First the specs...let me get that over with.

HP Pavilion zt 3000 Series (zt 3280 us to be specific)
1.6 ghz Centrino Pentium-M
512 MB DDR SDRAM
64 MB ATI Mobility Radeon 9200
CD-RW/DVD-R Combo Drive
80 GB hard drive (4200 RPM)
Windows XP Home Edition
15.4" widescreen
Intel(R) Pro Wireless 2200 802.11b/g WLAN

Okie doke, now time to explain all of that in English.

Well, first of all this notebook utilizes Centrino technology. This has three main benefits.

What It's Supposed To Do

1) It enables the notebook to be lighter and thinner. If you go to any computer store, you will notice that all those really thin laptops have Intel Centrino Mobile Technology stickers on them, but those really big fat "laptops" (I put that in quotes b/c some of those "laptops" will crush your lap) don't have it.

2) Well, it's called "Mobile Technology" because it has wireless internet capabilities. Buy a wireless router, press the button on the computer and you can access the internet anywhere in that router's range.

3) It's supposed to also optimize battery life.

Well, let me evaluate how it did on those aspects.

How It REALLY Does

1) Well, first let me start off by saying that this laptop has a 15.4" widescreen display. Thus, even WITH the Centrino technology, it's not the lightest thing out there. That being said, I believe this is as light as a computer with such a big screen can get, so I can't really blame the technology. It IS pretty darn thin, and it's not THAT heavy....but not THAT light.

Basically...if you want a super light/thin laptop you can take anywhere, you'll want to get a Centrino laptop with a smaller screen (maybe 12"?). If you don't want to sacrifice the size of the screeen, but want it to be fairly mobile, then this is good for you.

If you are buying a desktop replacement or you know you're not going to bring it around much, then don't spend money on Centrino. You won't need it to be light, you won't need the wireless internet, and you won't need the battery life, since you will be plugging it in anyway. If you don't care about mobility you can get a much more powerful computer for the same or less money.

Got a little side-tracked there.

2) Wireless internet. I must say I don't use it much because I usually keep it connected in my dorm room. I try to avoid bringing it with me to the library because I know I will waste my time on AIM and the like instead of studying.

However, if you are a responsible person, then this wireless internet thing is awesome. Rutgers University and many other big schools have many places where wireless internet works, and it works without much of a problem. It's still pretty fast.

I don't have a wireless router so I don't know much about how this computer will work if you're trying to set up a wireless network at home. I DO know that the guy in the room next to mine set up a wireless internet the first week of school, and I DID mooch off it for a while because I didn't have a long ethernet cable to go across the room. It worked on-and-off, however, it was probably because he encrypted his signal or something. I don't see why a wireless router wouldn't work. The RU wireless network works like a charm.

3) I really don't see any great battery life. I think the advertised battery life is something like 7-8 hours but everyone knows advertised battery life is always bullsh*t...(see iPod).

It's more like 4-5. It's fine for me because I usually keep it plugged in and if I bring it somewhere, I often bring the AC adaptor too.

You COULD buy a second battery, but that costs $$$ and will weight down the computer further. Just bring the adaptor with you.

Gripes/Complaints
I KNOW that the 64 MB ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 is about the best you can get for such a small laptop (most Centrinos come with 32 MB video cards), but the 9200 isn't exactly the best. NOT A GAMING COMPUTER. Even Sims 2 takes FOREVER to load...Thief: Deadly Shadows told me I need a graphics card update...Deus Ex: Invisible War looks TERRIBLE...but then again Star Wars: KoToR ran fine and looked aweseome. Still, I wouldn't recommend playing Doom 3 on this computer. Old games run fine.

The touchpad sucks. Get a mouse.May I recommend this wireless one. Man, my HTML is really shaky. This took like 23989028 tries.

The built-in speakers are pretty bad. Some laptops even have built-in subwoofers...but anyways, for this computer, you will need to buy new speakers. I recommend these Klipsch ones.

It could use more USB ports, so I had to buy a hub.

MICROSOFT OFFICE TRIAL VERSION?!?!?!??! This is quite a costly computer (about $1500 after rebates), and I did not pay that much to have to use Microsoft Works! The cool thing is that it told me that my trial runs out after 90 days and it's been 4 months and it still hasn't asked me to buy the real version. Though I bet my computer is spying on me writing this right now and I bet it's going to ask me now the next time I use Word. Shoot.


Other Comments

Customer service. Oh man. It takes FOREVER to get on the line, but once you get help, they are very helpful and courteous. Even though once I called at 3 AM and it turned out that my computer just wasn't plugged in and I wasted 30 mins of the person's time, she was still really nice and didn't even laugh at me! Even though I was laughing at myself! She sounded really pretty too and I wanted to ask her out. Okay, getting way too personal here.

I want one of those Sony glass-like bright screens! The Best Buy guy told me that they have to much glare, so I didn't buy a Vaio. Still, those screens are soooo bright/cool....even with the glare. Besides, I don't think anyone's room is illuminated that brightly. Stupid Best Buy guy. Best Buy guys = dumb.

The computer also looks cool. Though when I open it too suddenly, I am worried I am going to break it or something.

The price on this computer was $1700 or something. With rebates, it was $1500. Though that was in August 2004. It might be cheaper now.

The DVD-burner is slowwwwwwwwwwwww. Though it IS cool that I have one finally!

Okay, I think that's all I really have to say. It's a good computer, runs fast most of the time, and won't crush your lap!

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 1500
Operating System: Windows
Screen Size: Greater than 15 inches
RAM: More than 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW and DVD
Hard Drive (GB): Over 50