HP Looking for Laptop Feedback

[Jason Dunn]

<img alt="" 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 Smartphone Thoughts and Zune 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/" target="_blank">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 <em>all comments will be read by HP</em> - 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. ;-)

[andre]

they need to make their laptops more stylish...they look too corporate. you want to have a laptop that you can be proud to use in a coffee shop/ campus

[Kris Kumar]

Things I am looking for:

- Flat base: Some of the newer laptops have uneven base, or base contoured around the parts inside. Please make it flat, helps me keeps the laptop straight on my lap and also it doesn't waste space.

- Power adapter: should be light, really light, the cable should be thin as well. The design absolutely must allow the cable to be wrapped around the adapter.

- Should not have noisy fan

- Should not run like a space heater

- Quiet keyboard

- Keyboard light (or must glow in dark)

- Screen that works well in daylight, light sensor based screen is good

- The WiFi must have a switch to turn it on and off

- The screen's hinge and frame must be very sturdy, I should be able to move the laptop by holding the end of the screen's frame.

- Looks do matter

[irayct]

It would be great to see a powerful tablet/convertable computer. It would have a DVD-RW (maybe even a HD-DVD and/or a Blu-Ray) drive, nVidia 8800 or equivalent graphics, 500Gb of storage, 4Gb RAM, a TV tuner (I may be reaching too far with this), as well as the tablet functionality.

I would love to have a tablet pc that is powerful enough to run a bunch of games, play movies, run a few virtural PC's, some hi-media applications like Photoshop, Illustrator, and After Effects and Vista Ultimate.

There are tablet PC's and there are high-end notebook PC's. It would be very doable to sacrifice some of the portability that tablets have historically had and add considerably more functionality. It would be great to have one computer for everything, instead of a tablet for taking handwritten notes, etc. and another computer to do everything that needs more than a 1.4Ghz processor with 512Mb of RAM.

[Alber1690]

Well, as a current HP Notebook user (dv6000z) I must say I'm very happy. I can't really find much to complain or suggest about, but rather what kinds of things (small things) I have found to be very useful and should be continued and improved.


QuickPlay touch sensative buttons are amazing, continue updating the look
The express card should be moved from its current location on the right because when something is plugged in (e.g. TV Tuner) it is difficult to use a mouse that is normally located around that area
I have my power cord connected all of the time, an option to disable the blue light should be kind of nice since it's really bright at night, but don't remove the LED light
The touchpad gets really, really hot after using it a while
The new hidden-hinge look is really visually attractive but makes it invonvinient when trying to open the lid as it lifts the whole computer
Better built-in speakers and design
When the CD/DVD drive is in use, it shouldn't sound/feel like I'm powering an airplane
The new black finish is a fingerprint/dust magnet, really visually appealing but when not cleaned daily, it becomes disgusting to look at
The QuickPlay DVD launch button is EXTREMELY sensitive when the computer is off, any accidental hovering of your finger turns on the computer and becomes a hassle, maybe that shouldn't be touch-sensative
Continue the touchpad and WiFi switch; really useful
USB placement is great
Overall design's shape is good
Personally, I like my computer to be a dark color, but I know that other people are really into the color choices; offering different colors will be a great hit
Continue to offer the HP wireless remote that goes in the express card slotWell, that's about all I could think about. Oh and don't come out with models too soon...I just bought mine...lol. :p

[tuleggi]

- a better audio sound card (for home theater, so no need to buy an external one from creative)

- possibility to listen the music with the OS not turned on (just CD player or USB with mp3 wma wav files in it)

- microphone and webcam incorporated

- thin and use all available spaces

- micro laser mouse incorporated (detachable from the frame when necessary to use it)

- TV card inside with micro antenna

- a lot of RAM

- fanless (or very very very quiet solution)

[bej]

Things I am looking for:

- Power adapter: should be light, really light, the cable should be thin as well. The design absolutely must allow the cable to be wrapped around the adapter.

- Should not have noisy fan

- Should not run like a space heater



Totally agree with that.

Also:
- Improve battery life

[Mike Temporale]

When I was looking at laptops back at the start of this year, I found that between HP and Compaq, they had too many different model lines and too many different models within each line. Reduce the overlap and allow more customization of the device from your website. Also, provide some clear idea of what the differences are between each model line.

[HalM]

Power adapter needs good cable management.

Style matters, even in business.

The newer back lite LCD screens are a must.

Battery life.

Tech Support: Every time I have had to call HP Tech Support for a client I have sworn I would never touch a HP product again. That whole part of the business needs to overhauled.

Customer Service: Make it easy to choose and order which model you want or need. Too many choices out there now.

IMHO, the target to shoot for is the new Dell XPS M1330.

[michaelp]

Props HP for wanting our opinion!

I want to see the following:
<ul>
<li>An option for Ubuntu, like Dell and Acer. Also, I need to be able to download Ubuntu or Windows drivers for each laptop, so that I can dual-boot easier. Even though Ubuntu does a good job with universal drivers, I want specific drivers in the respository that are updated every so often.</li>
<li>The main OS loaded on a SSD, and a 80+ GB hard drive for media, etc.</li>
<li>LED backlites are a must</li>
<li>4 or more USB ports.</li>
<li>eSATA for high speed external hard drives</li>
<li>Bluray/HD DVD drives</li>
<li>1900x1200 resolution (or more)</li>
<li>Bluetooth, WiFi, WiMax, and UWB</li>
<li>Both RAM slots stacked on each other with their own slot to open on the bottom of the case. I hate having to open the keyboard to add RAM</li>
</ul>
I think that's pretty good for now.

[Captain Digital]

My laptop rant:


No Vista. Get back to an OS that (mostly) works (XP).
Rubberized finish. I am fed up with materials and finishes that look great when you get them, but look badly uses six months later. In particular, no more faux chrome that rubs off to reveal plastic underneath. A rubberized finish would wear better and be less prone to showing dents, scratches, etc. A laptop is made to move around - so build it as if it's going to be moved!
Instant-on. If I had a nickel for every minute I've wasted waiting for my laptop to boot/return from the dead (hibernation), I'd be a wealthy man. I want a laptop that will boot as fast as my television. Period.
Useful buttons, ergonomically placed. I want buttons for MUTE, volume up/down, WiFi on/off, Bluetooth on/off, and screen brightness up/down. I don't want any Fn key nonsense. I want dedicated keys.
Cooling. You could fry an egg on my laptop, and it sounds like a 747 taxiing down the runway at D/FW. Find a way to get the heat out without blowing hot air on my leg. I could care less about A/C power consumption (although I do care about battery life!), so build something that will keep the heat down!
Power conservation. Saving battery power is great - as long as you give users choices. I want the choice to clock down my CPU - not an executive fiat. I'm a graphic designer. The speed step junk forces me to demo my work tethered to my power supply. Not cool.
Dual audio outputs with independent volume controls. For sharing/demoing in noisy environments.
Better display technologies. I know LCDs are the 'industry standard,' but if DLP is all that and a side of fries, why hasn't anybody thought to put a DLP in a laptop? Or at least some other kind of light source that won't suck a battery dry?
Better audio. My laptop is to my desktop what a Victrola is to a Bose 5.1 speaker system. There's GOT to be some way to generate better audio. Barcus-Berry had something interesting 15 years ago - a transducer hooked up to a plate, with the transducer producing - not recording - sound. Might be a great way to use a laptop surface as a big woofer.
Biometrics. The fingerprint scanner should NOT be an option, but a standard feature. If it were standard, maybe the credit card companies would wake up and smell the security advantages.
No crapware. It generally takes me a day to remove all the 'helpful,' 'useful,' and 'vital' stuff added to a new laptop. If you're gonna have to load the hard disk with crapware, at least make it one-button easy to delete the stuff. AND DON'T CRAPIFY THE REGISTRY WITH THE FREEBIES!
When you bundle software (Symantec, Office, etc.) with laptops, please give customers the opportunity to order without it. I know your deal with Microsoft means you MUST sell a laptop with an OS. There's no excuse for not letting me opt out of Symantec's stuff.
More connectors. USB. Firewire. Video. You name it. More is better.
When I use two monitors, I'd like the computer to remember WHERE I place the external monitor. My wife likes her second screen above her laptop - not beside. She has to reconfigure it EVERY TIME SHE BOOTS.
Retractable cords. If you're gonna sell an AC cord with a brick the size of two sticks of butter, go ahead and bite the bullet - add a cord retractor for the laptop side, so we can do something about the cord mess.
Docking stations standard. Everybody needs one. Few have them. Make them standard.
Auto-detect external keyboards for NumLock settings. Nothing cheeses me off like going mobile and realizing that I need to flip the Fn/NumLock madness.
Batteries. You can't tell me that what is essentially a bunch of AA Lithium Ion batteries strung together in a custom plastic case is worth $100 for an extra battery pack. Get real.
Size. Smaller. Thinner. Lighter. 5 lbs is heavy for anything not classed as a 'desktop replacement.'
Memory. For hard disks, faster is more important than bigger. For RAM, more slots (so we can go waaaay past 2GB) is essential.
Cost. $1K is the goal. Under $1500 is the sweetspot.

End of rant.

[encece]

I really like desktop replacement Laptops. I currently have a 17" Toshiba Satellite that weighs almost 10 pounds. I didnt buy it because I need a super portable laptop...just for the convenience of carrying it from room to room.

I would buy another monster of a laptop...but I would request that it have as much as a desktop would have! Max out the Video card and the sound card. As many video and audio outputs as possible!

Laptops dont always need to sit on your lap. I wouldnt bring a monster laptop to a park...or on a plane, but sometimes they're worth the convenience of just being able to carry from the office to the living room and have all the power you'd expect from a desktop.

[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.

[Mike Temporale]

Oh, and I forgot to mention - put the extra software crap on a CD and let the user decide if they want to install it. Save me the effort of removing all the preloaded junk.

[Rocco Augusto]

I would love to see better prices. I usually bought an HP laptop since they were always pretty durable. When buying my current laptop, I was able to get a Gateway with way better specs for $200 less BEFORE rebate! I use to think Gateway computers were rubbish, but after having this for 8 months it has been the best laptop I ever owned!

Also, I would like to see better paint on HP laptops. With my last laptop, I wore all the paint off where my wrists would sit after a few months. :(

[ManMythLegend]

i've been using an HP DV4129us for almost 3 years now and most of the problems that i have with it have been fixed in later models but i'll list tohem to make sure they stay:

- center the touch pad with the spacebar to reduce accidental usage while typing
- volume keys on the quicklaunch should display current volume levels
- noiseless keys on keyboard
- noiseless mouse keys

most of all for a new feature i want to see:
- easy upgradablility (processor, HDD, RAM, Optical Drive, Monitor, Graphics, Sound card, bluetooth, wireless) pretty much anything that is upgradeable in production able to upgrade for the unfaint of heart)
- rubber or other material keys on keyboard to reduce wear that is easily seen on plastic keys

[rom]

i'd like HP to come up with a 12.1" or 13" widescreen laptop that's ultraportable as well as a desktop replacement just like dells old XPS m1210..it packs nvidia go 256mb discrete graphics card!

Also consider doing a laptop with a slot loading drive like macbooks and xps m1330, so you could save some weight by doing that (but drive is expensive to replace and repair, so this is not on top of my list)

I use HP's pavilion zv6000 for 2 years now, and so far, it has never gave me a problem, just that the battery somehow died on me, mysteriously...never mind, i'm getting a new one before the year ends, and im looking into Dell and HP's small form factor laptops that can also be used as a desktop replacement.

My sugestions would be:

Powerful and dedicated graphic cards. Even in your 14" line
Size and screen options like 12" ultraportable and probably an "elite" series like Dell's XPS..
In the hardware, I think HP's got it all covered..
The piano finsih is sweet to look at, but i like a matte silvery or black finish like my zv6000 since it's resistant to fingerprints
can a free keyboard cover be included ;) i have dusts under my keyboard for 2 years of use, i just use a blower on them...but it would be better to cover them up..
More options and more laptop line!that's all ;)

[chrisspera]

I have a TC4400 tablet PC for work. Love it, but it could use a bit of work. I'd like to see the following:

Wide Screen:
It would be nice if there were a wide screen tablet. The TC4400 is very small, so I can carry it to meetings and stuff, but when in tablet mode, it would be nicer to have the longer screen. A 15.4" screen makes for a nice writing area...

Faster PC:
The TC4400 has a 2gHz Core2Duo processor, but something in the make-up of this thing is dragging its performance into the gutter. It really stinks! The drive is slow (could be part of the problem), and the processor feels as though it really could use a lot more punch, even with my 2GB of RAM...

Better Screen Resolution:
The TC4400 only sports 1024x768 resolution on its very small LCD screen. In today's laptop market, It would be nice to have 1280x1024 resolution on this screen (without the panning...I HATE screen panning!!). I use it mainly for meeting notes, documentation and e-mail, and usually run those at full screen (so no need to tile or view the contents of really small windows), and ClearType does wonders for you when you're trying to view documents on a small screen...

[Mechanicaldan]

I work as an engineer for a big international company and have been using an IBM R50p for over 3 years. My company rolled out the HP NW8440 and NW9440. I could have upgraded, but I didn't for a couple of reasons. 1. I was waiting for Vista. 2. I didn't like the square front edge where my wrists would rest. 3. There didn't seem to be much of a performance improvement. 4. I like the ThinkVantage software suite and the FN+key features of the R50p. It's been great for regularly updating drivers. I have access to a dedicated IT department, but only use it when I need it. Most of the time, I manage my own laptop performance as best I can. I've only had to reformate once in 3 years. Unfortunately, with all the different software packages I have loaded, I have close to 100 processes running, but the R50P remains stable and reliable, and fast enough for what I need. A total of 4 USB ports would have been nice though.

I use Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Solidworks, and software packages specific to my daily work.

The one item that I would have loved to have been included was a PC Card wireless presenter remote simialar to the HP Bluetooth mouse: http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/12618_div/12618_div.HTML

I give presenations regularly internally and externally to customers, and it would be great to just pull out a dedicated presentation remote. This would be a great item for business laptops, but not needed for personal users.

I haven't gotten the mouse, because I like a full size mouse when I'm working in my office, and I'll manage with the laptop touch point device in the center of the keyboard or the touch pad. Please keep both devices as it's really nice to use both.

I bought a desktop replacement Dell Precision M90 for my wife to use with the Adobe CS2 software she uses. It's a very nice laptop, and fast! It's also heavy and puts out enough heat that she complains, but she wanted a big screen. It is quite though.

I think the R50P with the smaller screen is nicer for travelling with, along with the small power supply block.