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