Laptops Arena

The Mini 700 is a Compaq Mini notebook, which, to our surprise, managed to beat the HP 2133 Mini Note. The HP Compaq Mini 700 is actually a very good looking little notebook with a glossy lid and the Compaq logo which definitely got our attention. When you lift that glossy black lid, a nice matte interior will be revealed. This mini notebook is definitely good looking.

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With 261 mm x 167 x 25 mm in dimensions and 1.15 kg in weight, this little gadget is sure easy to carry out so you can use the computer whenever you need. However, the unit will be a little disappointing when it comes to battery life as this Compaq Mini notebook will manage to stay on for only 3 hours and 18 minutes. You could say that you’ve seen a lot worse when it comes to netbook battery performance but since the whole idea of mini notebook are to provide us with a computer that is highly portable, battery life should be strongest points of these small computers. Just like most other netbooks, this Compaq Mini notebook also runs on an Intel Atom N270 processor and 1 GB of RAM. This combination is common for mini laptops which belong to the same category. The storage capacity of the hard disk is 60 GB. I know that you have seen mini notebooks that can supports even 160 GB of files but let’s face it, just what kind of files are you going to store on this laptop which is not meant to be a primary computer.

The graphics card is also the most common choice for this notebook category and we are talking about the integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950. Performance, as you could probably tell by now, is not one of the key elements of this unit. You also get an integrated Bluetooth device. The keyboard is awesome. The keys are square and wide and they feel very comfortable to use. They are easy to press and they offer positive feedback. The 10.2 inch display has a native resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels.

As for the ports and connections, they are not as they should be on a 10.2 inch mini notebook. We have 2 USB ports, an SD/MMC media card reader and one single headphone jack which also acts as a microphone input. There is not VGA out and frankly we have never seen such a poor selection of ports and features not even on smaller notebooks. It’s a real shame since everything about this notebook was so fine until we reached the ports and connections chapter. Back in March 2009, the price of this Compaq Mini notebook was about 243 pounds which is a good value for a 10.2 ultraportable notebook.



As you can see, overall this netbook is quite a fine machine as it fits the pattern of an ultraportable laptop. Too bad that it really hit the bucket with the selection of ports and features and I really don’t understand how HP could have made just a big mistake.

A HP Compaq notebook has never been one my favorite choices for a laptop. First of all, it is well known that Compaq laptops have had some problems which made their users extremely unhappy. Things have evolved in a positive manner even since HP took over Compaq and HP Compaq products are more trustworthy than they used to be before.

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However, regardless of all the problems that Compaq has confronted itself with in the past, back in 2007 users seemed really happy with the new HP Compaq notebook: the 6720s. The unit came with a 1.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5470 processor and 1 GB of DDR2 RAM. The total storage capacity of the hard drive is 120 GB and the graphics card is the Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100.

Let us see if this laptop is worth our attention and if we could possibly fit it on our shopping list. The 15.4 inch display has a native resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels and since it uses the HP BrightView technology, the screen is covered in glossy coating so it is very reflective and even if it pleases us with sharp and lively colors, it is not easy to read the display if you are in a powerfully lit room or under direct sunlight.

The speakers are below the category average and even if they are located above the keyboard, the speakers of the HP Compaq 6720s will surely determine you to buy external speakers or a good pair of headphones. This 15.4 inch notebook could have done a lot better at the ports and connections chapter.

The unit hosts 3 USB ports, one VGA out, an Ethernet port, an Express Card slot, a SD/MMC media card reader and the headphones out and microphone in jacks. So, we have no HDMI port, no FireWire port and I’m surprised that a 15.4 inch HP laptop is lacking these ports.

When it comes to battery life, HP said that the battery of the Compaq 6720s is going to last about 4 hours and 30 minutes and it’s one of those few times when the manufacturer actually delivers a products that lives up to the battery promise. The HP Compaq 6720s can indeed deliver about 4 hours and 30 minutes of battery performance. This performance is quite something else for a 15.4 inch laptop.

We like the fact that the Compaq 6720s has a long battery life and few other positive aspects as well. It does come with an excellent screen and an SD card reader was a pretty cool feature back in 2007 as well even if now it has become something that you always expect to find on the unit of a notebook. The laptop manages to stay under normal temperatures and it can also stay pretty quiet as well. We do miss the HDMI port but the laptop is pretty great when it comes to multitasking (except for those which are used to working on a very powerful unit).

The notebook HP Compaq 6730s is considered to be a small business laptop for people who are not too pretentious about their working station as you will see later in this article that the unit does not exactly have the most powerful specs. As expected, the laptop does have a low price tag because it has some pretty basic specs inside.

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The reviewed unit came with a 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5670 processor and 1 GB of RAM. The total storage capacity of the hard drive is 160 GB and the graphics card is the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3430 with 256 MB of video memory. When it comes to the looks of this unit, I have to say that too much black is sometime too dull. From the distance it does have the aspect of a business notebook but maybe a touch of silver here and there would have been a nice idea.

Since there are no glossy surfaces on this notebook (that’s right, not even on the lid) the unit is easy to be kept clean as it is not such a fingerprint magnet when you are dealing with matte surfaces. With 2.7 kg in weight it is not exactly a heavy notebook so let’s say that you can carry it around here and there whenever it is really necessary. Or maybe it should just stay on your desk in the office. The unit could come with the preinstalled version of Windows XP Professional but Windows Vista operating system will work fine even if the unit only has 1 GB of RAM.

The 15.4 inch display is average, with good horizontal viewing angles and good level of both brightness and contrast. The glossy covering of the display is a pain when you use it in a powerfully lit room or outdoors. The screen reflects pretty much everything that is in front of it when the light is too powerful in the working environment. When it comes to the performance chapter, this notebook HP Compaq 6730s was not that keen on achieving good benchmark results.

In WorldBench 6 is got the score of 63 which is very low. Some tests were difficult to run and since there were some problems with Microsoft Office 2003, experts blame it on the Windows XP Professional operating system. When running Blender 3D to check the CPU performance, the task was completed in 1 minute and 45 seconds which is pretty ok compared to the price and components of the unit.

If you were planning on running any games on this unit there are some good news and some bad news. You cannot run any DirectX 10 games as the unit is not capable of handling such gaming pressure. You should be able to run some DirectX 9 games on the other hand, but don’t expect the best frame rates of gaming performance. Playing older games is not a problem. Overall, the unit offers poor performance which is ok considering the price tag is “poor” as well.



The HP Compaq 6735b notebook is a business model which is surprisingly cheap as we know that business laptops are somewhat expensive. The unit reviewed here is as cheap as $829 which will bring up certain question marks regarding the quality and performance of this business laptop. Let’s see if we can bust the myth. It’s true. This is a business laptop. Except for the fact that it’s more dedicated to the small business market segment. The HP line with the best business notebook is definitely the EliteBook.

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The combination of black and gray seems to be quite appealing to the eye, making this notebook look really elegant. The keyboard is very pleasant to type on, providing the user with good tactile feedback and great key response. With 4 USB ports, one FireWire port, a VGA out, an Ethernet plus a modem jack, an Express Card slot, a docking station connector and the regular headphones out and microphone in jacks, I have to say that I miss a HDMI port which would have been a nice touch.

However, the HDMI port is not mandatory since this is not a multimedia laptop. The 15.4 inch display comes in a native resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels but you can go with the 1680 x 1050 pixels screen which is going to cost an extra $25. The HP Compaq 6735b notebook runs on a 2.0 GHz AMD Turion RM-70 processor and 2 GB of RAM which can be upgraded to a maximum 8 GB. The storage capacity of the hard drive is 120 GB, quite small for a business laptop if you ask me.

Companies should not be worried about having to delete files from their computer due to the lack of free disk space. The unit does come with a DVD burner so you can make back-up copies of your files and store them safely on DVDs. The graphics card is the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3200 with 256 MB of video memory.

I’m not sure how important battery life is to a business notebook. I’m sure that most small companies buy these laptops so the office workers can use them but there are cases when firms buy laptops for their sales personnel, in which case, the battery life makes all the difference. The unit comes with a standard 6 cell battery that offers average battery life performance.

If you use the notebook to surf the internet continuously via a wireless connection (which means the wireless card is always enabled) the laptop will stay on for about 2 hours. Wireless connections eat up a lot of battery life so if you disable the wireless card and use the notebook for something as basic as word processing, you should get more than 3 hours of battery performance. In conclusion, this notebook is not a bad choice if you are running a small business as it makes a good working station for office usage. a lot of aspects can be improved, but you can never expect too much from a $800 notebook.

If you are a student or you don’t have a lot of money to spend on a laptop we recommend the Compaq Presario V2000 notebook. This notebook offers a great combination of style and performance into a small and easy case for only $820.

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The Compaq Presario V2000 notebook has a resistant plastic case with a pleasant combination of black and silver. At a total weight of 5.21 lbs and 13.15 x 9.1 x 1.53 dimensions, this notebook is certainly an easy and slim laptop, a very important issue in our days.

The V2000 is not a gaming laptop but it offers a great performance. The Intel Pentium M 710 1.4 GHz processor and 256 MB of SDRAM memory allow you to meet the basic computing needs like writing documents, surfing the internet, listening to music or watching movies. The hard drive is quite small; it has only 40 GB of free space. But this is enough to store your favorite pictures, music, movies and files. If you are running out of free space, you can burn some CDs with the integrated DVD/CD-RW optical drive. If you are not satisfied by this performance you can upgrade the system up to a maximum of 2 GB of RAM and 120 GB of free space.

The Compaq Presario V2000 notebook has a 14.0 inch WXGA Widescreen display with a native resolution of 1280 x 940 pixels, enough for you to watch movies without problems. The colors are clear and have great quality but if you are not satisfied by this, you can choose the BrightView screen for only $50, which is more reflexive and provides more contrast and vivid colors. The JBL integrated speakers produce a great audio quality so you don’t need to attach an external set of speakers.



The keyboard is a full-sized one, very comfortable and responsive. The keys have a flat texture and offer a positive feedback when you press them. Above the keyboard you have several buttons like wireless button, volume control and main power which are very comfortably positioned and you can press them easily. The touchpad has a reasonable size and it is very responsive even to the weakest touches so it’s going to be a pleasure to use it. The left and right mouse buttons works just fine so there is pretty much no need to attach an external mouse.

If you are worried about connectivity, the Compaq Presario V2000 notebook comes with a PMCIA slot, 3 USB ports, Ethernet and Phone line ports, a VGA port, an 6-in-1 Multimedia Card Reader, a FireWire port, a S-Video output and the indispensable headphone and microphone jacks. To stay in touch with your friends the Compaq Presario V2000 notebook has an Intel PRO/Wireless 2200 adaptor.

The Bluetooth feature is missing but if you want to have it, you can order this notebook with an integrated Bluetooth adapter which offers you another way to connect 2 laptops to a wireless connection.



The Compaq Presario V2000 notebook has a 6-cell battery which will keep your laptop up for 2 hours and 40 minutes in test conditions, which is good for such a cheap laptop. But if you want, you can choose the 12-cell battery for only $25 extra. In conclusion, the Compaq Presario V2000 is a family notebook with enough performance to allows you to do your basic everyday computing tasks. At the price of $820 we can say that is a good deal.