HP DM1z

[HI DesertNM]

Ok.. just received mine. To get it into quiet mode go into coolsense software. Otherwise the fan howls. So far I love it. 100 percent better keyboard and feel from the last generation. Touch pad much improved and no more loud clicks. Best of all, the screen is much better with improved viewing angles and the color seems to be calibrated well. No where near as washed out as the last model. This is a huge deal for me. So here is the open box picks!

[gooface]

Why is this of interest? I would guess for SSD compatibility. To determine if you can use a sandforce SSD? I'm not current on SSD issues anymore.

Also I have a question - does anybody know if these will be commonly available at retail locations (best buy, etc)? I'm hoping to pick one up while on vacation in the 'states in February. I'd have one built, but I would need to have it shipped somewhere and held for me. Not sure that's possible. Retail should be easier.

My guess would be sometime in mid February. That's just a guess though.

[HI DesertNM]

A few more

[gooface]

more pics please! and maybe some benchmarks and thoughts?

[fakenjones]

Why is this of interest? I would guess for SSD compatibility. To determine if you can use a sandforce SSD? I'm not current on SSD issues anymore.

Also I have a question - does anybody know if these will be commonly available at retail locations (best buy, etc)? I'm hoping to pick one up while on vacation in the 'states in February. I'd have one built, but I would need to have it shipped somewhere and held for me. Not sure that's possible. Retail should be easier.

I'm by Oakville, Ontario, not too far from Toronto, so I'm going to have my order ship to Niagara falls, NY and pick it up from there.

http://www.usaddressinc.com/ will hold your package for a week when it arrives for $5, and its right near the border so thats pretty sweet.

I also found out recently that there is no duty on laptops imported from US even though they are made in China (DM1z). You'll only pay HST on the total of the order.

So my order [$424.99 + $34.00 (NY tax)] X 13% HST = $518.66

Hope that helps.

[HI DesertNM]

more pics please! and maybe some benchmarks and thoughts?

Honestly, the review on this site has better closeup pics then I could probably manage. But my first impressions is that the keyboard and track pad are so much better then the last generations. Very precise and just enough feel when depressing the keys. I'm sure the apple air has a nicer screen but this one is much nicer then the last generation. Text is easier to read and i'm not going right for the dpi to increase that or hit the zoom in IE. Its all clear and easy to read now. Seems to be a larger viewable sweet spot.

Fit and finish are top notch.. everything lines up straight. Last generation the mouse buttons were a tad uneven and the lid was a tad warped when shut. None of that this time around. Listening to the sound now and is probably why I went for the dm1. Its simply top of class for this class of notebook. And as before, its snappy. Quickly jump to device manager, control panel or just now when I installed winamp.. very quick. So far, its everything the hype has made it out to be. I'll let others do the benchmarking etc.. I'm just happy that Hp is using a good LED display this time around.. or maybe they just got it calibrated better. But whatever they did.. it was good. Also nice dedicated brightness keys without hitting the fn key.. and this time, I can use full brightness without the whole thing washing out!!


BTW, my pics don't do justice. The display looks much better then the pics. The lid design is really not that obvious. I think it gives it a bit of a matte look. Probaby won't show priints as much. But those that are concerned about it being too busy It may not be that big a deal.

[malachii]

I'm by Oakville, Ontario, not too far from Toronto, so I'm going to have my order ship to Niagara falls, NY and pick it up from there.
U.S. Address will hold your package for a week when it arrives for $5, and its right near the border so thats pretty sweet.

That's a great idea - maybe I'll have to bite the bullet and just do that too. That place will be useful - thanks. Being in the east end though, it'll be a longish drive. 5 hours of driving is worth it I hope (in total).

I also found out recently that there is no duty on laptops imported from US even though they are made in China (DM1z). You'll only pay HST on the total of the order.

I hope they know that and don't try to screw me at the border for that additional 6%. Oh, and thank goodness, I'll have the proper english-only keyboard with full size shift keys.

[fakenjones]

@DesertNM : really nice to-the-point review! It wont let me give you any more reputation loll. Could you play 1080p youtube on screen and via hdmi to tv and tell us how it works out when you have the time?

@malachii : ya its gonna be around 3 hrs for me intotal, but I sold my laptop recently and am falling behind on my work so I'm gonna go for it. I called customs 1-800-461-9999 five different times and they reassured me that I will not be charged any 6% duty, so fingers crossed

[malachii]

Ok.. just received mine. To get it into quiet mode go into coolsense software. Otherwise the fan howls.

This is a relief. Is it as quiet as most laptops once put into "quiet mode" via coolsense?

[warrensn]

Yeah! I got mine today. Those who ordered on the 9th should be getting theirs now.