It arrived about 5 days early… and I’m failry caught up with all of my work – so I decided I would write a review of this very sleek looking machine. I’ve decided this partly because I was looking for reviews when I was going to purchase it, and party because I like to type on the new keyboard…

Firstly, let me say that my last laptop was an HP zd7000 – and in comparison to the dv9000t – my old laptop is thicker and a little less attractive. Obviously, it has fewer bells and whistles… anyway, now that you know where I’m coming from:

What I like:

• Very attractive body. The paint is nice, but there is more than that – I like the rounded keyboard, rounded screen (edges and base), and the fact that there are no ports on the back of the laptop.
• The laptop runs cool and fairly quiet… my leg does cover the air intake on the bottom of the laptop, which is slightly annoying, but it still does not get hot.
• The built in webcam is very handy – and the microphones are just fine so long as you are in a relatively quiet room.
• The optional remote, which I got, is very nice. I like how it slips right inside the laptop. Well worth the (cheap) upgrade.
• I really like the touch sensitive media controls above the keyboard – very easy to use. They emit an awful beep from the factory, but you can disable the annoyance via the BIOS.
• Two headphone jacks are very slick and conveniently placed (front and center).
• USB ports are everywhere you need them, two to a side… this is nice IMHO.

What I dislike:

• The half-sized right shift key. (This was done to make the keyboard line up correctly for the rounded look).
• The speakers are not in the front of the notebook, they are on the top above the keyboard. This doesn’t sound as good IMHO.
• The hinges don’t seem to close the screen as tightly as I am used to. It kind of wobbles when closed – maybe it’s just me.

Overall, once you remove all the crap HP sends with the system… (not in insane amount, but enough to consume time for removal)… it runs VERY swiftly. Overall, I am very impressed with the machine as a whole. It looks elegant, runs well, and is competitively priced. I am pleased with the purchase.

I did not get the HD DVD drive because I do not watch too many movies and another ($450) was a little steep.

I’ll be installing Fedore Core 6 (FC6) on here this weekend – and maybe I’ll write about it.

If you found this review helpful, please leave a comment – I don’t usually review products, but if others find it useful I may consider doing so more often.