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HP Pavilion DV4-1140GO 14.1-Inch Laptop Review from John. Quite satisfactory as my main personal computer. , I just wanted a dual-core laptop in this size and price range and opted for this with its Intel T series processor. The newer P series uses less power but costs more. Shop around! I saw differences of $300 in price for this exact same computer.

There are too many considerations about a computer to cover in 300 words. I won’t repeat specs you can see in the description.

While deciding whether to install my favorite Linux or Windows XP, I gave the 64-bit Vista Home Premium a shot and ended up keeping that. I found compatible drivers and software for everything I run: OpenOffice (a free alternative to MS Office), Canon camera software, TextPad & Vim, PGP, and SilverFast SE (slide and film digitizer), IrfanView (a free photo editor), and iTunes. Everything runs great except that IE 7 occasionally locks up on Hotmail or MSN (ironically, both Microsoft sites).

STRENGTHS:

*I don’t like touch pads and prefer a mouse, but this touch pad is great (for a touch pad).

*Boot-up, from cold to password prompt, is only 55 seconds.

*Good sound, great display, and it’s loaded with ports, connectors, web cam, etc.

*Good keyboard action. I have large hands and type like a fiend, and I can really go to town on this.

*It did not come loaded with “craplets,” so I spent very little time cleaning those off.

*Even the trial copy of Norton seems to work.

LIMITATIONS:

*The keys are a sort of light metallic-beige color with small white printing, which makes them impossible to read in low light. It was a pain until I memorized the locations of the home, del & end keys, etc.

*Vista took some getting used to, because Microsoft rearranged things. I wouldn’t take Vista Pro if you gave it to me because Vista Home Premium is already loaded with bells & whistles. (The automatic updates have been great!)

*It’s heavy. I intended to take this along on an international trip, but my dread grew as the trip approached and I bought this netbook for travel instead, and I am glad I did.

*On battery, mine runs just over two hours (2:12) on the “HP Recommended” power plan; there are other choices. A depleted battery takes about 90 minutes to fully re-charge while the computer’s in use.

To check price or purchase HP Pavilion DV4-1140GO 14.1-Inch Laptop.

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