HP dv2 and dv3 hands-on

We just got a precious few minutes alone in a dark corner (or a huge, overlit booth) with HP's 12.1-inch dv2 and the 13.3-inch dv3. They're both slick little smudge-loving machines with handsome design sense and super glossy finishes. In case you've forgotten, the dv2 is the first netbook to have AMD's Neo platform, and it boasts a 1.6GHz Athlon Neo MV-40 processo, up to 4GB of memory and a 500GB hard drive and starts at $699. The dv3 starts at $799 and comes in several configurations, including either a 2GHz Athlon X2 QL-62 or a 2.4GHz Turion X2 Ultra ZM-86, with ATI's Radeon HD 3200 graphics, up to 8GB of DDR2 RAM, 160/250/320/400GB hard drive choices. They're both available now, but check the gallery for some photographic evidence.

Gallery: Hands-on HP dv2 and HP dv3

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[STINK @ Jan 8th 2009 4:09PM]

You could signal for rescue helicopters with all that shiny-shiny!

[Wii60 @ Jan 8th 2009 4:24PM]

I almost got that dv5 or whatever they call they "blue-label" Best Buy laptop. HP does make some phenomenal laptops (barring their love affair with AMD), but they gloss the hell out of everything they make. A real shame.

[waterwagen @ Jan 8th 2009 4:09PM]

I thought the dv2 wasn't available until April?

[OneLove @ Jan 8th 2009 4:22PM]

HP needs a new frigging case for their laptops. Up yo game fool!

[nbj @ Jan 8th 2009 4:29PM]

i was hoping it would come with a few more stickers!

[Waveblade @ Jan 8th 2009 4:39PM]

Needs less gloss. Glossy screen, ok but glossy notebook? Ehh

[bolezhinkov @ Jan 8th 2009 6:18PM]

I hate when I see someone who has had their laptop for a year and there are all those stupid stickers still on it. take the blindfold off, there is a world without stickers and its wonderful.

[OneLove @ Jan 9th 2009 12:50PM]

Whats wrong with stickers? it makes the laptop look brand new when you resell it. :)

[Oli D @ Jan 8th 2009 5:18PM]

saweeet, im going to get one of them, what OS shall i run on it?

[Allen @ Jan 8th 2009 6:15PM]

Sigh. A 13.3 Netbook? Whats the point of calling something a "NetBook" when it features hardware and price tags similar to that of a actual notebook aka laptop? (rant is in response to the article author calling the dv2 a "netbook")

Someone needs to define "NetBook" as a laptop computer with cheap, low-power hardware and small screen aimed at affordability instead of capability. Otherwise, manufacturers will just move netbooks up in size and price until there is no longer a distinction.

[mark @ Jan 8th 2009 11:24PM]

I agree, anything over 11 inches is not a "netbook". IMHO.

[Chris @ Jan 11th 2009 9:16AM]

Hp and AMD have stated numerious times that their yukon platform is not a netbook, its a sweetspot in between a netbook and a laptop. perfect for a vista/windows7 experience imo. just enough processing power not to score a 2 in the wei and amd has proven that their ati intergrated graphics solution is no slouch either. picture a netbook without slowdown in video playback and the ability to do some multitasking under an operating system that isn't ten years old. with windows7 presumably right around the corner i think the dv2 is gonna be a hit. i'll take one with a 6 cell battery.

[kun1he2 @ Jan 8th 2009 9:45PM]

Sigh, all is good except that the HP logo reminds me of my AMD+NVIDIA based notebook that totally died just beyond its 1-year warranty - with exactly the same symptoms that HP is fixing for free for certain "known" models (and it may not even apply to the country where I'm in!).

Totally put off by HP and NVIDIA now - maybe the hate will dissipate in a couple of years time.

Check out this lengthy HP support forum thread "NVIDIA DEFECTIVE GPUs":
http://forums11.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/bizsupport/questionanswer.do?threadId=1274587