Compaq Presario V4440US 15.4" Laptop (Intel Pentium M Processor 735A (Centrino), 512 MB RAM, 100 GB Hard Drive, DVD+/-R/RW and CD-RW Combo Drive) | List Price: $1,301.79
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Brand: Hewlett-Packard
Binding: Personal Computers
My First PC notebook.... [Posted on 2006-04-26]
From the moment I took the notebook out of the box I've had nothing but fun. The set up was easy, I was on line in less than 10 minutes. I've had so much fun with this box, I finally broke down and got rid of my dial up and got wireless DSL.
I never had a PC, but I knew how this one worked. I have a Mac background, and found WindowsXP to be very easy to use.
The keyboard is quite, and responsive. The widescreen really makes a big difference, the LCD screen is beautiful.
The speakers are Altec Lansing, and sound fantastic for such tiny speakers, in headphones its like being there.
I like all the lights that indicate, drive, power, batttery charge. Its very attractive.
The DVD/CD Drive tray comes out of the notebook, unlike Mac's where all you do is stick the DVD into the slot. I guess its okay, "IF" you don't spill anything on the drive tray while its open. So proper care should be taken when the tray is open (exposed).
Its fast, its well built, it has everything you need, check the brick and mortar stores...not everything is cheaper on line...all the time.
Looking from the bottom up this box is awesome, from the top down..who knows....how many of us need a $2500 laptop to shlep around all the time? If money is no object I am sure there are beter boxes out there, but bang for the buck, this box gets you in the door...the rest is up to you.
I love it, its Freedom in a box.
Great Value - All A Student, Home User or Intermediate Business User Needs [Posted on 2006-07-20]
I really am pleased with this value priced computer. Performance wise it beats the top of the line celeron chip notebooks that cost about what I paid. As configured the 4200 rpm hard drive is a little slow but I'm not complaining. The CD/DVD drive is very noisy. The notebook does not run hot even after hours of use. I can actually keep this on my lap. You will know it is in your lap but I do not find it to be uncomfortably or painfully warm.
Set up was easy. I was surfing the internet via wireless connection in less than 30 minutes. Only one issue, the online instruction manual. The printed quick start up guide that came in the box covered the basics to get up and running and some troubleshooting. While not exactly essential, I would like to know how to use the function keys and if the thing has a battery status indicator without having to go online.
This notebook would work great as a first or student computer. I've had to fight with my eight-year-old over its use. This notebook more than meets basic to medium home office needs. I love the bright display. While this is advertised as having a 100gb hard drive, only 85gb are truly available for use. I find the 512mb DDR memory more than adequate to run my Office Suite software and kid's software so I was able to resist the recommendations to double what comes standard.
A feature I did not know I needed or would like so much: When you turn on caps lock the whole key lights up so no more wondering what the heck is going on.
Durability: DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!! My V4440US hit a wall once, was sat on and was dropped once (that I saw) without noticable damage before the people under 10 may not move the computer rule was introduced.
HPCompaq support calls are answered from India. I have found the technicians thorough and helpful. I did have a software question that the techs told me I would have to pay to get answered because their job was to resolve software conflicts and make the unit run correctly. As my unit worked perfectly they would not help. I could of course look for the answer at hp.com for free. I called Microsoft who of course referred me back to the manufacturer. There is supposed to be a 90 day software warranty. I must admit my software question was not basic but it was something Dell walked me through when I set up my kid's desktop at Christmas time.
Great value on a basic but ever so much better than a low end or celeron chip notebook. The V4440 is being clearanced (July/06) so good deals should be available. Mine was $600 U.S. after HP & Vendor rebates.
REAL TIME BATTERY LIFE TEST
I wanted to test the battery to determine how long it would last. From fully charged to hibernate the battery lasted 2 hours and 40 minutes. I was watching battery consumption during my test. When there was a 4% charge remaining, I got the on screen message "preparing to hibernate," and then the computer powered down. There was no time for me to connect the power cord. No beeps, no 5 minute warning-- nothing. The power indicator light began to blink when the battery had dropped to 26% of a charge. During my battery life test I cruised the internet and did not use the CD/DVD drive. So I can lose the electrical outlet for 2 hours and 40 minutes.
Easy Fix to Touch Pad, Jumping Cursor Issue! How to Turn Tapping Off
I noted earlier that I, nor my 8-year-old, had ever had a problem another reviewer had with a jumping cursor when typing--so the touch pad placement had not been a problem for me.
Curiosity sent me to Control Panel-- Mouse Properties-- Tapping-- Typing. Guess what it was set at? "Tapping OFF When Typing. You can even adjust the time after the last key stroke for tapping to resume.
This was the manufacturer's setting on my computer and the reason I had never had the problem reported (and there I was patting myself on the back for proper hand placement). So if the cursor hops around when typing there is a simple 10 second fix. Change the setting so the touchpad is off when typing. Darn these manfacturer's who think of stuff like this.
I've now owned this value priced notebook for 11+ weeks and I am still very pleased with it even though it has the loudest CD/DVD drive I've ever owned. At the price I should have purchased two.
A Very Good Value [Posted on 2006-08-16]
Regarding the issue of the touchpad... you CAN turn off the touchpad via the control panel. I use a mouse only and have no problems with accidental touchpad clicks. As for the available hard drive space... there is a recovery partition (Drive D:) which takes up about 10GB. You can delete that partition if you like and add that space to your C: drive. But make sure you create the recovery disks first so that you can restore the computer to factory-shipped condition if you have a hard-disk failure or something. And my DVD drive is not noisy. They all vibrate a little when spinning up to high speed, that's normal. All in all I'm totally satisfied with what I got for the money -- it does everything you could want a laptop to do except high-end 3D games -- but for that you'd have to spend 3 or 4 times as much money.
Generally Good Value, Some Shortcomings [Posted on 2007-07-14]
I bought this as my personal laptop about a year ago. In general, I am pleased with it. Most laptops in this price range do not have XP Pro, which was my main reason for buying it. (I needed XP Pro to run an Oracle 10g data base, and this laptop does a pretty good job of it. I upgraded to 2GB using Kingston memory, also recommended.)
In general, I am pleased. There have been a couple of nuisance issues. One is the keyboard - very flimsy design IMHO. Essentially each very thin keycap rests on two interlocked sliding plastic brackets. The keys work fine if they are pressed directly from the top, but if one keys from a different angle, the keys are easily accidentally pried off. I hope to have this fixed under warranty -- I've lost the T key already, and Compaq does not sell the individual caps and plastic pieces. We'll see. I may wind up needing to use an external USB keyboard. I'd recommend any person considering this try the keyboard (or an equivalent Compaq or HP, it's common to several) before buying it.
When I looked at the accessories, the unit appeared to use a generic docking station rather than a custom-designed one as Thinkpads do. The other Thinkpad feature I'm missing is the LED keyboard light, so that you can illuminate the keys in a darkened room or airplane. (There is a USB light available which is a useful accessory, but it's nice having one built in.)
I generally do not use the V4440US for personal entertainment. The DVD playback seemed to work well during the couple of times I tried it.
So, absent the keyboard issue, generally recommended, and a good value if you need XP Pro.
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