The HP DV1040 laptop has been one of the most consistent, best selling laptops of 2004. What I mean about consistent is that people will come and buy one regardless of any sales or deals that may or may not be available at that particular time. I'm not much for laptops at all, quite frankly. I like my hardware to keep up with my impatience and high demands, and in terms of gaming laptops just don't cut it for me. You can't just go and buy a laptop videocard and install it with the ease that you can do with a desktop video card. You definitely can't do it for the same price either. Aside from that, most of the laptops that I see are still too thick or too expensive for my taste and for the hardware involved. I've never really liked the combinations of color schemes and styles, or much of what most laptops have to offer, that is until HP released the DV1040 model. This particular laptop literally turned my head and riveted my attention long enough to cull from me the evil bane of responsible spending; the impulse buy. It's thin, compact, stylish, and has hardware that compares to more expensive units by other manufacturers. Even though I have absolutely no need for one and even though I can play with the display model at work as much as I like, I still have that inexplicable desire to own one for myself.


ENGINE, UNDER THE HOOD
This is definitely your on-the-go type of laptop. The Centrino processor is both energy conscious and efficient, so it can handle most everyday applications while letting the user be cord-free for up to about 4 hours (depending on use you can give or take an hour). The 2MB onboard cache goes the distance for making up for the low frequency of the processor. The hardware numbers are in the right places, and I'd wager that they're good enough to withstand the necessity to upgrade for at least 3-5 years (based on average-user needs and trends). Now for me, I see the integrated video memory and wince, since I know that it won't be able to handle the games that I play. Then again this isn't a high-end desktop replacement either, so casting aside any high expectations leaves enjoyable video performance. The video memory is integrated so the 64MB is a slice of the total 512MB system memory. It's a shame that HP didn't put in dedicated video memory, since that would have made this unit virtually perfect (and probably would have broken my resistance to purchase one). The DV1040 has all the connectivity that you would want, with the exception of a compactflash card slot. You do get a 6-in-1 card reader, USB, Firewire, Wireless B/G, and Bluetooth connections as well. The 60GB harddrive is large enough for most normal users, though for those wanting to add more storage can always shop around for an external drive. The unit sports the new BrightView screen, so combined with the Harmon Kardon speakers you get pleasing video and audio when compared to laptops with basic speakers and LCD screens. Here are the system specifications.

Processor: 1.6Ghz Intel Centrino with 2MB L2 Cache
Bus Speed: 400Mhz Frontside Bus
Memory: 266Mhz 512MB DDR SDRAM (2x256, max 2x1024)
Hard Drive: 60GB 4200rpm
Disc Drive: DVD+R/RW & CD-RW Combo Drive
Screen: 14" WXGA Widescreeen High Definition BrightView (1280x760)
Video Graphics: 64MB Integrated Intel Extreme Graphics 2
Audio: 16-bit Internal Harmon Kardon Speakers
Network: Integrated 10/100Base-T Ethernet LAN (RJ-45)
Wireless: Bluetooth & Intel Pro Wireless 2200 802.11B/G
Modem: 56kb Modem
Media Slots: 6 in 1 Integrated Media Reader (SD/MMC/SM/XD/MS/MSP)
Card Slot: 1 Type I/II 32-bit Cardbus (supports 16-bit)
Ports: 3x USB 2.0, 2x Headphone, 1x Mic, 1x VGA (15 pin), 1x TV-Out (S-Video), 1x RJ11 (modem), 1x RJ45 (ethernet), 1x Firewire (4-pin), 1x docking/port-replicator


STYLE, ALMOST IN MY POCKET
I think the foremost appeal of this laptop is the size, or possibly the lack thereof. It's a 14" widescreen laptop that gives you a 15:9 aspect ratio. The laptop size feels like you're working on a 15" screen even though it's in a smaller package, while being thin to boot! The DV1040 is only 1.8" when closed, and weighs a mere 5 pounds (5.33 to be more exact). The laptop is about 13.25" long and 9.25" wide. The weight and profile makes this laptop ideal for those who want to carry it with them without having to deal with something heavy or bulky. It's like carrying a college spiral-bound notebook with you, and in many cases it's used in such a manner too. The tops and bottoms of the laptop is a silver color and it has the silver speaker-grills in the front. The sides and back of the DV1040 are flat black, and there is a shiny black rectangular button in the front that separates the speakers and opens the laptop. Lifting the lid will show a flat-black framed LCD screen and a matching black keyboard and keyboard base. The lettering on the keys are both thick and bright white, which makes it very easy to read and type with if you're going to be using the laptop in dimly lit areas. The function sub-letterings are a cool blue, which goes well with the overall look of the laptop. Most other laptops have thin lettering on their keys, but not this model from HP! The power button, located in the upper-left corner of the board, is the only fully-silver colored button that you'll find on the laptop. You'll see white etchings along the sides of the laptop showing the symbols of where all the connections are. The media keys that line the top are black but somewhat translucent as to allow a faint blue glow to shine though, which adds a little something to the mostly-black laptop. The arrow keys stand out particularly well, especially compared to other laptops. The arrow keys are not only rounded, but they're glossy and have large black arrows within a concentric silver circle. To the left of the arrow keys are two small, glossy, black buttons with white dots in the middle, labeled "BACK" and "OK". These buttons allow quick navigation and execution of programs and webpages without having to move your hand from the directional keys to the touchpad buttons. All of the available ports for the laptop are located on the front and sides of the unit. The only thing that plugs into the back of the laptop would be the battery. The benefit would be that users don't have to fumble with nor perform any reach-around on the laptop to find the proper connection that's needed. A slight cock of the equipment will show all the ports you have available. The DV1040 can easily be summed up in two words: clean and sleek.


ENTERTAINMENT, AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
While this laptop can perform work applications equally well as any other laptop with similar hardware, the DV1040 is definitely made to be enjoyed with media. To the right of the power button are two other buttons, one for DVD and one for music. Pressing either of these Quickplay buttons will turn the machine on, but it will completely bypass the boot sequence. What this means is that instead of having a laptop that can play your movie or music CD, you now have either a DVD player or a CD player (from CDA, MP3, DVD, VCD, and SVCD formats only). Only HP provides this kind of innovation. This quick-playback option extends the amount of time that you have to use the laptop, without having to recharge the battery, since the only components that are turned on are the screen, speakers, DVD drive, and keys (media and arrow keys). The rest of the laptop is dormant so you're not wasting battery energy on running the CPU and motherboard and harddisk and such. Not only can you watch movies or listen to music longer when you're on a trip, you can let one other person listen quietly with you. The front of the laptop has three ports, one for a microphone and two for headphones. You can share your media experience with a close neighbor for those long, boring trips. Not just that, but each headphone port can be individually adjusted for volume, just in case one of you is harder of hearing than the other. The Harmon Kardon speakers sound pretty good coming from the laptop, and can be turned up pretty loud. While they don't compare to a good set of desktop speakers, they do sound a lot better than speakers in other laptops (with the exception of the expensive media-center laptops). The BrightView screen on the DV1040 really makes it a joy to watch DVDs on. Compared to regular LCD screens, the BrightView technology brings out richer colors for pictures and video, while also providing higher contrast for text and video. You can use this laptop outside and have an easier time seeing what you're doing with BrightView. The laptop has the common media buttons for music and video navigation (fast-back, play/pause, fast-forward,and stop) above the F-keys. To the right of these media keys are the volume and mute buttons, and the button to turn toggle the wireless connection. As I mentioned before, each of these buttons are slightly translucent to let a blue glow emit from the center. The buttons for mute and wireless connection will glow when those buttons are activated, and cease glowing when they're not. Now for those who like to enjoy their movie with the laptop just slightly out of reach, HP has included a wireless remote control for the laptop. You can command your media experiece from up to 10 feet away, and when you're all done the remote control stores conveniently into the PCMCIA slot on the laptop. How handy is that?


PERFORMANCE, AS A STANDARD
As the basic hardware goes, it's pretty comparable to any other laptop by any other brand. I've messed around with all the laptops that are available at my place of work and similar laptops will perform similar tasks similarly. Though there are a few things that stick out and do make some of a difference. The first thing I noticed is that HP's BrightView screen isn't as bright compared to Toshiba's TruBrite or Sony's XBRITE screens. The difference is a little more subtle compared to Sony's screen, but when compared to Toshiba it's pretty noticeable that Toshiba makes a very very good looking screen. This can make a bigger difference when trying to use the laptop outdoors. Otherwise, HP's BrightView screen does a pretty good job in dimly lit areas or even indoors with halogen lights. Considering that both Toshiba and Sony have been making their brighter screens for a longer amount of time, HP doesn't do too bad as the new guy. The touchpad on the DV1040 is responsive and has a nice tactile feeling to it without being too abrasive. One sweet thing about the touchpad on this model is that the part of the pad that's designated for vertical-scrolling is one of the most accurate that I've used so far. I've tried out other laptop's vertical-scrolling, and enough of them feel like they're just claiming the vertical-scroll ability without really delivering (like all they did was just paint the lines on the touchpad). The DV1040 does deliver an unwavering vertical-scroll. I used the headphones to briefly listen to some music, and while I can't say that they're the greatest I've ever used I can say that they're not too shabby. I was expecting some cheap junky ones. The wireless connection is solid and doesn't drain energy like some older laptops (like the first ones that started to come out with the integrated wireless). I like the blue light that turns on at the base of the screen in the middle of the laptop when the wireless connection is on. The laptop doesn't really run much warmer compared to other laptops, which seems to be a concern among other comments about this particular laptop. As a recommendation, one shouldn't use the laptop without proper underbelly ventilation; use a coolpad or a flat surface as opposed to a pillow or blanket (or anything that will trap heat). As a test to the power of the laptop, I tried playing American McGee's Alice, and I also duplicated a DVD. The duplication performed as expected; it took a bit longer on the laptop than it does on my desktop (at least for the analysing and encoding). The game played much better than I expected. Granted that Alice is based off the Quake III Arena engine, the hardware was no slouch when it came to enjoyable framerates when considering the lack of dedicated video memory. The cutscenes were a bit disappointing, but that, jaggies, and ghosting are expected from LCD screens in 3d-gaming anyway. I could see myself enjoying some oldies-but-goodies type of games on this laptop, though I wouldn't try pressing my luck with something newer and more hardware intensive. Bottom line would be that the HP DV1040 performs admirably as a media center-type laptop without all the undue bulk and weight. Every person that I've sold this laptop to absolutely loves it and has made a point to come back and let me know. If I had the money to buy one right now I think I would. That's probably a bad thing for me, but a good thing for HP and those who are desiring a pretty nice laptop.


What's Included
- HP Mobile Remote Control
- Stereo Earbud Headphones
- 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
- 65W AC Adapter
- Restore CDs

Software
- Microsoft XP Home Edition w/SP2
- Symantec Norton Antivirus (60-day trial)
- HP Camera & Printer Drivers
- Microsoft Works
- Microsoft Money
- Microsoft Office 2003 (60-day trial)
- MSN Encarta Plus
- Muvee autoProducer
- Intervideo WinDVD
- Intervideo WinDVD Creator
- Intervideo Home Theater
- Sonic RecordNow
- HP Quickplay
- HP Imagezone Plus Photo & Imaging
- Apple iTunes
- AOL Dialup Plans

My Minimum Recommended Accessories
- 512mb Sandisk Cruzer Micro (the Micro, not the mini)
- Targus Tornado Chill Mat (USB connection with 2 fans in the base)
- 12cell Lithium Ion Battery for DV-series HP Laptops
- Netflix =)

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 1499.99
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Celeron
Processor speed: over 1000
Screen Size: 14 inches
RAM: More than 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW and DVD
Hard Drive (GB): Over 50