HP Compaq Business Notebook 6715b - Turion 64 X2 TL-50 / 1.6 GHz - RAM 1 GB - HDD 80 GB - DVD?RW (+R DL) / DVD-RAM - Radeon X1250 - Gigabit Ethernet - WLAN : 802.11a/b/g, Bluetooth 2.0 EDR - TPM - fingerprint reader - Vista Home Basic - 15.4" Widescreen TFT 1280 x 800 ( WXGA )

List Price: $1,079.00

Customer Reviews:

This notebook has a few drawbacks for me [Posted on 2007-10-30]
This HP Compaq 6715b is my new notebook at work. I LOVED my sweet little IBM ThinkPad, but when its USB ports died, the Help Desk manager ordered the HP Compaq for me, on our company's IT purchase contract. In other words the purchase decision wasn't actually my own.

I can't say much about the technical side of this notebook, but from a user's point of view it's fine to use. Fast to load files from the server, fast on the internet - any constraints I experience are with our bandwidth, not with the computer. It doesn't fidget when I move it from one wireless point to another, which is good. I'm not able to use the fingerprint reader due to a conflict with one of our network systems, so I can't comment on that feature.

The 15.4" screen is great, much bigger than the ThinkPad though of course still not huge. Overall the notebook feels heavy (5 lb.) and large, but the tradeoffs are pretty well worth it to me: good battery life, the spacious screen, and a roomy 3.5" space in front of the keys to rest my hands. The keyboard is very comfortable to use, although I do miss the double touch pad buttons from the ThinkPad - the buttons on this notebook feel like a stretch to reach.

The HP Compaq has a few features that continue to annoy me after two months, and I want to comment on them here. If you are shopping for a notebook, I recommend that you think hard about whether these are things that will annoy you too.

First, the screen is VERY shiny and reflective. There's natural light in my office, which of course changes throughout the day, and I'm forever fiddling with the angle of the screen so that I can see my work instead of myself. A less reflective surface would be much easier on the eyes. I've been shopping for a glare filter, but why should I have to?

Second, the PC card eject button is on the left side near the front, and it springs open at the lightest touch. Not a big thing, but annoying.

Third and MOST annoying of all, behind the function keys (near the hinge) are a set of "buttons" - the spec calls them buttons but they are really points on a shiny touch strip. These "buttons" turn the volume up and down, flip open the "information" and "wireless presentation" screens, and (most devastatingly) toggle my wireless connection off and on. Two months into it I'm still dumping my connection and TRYING to keep my fingertips off this strip - but again, why should I have to?

Today I went digging in the technical specs to see if I could figure out how to turn off at least the wireless toggle, and after a frustrating search, gave up; I'm sure I'll eventually learn to keep my fingers off the buttons. These may be features that pose no problem for you - if that's the case, then you'll probably enjoy this nice little notebook.

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