HP Envy 14 (Summer 2011)

The good: The HP Envy 14 gets updated with newer Intel processors and a new multitouch touch pad.

The bad: Despite the improvements, the touch pad gestures still can't match what you get from Apple's trackpad.

The bottom line: A much-needed update to its internal components makes HP's Envy 14 one of the best high-end laptops for those looking for a PC with the flair of a MacBook.

HP Pavilion dm1 Review

The good: Nearly mainstream performance at premium Netbook prices; excellent battery life; capable graphics.

The bad: Plastic look and feel; thick and chunky compared with some 11-inch laptops.

The bottom line: The first laptop to offer AMD's power-efficient Fusion platform delivers on much of its promise, combining great battery life, decent performance, and basic graphics for less than $500.

News : New HP chief sees software as 'the glue'

HP's new chief, Léo Apotheker.

Who exactly is Léo Apotheker?
For many American investors and analysts, the new president and CEO of Hewlett-Packard is a relative unknown. HP held a conference call this morning to formally introduce its new chief executive and take questions about what many are calling a curious choice.

The call was brief and didn't get into many specifics other than that software will play a much larger role in HP's future.
"For me the decision to accept [the position] was an easy one. I don't think there's another company in tech that can match HP's opportunity in the marketplace," Apotheker said in his opening remarks. "I have a great appreciation for this company's technology and its people."

HP Envy 17 Review

The good: Slim, attractive design; full-HD 1080p display; USB 3.0 port.

The bad: Only one GPU option; clickpad still isn't perfect; short battery life.

The bottom line: Though it's still in the upper ranges of current laptop prices, HP's upscale-feeling Envy 17 offers great hardware at a decent price.

HP Pavilion dv6-3055dx Review

HP Pavilion dv6-3055dx

 
The HP Pavilion dv6-3055dx is one of those laptops that looks like it should be exceptional, but turns out to be fairly average. A 15.6-inch thin-and-light, the 3055dx has an attractive design, a large keyboard, built-in Webcam, and multitouch touch pad, and is powered by a top-end AMD quad-core processor and 6GB of memory. Plus, it has a whopping 640GB hard drive.

HP Pavilion dv5-2035dx Review

HP Pavilion dv5-2035dx

 Among the budget group of laptops in our current roundup of retail back-to-school laptops, the HP Pavilion dv5-2035dx is a little pricier, a little smaller, and a little slower than most. The budget models we've reviewed in this roundup have come in between $499 and $599 and have featured a 15.6-inch display. The Pavilion dv5-2035dx costs $629 and features a 14.5-inch display. It also uses an AMD Turion II processor, which is a beat or two slower than competing Intel-based laptops. 

HP Pavilion dv4-2145dx Review

HP Pavilion dv4-2145dx

We tend to view 14-inch laptops as sitting in the sweet spot between portability and productivity. Whereas ultraportables are better for constant travelers and larger 15- and 16-inch laptops are better for general home use, we find that 14-inch models are a good size for your do-it-all, workhorse laptop: compact and light enough for daily commutes yet with a large enough display for multitasking and with a comfortable keyboard. The HP Pavilion dv4-2145dx features a 14.1-inch screen, but we don't recommend it as a jack-of-all-trades laptop. Given its relative heft and bulk and tiny remote control, the Pavilion dv4-2145dx is best as a small but mighty entertainment laptop. Plus, its battery life is middling at best.

HP Envy 13 Review

HP Envy 13

 

narky bloggers (ahem) could easily dismiss the HP Envy 13 as a MacBook Pro plus $300, say so in a tweet, and call it a day. Hell, I was certainly tempted. (The Envy 13 starts at $1699. As configured, our review unit would cost you $1799.) This handsome laptop isn't so much a tribute as it is a poke in Apple's eye saying, "We can design similarly sleek, sexy machines...and maybe charge people a little more." But the HP story here--and my review--has a bit more to it than that.

HP EliteBook 8440W Review

HP EliteBook 8440W

Rugged, Powerful Business Laptop Lacks Multimedia Polish

 

The HP EliteBook 8440w won't win awards for ultrathin design elements or elegant looks, but underneath the almost military-style exterior is a dual-core (with Hyperthreading) Intel CPU coupled with an nVidia Quadro FX 380M professional-grade graphics processor. When you first unpack the laptop, the muted magnesium-clad system impresses with its solid feel. While the body of the unit is mostly plastic, it's a dense, unyielding plastic that exudes ruggedness without seeming overbuilt. Priced at $1649 (as of February 23, 2010), the 8440w isn't the least expensive all-purpose laptop, but it delivers robust performance in a 5.3-pound package.

HP Compaq 6730b Review

HP Compaq 6730b

Convenience and versatility are among the best reasons to look for a laptop computer. Today’s best units can essentially replace the standard desktop computer for most needs yet are truly portable. The HP Compaq 6730b is among the best small laptops available and while it can certainly be used by students and home users, it has a decided bent towards business use 

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HP ProBook 5310m Review

HP ProBook 5310m

Ultraportable Laptop

HP has a thing of business-savvy beauty on its hands with the ProBook 5310m. Why do I say that? Even the guys in the PC World Labs--who see everything under the sun--were impressed by its industrial design. The sleek black aluminum case, the supple texture on the undercarriage...the list goes on. Me? I was impressed with the $699 starting price (the review unit in our office sells for $899). When they weren't ogling this slick, 13.3-inch, 3.8-pound, 0.9-inch-thin ultraportable, I grabbed the machine for my own testing