HP And Refurbished Laptop Options

Hewlett Packard recently declared that the global recall of 900,000 laptop computers will have little impact on its earnings this year, even though it will have to bear the initial cost.

"At the moment, HP aims to bear the cost alone, but we're still negotiating with suppliers to reach a solution to the problem," Isaiah Cheung, director of HP's Mobile Business in China, told reporters at a press conference.

In a statement released at the weekend, the company, one of the world's largest PC makers, announced a global recall of Compaq and HP laptops after routine testing detected a design flaw in certain laptop memory modules sourced from four third-party suppliers.

A breakdown of figures showing the number of laptops to be recalled in China was not available. However China accounted for around 5 pct of HP's total global laptop sales last year. Only those laptops sold between March 2002 and July 2003 are being recalled. Affected customers have until the end of this year to submit an application to HP for a new memory module.

After the recall, HP has refurbished some of its models. With the release of the Pavilion dv2000z, HP has refurbished its best-selling "dv" series notebooks, introducing a new chassis design and upgraded components. The performance isn't terrific, but I do appreciate the new look.

My test system came with AMD's latest processor, the 1.6-GHz Turion 64 X2 TL-52. This CPU isn't as fast as Intel's Core Duo chips: On SYSmark 2004 SE tests, similar systems running Intel processors scored up to 13 percent better. Even less impressive is the 2-hour-28-minute rundown time of the dv2000z's six-cell battery. On a brighter note, the system has a whopping 2GB of system memory and a 100GB hard drive.

The thin-and-light dv2000z weighs only 5.3 pounds with a 14.1-inch screen. It's got three USB ports, a FireWire port, and S-Video and VGA out. HP's patented dual-layer DVD burner comes standard.

The dv2000z is capable of running all your fancy appli­cations, albeit at a slower pace than the competition. I laud the new look, but it's offset by worse-than-expected performance.

HP Pavilion dv2000z Tested configuration, $1,354.99 direct

Pros Zen-inspired chassis. Dual headphone ports. Movie-caliber screen. 2GB of RAM.

Cons Lower-than-expected performance scores. Battery life not long enough.

Compaq HP Laptop

YOU'LL FIND no shortage of 17-inch wide-screen laptops on the market, but only Hewlett-Packard'S Compaq NX9420 is designed with large businesses in mind. The NX9420 is pricier than HP's consumer notebooks, but it's also more powerful, thanks to its dual-core processor.

Our $2,399 test unit was configured with high-end components such as a 2.16GHz Intel Core Duo processor, IGB of DDR2 RAM, ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 graphics, and a double-layer DVD burner with LightScribelabeling technology. With such a strong component lineup, it's no surprise the NX9420 blazed through our benchmark tests. It did well on our battery-drain test, too, lasting a very respectable 4 hours and 8minutes. Our main grumble was with the system's anemic 80GB hard drive.

With its staid looks, it's obvious the NX9420 was meant for the corporate crowd. Still, it has a respectable pair of speakers, and its keyboard, which comes with a separate number pad, is comfortable to type on. The touch pad, however, is too small and lacks an external on/off switch.

In terms of connectivity, the NX9420 has everything a business user could need, including four USB 2.0 ports, built-in 802.11a/b/gWi-Fi, and optional Bluetooth support. (We wish the laptop included built-in cellular-data-service capabilities, however.) The PC is equipped with a full array of security features, including a fingerprint reader, a Trusted Platform Module chip, and Absolute Software's Computrace LoJack software for laptops.

HP backs the NX9420 with a three-year warranty and 24/7 toll-free support.

THE HP COMPAQ PRESARIO V6000T can be configured as anything from abudget laptop to a pricey multimedia powerhouse. If well-equipped, it makes for a solid general-purpose laptop.

At 6.7 pounds, the Vd000T is portable enough for occasional travel, but it's too heavy for a daily commute. Our $1,300 test unit came with HP's Imprint finish, which includes a stylish, glossy case and a mic built into the lid.

The notebook has a 15.4-inch wide-screen display with a 1,280x800 native resolution. Above the spacious keyboard, you'll find several handy controls, including an on/off button for the touch pad, a touch-sensitive volume bar, and a launch button for HP's QuickPlay software, which lets you play DVDs, CDs, and music/video files without booting Windows.

In addition to the standard ports, the V6000T has headphone and mic jacks, an ExpressCard slot, a VGA output, and a connection for HP'sproprietary docking stations. Networking options include modem and Ethernet ports, and integrated 802.11afo/g wireless connectivity. A DVD burner is also onboard.

You can configure the Vd000T with a number of CPUs, from a bargain-basement 1.dGHz Celeron M 420 to a powerful 2GHz Core 2 Duo T7200. (Our unit had a 1.83GHz Core 2 Duo TSd00.) HP doesn't offer the optionfor a discrete graphics chipset, however.

In our tests, the Vd000T easily outperformed a system with an identical CPU, as well as two notebooks with AMD processors running at the same 1.83GHz clock speed. Plus, powered by a gigantic, unwieldy extended-life battery, the laptop runs for an excellent 7 hours and 25 minutes.

Hp Laptop Reviews