| Microsoft has upgraded its TV- and | | | | Card slot. A fixed DVD-R/RW drive |
| media-friendly Windows XP Media Center | | | | accommodates most optical media but, |
| Edition (MCE) to MCE 2004, and HP's | | | | unfortunately, not a backup battery. |
| Pavilion zd7000 runs the new version. | | | | Inside, there's a screaming-hot 3.2GHz |
| The $2,600 laptop features a big, | | | | desktop Pentium 4 (it really does run |
| wide-screen display; a handheld remote; | | | | hot; good thing the Pavilion zd7000 is |
| a DVD burner; and an external box that | | | | too heavy to park on your lap for long); |
| ties in to your television signal. MCE | | | | Nvidia's AGP 8X GeForce FX Go5600 |
| 2004 may be better suited for a PC, | | | | graphics controller with 128MB of its |
| especially if accommodating the OS | | | | own memory; 512MB of 333MHz memory |
| requires a 9.2-pound laptop, plus | | | | filling both memory slots; and a 60GB |
| multiple cables and paraphernalia. | | | | hard drive. |
| Nevertheless, the HP Pavilion zd7000 is | | | | Microsoft streamlined and extended Media |
| among the fastest, best-designed laptops | | | | Center Edition (MCE) 2004 in some useful |
| CNET has ever tested, and it's equipped | | | | ways. The basic idea is a separate, |
| to please videographers, shutterbugs, | | | | no-keyboard interface that lets you use |
| gamers, and even those who ponder | | | | the remote to run utilities for viewing |
| spreadsheets. However, its sheer weight | | | | and recording television, organizing and |
| and heat, plus a battery that conks out | | | | displaying photos, and performing other |
| just past two hours, may discourage you | | | | media-oriented activities. MCE 2004 can |
| from taking the laptop off your desk. | | | | teach itself how to work with your |
| Design of HP Pavilion zd7000 | | | | set-top box, walk you through |
| After looking at several recent | | | | calibrating color on your screen, and |
| big-screen laptops, we think the HP | | | | notify you when someone is trying to |
| Pavilion zd7000 has the best | | | | call you (if you have Caller ID). It can |
| implementation of a | | | | download current TV schedules unattended |
| nonstandard-resolution display. In | | | | and record a TV show while you're using |
| particular, its resolution is | | | | the system for other tasks. Microsoft |
| appropriate for its screen size, unlike | | | | also improved the television listings; |
| others we've seen. HP's Pavilion nx7000, | | | | you now have tools to sort and filter |
| for example, crams its 1,680x1,050 | | | | them, and you can find listings based on |
| resolution onto a 15.4-inch (diagonal) | | | | keywords. |
| wide-screen LCD--that's 130 pixels per | | | | For those moments away from television, |
| inch, a view so dense, you have to | | | | HP bundles Microsoft Works 7.0 with |
| squint. | | | | Microsoft Money 2003 and Encarta |
| The HP Pavilion zd7000 tops out at a | | | | Internet Edition. |
| comfortable 100 pixels per inch, | | | | Performance of HP Pavilion zd7000 |
| displaying a 1,440x900 native | | | | Mobile application performance |
| resolution--enough to sail through a | | | | The HP Pavilion zd7000 P4EE comes in |
| spreadsheet as easily as through a | | | | first place in mobile performance in |
| movie. We love the display's saturated | | | | this small test group of desktop |
| colors and its sharp, clean text on an | | | | replacements. The HP Pavilion zd7000 is |
| evenly lit background. The image fades | | | | the first laptop we've tested with |
| when viewing from above or the side, | | | | Intel's Pentium 4 Extreme Edition |
| however, so gathering friends around for | | | | processor. The difference between this |
| a movie won't work. | | | | chip and the normal Pentium 4 is the |
| The big keyboard includes a separate | | | | addition of a 2MB L3 memory cache on the |
| numeric keypad. | | | | Extreme Edition chip as well as its |
| The wide touchpad features a scrolling | | | | normal 512K L2 memory cache. The HP |
| strip down the right-hand edge. | | | | Pavilion zd7000 P4EE's mobile |
| The HP Pavilion zd7000's size allows for | | | | performance score has less to do with |
| uncluttered, uncrowded hands-on | | | | this major bump in cache memory and more |
| elements. A long, ridged latch opens the | | | | to do with how low the speed of the |
| lid easily to reveal a full-size | | | | processor is throttled in order to |
| keyboard--even the Backspace key is | | | | conserve battery life. In this case, the |
| big--with a separate numeric keypad. | | | | HP Pavilion zd7000's 3.2GHz Pentium 4 |
| Keys provide a good "pop" feel and | | | | Extreme Edition processor does not drop |
| operate silently, and the keyboard is | | | | its speed significantly and as a result |
| almost free of wiggle and sag. A wide | | | | ends up with the highest MobileMark |
| touchpad features a scrolling strip down | | | | performance score we've yet seen. |
| the right-hand edge; ordinary left- and | | | | Unfortunately, the HP Pavilion zd7000 |
| right-click mouse buttons sit just below | | | | P4EE's great mobile performance does not |
| it. Stereo speakers line the laptop's | | | | come without a price, as is seen in its |
| entire front edge and sound at least as | | | | battery life score. The Dell Inspiron |
| good as small external speakers. There's | | | | XPS with its Pentium 4 3.4GHz processor |
| also a power button for the 802.11g | | | | is a distant second in mobile |
| Wi-Fi radio. | | | | performance, with the original HP |
| Features of HP Pavilion zd7000 | | | | Pavilion zd7000 P4 bringing up the rear. |
| The DVD-rewritable drive is fixed, so | | | | Often with desktop replacements, mobile |
| you can't swap in another battery. | | | | performance comes down to how much |
| HP stocked the Pavilion zd7000 with | | | | battery life the manufacturer is |
| features on the outside and muscle on | | | | comfortable sacrificing. In the case of |
| the inside. Along the edges, it has a | | | | the HP Pavilion zd7000 P4EE, HP chooses |
| quartet of USB 2.0 ports; a four-pin | | | | mobile performance, designing a system |
| FireWire port; S-Video; two flash memory | | | | that can run office and content-creation |
| slots that read Secure Digital, | | | | applications very fast in a mobile |
| MultiMediaCard, Memory Stick, and | | | | state. |
| SmartMedia; and a Type II/Type III PC | | | | |