Derrick
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- Nov 22, 2010
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This is a versatile, multi-purpose notebook that is suited to work and entertainment, though it falls a bit short of enthusiast-level gaming. It also boasts stunning looks, so if the statement you make is important to you, this may be the system for you.
I love technology that looks good. It’s not enough for me that something does something right – it needs to be attractive to look at.
While there are some people who value function above all else, the vast majority do mind aesthetics, and some are even downright fashion-conscious. Enter the HP Pavilion range of notebook computers.
The Pavilion dv2699 Chocolate is part of HP’s Special Edition range, with an emphasis on good looks. The finish is high-gloss, which I generally tend to have issues with due to its tendency to attract finger prints and the like, but here a matte finish would really not do this unit justice.
The upper half, the lid, is styled in two tones: one a deep brown, and the other a lighter, almost bronze metallic brown. Upon unfolding the unit, we beheld the bevel around the screen in the darker tone, and the wrist-rest in bronze, fading to dark towards the rear.
As well as a comfortable keyboard with slightly concave keys (a surprisingly significant ergonomic subtlety), we have the usual touch pad at the front centre. However, the touch pad’s buttons are anything but commonplace: they are rounded, have a lot more ‘presence’ than is normal, and a longer, more positive action.
Although I generally avoid touch pads like the plague (as I do with clichés, of course), I actually found myself almost enjoying using this one. But for those who truly hate these, it also features a small button that allows it to be disabled – nice!
All the indicator lights are a vivid electric blue, which is a striking colour that has become quite popular in consumer electronics in the last couple of years. The only exception to this is orange lights that indicate when certain elements are disabled, such as the ‘scratch pad’ or the wireless transceiver.
Along the top of the keyboard is a strip of touch-sensitive buttons that control media playback and sound volume (this is a feature common to the Pavilion range of notebooks).
I was impressed by the wealth of connector ports, which are generally well located, albeit definitely biased to favour the right-handed. However, the two USB ports are insufficient, so a USB hub will probably be required by most users.
Something that particularly impressed me is the fact that there are no heat-exhaust vents blowing sideways, so your hand won’t be ‘blow dried’.
In terms of performance, this model is on the better side of average. Its specifications are pretty good, but don’t expect to play the latest games at highdetail settings. However, if you want to watch movies, this is definitely the right system for the job: it packs not only VGAout, but also S-video an HDMI.
I love technology that looks good. It’s not enough for me that something does something right – it needs to be attractive to look at.
While there are some people who value function above all else, the vast majority do mind aesthetics, and some are even downright fashion-conscious. Enter the HP Pavilion range of notebook computers.
The Pavilion dv2699 Chocolate is part of HP’s Special Edition range, with an emphasis on good looks. The finish is high-gloss, which I generally tend to have issues with due to its tendency to attract finger prints and the like, but here a matte finish would really not do this unit justice.
The upper half, the lid, is styled in two tones: one a deep brown, and the other a lighter, almost bronze metallic brown. Upon unfolding the unit, we beheld the bevel around the screen in the darker tone, and the wrist-rest in bronze, fading to dark towards the rear.
As well as a comfortable keyboard with slightly concave keys (a surprisingly significant ergonomic subtlety), we have the usual touch pad at the front centre. However, the touch pad’s buttons are anything but commonplace: they are rounded, have a lot more ‘presence’ than is normal, and a longer, more positive action.
Although I generally avoid touch pads like the plague (as I do with clichés, of course), I actually found myself almost enjoying using this one. But for those who truly hate these, it also features a small button that allows it to be disabled – nice!
All the indicator lights are a vivid electric blue, which is a striking colour that has become quite popular in consumer electronics in the last couple of years. The only exception to this is orange lights that indicate when certain elements are disabled, such as the ‘scratch pad’ or the wireless transceiver.
Along the top of the keyboard is a strip of touch-sensitive buttons that control media playback and sound volume (this is a feature common to the Pavilion range of notebooks).
I was impressed by the wealth of connector ports, which are generally well located, albeit definitely biased to favour the right-handed. However, the two USB ports are insufficient, so a USB hub will probably be required by most users.
Something that particularly impressed me is the fact that there are no heat-exhaust vents blowing sideways, so your hand won’t be ‘blow dried’.
In terms of performance, this model is on the better side of average. Its specifications are pretty good, but don’t expect to play the latest games at highdetail settings. However, if you want to watch movies, this is definitely the right system for the job: it packs not only VGAout, but also S-video an HDMI.