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