive storage. This can store a vast collection of media content.

Because of its many advanced features and the attention to detail that has been observed in making this product, the Envy 17 is available at a premium price. However, it is possible to purchase the HP Envy 17 charger at a discount. By obtaining HP Envy 17 discount coupons, the savings you could make on the purchase price can be quite substantial. Moreover, reading reviews on this product will help you make an informed decision on what to expect from your laptop.

The large clickpad evokes Apple’s version, with the left and right mouse buttons built right into the clickable surface. The size is decent, but could easily be even larger, and the multitouch functionality can’t hold a candle to Apple’s (which is something that can currently be said of any non-Mac laptop). We especially missed handy Mac gestures such as two-finger right-click tapping and the four-finger swipe for hiding all open windows.

The laptop's 7,200rpm 640GB hard drive should provide plenty of storage space for all of your games and media, but external hard drives will benefit from the speedy USB 3.0 port and USB/eSATA combination port. For other peripherals that may not need the faster data transfer afforded by those connections, there are two additional USB 2.0 ports. A multi-format card reader lets you pull content from a variety of formats (SD, MS/Pro, MMC, XD).

As in the smaller models, HP again relies on a chiclet keyboard with separate keys in the Envy 17. The advantage of a large 17 inch laptop is the vast amount of room. Consequently, the full size keyboard fits easily into the case. The 15x15 millimeter sized keys are on par with desktop keys in regard to size. Due to the large gap in between the keys, you in fact hit the key that you actually intended to hit.

The sound system on this HP model keeps up with the graphics and the performance. Enjoy studio quality sound with the Beats Audio system. Pack up your Blu-Ray DVDs along with your HP ENVY 17 Notebook to watch them on the go. Whether you’re playing HD games, listening to music or watching videos, this laptop will perform either at home or when you’re out.

After removing this protective keyboard cover the keyboard is revealed in its full glory, it’s very spacious and includes a number pad. Also notable is the volume dial on the right side, it has a Beats Audio logo on it and makes for a quick and easy way to adjust volume on your multimedia powerhouse.

Another trick up the Envy 17’s sleeve is Beats Audio—a digital music playback profile developed by HP and Interscope Records. The difference in sound quality with and without Beats enabled is dramatic—although the “without” state is particularly anemic. Still, we’ll admit that Beats Audio makes music sound pretty damn good on a notebook, especially through an external set of speakers or headphones.

There's only one GPU option available, and that's the ATI Radeon HD5850. It's more than fine for mid-to-high-end gaming, even with resolutions cranked up to 1,920x1,080 pixels. Our only real knock is that without Nvidia's Optimus system, the GPU can't turn itself off automatically to save HP Envy 17 battery life. Playing Unreal Tournament 3 at the full 1,920x1,080-pixel resolution, we got 86.2 frames per second.

The Envy 17 features a spacious 4.3 x 2.7-inch Synaptics clickpad that HP calls an Imagepad. Similar to the Envy 15, an HD sensor enables more accurate control than other clickpads on the market. The Imagepad's most notable feature is the slightly raised gray line that demarcates between the touchpad and the mouse buttons.

Those heavy performance parts and the large screen take a serious, and we mean serious, toll on battery life. The six-cell HP FN04 battery lasted only two hours and 10 minutes on our battery rundown test, which loops the same standard definition video. Now, we do assume you won't be moving around with the rig all that often and you can always pick up the nine-cell battery for an extra $75, but we're still disappointed that you won't be able to finish a full movie before having to string the rather massive HP Envy 17 AC adapter across the room.

The strong hardware not only provides movie entertainment in FullHD, but also a lot of fun in gaming. The Envy 17 also looks good in this field. We had a few doubts about the display at first. While a backwards step from a Radiance display to a standard display had been made in the Envy 14, a high quality display with an impressive brightness is used again. However, it can't quite reach the Radiance display. Moreover, the 3D feature is a nice gimmick that will be welcomed by many multimedia fans. You are still left a bit in the dark by HP in terms of games. At least we couldn't find any information in the included documentation about this.

As noted above, the ENVY 17 runs games and Blu-Ray movies smoothly using the discrete HD6850 graphics card. Unfortunately, we have been running into the problem where every so often, the ENVY would automatically switch over to the Intel onboard graphics, even while the game or movie was playing. This results in a few seconds of EXTREMELY slow framerates because the onboard chip cannot cope with the load. This has happened often enough to be a serious nuisance, and we hope that HP fixes this in a future update.

When you buy HP Envy 17, you will benefit from the manufacturer's one-year limited warranty on hardware. Since the company also provides support via email and live chat 24/7, purchasers of their products know they are not alone should the machine develop complications. Moreover, HP has an in-house service through which it sends staff to attend to clients who need repairs or for trouble shooting in the clients' homes.

Dell XPS 15z 15.6" Review

Touted as one of the thinnest laptops money can buy, Dell's XPS 15z is one of the best laptops out there if you don't fancy filling Steve Jobs' pockets with even more greenbacks. Now that the MacBook Pro has been updated with Intel’s speedy Sandy Bridge technology, you might be drawn in by its alluring combination of brains, brawn and sexy silver chassis. But if you’re still on the fence over the steep price, or simply can’t make do without Windows, let us offer this slick new alternative: the Dell XPS 15z.

The XPS 15z impressed us with its battery life too. The battery is non-removable, something we’re seeing more and more of these days, but the system ticked along for 6hrs 13mins in our light-use test, a good hour or two more than we were expecting. That was using Intel’s built-in HD Graphics 3000, though: switching to our heavy-use test caused the Nvidia GPU to automatically kick in, pulling Dell V79YO battery life down to just 1hr 16mins.

Dell claims its latest baby is one of the thinnest laptops 15.4in laptops in the world, and with the exception of the 15in MacBook Pro, we don't know of one that's thinner – certainly not one sporting heavy-duty specifications and an all-metal chassis. Considering these factors, the 15z is quite light, at a mere 2.54kg.

The reason the XPS 15z is still good? It strikes a chord in both design and performance. It’s not meant to be a powerhouse laptop, but rather a well-balanced, all-purpose machine. It can be tricky to find a well-executed machine like this for under $1,000, and the model we tested squeaked under the bar at $999. For the most part, it delivers, with just a couple of quibbles that most users can probably overlook for all that Dell gives in return.

The trouble with most glossy displays, especially those that are geared mostly toward the consumer market, is that they offer far from ideal viewing angles. Unfortunately, the Dell XPS 15z also suffers from this fate, even if it’s not quite as pronounced as the displays on its cheaper Inspiron stablemates.

At this point, a short flashback to the product positioning "heavy business use, light entertainment". This gives hope for a good application performance that even bids a certain amount of reserves for multimedia use in terms of hardware. The XPS 15z's spec sheet appears to have just the right configuration for Dell XPS 15z AC adapter. Dell lists the Intel Core i5-2410M CPU, as well as the higher clocked top chip from the Sandy Bridge dual core range, the Core i7-2620M, as possible processors. Both processors have Intel's Turbo Boost Technology which automatically lifts the processor clock rate up to 2.9, respectively 3.4 GHz when required. Furthermore, two additional threads can be simulated in addition to the two physical processor cores thanks to Hyper Threading. This can supply a decisive speed advantage in multi-core optimized applications.

As you can see in the above table, Dell shipped us the fully upgraded version of the XPS 15z, which is good and bad. On the good side, there’s a nice 1080p display, CPU performance will be better, and the GPU gets twice the memory; there’s also 8GB of system RAM and a very large 750GB 7200RPM hard drive. Also note that all the available configurations other than the base model comes standard with a 2-year warranty and include Office 2010 Home/Student; the base model gets you Office 2010 Starter and a 1-year warranty. So what’s the bad news? The price is 50% higher than the base model, and performance definitely won’t be anywhere near 50% higher. Most of the performance gains will come from the CPU upgrade, which amounts to a 17% average increase in CPU-limited applications.

BatteryEater Pro tends to measure worst case scenarios, in that it doesn't really take into consideration power saving features, instead loading up the system until it dies out. It runs a spinning graphic constantly until the Dell XPS 15z battery dies. We keep our test machines with Wi-Fi on, and screen brightness hovering at 50% for the life of the test.

The XPS 15z's performance is about what you'd expect from a laptop with a midlevel dual-core Core i5 or Core i7 processor. Our review unit scored an impressive 134 on WorldBench 6, and its gaming performance was okay; you can play real modern games, but you'll have to run the more strenuous titles at reduced resolution and settings to maintain a smooth frame rate. Our test unit lasted just over 5 hours on one charge in our battery tests--less than Dell claims, but reasonable for a powerful system with a 15.6-inch screen. We would have expected a better graphics card in a $1500 laptop, however, in place of the pointless doubling of graphics RAM. The entry-level model's price/performance ratio is far more appealing. Audio quality from the built-in speakers was among the best we've seen in this class of laptop.

As the name suggests, the 15z has a 15.6in screen; at its native 1,920x1,080 resolution, text can appear very small. Thankfully, Dell sets the default Windows text size to 125% in the factory, so we could easily read file and folder names straight away. Adding to the incredibly sharp picture is a very bright backlight. It's rated at 300cd/m2 compared with the 200cd/m2 of most laptops. Contrast is also great, but it isn't all good news. Colours were much too vibrant at the default settings and the glossy finish is also highly reflective.

The optical drive, however, does not present much room for upgrade because of limited space. The Dell XPS 15z battery can last for up to 5 hours. As with other Dell machines, it also has the PowerShare feature and this allows users to charge mobile gadgets, even when the device is shut down. The machine is also a bit bigger and heavier compared to the 15-inch Macbook Pro. It is about an inch thick and weighs 5.6 pounds.

Inside the Dell XPS 15z, the PC's keyboard sits in the middle of the chassis and looks great, with curved metallic keys. They don't travel far when hit, but they're firmly set and well separated from each other, which makes typing comfortable. Even better, they glow when used in low light so you aren't squinting to see.

The display hinge is strong and doesn't allow the display to wobble when let go abruptly. Additionally, the display can be opened with one hand which is convenient. I'm not a fan of the physical appearance of the hinge; it's not in sync with the rest of the chassis in terms of color or texture. Overall the XPS 15z is one of the most solid feeling notebooks I've tested in some time.

Clean lines, smooth curves, and vast expanses of beautifully textured metal, cool to the touch -- the MacBook Pro has captivated Apple fans for years, and there's no doubt Dell's trying to capture much of the same charm. From the aluminum chassis to the placement of the speakers, DVD drives and majority of ports... heck, even the tiny arrow key bars on the backlit keyboard and feet on the bottom of the chassis are cribbed from Apple's product.

The 15z also has the graphics chops to take on the most intensive 3D games, thanks to the discrete Nvidia GeForce GT 525M. It cranked out above-average 3DMark 06 (8,610) scores and very good frame rates in Lost Planet 2 (36.4 frames per second, or fps), both at 1,024-by-768 resolution and medium detail settings. Though it wasn't as impressive as the XPS 15 (9,787 in 3DMark 06, 38.2fps in Lost Planet 2) and Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch (10,878 in 3DMark 06, 65.7fps in Lost Planet 2), the 15z can hold its own as a gaming laptop. During non-gaming-related tasks, the discrete graphics chip is automatically disabled by an Nvidia feature called Optimus, which lets the Intel integrated graphics take over to optimize battery life.

The new XPS 15z is a fresh start, although it carries over a few touches, such as the inset lid hinges that move the screen slightly closer to the user. Otherwise, this is a sleek metallic box, less than 1 inch thick, and thankfully monochrome, except for some chrome borders around the edge. Yes, it's very thin, but not as thin as the 15-inch MacBook Pro. But honestly, the two are within a hair of each other, so we're willing to call it a tie. Despite the slimness of the body, the Dell Vostro V130 battery still feels sturdy and solid; it's dense, but not too heavy (but it's still heavy enough that you won't want to lug it around every day).

After playing a Hulu video for 15 minutes at full screen, the XPS remained fairly cool. The touchpad registered just 82 degrees Fahrenheit, the space between the G and H keys was 89, and the middle of the underside was 85 degrees. However, after we played World of Warcraft for about 10 minutes, the XPS 15 became noticeably hotter: The bottom near the vents reached 104 degrees, and we could also feel the left side of the keyboard heat up, too.

The USB ports, including one which doubles up as an eSATA port, are all on the left hand side, just like the MacBook Pro. This might not seem like a big issue, but if like this reviewer you should be a left-handed mouse user and have a dongle for the wireless mouse in one of the ports too, you're likely to find yourself knocking into those peripherals on a frequent basis.

The previous XPS might have a slight edge on sound quality; you have to crank the volume closer to full than we prefer to get the full richness of the audio system on the Dell XPS 15z charger but when you do it's impressive. You can hear a huge amount of detail in the mid-range, the treble is clear rather than sharp and there's plenty of bass. The position of the speakers makes for great stereo separation too. We have heard one or two notebooks with even better audio quality (and significantly higher price tags), but you'll really enjoy listening to music on the XPS 15z.

The fast (7200 rpm) hard disk installed in our test device unfortunately has a rather adverse effect on system noise. The HDD's running noise is always present and can even cause a sonorous vibrating on certain surfaces. Our meter never fell below the noise level of 34.6 dB(A), even with a deactivated fan. However, the Dell Vostro 3750 battery would have the potential to be a noiseless device with a silent solid state drive because the fan usually stays completely disabled in idle and office mode. Dell doesn't have an according option available until now, though. Moreover, it seems to be difficult, if not impossible for the user to upgrade it due to the lack of a maintenance cover. In any case, the possible loss of warranty should be clarified in advance.

With its eight-cell Dell V79YO battery, the Dell XPS 15z matched its peers almost exactly on our Battery-Rundown Test. For this test, we loop The Matrix on DVD, with the screen set to 50 percent brightness, until the battery dies. The XPS 15z lasted 3 hours and 47 minutes on our trial, while the Asus K53E-B1 ran 3:45 and the Dell XPS 15 ran 3:38.

The bottom line is that at it's price point, we doubt you'll find a superior 15.6" machine out there right now. Dell has done just about everything right with this one. Plus, it's fast. Really fast in everything save for hardcore gaming. For the vast majority of consumers, it'll do everything they need and more, and look great while doing it. The Dell XPS 15z is great buy, from top to bottom.

HP Envy 15 15-inch Review

HP has been through some rough waters lately, with questions surrounding its commitment in the area of smartphones and rumors swirling about related to its PC business. While all of this is great fodder for the industry pundits and competition, one thing can be said about HP with great conviction: The company knows how to wrap innovation around computer systems.

The upside to the somewhat loud fan is cool operation. During low to moderate use the laptop’s chassis warmed only slightly in the usual spots, such as near the exhaust fan. Extended lap use is definitely an option. You’ll only become uncomfortably warm if you perform tasks that engage the discrete GPU. Doing that is a great way to keep warm in winter.

Despite being a full-size 15-inch laptop, the ports and connections on the Envy 15 are limited. Only two USB ports are offered, along with an SD card slot--no eSATA, as found on previous Envy laptops. The twin headphone jacks are a nice extra, but usually more useful on a smaller laptop, for example to share video playback while flying. Adding a Blu-ray drive, instead of the standard DVD burner is $75 more.

Is the ENVY 15 as good as the 15-inch MacBook Pro? No. But considering that for the hardware that we tested you’d have to spend nearly $2000 on an Apple machine, it doesn’t have to be. If you find yourself spending most of your computer time within the reach of HP Envy 15 power adapter, it’s tough to beat for power and media capabilities. I wish it was a little lighter and lasted a little longer, but as a desktop replacement and media consumption/creation specialist, you’d be hard-pressed to find anything with these kinds of specs, fit and finish in this price range.

The HP Envy 15 is the first redesigned model to hit the streets. Predictably, the internals feature some of the latest hardware you can buy--Intel Core-i processors along with a healthy chunk of memory, a new discrete mobile graphics chip and options for an SSD. This time round, HP is betting even more on audio quality, with more prominent Beats Audio branding that has even been integrated into the design with an analog volume dial.

A slot-loading DVD drive lives on the left side (sorry, no Blu-ray option on this model.) In terms of the layout, Hewlett-Packard did Apple one better, stacking the ports on two sides instead of one, with the two USB 3.0 sockets on the left edge, and the lone 2.0 port on the right. Alongside the Ethernet jack theres a Mini DisplayPort, HDMI and two USB 3 ports although Hewlett-Packard has omitted the suddenly fashionable Thunderbolt port for cost reasons, which seems a little parsimonious on a premium laptop such as this.

The original HP Envy 15 was ahead of its time for performance but it lacked the things most folks want in a powerful 15.6" portable: plenty of ports, an optical drive and a decent size HP Envy 15 battery. We still have the original model and it still beats quite a few current notebooks on benchmarks and plays 3D games nicely. But it's a pain to drag out the external optical drive to install all those games, and we use it like a desktop since it's always connected to AC and a USB hub.

HP’s built-in software is improving, but still manages to annoy a little. All the custom menus and stuff are thankfully gone, and the included software is pretty good: You get Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Elements 9, CyberLink PowerDVD and YouCam, Skype, and lots of Windows Live items (Photo Gallery, Movie Maker, Messenger, and the like). Unfortunately, you’ll see nag notes from Norton Internet Security, which seems to go out of its way to wreck the user experience on new PCs. You’ll also encounter both the Bing Bar and the Norton Bar when you fire up the Web browser--that's two bars too many. Overall, though, the Envy 15 has a lot less “cruft” than HP’s laptops used to carry, and it's nothing that a couple minutes in the Add/Remove Programs control panel can’t fix.

Speaking of audio, one of the first things we noticed when looking at the new ENVY is a jog dial built into the side of the machine. This dial actually sticks out from the plane of the notebook's edge eeeeever so slightly. It's just enough for you to be able to spin the dial without it actually detracting from the elegant designs. While it may bring to mind Toshibas (et al.) of old, which actually used a potentiometer dial to regulate audio levels, this is strictly a software solution - it won't work outside of Windows (or presumably Linux).

With its 2.4-GHz Intel Core i5-2430M processor with 6GB of RAM, the HP Envy 15 has more than enough power to play high def-movies and handle productivity software without nary a hiccup. Our online playthrough of Plants vs. Zombies ran seamlessly while we streamed music from Spotify in the background and had eight open tabs in both Google Chrome and Internet Explorer.

The HP Envy 15 has AMD Radeon HD 7690M dedicated graphics with 1 gig of DDR5 VRAM. The 7000 series GPU is new, but it's not a significant jump forward from the 6000 series, and the 7690M has much in common with the Radeon 6770M. This is a solid higher end GPU for 15" and even 17" gaming and multimedia notebooks. For gaming, the Envy 15 is a winner. We tested a variety of popular and current demanding 3D titles like Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Battlefield 3 and the older but demanding FEAR 2. All tests were run at 1920 x 1080 resolution to the internal panel. The Envy handled COD 3 and FEAR 2 well on high settings, and Skyrim and Battlefield 3 did fine at medium settings. In our gaming demo video below, you can see some of these games in action, along with the settings we used in each game.

If there's one thing we took away from our jaunt at CES, it's this: consumers' appetites for mainstream laptops haven't waned all that much. Even in the Ultrabook category, Intel expects half of the models to go on sale this year will have 14- and 15-inch screens -- as strong an indicator as any that lots of folks aren't yet ready to give up their slightly larger screens, their discrete graphics, their (gasp!) optical drives. While HP recently announced its first Ultrabook for the consumer market, the Envy 14 Spectre, it's fully fleshed out its premium Envy series to include two additional models for people who crave more oomph.

At the behest of some of the commenters, I investigated the switchable graphics with respect to battery life. This necessitated going into the BIOS and setting the graphics to a manual switch, since the option doesn’t appear in any of the ENVY’s standard settings menus. (it might be possible to set this with a newer version of Catalyst Control Center, but it wasn’t accessible from the stock software.) Under the default Dynamic setting, it’s supposed to automatically switch to the Intel integrated graphics when the high-powered Radeon isn’t necessary - apparently the software wasn’t activating correctly. When the Intel integrated graphics were activated manually, I got 5 hours and 14 minutes out of the ENVY 15 running the same test. That’s not a marathon machine by any means, but it opens up a lot more options for extended portable use.

The Envy 15 also packs plenty of connectivity options and entertainment features. Along either side of the laptop you'll find connections for video and audio alike. First there are DisplayPort and HDMI ports, for connecting to an external monitor or HDTV. Dual headphone jacks let you share the sweet sounds of Beats Audio, and headphone users actually get a further boost thanks to built-in headphone amplification. If you want to enjoy the video and audio without all those cables, the Envy 15 is equipped with Intel's WiDi 2.0—a wireless alternative to HDMI (provided you have the appropriate HP Envy 15 AC adapter, like the $99 Netgear Push2TV)—and HP Wireless Audio, which streams multichannel audio to any compatible sound system or adapter without requiring a dongle for the laptop.

As a fan of the original Envy design, I have to admit I'm not quite as sold on this new look just yet. It certainly isn't ugly, but it also doesn't feel as sophisticated as HP's even newer Envy Spectre laptop, spotted at CES 2012 and coming soon in a 14-inch version. If anything, the new look of the Envy hews much closer to the MacBook Pro than before. While open, it's nearly indistinguishable from a MacBook Pro at first glance. Only the sunken keyboard and red accents give it away.

The HP TrueVision HD webcam captured stills and video in 1280 x 800p using Cyberlink YouCam 6.0 software. Under the fluorescent lights in our office, images were very dark and grainy. We were able to see ourselves better in natural light, but noticed a yellowish pall. The graininess continued during our Skype session.

On the other hand, I wish they could've lost the optical drive on the Envy 15 as they did on the last generation and added more ports, a larger HP QK641AA battery, second internal HDD bay, or even more cooling. There's so much potential for all that wasted space, and I think the first Envy 15 really recognized and addressed that quite well.

The evolution of the HP Envy line has been interesting to watch. It’s obvious that the engineers responsible for this laptop are learning as they go, improving the laptop with each version. With this new Envy 15 we see not only hardware improvements, but also a cleaner designer, a better keyboard and excellent audio. HP Envy 15 battery life is impressive, as well. This laptop is far too large and heavy to be an ultraportable, but it has battery life on par with them.

HP’s built-in software is improving, but still manages to annoy a little. All the custom menus and stuff are thankfully gone, and the included software is pretty good: You get Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Elements 9, CyberLink PowerDVD and YouCam, Skype, and lots of Windows Live items (Photo Gallery, Movie Maker, Messenger, and the like). Unfortunately, you’ll see nag notes from Norton Internet Security, which seems to go out of its way to wreck the user experience on new PCs. You’ll also encounter both the Bing Bar and the Norton Bar when you fire up the Web browser--that's two bars too many. Overall, though, the Envy 15 has a lot less “cruft” than HP’s laptops used to carry, and it's nothing that a couple minutes in the Add/Remove Programs control panel can’t fix.

Although we could press anywhere on the surface, the Imagepad was somewhat stiff toward the center, though not as stiff as the pad on the Folio 13. For right- or left-clicking, we got the best results pressing down on the very bottom. The HP QK641AA battery isn't centered below the G and H keys, which could be an annoyance to touch typists. Overall, we prefer traditional touchpads with discrete mouse buttons on Windows laptops, but the Envy 15 has one of the better clickpads we've used.

Pros:

• 1.6-GHz Intel Core i7-720QM CPU
• ATI Radeon HD 4830
• Brilliant design
• Great build quality
• Excellent performance
• Vivid HD screen
• Lightweight
• Good speakers
• Windows 7 on board

Cons:

• Poor battery performance
• Gets too hot
• Uncomfortable keyboard
• No optical drive
• No VGA-out