Laptops Arena

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.

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).

When it comes to an LG notebook review, the P300 is one model that we simply had to share will all of you. Back in 2008, the price of the unit reviewed here was approximately $1800. This unit was based on a 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T8300 processor and 2 GB of RAM. The graphics card was the nVidia GeForce 8600M GS with 256 MB of dedicated video memory.

The 13.3 inch display of this notebook comes is a native resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels and the glossy coating provide more sharp and vibrant colors. Horizontal viewing angles are great and distortion is only noticeable from extreme angles. The maximum display brightness level can handle even a powerfully lit room. The keyboard is very nice to type on and users will not feel they are working on a cramped space.

There is no flex registered in the keyboard area and the touchpad does not provide us with any complaining material either. The touchpad surface is very pleasant to the touch, with no friction and good sensitivity levels. The speakers are about as good as they can get on a 13.3 inch notebook. You can use them for all the regular computing activities, listening to music, watching movies and other Windows sounds and alerts.

The unit hosts 3 USB ports, one Express Card slot, an SD card reader, a Kensington lock slot, a HDMI port, a VGA out, an Ethernet port, a modem port and the headphones and microphone jacks. Quite a good selection for a 13.3 inch laptop I could add.

When first reading this LG notebook review, we never expected to find a HDMI port on this unit. When it comes to battery, we do have our preferences. And we would definitely prefer that since we buy an ultraportable laptop which we want to carry around here and there and everywhere, that this laptop also provides us with good battery performance (power outlets do not grow on the street, you know).

With the display brightness adjusted to 70% and the Windows Vista power management profile set to “balanced mode”, tests have managed to squeeze some 3 hours and 40 minutes out of the battery. It’s ok, considering that we can raise that score by lowering the display brightness with a couple of levels and set he power management profile to “power saver”.

In order to get a slimmer and lighter notebook, LG has chosen to remove the optical drive from the unit and so you will have to go with an external one. The drive that LG offers is quite slim and covered in a glossy black coating. It’s very easy to store this drive as it is small and light so no worries when you must travel. With a solid built in quality and even good gaming performance is we consider what the category average has to offer. With cool features like an integrated 1.3 mega pixel webcam and also an integrated Bluetooth, this is one ultraportable which you can’t go wrong with.

Acer notebooks have always been known for delivering good performance at a not-so-expensive price. One such example is the Acer Aspire 8940G, a unit which for $1329 manages to deliver power without making a hole in the family budget. Let’s take a quick look at what you get for this price tag. The Acer Aspire 8940G runs on a 1.6 GHz Intel Core i7-720QM and 4 GB of DDR3 RAM. The total storage capacity of the hard drive supports 500 GB and the graphics card is the nVidia GeForce GTS 250M with 1 GB of DDR3 video memory.

If you are looking for portable Acer notebook, this 18 inch monster is definitely not on your shopping list. The glossy display is very shiny and also very reflective. On the other hand, the colors are superb and the quality of the image is superior compared to other Acer notebooks. Leaving aside any matters of the display, the sound chapter has some interesting things to reveal. This 5.1 Surround system is going to offer incredible sound quality with the 5 integrated speakers and the Tuba CineBass Booster.

The keyboard of the Acer Aspire 8940G is pretty common, with no special or fancy design. The backlight will make typing in the dark an easy activity. The keys have good travel and even better response. They are very easy to press and the proper spacing between them makes it very easy to get used to it. We can say that the placement of the touchpad is a bit odd as it is located extremely close to the left side of the notebook rather than in the middle of the palm rest area. The matter finish that Acer has chosen makes the touchpad feel very pleasant to the touch and fingers seem to slide of easier. The touchpad is big and some people will never consider attaching an external mouse.

Let us see what there is to say about the selections of ports and features of this Acer notebook. The unit comes with 4 USB ports, one Ethernet port, an SDHC card slot, a Kensington lock slot, a Blu-ray optical drive, a VGA out, a HDMI port, a FireWire, an Express Card slot and the headphones out and microphone in jacks. You can never expect good battery life out a unit with an 18.4 inch display and which has some super cool components inside the unit.

If you turn the display brightness to 70%, activate the wireless card and set the Windows 7 power management profile to “balanced mode”, you can get about 3 hours and 10 minutes of battery life. I have to say that my 15.4 inch Toshiba can only achieve about 1 hours and 30 minutes on the same settings so the result of the Acer Aspire 8940G are not that low. With a huge touchpad and even an integrated Blu-ray optical drive (and its best friend: the HDMI port) I am beginning to wonder how come this notebook is so cheap. Is there something wrong with it?



A cheap notebook is no longer a thing of the past. Customers are more and more oriented towards saving money and so they always try to find the best deals, such as notebook discount, coupons that offer special prices or holiday promotions when laptops are much cheaper. We are going to give you cheap notebook examples as some models are cheap right from the beginning so you don’t have to go haunting for special offers and discounts.

The Gateway EC1430u is one very good choice as it has a starting price of $550. The unit has a 1.3 GHz Intel Pentium SU 4100 processor and 3 GB of RAM. The hard drive can store up to 320 GB and so far, the specs are pretty good for a budget laptop. Too bad that the graphics card is the weak integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500 MHD. The unit will most likely come with the preinstalled version of the 64 bit Windows 7 Home Premium.

For less than $600, you can buy the Acer Aspire 5740-6378, a 15.6 inch budget notebook which has quite good performance considering its price tag. The unit is powered by a 2.26 GHz Intel Core 15-430M processor and 4 GB of RAM. This combination between RAM and CPU is going to provide great system speed and opportunity of running multiple task at the same time without having to wait around too long to switch between tabs and windows.

The storage capacity of the hard drive is 320 GB and the graphics card is the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 with 1 GB of video memory. We would have never imagined that a notebook this cheap would come with components that good inside. The 15.6 inch display has a native resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels and it comes with an integrated DVD burner and the 64 bit version of the Windows 7 Home Premium operating system preinstalled.

$799 is the price of the Asus UL30A-A1, a cheap notebook which is remarkable because of its keyboard which is very similar to that of the Apple MacBook laptop. The Asus UL30A-A1 runs on a 1.3 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo ULV SU7300 processor and 4 GB of RAM. To our surprise, even if the display measures only 13.1 inches in diagonal, the native resolution of the screen is 1366 x 768 pixels, the same as the one on the 15.6 inch Acer Aspire described above. The storage capacity of the hard disk has reached 500 GB which means you don’t have to worry about running out of free disk space too soon. Hopefully you won’t because there is no included optical drive on this ultra portable notebook.

The graphics card is the Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500 MHD and the unit will come with the 32 bit version of the Windows Vista Home Premium operating system preinstalled. You could also look into the Acer Aspire AS1410 which is available for a starting price of $450 and it has a 1.2 GHz Intel Celeron SU 2300 processor, 2 GB of RAM, a 160 GB hard drive and the Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500 MHD.

The Acer One notebook, also known as the Acer Aspire One, is probably one of the most popular mini laptops on the market. With a starting price of  $329, this is also a wise choice for people that ore on a budget. This unit is based on the common 1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, a regular choice for netbooks. It also has 1 GB of RAM and a 120 GB hard drive. The Acer One notebook has a pleasant design, which a combination of black and blue, quite uncommon for mini laptops. The lid is covered in glossy plastics, fingerprint magnets, but they give this mini laptop a very pleasant aspect.

The keyboard is ok in size for an 8.9 inch notebook. There is no flex registered in the keyboard area and even if the keys will appear a little too small at first, especially when you are used to typing on regular sized keyboards, practice makes perfect and you will get used to the size of the keys. The touchpad of the Acer Aspire One deserves some special attention.

The surface of the touchpad may feel pleasant to the touch but the unusual placement of the left and right touchpad buttons is going to give users some trouble. Instead of placing these 2 buttons below the touchpad, for obvious space reasons, they have been placed on the left and right sides of the touchpad.

The display on the Acer Aspire One may be small, but the quality of the image is superior to many other netbooks. The screen is small. Or, better said, the display bezel is too thick, making the display look even smaller. It is going to be a torment having to read big documents and scrolling through big web pages. The horizontal viewing angles are great but yet again, how many people can really enjoy a movie when they are gathered around an 8.9 display. The speakers are ok. As you can imagine, the volume levels are not that high so don’t expect to throw a party and enjoy music coming out of the Acer Aspire One.

As for the selection of ports and features, the Acer One notebook comes with 3 USB ports, one VGA out, an Ethernet port, an SD storage expansion, a multi format card reader, a Kensington lock slot and the regular headphones out and microphone in jacks. One thing we did not expect to get from such a small notebook is loud fan noise. If you are used to working into a quite environment, the Aspire One is not going to be your best friend.

Battery life is always important when you are dealing with an ultra portable laptop. With the display brightness set to 60% and surfing the internet with the wireless card enabled, the Aspire One is going to give you 2 hours and 23 minutes of netbook usage. Not the best performance as we really expected more. It does make a good budget mini notebook, even if the battery performance is not so great. However, we don’t recommend you consider using the Acer Aspire One as your primary computer.