Exclusive HP / Toshiba laptops first in Best Buy's Blue Label lineup

Hey guys / gals, check this out. Best Buy is practically admitting that it is just now starting to "gather insights from customers and work with manufacturers to design products that address [consumers'] needs." In a rather odd release, the big box retailer is announcing two new laptops that'll be exclusive to its store: the 14.1-inch Toshiba Satellite E105-S1402 (we which already knew of) and the 13.3-inch HP Pavilion dv3510nr. As for the former, expect a 1.2-inch thin frame, WXGA (1,280 x 800) panel, backlit keyboard, DVD burner, 5.5-hours of battery life and an $1,199 price tag. The HP (shown after the break) will include a LED-backlit WXGA display, up to 4-hours of battery life, inbuilt webcam and precisely the same retail price. Eventually, Best Buy is hoping to expand the Blue Label series to other product lines, though there's no word on where to find these elusive input cards that it's supposedly using to pick and choose wares.

[Ben @ Oct 8th 2008 9:48AM]

Elusive input cards? I think they are normally called "surveys" and are on every receipt. They both also have 2yr manufacturers warranties, and the HP has a 9300GM with 512MB if I'm not mistaken.

[ryanpeters @ Oct 8th 2008 9:50AM]

No Vista 32-bit version?

[Striker @ Oct 8th 2008 10:16AM]

You want 32-bit over 64-bit why? If you are worried that programs won't run, WOW64 (Windows On Windows-64) will run just about any 32-bit app, and it is included with the OS, and just about every driver that you will ever need that works with Vista probably comes in a 64-bit flavor.

[DoomGaZer @ Oct 8th 2008 10:06AM]

If only they were 15.4", WUXGA, LED backlit..........sigh............

[Chad @ Oct 8th 2008 11:43AM]

I know.....I'm so tired of WXGA. I feel like we've stepped backwards with resolutions lately. Everything I see is 1280x800 lately. Personally, I need more lines of horizontal resolution.

[uShak @ Oct 9th 2008 1:30AM]

It's actually surprising because a lot of people i have met and customers I have talked to didn't like 'how small everything is' on 15.4 inch screens [carrying a resolution of 1680x1050 or similar]. Also my dad does a lot of CAD work and he wanted a smaller laptop (had a 17inch satellite p25) so I recomended another satellite with a 1680x1050 option and he is most defintely not a fan of it. I recommended a friend of mine to get a ASUS G1S because it was really cheap and had a high res screen, but then I saw him using it and he set it to like 1280x1024 which wasnt even widescreen but he told me he coudlnt stand the high resolution.

Only a couple examples... but it does go to show that consumers getting laptops smaller than 17" generally don't appreciate the extra screen real estate that some of us videoeditors, graphic designers, animators, videophilles, and nerds do.

[Patriks7 @ Oct 8th 2008 10:05AM]

Thats a pretty awesome idea.
Hope it works out well for you guys.

[Matt G @ Oct 8th 2008 10:12AM]

Yeah the HP is pretty beastly for the price, battery life and weight.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9027714&st=pavilion+dv3510nr&lp=1&type=product&cp=1&id=1218010176167

[tom @ Oct 8th 2008 10:15AM]

your next comment on the opinion card - too expensive =P

[Matt G @ Oct 8th 2008 10:19AM]

To each his own, but I don't see that HP as being overpriced.

Centrino 2 with a 2.0ghz 1066fsb proc, 4gb ram, discrete graphics and 64bit vista, all in a sub 5lb package for less than 1500?

I mean, I guess I'm easy to please?

[JerkfacedFed @ Oct 8th 2008 10:54AM]

hdmi / esata too

[Dan @ Oct 8th 2008 10:54AM]

How about a Blue Label compact digital camera? If Best Buy could resurrect the old Fuji F31 series, I would buy one right now, as I know many others would as well. Look at the prices it goes for on Ebay, its clearly one of the best small digital cameras ever made.

[rock99rock @ Oct 8th 2008 10:55AM]

Informative comment-

BestBuy is not only not the "best buy", normally it is along the lines of the "worst buy". Everything is cheaper somewhere else.

[HDG Mansur Shariah @ Oct 8th 2008 7:44PM]

Yeah..what about resurrecting the Fuji F31. that is a great Idea.

[Dino @ Oct 8th 2008 11:00AM]

Hey Guys... I was thinking of getting a laptop and was at the best buy yesterday and saw these two laptops. Which of these is better to get. They both look good to me but I am no laptop expert. Also is it better to add couple hundreds $ and buy DELL XPS 1530

[Matt G @ Oct 8th 2008 11:06AM]

I don't like the Dell because it's a full pound heavier and you know the battery life is going to be worse, but if you want a beefier system, get that with the 8600 video chip.

if you want light and long-life battery, get the HP

if you don't game at all and just want to surf the web and watch dvds, get the toshiba.

[Pedeka12 @ Oct 8th 2008 1:00PM]

Toshiba is my choice!

[Kent @ Oct 8th 2008 1:01PM]

Toshiba is my choice! It has USB ports that even when my computer is off I can be charging my Mogul that has the worst battery life ever for a cell phone! It also has the 35 gravity sensor on its HD..

A little thing for me that I hate about all HP laptops is how the touchpad is soooo sticky. The New Toshiba has an amazing touch pad on it! It also comes with a years subscription to Computrace from lojack..

If I needed a new computer right now I would get it! But Im not a gamer so no need for the amazing graphics card in the HP

[Dino @ Oct 8th 2008 2:11PM]

Can a graphic card be upgraded in Toshiba laptop??? I want to buy it and then purchase a graphic card and put it in...

[Sam Zebian @ Oct 8th 2008 2:55PM]

Great! Some nice HP laptops with backlighting! Just after I get a replacement machine...

[paperless @ Oct 8th 2008 5:58PM]

Oh my god the toshiba is quite a piece of fuglyness.

[David Bryan @ Oct 8th 2008 11:23PM]

Why are 9-cell batteries so much more expensive than 6-cells? If these puppies can go 5.5 and 4 hours on 6-cells, we should be able to get a work day in the local library out of them with 9-cells. But at $150-200 more, it's obvious neither wanted to go that route.