HP Looking for Laptop Feedback

[Jason Dunn]

<img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/dv9500tseries_400.jpg" /><br />You may have seen some other Web sites asking the same question, but I'd like to get some input from Pocket PC Thoughts readers. It's off topic for this site, but I know many of you use laptops and I'm sure you have some great feedback to provide.<br /><br />HP is working with Chris Aarons at <a href="http://www.buzzcorps.com/">Buzzcorps</a> (guess they're too busy to make a site) and they've asked certain community leaders (such as myself) to ask their communities for comments on laptops and, more specifically, what they'd like to see HP do in the laptop space. While they won't post in our forums, I've been told <i>all comments will be read by HP</i> - so here's your chance to make your voice heard. What would you like to see HP do with their laptops? How can they improve their laptops?<br /><br />Let's keep this focused on YOU posting what YOU want - please don't argue with someone else about how you don't want what they want. If they want a 20 pound pink laptop made out of recycled rubber tires, well, that's ok. ;-)

[JDTagish]

I have an HP laptop already, only 3 months old. (DV9233CL)

What I would like: Easier cooling - the thing heats up so much that you have to put it to sleep or turn it off after about an hour, or you can cook on it!

Webcam software that does not require 3rd party software to work (ie yahoo messenger) so that you can click on a camera application and have the webcam useful out of the box.

Quickplay that works with Vista. (Completely useless as loaded)

NOT that shiny black fingerprint magnet for the front cover with a design that does not attract every stray spec of dust in the house! ANY color that is NOT black or silver. Or at least put out skins that will cover a 17" notebook.

Replacement batteries that are less expensive.

Put the AC input back in the BACK of the unit, not the side where it gets in the way of everything! At least 1 USB port in the back as well. My desk gets awfully cramped with cords leaking from the sides of the device.

Put the WiFi switch on the side, rather than next to the lid release - I keep turning off the WiFi trying to open the laptop.

More accessible support - I really don't want to have to spend an hour trying to go through my issues with someone who is not a native english speaker and who has clearly never seen an HP product, only to then be transferred back to the states to speak to someone who has the answer in 5 minutes. This is not an enjoyable experience as a consumer, FYI.

I'd like HP products to work with HP products out of the box. Like my $400 1 year old All-in-One printer that is now an All-in-NONE with my laptop because it runs Vista. You'd think that HP could make HP products work together regardless of the OS.

No more bloatware! I don't need to spend the first 4 hours removing crap from the computer, and not being able to find it all.

A less "shiny" wrist surface - it attracts grime. Something with a slightly rubberized surface would be great.

A dedicated "back" button on the touchpad. (The scroll area is AWESOME)

And, I'd really like the option for a backlit keyboard.

[pjerry220]

I have an excellent working laptop in the HP model Compaq 6715b. However, I do not like the 15.4" widescreen. A 15"screen would be perfect. In September HP will discontinue the 6230 which is 15" and only widescreen models will be available.

So bring back the stanadrd screen HP.

[Sogarth]

I'm looking for the premium laptops: large screen, but light, and fully loaded with cutting edge features. I want:
LED backlit screens.
HDMI or DVI (preferably the former).
Top of the line video cards (for example, something better than the NVIDIA 8400 GS).
Better weights, as HP laptops tend to be on the weighty side.And, of course, somewhat more standard options available today:
7200 rpm HDDs.
Bluetooth.
fingerprint reader.I will give HP kudos for staying on top of the technology curve, though. I noticed that HP had a full lineup of Santa Rosa laptops available, whereas Dell hasn't updated a significant portion of their lineup (like in their vaunted XPS line, only one out of the four is running on Santa Rosa).

[jngold_me]

More models with numeric keypads.

[scauer]

I would immediately buy a laptop with a popup natural ergonomic keyboard.

[ctmagnus]

Personally, I like 'em small.

[mv]

I want a silent laptop. I dont like to hear any hard drive, or cooler fan sound. :D

Also, color choices would be good. And all-magnesium body would be nice too.

And let people choose the OS they want: No OS at all, XP, vista, ubuntu... anyone you may want. That would be really cool. 0X

[sider]

Linux Preinstalled !!!!

[Tye]

This might be unusual but:

1. I want a 17" wide screen convertible tablet. It should have a high res screen, 1680x1050ish. Even though it has a huge surface area, it should be *thin*. So, basically, a MacBook Pro-like convertible. HP has some nice 17" screen laptops but they're all so thick.
I have a 14" Gateway convertible and love it for what it is but I hate the humped battery they put on it. Very unwieldy.

2. I am willing to give up many "bonus" items (does a laptop really need a subwoofer?) in order to get goal #1 above.

3. Extremely good battery life (no less than 6 hours). I am willing to sacrifice a few features to make room for a battery that doesn't protrude from the main system.

4. Built in DVD writer is nice but not essential if system can be kept thin.

5. As, mv mentioned, *quiet*.

6. As JDTagish mentioned, A/C on the back and at least one USB port there too. Better cooling. No more egg cookers, please.

6. I don't care about the numeric keypad.

7. I would hope the above system could come with a wide variety of options. Personally, I don't need the fastest biggest hard drive on the market. By having some basic options, hopefully this tablet could still be affordable while giving power users everything that they want.

8. Since this is a convertible, the microphone should not be covered when the screen is rotated into tablet mode. An arrayed microphone system would be a nice bonus.

[wesk]

I know it's been tried in the past, but how about designing a laptop that has inexpensive replaceable and/or upgradeable modules. i.e. CPU, Video, LCD, etc. It would be nice to be able to upgrade to a better laptop without having to buy another laptop.

Other improvements I'd like to see are:

1. OLED screens.
2. A standard &amp; smaller power supply for all laptops. (I'm sure this would be a cost saver for HP)
3. Longer battery life.
4. Standard specification/connector for a docking station.
5. Backlit keyboard.

Far out ideas 0X
How about a virtual reality style display and keyboard. I travel every week and I'd love to just put on some glasses and gloves, to be able to get some work done on the airplane. I always seem to sit behind the person that has to recline the seat as far as it will go. :?

[isajoo]

come on HP "lets make the computer personal again".... ohhh wait, u did that already. lol

well lets make it lower priced then. even recently, when comparing prices to other pc makers, HP is not on the same page, i know the quality is better(shiny), but everyone has a budget too. HP makes great laptops no doubt about it, but would i buy i, yes &amp; no, i would, if it was priced right. have better web sales. eg. buy a $500 HP AIO printer and get a FREE laptop*
(*after $400 MIR). be creative. drop the compaq line (we get it, they suck) learn from dell on how to sell a lot of good pc's for cheap. by the way i own acer. lol. but only because the price was too good to pass. sorry. but lets see if u can change it.

[martin_ayton]

A laptop needs to be able to replace my desktop (primarily a speed issue)

I want it configurable to include all wireless connectivity options (WiFi, Bluetooth, cellular 3G - HSDPA &amp; HSUPA) and they need to be able to work concurrently.

It needs to have something other than the standard MS bluetooth stack, which is - frankly - pants.

I want it to be able to *charge* (not simply run) from car and aeroplane power outlets. Ideally, it should charge while being used but I'd live with charging when the actual laptop is off.

I'd like it not to fry my legs if I have to use it on my lap.

I'd like a webcam built in: It would be more robust than an add-on cam and be closer to the screen. I'm fed up with video conversations with people who aren't looking at me because their webcam is so far from their video window.

Long, long battery life. Ideally 6 hours plus. And a wizard which would help me configure power options (do I want the network card powered up?) by telling me the (estimated) cost or benefit in run time of having the various options on or off.

It needs to be able to be covered by a worldwide fix-on-site warranty. If my screen breaks when I'm travelling, I want to be up and running in a few hours.

Out-there ideas:

I'd like the keyboard to pop out and be usable wirelessly at a distance from the laptop. I'd like a pop-out wireless mouse/trackpad too: When I'm working at my desk, the screen is too close for comfort if I use the built-in and fixed laptop keyboard.

I'd love the LAN connection to pop out and connect wirelessly to the laptop too. That way I can connect to hotel (etc.) networks without having to sit at the desk.

[virain]

This little survey is right on time! I am in the market for a new laptop, so for the past couple weeks I' ve done some research. And, interestingly, my choice #1 would be HP, this one ttp://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/computer_can_series.do?storeName=computer_store&amp;category=notebooks&amp;series_name=tx1000z_series&amp;tab_switch=true&amp;a1=Display&amp;v1=12.1%26quot%3B&amp;tab=specs. If I had a choice I would replace AMD processors with Intel, faster HDD, or even SSD, and very important - backlite keyboard. With my choice of options offered by HP it comes out with $1500 range, which is reasonable I think. What I want from laptop. managable size, fast, quiet, reliable, capble of multitasking (I noticed lately that loptops offered by retailers are pretty much build to run operating system and few preinstalled apps, that most likely I won't need, same goes for PPC :twisted: ) So ability to buy it costomized is very, very important! Cheers!

P.S. My #2 choice was OQO O2 (If only it had HSDPA module instead of EV-DO). And #3 - HTC Shift but after latest news I see that it would not have enough power for my tasks.

[wocket]

As others have said better heat displacement.

More USB ports.

Fully powerd Firewire port (s).

Backlit keyboard for sure.

Deffo a fast large Harddrive.

Decient graphics card (no stealing system memory)

Good built in sound and speakers with volume buttons or dial

Quiet when running

Nice clean install of Windows without the other preinstalled bits or at least give us the choice.

Choice of a glossy screen or not

Zero dead or fixed lit pixel policy

At least a 2yr warranty

Oh and small and light and a nice case.

I think thats it.

[starstreak]

Make a decent small gaming laptop. A gaming laptop is nothing more than a high end notebook with a good vid card. Now, not everybody wants to carry around a 17in or even 15in notebook with them.

1) Make one around 13.5-14in LED backlit screen. Glossy. at around 1280x800.
OR
15.4-inch WUXGA (1920 x 1200) to give true HD viewing.

2) 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7700 (4MB L2 Cache,800MHz FSB)
OR
Something as fast.

3) Nvidia's 8600m GT or better. DO NOT SKIMP ON THIS! By the time you come out with this laptop, i'm sure they'll be something faster. Stick it in here! As long as you got the battery and heat under control, people will buy a small yet lightly heavy notebook if they game on it.

4) at least a 5400rpm or 7200rpm option harddrive

5) decent battery life. at LEAST 2.5-3hrs watching a movie on full brightness and sound. Gaming life can vary.

6) Stick a big battery on it. People will buy it. Look at the IBM T61p, it sold so well, they removed it from the website because of delays.

7) At give it the norm for everything else, usb/dvd burner 8x/2GB RAM/etc.

8) Keep the weight of the 13-14in under 6lbs, the 15in needs to be under 7 in order to compete with IMB and such.

Show the gamer a small notebook that can do 3dmark06 into the 3k+ and he'll buy this notebook if its under 3k. Closer to 2.2k if you want to sell it like hotecakes.[/b]

[phoare]

A gripe of mine with laptops has always been how poorly placed sockets and switches are.

A couple of people above have already mentioned about USB sockets, but it's worse than that. Why are headphones typically on the side so that when you lean back, the cable stretches across the front of the machine blocking access to the keyboard (and putting strain on the plug).

No switches or buttons should be on the external edges of the laptop. I am fed up with on/off buttons on the outside (which then get activated as you're putting the laptop in a bag), WiFi switches which can get knocked accidentally (and you're then wondering why you can't get a network connection for some minutes) and in particular CD Drive buttons... Aaargh. My latest laptop has a CD drive on the left hand side and the eject button is exactly where you put your fingers when you pick the laptop up... thus ejecting the tray.

So... HP... if you're listening... it's a minor issue, but one that's so easily addressed... just think where you're putting things!!

[KiwiBloke]

My dream HP laptop would include such things as:

* HDMI port

* A Blue-ray / HD-DVD combo drive (ie. can play back both formats as well as DVD/CD reading/writing) - I don't mind whether it can burn Blue-ray or HD-DVD, so long as I can watch movies in both formats.

* Certified Wireless USB (plus the usual wireless features of Bluetooth 2.0 and WiFi b/g/n)

* cutting edge graphics (with dedicated RAM), preferably from nVidia.

* 5.1 surround sound

* Dual 7200 rpm hard drives

* 1 Gbit LAN

* Option to <u>not</u> have a Brightscreen screen! I don't like them.

* Available in 17", not only 20" (ie. the new 20" HP laptops currently have the latest cutting edge features, but are not available in 17" equivalents yet).

* Long battery life

* Intel dual-core or quad-core CPU

* External SATA port

That's about all I can think of for now! :)

[gcstang]

I purchased a Compaq a while ago and while the specs were great for the time I purchased it, the laptop shutdown constantly from heat. I used it primarily for work developing applications with some heavy memory and cpu intensive applications and minimal gaming.

At least dual core
SATA drives and/or Flash drives 32GB or 64GB
upgradeable to 4 GB of RAM
High End Video with it's own memory not from the system at least 256 but 512 would be better and VGA and DVI ports
DVD burner with some decent speed on read and write
Wifi / Bluetooth
Decent Sound card
Express Card Slot
at least 6 USB 2.0 slots
built in microphone
microphone and headset ports
SVideo Out
TVCard would be nice but not necessary
Gigabit Ethernet

[Dyvim]

I have an HP Pavilion zd8000 (2005 model) as my main work computer.

1. Better cooling- more efficient and quieter. This thing gets hot and the noisy fan runs 24/7
2. Better battery - this thing was rated for about 1 hr battery life when new and now gets about 1 minute (seriously!), so is completely useless in airports unless I can find an AC outlet.
3. Better built-in card readers. The built-in SD card reader on this thing only handles up to 1 GB- it chokes on 2 GB cards. I have PDAs 2 years older than this thing that do a better job.
edit:a driver update allows it to read 2 GB cards, but it still can't read a Transcend 4 GB (non-compliant) SD (not SDHC) card that my Windows Mobile 2003 PDAs and USB card readers can read.
4. Remove (or make optional) weird built-in keyboard shortcuts. Many times if I type capital C then the next letter acts as a shortcut if I'm typing fast. e.g. "CE" is similar to C then alt+E (which opens the Edit menu in Visual Studio). This drives me nuts and prevents me from typing efficiently. This seems to be at a very low level in the system and I couldn't figure out any way to disable this "feature". Never experienced it with any other machine.

[skarkkai]

Provide Linux-drivers for all devices in the laptop. All that is needed is to release freely documentation about the device programming interfaces, and the Linux community will write drivers that are likely at least as good as those that HP would write itself. A frequent argument against providing this documentation is that HP has signed NDAs that prevent that. It should be made HP's policy to not sign such NDAs.

[jimfee]

I have been looking at the TX (tablet) series HP's because my Cingular 8100 leaves me a little short on usable notepad functionality.

I don't think I need 17" of Tablet like Type is asking for, the 12" tablet frame they are currently retailing would do.

How about some integration with their other products like the Ipaq's, that would be of some interest to this community.

[cscullion]

Here's my ideal notebook:

- lightweight (2 pounds or less)
- instant-on (regardless of OS)
- full-size keyboard (laptop-style OK)
- long battery life (5+ hours)
- WiFi and Bluetooth
- at least 4 USB ports (and bootable)
- universal flash card reader
- OS: don't care
- VGA-out port
- CPU/graphics fast enough to play full-screen video

[cdcooker]

My dream HP will be like this Sony but at least half the price.

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&amp;storeId=10151&amp;langId=-1&amp;productId=8198552921665181595

[terriblt]

7200 rpm harddrive

Lighted keyboard

AC connection on BACK of laptop

Change the finish on lid. It shows everything.

Don’t add bloatware.

Smaller power supply without decrease of power

Built in microphone that people can actually hear you on

Faster lightscribe

Less heavy laptop

[WyattEarp]

I currently own an HP Pavilion dv9260 (http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/genericDocument?docname=c00817646&amp;cc=us&amp;dlc=en&amp;lc=en&amp;jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN)which I purchased in June. I am very pleased with it's styling, performance and layout. there's not anything I don't like about it but there are a few things that could be improved upon.
- this is a 64-bit system; include some 64-bit software
- for the current price inlcude MS Office Ultimate 2007 (not Microsoft® Works currently included)
- lower pricing
- longer battery life
- higher RAM capacity up to 4GB at least
- lower weight
- better sound card
- built-in TV-Tuner
- smaller external power supply
- external SATA port
- include the fingerprint reader in all the models
- higher mp web camera

[inteller]

only use hybrid digitizers on touchscreen models. passive is for PDAs and active is too expensive.

[Jason Dunn]

I'll chime in with my own feedback: battery life, battery life, battery life.

That's my #1 feature in any laptop. HP could make one decision that could change everything: when they design a laptop with enough space for an optical drive (ie: all but the thinnest, lightest notebooks), make sure that the optical drive is removable and the user can put a drive bay battery in there. Having an option for a secondary battery gives battery-centric users such as myself an option to add something that will give a 40-60% boost to overall battery longevity. It's optional, so only users that are willing to put up with the added cost/weight would need to use it, but by having the option there HP would be giving me the ability to have a battery that lasts extra long.

I loathe those "hump batteries" and am rather grumpy that I'm having to get one on my forthcoming Dell XPS M1330. A laptop should be sleek and self-contained, not have a battery sticking out it's rear.

[friscosooner]

I've had my Presario LT for about a year and a half. I really like it (much better than Dells that I've used. My only two gripes are:

- there are many driver issues - I constantly have to go and fix these and HP diagnostic is worthless

- this is a big one. My LT uses RAM for the video and this slows it way down. I thought that I would be getting a full 1/2 gig when I got it, but the video drops this down to about 380M. This reaaaalllllly slows it down. More standard memory or a different video card would have been much better.

Oh yeah. Get rid of all the frigging bloatware!!!!

[timmy]

Having a ZD8200 I can second some of the other wishes:

1. Silent laptops / better cooling (my ZD8200 heats up terribly and the fans spin all the time)

2. Longer battery life (currently gets less than 1 hour)

3. Backlit keyboard would be nice

4. Better driver updates/support. The driver updates for my ZD8200 (bought aug 2005) seems to have stopped mid/end 2006. E.g. the laptop has a ATI X600 card, for which the drivers are still updated by ATI, but HP hasn't updated the drivers for the ZD8200 since 2006....
Same with Bluetooth. Had issues with the drivers, but no updates. But I could download updated drivers for another HP laptop that worked with mine...

[Jason Lee]

I got a dv9260 not all that long ago.. It was a great laptop for the price. Good job there HP.

Things that could be better:

An option to order with NO extra software. Demos, bloatware, nothing but the OS and drivers. I know you have the NR vs the US models, which is pretty good solution, but it needs to be more clear.

Heat... The thing gets soooo hot. So hot that it is uncomfortable to type on the keyboard for long periods of time.

Nix the shinny finish.. It does look very cool but i am constantly rubbing something off or the palm rest.. eeww. ;) I know the compaqs are the business models with the dull finish but the shiny mouse touch pad is very hard to use when your finger sticks to it because you are sweating from all the heat coming off the keyboard.

So far it has been a pretty good laptop. I think the only issues i have had with it are probably just Vista issues and nothing hardware specific.

I was very torn between the huge 17" laptop vs a nice small laptop/tablet. I decided to jump on the big one mostly because of the low price.. Maybe i will pickup a dinky tablet later or an UMPC.

[burtcom]

two hard drive bays! I've seen some laptops that have these -- but I think they should be standard on all largish multimedia laptops with 17-inch screens.

Easier to upgrade parts -- I'd love to be able to slap in a new Bluetooth module or Wifi module, for example.

Headphone and microphone plugs in the front!!!!, also, at least one USB port on the front too.

[Yorch]

As an avid HP user (some might say a HP fanboy) I had my share of HP laptops, I have owned HP and Compaqs and I like them. I had as a primary pc ZD7000, I loved the sheer size of the LCD and you get spoiled when you see something else. I loved that laptop, and it was very reliable to me, The only ripes that I had with that machine is that it was too bulky, it weighted 9+lbs, so it wasn't really portable and the battery was more like a UPS, didn't last long, but it'll allow you to shut down the pc. Another issue is the fan, yeah, it ran all the time, I understand because it had a desktop CPU (3.2mhz P4), which it was fine.
I had that laptop for 3 years (the longest that I have kept a computer), and upon serious consideration I got me a DV2000t. I changed the screen to a small one because work needed me to carry the lappy with me and I needed a more portable computer. I love my current laptop but I miss the 17'. My brother just got himself the ZD9500t, and I drool over it. I will probably upgrade to the next model of laptop from HP. My recommendations for the designers are:

- As others said. Make the USB ports on the back, ideally put all the ports on the back and on the left side, and leave the right side maybe 1 USB or none at all (kind of like the macbooks). Populate the right side with the optical drive, and the memory card readers and express cards and stuff. Usually most people have mice and they use it next to the laptop, sometimes is uncomfortable to juggle with the cables to use the mouse.

- I agree with others again, try to make the heat dissipate better.

- Battery life, yeah, needs some improvements, I agree with Jason, make a modular optical drive, so when is not needed, an extra battery can be added.

- I don't know about the bloatware, in my 2 pc that I had, when you install from the CD, you have the option to install all the bloatware or not, I have my Vista running free of crap, (except, running crappy Vista itself, which bring us to the next point.

- I agree too with the rest, make the OS as an option: XP, Vista, Linux, or none.

- Make the smaller laptops (DV2000 models) have a better resolution screens, and also better graphic cards.

-I want my VERVE design, but I don't want to go to Best Buy to get a underpowered DV2500t. In other words keep the new laptop designs but make them also selectable when we order. I loved the tribal tattoo imprint from the DVx000 series, but I don't like the bubble imprint from the DVx500 series. I love the New Verve design (black copperish color, but is only available in Best Buy. I love the white color from the DV6500t Special edition, for my wife, but is too big for her taste, I would love to get her a white TX1000 or a DV2500 even. I like the glassy shiny design, is classy and distinctive.

- Simple fix, remove the wording under the HP logo on the lid. Unnecessary

- Smaller power supply, and/or cable management system, my wife's Dell has a simple rubber cord and an convex shape which makes it easier to roll the cable. Something like that or better would be great.

- One thing that I used to love about my ZD7000 that I miss from the new laptops is the "media cable". This cable was the perfect cheap solution. It was one cable that connected to the Expansion port and on the other end had Audio/video out, s-video, POWER and USB out. so it was a cheap and effective docking solution. Not everybody is willing to spend 100s of $ on fancy docking stations when all we need is a cable. Please bring it back!!!!!.

- I like the idea also of the lighted keyboard, but make it as an option too.

- Make a TX1000t, with Intel Core2Duo Santa rosa.

- Make the Corporate laptops a little more sexy like the consumer laptops.

- I agree with the touch sensitive buttons and the whole design of the upper part of the laptop (touch buttons and speakers), excellent design, I love it.

- I agree with other, there should be an option to turn off all blue lights via software.

- Faster and bigger hardrives (7200rpm)

- Have an option to have HSDPA, my job doesn't deal with Verizon, so AT&amp;T is the only solution for me, and I don't want to have a bulge in the lappy.

- Try to make it lightweight, although the weight issue has improve over the newer laptops.

- Backlit LED LCD, is "in" now, get to them!

That's all I can think of right now, overall, I love my laptop and it works great, it has a good balance between price, looks and performance, but there is always room for improvement, thanks HP for listening to us your users. I will probably upgrade my lappy in a couple of months and it would be great if new models would come out.

[ADBrown]

Be more like the Thinkpad line. The classic IBM models, mind, like the T42p, R50p, et al. Not the newer, sketchier Lenovo designs.

[poiuyt]

Here's what I desire in a laptop:

1) Offer both the touch pad and pointing stick (so those of us who despise touch pads have more options)
2) Provide physical buttons to disable the touchpad
3) Physical button to disable the built in speaker. Do not allow software to over ride it.
4) Industry standard upgrade options. Push for a standard for modular graphics, network, bluetooth, etc. Mini-pciex for graphics would be nice
5) Industry standard docking support. Define a bus and a connector interface. I should be able to use the same docking station at home for my personal laptop and my work laptop (without having to buy whatever brand/series my employer uses)
6) Dual digital monitor support. Remove the lpt and serial connectors from the back to do this.
7) Ability to buy without Windows bundled (the cost should also be lower)
8) Good linux driver support
9) Easily removable/swapable hard drives (including easy to obtain and cheap drive caddies)
10) Power adapter with a standard pc power cable that plugs in to the transformer brick
11) The standard things: light weight, durable construction, long lasting battery, high resolution display

[Mikey]

About a year after the Compaq / HP merger, we switched from HP as a company to IBM &amp; Toshiba have never looked back. The customer support after the merger was awful &amp; the last few laptops we bought for our sales force had numerous problems both out of the box &amp; during the warranty period. Business distribution channels prefer HP due to their profit margins but I was done with them after the problems we had after the merger. The icing on the cake was the iPAQ's that have come out after the merger, specifically the support for high end iPAQ 5500 series. The writing was on the wall when HP dropped the Jornadas pre-merger. NO HP for me no matter what laptop features they come out with. Burn me once, shame on you, Burn me twice, shame on me!!!

[Silver5]

Starting with the DV9000 series:
- Battery life MUST get better (it is pretty good now but could be much better)
- Higher resolution screen (my old 15.4 inch screen notebook had 1920x1200...this new one needs more than just 1680x1050!!)
- A hard drive with the actual advertised capacity (why should an 80gig drive only have 57gigs when it shows up at my door?)
- Support for bluetooth audio in stereo (why can my phone do it but my notebook can't?)
- video conferencing software (you give me a web camera and now way to use it for this function...seriously?)
- lose the trial programs and other useless software
-touchscreens are not just for tablets...it is the most intuitive way to navigate...include it!

[Silver5]

Starting with the DV9000 series:
- Battery life MUST get better (it is pretty good now but could be much better)
- Higher resolution screen (my old 15.4 inch screen notebook had 1920x1200...this new one needs more than just 1680x1050!!)
- A hard drive with the actual advertised capacity (why should an 80gig drive only have 57gigs when it shows up at my door?)
- Support for bluetooth audio in stereo (why can my phone do it but my notebook can't?)
- video conferencing software (you give me a web camera and now way to use it for this function...seriously?)
- lose the trial programs and other useless software
-touchscreens are not just for tablets...it is the most intuitive way to navigate...include it!

[deich]

Light weight (but include the DVD player)
Thin, thin, thin
About the size of a tablet of paper
Transflective display
4-hour battery
quiet
Nothing but Windows (NO BLOATWARE)
pre-N WiFi
2G RAM

[mv]

lighted keyboards are ugly IMHO. Just make them metal!! 0X

I can type with my eyes closed. Really. Lighted keyboards distract me.

Also, i`ll love to see a external display on cheaper models.

[Sagitario]

I'm an avid HP User, Almost everything I own is HP. I didn't go for another iPAQ this time around because their current models are ugly. Laptop wise I own a Pavilion DV1620LA. Overall, I love the design and how everything is connectable on the sides, its very ergonomic in the most part. The wide screen must NEVER be changed, it makes work so much easier. Webcam and mic included and all, I love my machine. Things to fix:

1. Where is the PCMCIA card slot? If I would've seen before I bought it, I would've retracted on time. The slot for what ever type of new card that will come is still not in so stick to PCMCIA.

2. Cooling. Move the fan somewhere else or put some more fans to ease the amount of heat in my legs. Remember, its a "Lap top". If you can't stand the heat, it looses its point.

3. Try SDIO support. The 6 card media slot is bliss, why not support SDIO on these for more periferals.

4. Get an extra USB port. USB hubs are always helpfull but its hard to use them on the go. You want all you use to be ergonomic while on your lap.

5. Hardware volume button. One thing I do hate is for somebody to come into my office, I'm playing music and my pavilion is very charged with files and slow and I can't mute the volume just then. Get a track wheel or something for volume and make it hardware based completely. I love'd that about Toshiba.

6. Try to stick to the black finish or a stronger paint for grey so it won't loose color after use.

7. Since my pavilion is media oriented, why not have the media buttons available even when closed? Toshiba is great on this. You can use the remote already included and not have to open the screen to change things.

8. Return to the DVD Backup option. 6 to 8 gb of space for a backup file is just too much.

9. HP Customization just too much. I would recommend making the installment of HP's customization as optional. You install only what you see you'll need.

10. Battery Life. Though extended batteries are an option, why not try a battery that doesn't stick out. Probably try a larger battery slot and get a larger battery from the start.

Think about it. I probably will by another HP by the end of this year to update my current, but simple things make large differences.

[karen]

I've been happy with my HP laptops, but have been forced to use, at times, cheaper versions, including Compaq branded ones.

While I agree with many of the posts here, I now only buy laptop models that have excellent keyboard feel. This is something that many people take for granted, but I have to tell you, a cheap or mushy keyboard is the kiss of death for a touch typist.

So all my HP laptops have had great keyboards. My Compaq ones have felt like a cheap happy meal quality keyboards. I replaced those laptops asap.

So while I want HP to work on battery life and multipurpose bays, I really want them to maintain or enhance keyboard feel and functionality.

[caubeck]

I'd like to see bluetooth with a 200m range, which is the capacity of my current dongle.

I would also like to see a dedicated button to activate the webcam.

On the remote control, internet-surfing buttons.

An on/off switch for the fingerprint reader.

Make the noise and lights on the touch-sensitive buttons an option. Make them light up only when my hand hovers over that area.

Get rid of the orange "wifi inactive" light.

Otherwise, I'm happy with my dv6535ea.

[Snail]

For me, a laptop needs to be very small - I still use a Vaio U3 (6.5" 1024x768 screen), small enough to hide almost anywhere, and you don't shout "mug me, I'm carrying a laptop!". It would be nice if it didn't cost the earth too (like the Sony UX series... :drool: )

The size is paramount - I'm not too worried about absolute speed or having to plug in peripherals like opticals... I don't use them too often anyway.

Oh, and no bloatware, just the OS. I'll choose what software I want!

[DaleReeck]

As many have stated already, enough with the bloatware. Put it on a CD or DVD and let people install it if they want. We shouldn't have to uninstall 20 demos just to get a clean machine. Plus, all that software just slows the system down, giving people a bad first impression of your notebook lines, which I personally think are soe of the best.

Also, a number of your Entertanment notebooks (like the new 1220 tablet I have) have difficulty playing video, like iTunes content (stuttering and such). I've heard it's a problem with the hard drive and/or it's drivers since same said content plays fine on a media card on the same notebook. This needs to be resolved. New notebooks should not ship with that problem, especially if they are advertisd as "multimedia" PC's.

[i_spock]

I have a lower-end HP Laptop that I do like a lot, but here's what I think would make it better:

- Include the screw holes on the vga out connector!
- ergonomic keyboard layout (split keyboard)
- PCMCIA slot, not whatever that slot the remote control lives in is
- pop-up laptop stand built in to the bottom
- get rid of all the crapplications
- put the AC adapter port on the back
- built-in SD slot

[Len M.]

1. Make it *fanless* and reduce the hard drive's noise as much as possible. Do you know how loud a laptop sounds when you're trying to watch a movie or music, or at night when someone in the room is sleeping? (Yes, I know this is a serious challenge!)

2. Add optical and/or coaxial S/PDIF digital audio I/O connectors. Apple's already done it. Isn't it time for a Win laptop to have this feature?

3. Provide a single 1/8-inch *stereo* microphone input connector with decent quality mic pre-amps. All PCs to date have a single mono mic input with a substandard quality, noisy mic pre-amp.

4. Keep the CardBus slot and provide CF and SDHC card adapters for it as a feature, not an option.



Len Moskowitz

[bigkingfun]

I'm a Mac user primarily, but I still use a Windows box to run certain software that doesn't run well in the emulation on the Mac. Boot Camp works fine for dual booting, but I need to be able to switch back and forth quickly.

As such, I'd like to see a small notebook with a 10" screen (or thereabouts) and as thin as possible, while still having a reasonably close to full-sized notebook keyboard. The UMPC machines have a great footprint, but the keyboards just don't cut it for me.

I'd like something with a reversible tablet screen, built-in EVDO, standard slate of ports and as much RAM and hard drive as feasible from a physical point of view as well as cost.

Basically, I'd like to have a Windows notebook that I could carry alongside my Macbook Pro but could fit within a reasonable carrying case.

OS would be Windows Vista Business or Ultimate. XP Pro would actually be better, but ultimately that's probably out of the manufacturer's control.

My wife has a 17" HP notebook and it's got pretty much everything she could want built in, with no major hitches. The only thing that I would change is to move the audio ports to the side or back. When it's on her desk, she hooks up a standard keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, etc. and the speakers have to plug in at the front. The cables just get in the way.

[BrotherDave]

My likes have oscillated between bigger w/ more power and features and smaller and lighter. Currently I favor smaller and lighter but that could change if some killer app/scenario comes along than needs power or some feature.

Looking back the thing that most (consciously) drives my satisfaction with my laptop is how well the supported drivers work. My Toshiba M2 had good (if too many) drivers and I thought that was a sturdy workhorse. It made me trust Toshiba. My current Tosh M7 (w/ Vista) has crappy drivers, particularly, it freezes in certain sleep/wake scenarios and it seems to provide functionality the OS already has (power management for example.) I don't trust it. I often leave it in my office and take my pen and paper.

So nail the tools &amp; drivers. Make them as few and solid as possible, leveraging the OS for everything you can. You'll have a more stable, trustworthy laptop and reputation worth repeat purchases.

-Dave

[Mona13]

Stability. I purchased two within the past year 1/2 for my myself &amp; my son. One failed within the first year. Fortunately under warranty, but still a hassle. The 2nd right after the warranty expired.

More USB ports. Back and sides.

Needs to run cooler. Maybe this causes some of the issues?

Batery life. Would like it to stay charged longer.

Better customer service.

For years, I've exclusively purchased HP or Compaq, but after my last experience, I'm trying Acer.

[wladston]

I have an iPAQ hx2400, and that's my only experience with HP so far.

I would sell my toshiba lappie and buy an HP if they could provide me:

* Ubuntu linux preinstalled
* Complete specifications for all the components available for the Linux community to make the proper open source drivers
* Solar Panels on the back of the screen to help battery saving
* A good video card (good enough for modern 3d games)
* A Wacom Tablet
* Thin and light (enough to carry around everyday on the backpack, to use as a notebook for classes)
* Wifi, Bluetooth, Fingerprint reader, SD/MMC reader, embedded webcam, lots of USB ports (4 +), at least a dual-core power saving capable processor, at least 7200rpm, 150GB HD.
* accelerators to protect disk damage
* an attractive price
* International costumer service/support
* A nice design

Wow, that would be the lappie of my dreams .... I would trow away my desktop computer :)

[Patrick Y.]

Well, there are only two things I would like to see in HP laptops.
1. Optional decent graphic card such as 8600GT/GS in 15 or 14 inch models.
2. Pricing. Currently I think most HP laptops are overpriced for what they offer. While HP tends to have better build qualities, it just cannot compete with Dell and Asus.

[mtnmedic]

That's an easy question to answer:

NO CRAPWARE! If I wanna try something, I'll go the software's website and download/install it for trial. Otherwise, I would just like to see the basic important stuff or full version software packages installed. No trial crap. I'd be willing to pay a few bucks more for this because removing the junk is a pain in the rear.

[Fellwalker]

Faster. It may be becasue hte new thing is on Vista, but my laptop (T7300 2 GHz processor, 2Gb memory) feels slower than my 3 year old 1.6GHz desktop.
Quieter. I am surprised how noisy it is
Cooler. Goes with 2 really.
USB sockets further apart! WIth a TV decoder plugged in, I either lose a usb socket or a power socket.
CF slot. Its a 5 in one card reader, but not CF which is a very common format and which my main camera uses.
BIGGER BATTERY. Pathetic life on standard battery.
Bluetooth mouse as standard. Not the enclosed usb thing - and 5 button scroll please, so i can click back/forward in internet explorer like i am used to.
More recharge options. Ideally plug in to my car as well to recharge, where I have a usb hub so could use that too.
Personally, I see no value in widescreen except for watching TV/movies - which i do not do regualrly.
I appear to be stuck with center (not centre) and color (not colour) on the menus - but that may be MS not HP.
As a computer user of many years, I hate how HP have followed MS to make everything "user friendly" which means pretty pictures and scrolling, rather than simple text menus. It just adds processor sapping tasks that do not help. I really find the Photosmart essential to be a pain.

[jstein]

I bought a dv9260us in February. Not much more I could want for features as it has about everything you could imagine. But I agree with others that it runs too hot. Longer battery life would be good. And the right shift key is only the size of a letter key and very easy to miss. The case should have a slight matte or something to avoid the instant fingerprint mess. And if you folks think Vista is bad for compatibility with existing stuff, this 64bit Vista Ultimate is even worse. I had to wait months for Adobe to update Acrobat 8 so I could use it. My Canon scanner still doesn't have a driver. I realize thats not HP's fault - just venting!

[imacamper]

The two main things I would like to see are:

1. Reduce power consumption while maintaining function. In other words, work on engineering that will reduce power requirments and/or only power those components that are actually in use. Do what is possible to allow the user to pick and choose at what level to manage, all the way from total manual settings to total automatic settings. By reducing power needs, battery life will improve and heat issues will be minimized.

2. For the non-technical consumer, HP should provide recommended configurations like "normal" or "power user". However for the technical, allow him to customize his hardware and software. Choices should be available for CPU, RAM, hard drive capacity and speed, graphics chipsets, optical drives, etc. And I should be able to buy a laptop with no OS installed. Why should I buy a license for Windows if I want to run Linux, Solaris, one of the BSDs, or anything else other than Windows? Or why should I be forced to buy another Windows license when I already have one. And the bloatware... I hate the bloatware! However I'll deal with it if there are advertising dollars generated reduces the cost of my laptop (or any personal computer) since I generally wipe the hard drive and reinstall anyway so I can be sure of what's loaded.

[maxnix]

I have a nw84440, which I like a lot. That being said, HP needs to pay more attention to the physical feel of the keyboard and pointing stick. It is just not as good as my old IBM A21p.

Secondly, it is maddening that one has to buy their top dog models to get BT, or now BluRay drives. They need to have more of a cafeteria approach to configuring their notebooks.

DVI and HDMI out put would be nice.

Finally, they are still a little slow to adopt the exterior information window and other features some manufacturers have.

[flyashi]

When I go laptop shopping, there's a very short list of things I look for:

1) High-resolution screen. Why buy a 17" widescreen if it's only WXGA (1280x800)? 1680x1050 is a good for a 17", even a 15" widescreen.
2) Serial port. Call me old school, but I still have a lot of devices that use serial. Having this built in isn't hard and is a definite plus.
3) "Trackpoint-style pointer" - http://xkcd.com/243/
4) Another pet peeve of mine: non-standard insert/delete/home/end/pageup/pagedown keys. If you're going to put them in, put them in the same 2x3 arrangement they are in desktop and some laptop keyboards.
5) Please make the bottom-left key the Ctrl key, not the Fn key. I can't tell you how many times I've hit Fn+C and Fn+V, only to be like, wtf?

In general, I've found 14.1" laptops are "my size" - I've had a Precision M20/Latitude D610 (same computer) and Thinkpad T60, and for me they're the best I've seen: 1400x1050 screen, finger mouse, etc. If only there was a laptop that had the T60's battery life and dual core processor (the optionally protruding battery doesn't bother me) with the M20/D610's ports - serial and parallel, plus plenty of USB, VGA, S-Video, Gig-Etherenet, DVD+-RW, etc. and the M20/D610's keyboard layout (with Ctrl in the corner and full home/insert/etc.) ... that would be sweet.

The rest - hard drive, DVD+-RW, battery life, screen size (resolution is important to me, not size), Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, etc. - all are secondary to me. Oh yeah, the numberpad thing, while kinda cool, ... yeah that's all it is. Just "kinda cool".

Thanks for listening to our feedback!

[arb]

Compaq use to make some awesome laptops in 2000-2003. I had an EVOn800c series laptop that was perfect in size and function.

- Keep connectors in the back of the laptop.
- Have 4 USB ports additionally on the side of the laptop (2 per side).
- Use batteries that do not bulk out of the unit.


I want to look professional in every way. The current line is totally unprofessional and uses young designs as a marketing ploy.

[sks405]

I have HP TouchSmart tx2Z. With this, I don't want to carry my mobile phone.

Laptop has battery, microphone, speaker, display and keypad. If internal circuit of mobile phone is attached to laptop, it is possible to eliminate need of mobile phone.

Independent FM receiver utilizing laptop's battery and speakers would be added bonus.