As part of our contribution to the HP Future Is… panel discussion, the 5 of us were given a HP Pavilion DM3 Notebook PC each as thanks.
That’s pretty awesome gift just for half an hour of sharing what we think future computing trends are gonna be like. 🙂
This marks the second HP computer I own. The first one I had was a netbook – the tiny HP Mini which still serves me faithfully till today.
I got the HP Mini when netbooks were all the rage a while back. The problem with netbooks is that they cannot do what big bulky laptops can.
Yea basic surfing works just fine, but open up more than 3 windows and immediately the performance starts to suffer. Then it becomes as slow as #yorais.
There’s an obvious size-performance gap between lightweight netbooks and heavyweight laptops. That’s where the HP Pavilion DM3 comes in.
I always like the slim sleek designs HP come up with for their laptops. Although slightly more expensive than others in its class, their laptops usually more than make up for it in fashion and looks.
Case in point: their eye-catching brushed aluminium exterior.
It’s sturdy, less than an inch thick and slips easily into a backpack.
The widescreen high-definition LED (not LCD) screen is a joy to look at, and the comfy keyboards reminded me of the ones they have MacBook Pros that cost 3 times as much.
The HP Pavilion DM3 belongs to a category of laptops called the “Thin and Light”: thin like a netbook, powerful like a heavyweight laptop.
At 1.9kg, it ain’t exactly feather light. But if you’re used to carrying one of those big arse behemoths from 3 years ago, the weight loss is definitely noticeable.
Underneath the hood, the HP Pavilion DM3 is powered by DDR3 RAM and Intel Core 2 Duo – none of the discounted stuff like Atom or Celeron.
The unit I got came pre-installed with Windows 7. It’s my first experience using Bill Gates’ latest money-making tool. Although I’m still getting the hang of the new OS, I quite enjoy its zippy performance. It’s possible to browse the web, burn CDs and watch Youtube all at the same time without having your computer slow to a crawl.
One feature the DM3 has that stood up from the rest is its ridiculously long battery life. Most other laptop’s battery only last 2 hours without charging. The battery in the DM3 is rated to last up to TEN HOURS.
For most other laptops to last that long, you’d need to friggin feed it with viagra!
Of course, the laptop is not without flaws. There is no built-in DVD drive, although it did come with an external one beautifully crafted to match the design of the laptop.
However, my biggest complaint about the HP Pavilion DM3 is the trackpad.
For something so frequently used, HP mysteriously decided to plonk a glossy mirror surface as its trackpad. I don’t know why. It’s difficult to slide the finger around and I always manage to leave my smudges and finger prints.
The only good thing is if you’re a girl, and you wanna put on your lipstick, you can actually use the trackpad as a makeshift mirror.
Other than that, with a thin-and-light design and an extra-long battery life, it’s a great laptop for people like me who’s always hopping on-and-off airplanes.
If only HP could make me thin-and-light and bless me with extra-long life too. 🙁