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I recently bought an HP dv1420us laptop here on eBay and can say this is a fantastic machine! I sold my big and heavy HP zx5180, that had a wide screen and weighed over 8 pounds, to buy this near ultra-portable laptop. You really don't need another laptop for two to three times the price just to have the latest gadgets and processors- save a bundle of your hard-earned money and buy this model (which includes the dv1000, dv1420, dv1635, etc.) which has almost every conceivable option you will ever need.
At less than five pounds, the HP dv1000 series saves me shoulder and back pain as I travel extensively. The 12.1" Ultra Bright wide screen sounds small but the viewing is comparable to an 14" monitor. My model has a DVD+RW/CDRW Dual-Layer with LightScribe technology (lasers etch your pictures right onto the CD or DVD, no need to fumble with a CD stomper kit). I can rip up to 8 gb of information or music on one DVD- that is more than enough space to back up the contents of my most important files. There is a Digital Medial card reader that accepts SD, MS/Pro, MMC, SM and XD memory cards (most digital cameras, iPaqs and Handheld PCs, digital video cameras and even cell phones accept these cards). There are two USB 2.0 ports; one ieee 1394 FireWire port; an VGA monitor port; an Expansion Port 2 which you can purchase separately; a PCMCIA card reader which holds a remote control (you can use this laptop as a DVD/music player without booting into windows and control it all with your remote); one microphone port; TWO headphone ports so two people can enjoy their media; and a modem and LAN ports. Internet connections are a breeze with the built-in wireless 802.11b/g which allows you to connect at your favorite Starbucks or bookstore or anywhere in your house if you have a Wireless hub installed.
The keyboard is surprisingly comfortable as well as the touchpad (which you can turn on and off with the push of a button located just above the Synaptics touchpad). One handy keyboard feature is the up-down-left-right buttons and two small Back and OK buttons near the touchpad so you don't have to take you hands away from the keyboard. Media buttons are located separately at the top of the keyboard near the screen that allow you to control all of your multi-media applications with ease. My dv1420us includes an 100gb 5400rpm hard drive, a 1.6ghz mobile Centrino processor and 1.5gb of RAM (which I upgraded from 512mb)- this laptop is expandable up to 2gb or RAM. My home PC (you know, that big clunky box) is one I custom built with an 3.4ghz P4 overclocked processor (to 3.97ghz) and 3gb or RAM, etc. and as fast as that PC is, this laptop keeps up even with the most demanding tasks. Another great feature is the video card which will give you up to 128mb dynamic video card depending on the application(s) you are using. I can run PhotoShop and scan for viruses at the same time while surfing the internet. Don't be fooled by the huge and SUPER HOT processors in so many laptops now, they will only run hotter, slower and wear down you laptops lifespan quicker.
I love this laptop and will not only use it extensively for quite a while, but I will buy another if and when I need one. My work requires me to show extensive presentations which include video and PowerPoint, etc. and this machine is always liked and performs flawlessly. Do the right thing and buy a laptop from HPs dv1000 series and you will not regret your investment. HPs support is great and they make it extremely easy to update any drivers or software as they become available either on their site or the built-in HP Total Care program which will scan you laptop for any updates you may need by clicking on the desktop icon. I hope this guie was usefull to you and helps with your decision. I know how hard it can be searching eBay for computers with tens of thousands of choices, I have bought four laptops on eBay so I know how much of a challenge your search can be. Make sure to also search for the models you want by clicking Advanced Search and Completed Items Only and Titles and Description so you will know if the price you see is a good buy or not. Good luck and enjoy. Matt
At less than five pounds, the HP dv1000 series saves me shoulder and back pain as I travel extensively. The 12.1" Ultra Bright wide screen sounds small but the viewing is comparable to an 14" monitor. My model has a DVD+RW/CDRW Dual-Layer with LightScribe technology (lasers etch your pictures right onto the CD or DVD, no need to fumble with a CD stomper kit). I can rip up to 8 gb of information or music on one DVD- that is more than enough space to back up the contents of my most important files. There is a Digital Medial card reader that accepts SD, MS/Pro, MMC, SM and XD memory cards (most digital cameras, iPaqs and Handheld PCs, digital video cameras and even cell phones accept these cards). There are two USB 2.0 ports; one ieee 1394 FireWire port; an VGA monitor port; an Expansion Port 2 which you can purchase separately; a PCMCIA card reader which holds a remote control (you can use this laptop as a DVD/music player without booting into windows and control it all with your remote); one microphone port; TWO headphone ports so two people can enjoy their media; and a modem and LAN ports. Internet connections are a breeze with the built-in wireless 802.11b/g which allows you to connect at your favorite Starbucks or bookstore or anywhere in your house if you have a Wireless hub installed.
The keyboard is surprisingly comfortable as well as the touchpad (which you can turn on and off with the push of a button located just above the Synaptics touchpad). One handy keyboard feature is the up-down-left-right buttons and two small Back and OK buttons near the touchpad so you don't have to take you hands away from the keyboard. Media buttons are located separately at the top of the keyboard near the screen that allow you to control all of your multi-media applications with ease. My dv1420us includes an 100gb 5400rpm hard drive, a 1.6ghz mobile Centrino processor and 1.5gb of RAM (which I upgraded from 512mb)- this laptop is expandable up to 2gb or RAM. My home PC (you know, that big clunky box) is one I custom built with an 3.4ghz P4 overclocked processor (to 3.97ghz) and 3gb or RAM, etc. and as fast as that PC is, this laptop keeps up even with the most demanding tasks. Another great feature is the video card which will give you up to 128mb dynamic video card depending on the application(s) you are using. I can run PhotoShop and scan for viruses at the same time while surfing the internet. Don't be fooled by the huge and SUPER HOT processors in so many laptops now, they will only run hotter, slower and wear down you laptops lifespan quicker.
I love this laptop and will not only use it extensively for quite a while, but I will buy another if and when I need one. My work requires me to show extensive presentations which include video and PowerPoint, etc. and this machine is always liked and performs flawlessly. Do the right thing and buy a laptop from HPs dv1000 series and you will not regret your investment. HPs support is great and they make it extremely easy to update any drivers or software as they become available either on their site or the built-in HP Total Care program which will scan you laptop for any updates you may need by clicking on the desktop icon. I hope this guie was usefull to you and helps with your decision. I know how hard it can be searching eBay for computers with tens of thousands of choices, I have bought four laptops on eBay so I know how much of a challenge your search can be. Make sure to also search for the models you want by clicking Advanced Search and Completed Items Only and Titles and Description so you will know if the price you see is a good buy or not. Good luck and enjoy. Matt
Guide created: 11/13/06 (updated 05/01/12)
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