Here’s a list of Top-Ten All Purpose Laptops for year 2008 - buying one of them would mean you have made your life easier for a few years to come… All these laptops’ prices are not that high either - meaning that this list is Top Ten Laptops of 2008, and as well as Top 10 Cheap Laptops of 2008 (Courtesy PCWorld).

1. HP Pavilion dv6500t
2. Lenovo ThinkPad R61
3. HP Pavilion dv2500t
4. Dell Inspiron 1420
5. MPC E-295C
6. Gateway T-6815
7. Sony VAIO VGN-NR160E/T
8. Sony VAIO VGN-FZ180E/B
9. Toshiba Tecra M9-S5514
10. Fujitsu Lifebook S6510

That was a list of top ten notebooks around - they are “all purpose useful” laptops. You can click on them and find more information about them in the new window. You can comment to this post if you would like to give a review on one of these laptops.

HP Pavilion dv2700 Reveiw

Hewlett-Packard has introduced this week the HP Pavilion dv2700t 14.1-inch laptop PC series, replacing the dv2500t notebook.

The Pavilion dv2700t features the Intel Core 2 Duo T5450 (1.67GHz), T7250 (2GHz), or T7500 (2.2GHz) processor, depending on customers choice. The GPU options include the integrated Intel GMA X3100 and the dedicated Nvidia GeForce 8400M GS 128MB video card, managing a 14.1″ 1280×800 display. The dv2700t is configurable with up to 4GB of DDR2 memory and comes with up to 250GB hard drive at 5,400rpm. Optical drive options include a DVD burner or a HD DVD ROM.

Regarding networking, there is an Intel’s 802.11a/b/g or 802.11a/g/n wireless module, an optional Bluetooth, Ethernet LAN port, 56K modem, and an optional broadband wireless ExpressCard for Verizon network. For users requiring a notebook with a built-in wireless broadband module, there is the Pavilion dv2700tbw model supporting Verizon BroadbandAcces.

The HP Pavilion dv2700t also features integrated Altec Lansing stereo speakers, and optional web camera, fingerprint reader, and ExpressCard TV Tuner.

Along with an ExpressCard slot, the HP dv2700t has two USB ports, a 5-in-1 media card reader, Firewire, and a remote control receiver, as well as S-Video and VGA outputs. In addition, the dv2700t, with the dedicated graphics card selected, provides an HDMI output.

With a standard 6-cell battery, the system starts at 5.29 pounds. The notebook features the “Radiance” HP Imprint Finish and comes with Windows Vista OS. There is also the dv2700tse (special edition) model with the “Verve” finish.

The Pavilion dv2700t basic configuration is currently priced at $799.99 after instant savings.

Source: HP Pavilion Dv2700t Customizable Notebook PC

HP’s dv 9750us Notebook/Laptop HP Pavilion dv9750us is a very strong multimedia notebook for those looking for a high definition playback notebook. The inclusions of the digital TV tuner card and Blu-ray drive provide these features. The drawbacks is that the system is a bit underpowered compared to similar priced system. This is the cost to consumers for the multimedia features.

Pros

• Lots of Storage Space
• Plenty of RAM
• HDTV Tuner and Blu-ray Drive Included

Cons

• Lower Level Duo Processor
• Dedicated Graphics Not As Strong As Models With the 8600M GT
• LCD Display Can’t Handle 1080p HD Signals

Description

• Intel Core 2 Duo T7250 Dual Core Mobile Processor
• 3GB PC2-5300 DDR2 Memory
• Two 250GB 5400rpm SATA Hard Drives for 500GB Storage
• Bluray Reader with DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Burner
• 17″ WXGA+ (1440×900) Wide Screen LCD With 1.3MP Webcam
• NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GS 512MB Dedicated Graphics plus ExpressCard/54 Analog/Digital TV Tuner
• v.92 56Kbps Modem, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11a/g/n Wireless
• Four USB 2.0, FireWire, HDMI, ExpressCard/54, 8-in-1 Card Reader
• 15.2″ x 11.7″ x 1.6″ @ 7.7 lbs.
• Vista Home Premium, Norton Internet Security 2008, MS Works, Cyberlink DVD Suite, Muvee AutoProducer

Guide Review - HP Pavilion dv9750us Desktop Replacement Laptop

1/15/08 – The HP Pavilion dv9750us is very much a multimedia notebook platform. In order to get such features into the middle price range, they sacrificed some other features to add the multimedia items.

Most desktop replacements tend to use higher end Core 2 Duo processors to provide the more desktop like experience. The Pavilion dv9750us uses the fairly low end T7250 model. This is fine for most applications but power users might end up wanting more. At least HP is including 3GB of PC2-5300 DDR2 memory that should let it run applications smoothly without too much virtual memory swapping.

The Pavilion dv9750us uses two 250GB 5400rpm hard drive to provide roughly 500GB of hard drive space. This is especially useful for those looking to use the PVR features of the Vista operating system along with the HDTV tuner. The system also includes a drive that can support playback of Blu-ray discs along with recording or playback of both DVDs and CDs.

To get the full use of HD content, the display would ideally support 1080p. Since the 17-inch screen only goes up to 1440×900, it really can only support 720p content. This is a bit of a let down but something that most won’t have much of an issue with. The include NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GS graphics allow it to provide additional benefits for HD video, but it is a bit slower and not as well suited for PC gaming as the GT version.

All in all, the HP Pavilion dv9750us is a very solid desktop replacement for those looking to use it as a general purpose machine or for multimedia on the go. In terms of using it as a gaming platform, there are other systems that offer better performance.

Top laptops for a College/University Student

What makes a laptop good for a student? What specifications/specs are needed?

Students today need laptops because internet has become world`s #1 teacher. The amount of information you can find is astounding. Aside of the internet, a handy student laptop is his/her best weapon; whether to create a Powerpoint presentation, wheter to let yourself into a hardcore gaming experience, or whether to find a useful information on a subject.

So, here are the top 5 things you should consider when buying a laptop for a college student:

1. Portability. I can`t stress out how important portability is. You have to have your laptop by your side when you drink coffee, when you chat with friends, when you attend classes, and it must not be a burden to you.

2. Wireless connection. If you had nothing but internet, that would be it. Having a connection anywhere is an essential asset for your laptop. Don`t miss on it.

3. Battery life. A battery with life more than 5 hours should suffice.

4. Price. The laptop you are going to buy has to be affordable, because you know how expensive student life can be.

5. Usefulness. Ok, so it has to be cheap, but what good can it be if the laptop is cheap, but can`t do all the tasks ? That`s why you have to measure the quality with the price, and find the best balance, as always. Don`t rush yourself into buying a cheap laptop that can`t do anything, or buying a super l33t h4xx0r dual core monster if you plan working in Word.

So, with that being said, let`s take a look at my personal best choices for the best laptop for a college student:

1. ThinkPad T43 Intel Pentium 1.86GHz Notebook PC
My all time favorite. Light, yet very powerful and portable. You might want to check it out right now.

2.Panasonic ToughBook CF-72 Notebook PC
Quite expensive, but powerful. It`s very light, around 3.4 pounds, and recommended.

3.Dell C600 Notebook PC
Reacts very good when multitasking. This one might be for the ones that are always in hurry, and doing multi tasks.