10 things I like about my Compaq Presario V3000

Ever since I got my new Compaq Presario V3000 laptop, a lot of people have been asking me for reviews about it. I thought I’d give it a couple more weeks before I’d post a more substantial feedback but I guess a Top 10 list of what I liked about it would suffice.

1) It is fast! An Intel Core 2 Duo at 1.66GHz T5500 coupled with 1GB of RAM is the fastest rig I’ve ever had (desktops or laptop). I’ll spare you the details (that’s for AnandTech to work on.)

2) The built-in Altec Lansing speakers are just awesome. I’m an avid fan of Altec, having bought only that brand since I had my first PC back in college. The audio controls are simple and easy to use — mute, high and low. The sound quality and volume just rocks (ever tried playing DVD on a noisy Starbucks cafe?).

3) Built-in SD, MS, Pro, MMC and XD card readers to easily transfer files from my Ixus to the laptop in a jiffy.

4) Manual toggle to turn on and off the built-in wifi and blue-tooth devices. With Bluetooth 2.0, I can manage my N3230 with the PC Suite even if it’s tucked in my pocket.

5) Toggle to turn off the trackpad. You can lock it so it won’t respond if you accidentally touch it (rogue cursor movement). This allows you to comfortable use the keyboard un-interrupted even if your palm hits the pad while typing. Comes in handy if you’re using an external mouse.

6) 16x Dual-layer DVD Re-Writer. The store even gave me a whole stack of BenQ DVDs for free.

7) A really bright 14.1″ WXGA LCD screen (1,280×800) — more display space to work on.

8) Reasonable battery life. This one is just over 3 hours (6-cell) though the store said they could get me a 12-cell battery (6 hours) for under Php8k.

9) Dual built-in microphones situated on the top lid part of the screen. Not really for high-quality podcasting but this is the first time I saw two on a laptop.

10) Elegant blank carbon finish. You’ll have to see and touch it to appreciate.

Of course, it doesn’t come in without any drawbacks. First, the same time that I appreciate the extra horizontal display, the added weight comes with the baggage (5.5lbs). The battery life can still be improved, but you need to shell out some more dough to get it to 6 hours. Storage is only 60GB and though I wish it were 100 or 120GB, the DVD-RW comes in handy if you want some more storage space. While it comes in with a PCI Express Card slot, the old but still trusty PCMCIA slot was booted out . And yes, I would have been more delighted if Compact Flash (CF) card reader for my Rebel XT was also supported.

All in all, IMO the Php73,500 I spent for this baby is well worth it.