Not to be outdone by Brother Dave........

A certain lovable somebody in California has been loading up on big-ticket items lately, so I thought I would try to keep up with him a bit.....

Steven's laptop went on the fritz while he was on the road a couple of weeks ago and he was forced into an emergency purchase of a 2nd laptop from Best Buy. The plan was to get his laptop repaired quickly and hopefully return the new one within the 14 day return window. The laptop WAS repaired fairly easily (just a bad plug), but when he called about returning the new one, we discovered an unfortunate bit of fine print: a "restocking fee".

At first Steven was just going to take the hit of over $100 and just return it anyway, but we talked about it and decided to exchange it instead (conveniently enough, NO restocking fee for exchanges. Hmmmm....). Steven was very sweet and generous and let me pick out this one to keep at the house. Of course, if the one he has on the road bites the dust, I will have to give this one up, but for now I have an amazing, beautiful new laptop! I am really loving this huge 17.3" screen! What do you think?

J.



This laptop features a 17.3" BrightView widescreen display and built-in Blu-ray drive for viewing high-definition movies and games in clear detail. Create customized CDs and DVDs with the double-layer DVD±RW/CD-RW drive with LightScribe technology.

What's Included

* HP Pavilion Laptop with AMD Turion™ II Ultra Dual-Core Mobile Processor
* 8-cell lithium-ion battery
* 65W AC adapter
* Software: Microsoft Works; Cyberlink DVD Suite; Adobe Reader and more
* HP Mobile remote
* Owner's manual

Product Features

* VISION Technology Premium by AMD
For every detail to jump right off the screen when you're viewing high-definition movies and videos, playing games, converting MP3 tracks or video chatting online.
* AMD Turion™ II Ultra dual-core mobile processor M620*
Features 2 processing cores, 2MB L2 cache and 2.5GHz processor speed per core.
* 4GB DDR2 DIMM memory
For multitasking power, expandable to 8GB.
* Blu-ray Disc-enabled DVD±RW/CD-RW drive
With full read support for next-generation Blu-ray Disc (BD-ROM); double-layer support using compatible media. Also supports LightScribe direct-disc labels usng compatible media.
* 17.3" LED high-definition plus widescreen display
With BrightView technology and 1600 x 900 resolution showcases movies and games in stunning clarity.
* 500GB Serial ATA hard drive (7200 rpm)
Offers spacious storage and fast read/write times.
* ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4200 graphics
Features up to 2046MB total graphics memory for lush images. HDMI output for connecting to an HDTV. Altec Lansing audio with SRS Premium Sound.
* HP Mobile remote
For easy control over media.
* Built-in webcam with digital microphone
Makes it easy to chat with and send video mail to family and friends.
* 5-in-1 digital media reader
Supports Secure Digital, MultiMediaCard, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO and xD-Picture Card formats.
* 3 high-speed USB 2.0 ports
For fast digital video, audio and data transfer. 1 eSATA/USB combo port.
* Built-in wireless LAN (802.11b/g/n)
Connect to the Internet without wires.
* Built-in 10/100Base-T Ethernet LAN
With RJ-45 connector for easy wired Web connection.
* Weighs 7.7 lbs. and measures 1.7" thin
For portable power. Full-size keyboard with integrated numeric keypad for comfortable typing.
* Long battery life
Of up to 5 hours and 15 minutes to give you more time away from an outlet.
* HP Espresso Imprint finish
For a stylish look.
* Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64-bit operating system preinstalled
Provides a stable computing platform.
* Software package included
With Microsoft Works, Cyberlink DVD Suite, Adobe Reader and more. 60-day trial version of Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 also included.
* ENERGY STAR qualified
Designed to use less energy and meets strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy.