HP Pavilion DV6-2162NR 15.6-Inch Black Laptop--Up to 4.25 Hours of Battery Life Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this HP for my wife to replace her 3 year old Toshiba. It's 100% her computer but she places everything technical in our lives on me and then holds me accountable for its performance. My wife is brutal on electronics and her laptop is no exception. The Toshiba had a VERY hard life and ticked along perfectly until the past few months. After wasting $200 on a failed repair (hard drive) I decided it was cheaper to replace it than to nurse it along. I initially went shopping for another Toshiba and frankly, I feel like I would be writing a 5 star review for a Toshiba if it hadn't come down to a $150 price difference. I was able to use the competing Toshiba at a retailer, but when I went to Amazon I found this HP. Nearly identical in performance and appearance; aside from a couple of keyboard control features they were the same.
I bought the HP, Amazon shipped it FedEX and it arrived to Fairbanks Alaska in less than 48 hours (used standard shipping, nothing special). She loves it, charged it up and it performs flawlessly and much better than my 8 month old Dell XPS (Argh, never again...long story). I have not attempted to load Office 2007 yet, but suspect from my research on 64 bit systems, it will work fine. Neither one of us cares for the bubble scheme and thinks it detracts from the professional look of the rest of the finish (petty, I know).
The mouse pad works perfectly and I particularly like the keyboard layout and feel of the keys. I REALLY like the number pad without having to buy a 17+ inch system which is of course standard now.
4 USB ports, 1 HDMI output, a great LCD screen and Graphics card...zero to complain about. Oh, and Windows 7 works very well.
I'll report back if it doesn't hold up to the flagrant neglect my wife typically inflicts on her electronics, but as of for now she is rightfully treating like a shiny new sports car!


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For those who want an all-in-one performance notebook with rich multimedia features, the HP Pavilion dv6 Entertainment series delivers mobile performance that looks as great as it runs. Powered by the latest processor and graphics technologies, it deliver the features you need to support your digital lifestyle.

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Lenovo ThinkPad USB Port Replicator with Digital Video - USB docking station Review

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(More customer reviews)I made the mistake of buying this product thinking it had displaylink hardware inside, like some other lenovo usb to video adapter. With this product, you do not have the option to rotate the monitor, which was a dealbreaker for me since I wanted to use two portrait oriented monitors with my laptop. I returned this product and got a kensington product with exactly the same features but this time, displaylink certified.
Other problems with the lenovo:
- Doesn't go into screen saver or power save mode when the other monitors do.
- Red colored text shows discoloration
- Images show compression artifacts
Didn't have the same problems with the replacement displaylink product.

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The Lenovo 45K1610 ThinkPad USB Port Replicator with Digital Video features one forward-facing USB 2.0 port which is ideal for use with memory keys and other quick access devices, 4 rear facing USB ports, DVI-I monitor output, integrated 10/100 Mbps Ethernet and a stereo headphone-out jack for speakers and headphones.

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AGPtek Slim Lightscribe External Laptop Notebook Rewriteable CD and 8X DVD +/- RW Double/Dual Layer Read/write DVD Drive for Toshiba Mini NB205-N210 NB205-N312/BL NB205-N310/BN NB205-N311/W NB205-N313/P series Laptops USB2.0 Review

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(More customer reviews)This drive does not have lightscribe as described. None of my computers recognize it as a lightscribe, and it is marked on the drive that it has it. The provided software would not load on any operating system I have, XP, Vista, or Win 7. The drive did write data on media. There wasn't any information on installation provided with the drive.

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Description:
Write Speed: 24X CD-R/RW, 8X DVD+/-R, 8X DVD+RW, 6X DVD-RW, 5X DVD-RAM, 4X DL*DVD+/-R9
Read Speed:24X CD-ROM, 8X DVD-ROM
Supported Formats: DVD+R/RW , DVD-R/RW , CD-Audio , CD-DA , CD-ROM , CD-ROM XA , CD-R , CD-RW , CD-I , Photo-CD , Video CD , CD Extra , CD-G , CD Text , DVD-ROM , DVD-RAM , DVD-Video
Media Load Type: Tray. Enclosure
Type: External.
Enclosure Color: blank.
Powered from the computer's USB port, no AC adapter required.
Dimensions (WxDxH): 5.6" x 6.1" x 0.75". Weight: 0.9 lbs .
Software Requirement: Windows 98SE/2000/ME/XP/Vista
USB 2.0 External Rewriteable DVD +/- RW Drive is so slim that you can put it into your pocket! No additional AC adapter and software needed, supports plug and play, this portable external DVD burner lets you can instantly watch DVDs and create DVDs, CDs with your notebooks, tablet PCs and desktop PCs. Featuring fast DVD record speeds, the Slim DVD+/-RW Drive burns at 8x speeds in DVD-R and DVD+R formats.
Plug and play, no additional software drivers needed. USB 2.0 Interface.

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Toshiba Canvio Plus 750 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive E05A075PBU2XK (Raven Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I've had the previous version of the Toshiba portable hard drives, and this model makes nice improvements. The case is smaller with textured rubber all along the edges. Also, this drives gets recognized faster than the previous Toshiba models, and data transfer seems faster, though I haven't done any concrete tests. The colors are more appealing to me.
The only thing I don't like, which others may or may not agree with, is that the LED light indicating power and activity is much, much brighter than the previous model. The previous model was a small, dimly lit dot, and this model has a larger rectangular LED that's annoying. I won't detract any stars from that because it's very fixable with a small bit of electrical tape.
Overall, this is a very good purchase.

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Toshiba Canvio Portable Hard Drive. Canvio products have been designed and manufactured in accordance with Toshiba's high quality product standards, incorporating the latest technology and user-interface, while ensuring best-in-class performance, quality and workmanship.With Toshiba's Canvio Portable Hard Drives, you'll enjoy portable storage space for even the largest digital libraries. Our 750GB Drive is capable of storing up to: 214,000 digital photos, or 197,000 digital music files, or 610 downloaded digital movies. Each Canvio Portable Hard Drive includes an internal shock sensor and ramp loading technology to help keep your drive safe.

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Verbatim Acclaim 500 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive 97165 (Piano Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I received the Verbatim Acclaim 320 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive 97164 yesterday and I have already copied over all of my important photographs, documents and other important electronic files which I want to keep at hand.
Moving files over to this Hard Drive is rather fast even without the optional Turbo USB software it comes with. I timed that it took about 5 minutes (8:48pm - 8:53pm) to move a folder containing 3.19 GB of data over from my desktop to this Hard Drive.
Moving the same folder of files (3.19 GB of data) from the Hard Drive back to my desktop was quicker and took about 4 minutes (9:03pm - 9:07pm). This is rather nice because I often find the transfer rate of files from desktop to external storage to be much faster than the other way around. If you are someone who needs to carry around 320 GB of data with you this is a great little device. It's rather small, and measures to be about 4.5" x 3" and 1/2" thick , it creates hardly any noise (if any), and doesn't require an external power supply. It does install a driver automatically in a few seconds but no software was needed to be installed manually.
A few concerns I have about its durability and lack of security. Regarding the durability of the case I hopefully I can find a nice cover to keep it in otherwise I worry that something may happen to its case if just tossed into a purse.
However I'm not sure about the hard drive's security. I currently have a ScanDisk Cruzer flashdrive and it comes with software which provides an option for the user to password protect it. If I were to lose the ScanDisk Cruzer flashdrive anyone who happened to find it would have to completely re-format it, and thus doing so they end up erasing all data from the ScanDisk Cruzer flashdrive before they are able to access it. I may have lost the ScanDisk Cruzer flashdrive but no one would be able to access any confidential files I have on it. It is not the case with the Verbatim Acclaim 320 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive 97164.
Last I have a minor complaint about the hard drive and it's that the outer shell (Piano Black) shows finger prints extremely well.
If I was to make any suggestions it would be to provide the option to password protect the harddrive and to offer the Verbatim Acclaim in a black matte finish as the Verbatim 320 GB USB 2.0 CL N Portable External Hard Drive 97061 (Black Matte Finish) is.
Suggestions I have for anyone purchasing this product would probably be to also purchase a carrying case to protect it.
A quick breakdown would be:
Pros
1. Besides a small driver there isn't any software to install
2. Extremely quiet
3.Lot's of storage in a rather small unit
Cons:
1. Case shows any fingerprint
2. Hard plastic case may not be very sturdy. Maybe best to buy a case to protect it if you plan on using it for travel
3. Does not come with security software to protect it in the event if you were to lose it and someone was to find it.


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Experience Verbatim's performance-driven Acclaim - this USB portable hard drive is one of the smallest in the industry. Compact and stylish, Acclaim? features a sleek piano-black finish and storage capacities of 320, 500 and 640 GB. Acclaim is compatible with all USB connections and includes Turbo USB software and Nero BackItUp & Burn Essentials software for full-system backup and restore functions. Acclaim boasts special bonuses from Norton Online Backup and eMusic as well as a 7-year limited warranty

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Toshiba Dynadock U Universal USB Connect Docking Station Review

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(More customer reviews)Overall, I'm very satisfied with this product. Instead of having 6-7 cords I plug and unplug into my laptop every single time I take it with me, there's just one. That's incredibly convenient. Also, my laptop has just 3 USB ports, and the dock has 6, so I can keep all my devices plugged in all the time. And when I want to eject the dock, I don't have to take care of them one by one... there's a special icon for "undocking" which allows you to eject the whole dock.
There is one compatibility issue however. So right now on my laptop, I'm dual booting Windows Vista and Windows 7 RC. I use 7 RC almost all the time, because it simply is much better than Vista. The one problem I've had with 7 RC though, is that I cannot install the video driver for this dock. (You see, to get the dock to work with your audio, video and network, you have to install a driver for each of them.) I've tried several times to install both the driver that came on the disc, and the latest one from the site. And every single time, my computer would crash, and I would not be able to restart 7 RC because some files were corrupt or something. I had to do a system restore every time. Eventually I gave up, and resorted to plugging my VGA cord in my laptop like I did before purchasing the dock. Not that big a deal though. I mean it's understandable... Windows 7 hasn't even been released yet, and nobody's really had a chance to create drivers for it.
So that's the one problem that I've had with this dock and Windows 7. Not sure if this is the case with Vista, because like I said, I don't really use it. Let me note, however, that at one point after I installed the driver, I did have a few minutes with the monitor displaying, and everything worked great. I had a monitor, speakers, a mouse, a keyboard, an external hard drive, a TV tuner, a printer, and a network cable all plugged in, and everything worked fine... no lag at all.
I'd say if you're looking for a dock, this is probably the best one out there. Has everything an average user could possibly need, and works fantastically. Well, almost...EDIT: I have to mention, my monitor's resolution is 1920x1200 and the dock had no problem displaying this the one time I got it to work. And like I said, even though I had like 7 different things going on over one USB cord, there was absolutely no lag. I feel like I have to mention this because I saw a few reviews which complained about it. So if it's slow, it's mostly likely your system, and not the dock.UPDATE 3/16/2010: I have now been using this product for almost a year, and I am very happy with it. As I mentioned before, it allows for incredible freedom for laptop users. You can have all the hard drives and TV tuners and peripherals as you would with a desktop, and then something as easy as a single click, you could pick up your laptop and go.
I would like to mention that since I wrote this review, I have moved on to the final release of Windows 7 (Pro), and a new set of drivers have been released, and everything works great (including the video)! There are two minor problems I still see with the dock. First, although the video now works, it can be a little laggy when running full screen videos. It works fine when running YouTube sized videos and doing most other things, so it's not so bad. The second problem I see is that when you're undocking it, it can be a bit tricky because you may still have some applications hanging on to some of your peripherals, and you'll get a message telling you so, but it's hard to tell which ones. For example even after I close Media Center, it still has some background process running, which prevents me from unplugging my TV tuner. Anyways, the workaround for that is to just turn off your computer and unplug the dock.

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Toshiba Dynadock USB Docking Station PA3575U-1PRP Port Replicators

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Toshiba Satellite A15-S157 Laptop (2.20-GHz Celeron, 512 MB RAM, 40 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD-RW Drive) Review

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(More customer reviews)This Toshiba laptop is built very nice with superb features. 15" screen is very good for watching DVD or computing work, resolution is great. 40GB hard disk is big enough for most people considering that it has a fast CD-RW built-in.
All the usual connectivity features like USB 2.0, ethernet, modem, 802.11b wireless built in. 512MB is excellent for Win XP and possibly future OS. If you don't need extra RAM and wireless you can get S127 model for somewhat lower price.
2.2GHz Celeron is more than enough for 99% of people. The battery life is adequate and weight is a very reasonable 6 lbs for 15" screen laptop. Keyboard is very good and touchpad is excellent once you get used to it.
It will get hot since it uses a desktop Celeron and there will be some fan noise. Get a Centrino/Pentium-M based laptop if you want cooler, more portable and smaller laptop. But it might cost you twice the money.
Much better built than a Dell or HP. Dell has too many tricks on their website to get a decent price for similar configuration. HP uses third party chipsets on their low end laptops. Athlon laptops are also equipped with poor quality SiS chipsets. The chipset used in this is Intel 852GM with 32MB shared video memory. Intel chipsets are solid and stable.
All in all a superb laptop for students, home users and small business use. Perfect PC replacement with easy portability. Toshiba rocks!

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Perfect for home use or students on the go, the Satellite A15 Series offers up to 3hrs battery time, easy connection to Internet or network, and a DVD/CD-RW for watching movies and burning CDs. Completing this value package is an Intel Celeron Processor 2.20GHz or 2.00GHz and Microsoft Works.Choose A15-S157 system for greater processing power, integrated Wireless LAN (802.11b), and unlimited storage capacity. Microsoft Works and Windows XP Home Edition included.

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