HP Pavilion dv3 with multitouch screen spotted in the wild, we go hands-on
By Richard Lai 
posted Oct 27th 2009 7:28PM
posted Oct 27th 2009 7:28PM
Our curious British fingers managed to stumble upon a European HP Pavilion dv3 blessed with Windows 7 and multitouch on both the screen and the trackpad. The keyboard was great to type on with negligible flex, but the trackpad suffers from the same glossy issues on other recent HPs -- although it responded to our multitouch gestures better than the capacitive screen did. Our major annoyance came from the attempts to rotate pictures on the screen: we learned the hard way that the laptop (or Windows 7 itself) seemed to prefer more exaggerated rotation gestures than the MacBooks -- perhaps one would get used to it over time. The hinge is fairly solid, but we still preferred holding the screen while touching it. On a brighter note we totally dig the inclusion of an HDMI port and an eSATA port, plus you'll get up to seven hours of sweet battery juice from this 2.24kg (4.94 pounds) machine. Read on for our hands-on video and photo gallery.
I crush your head!
I was thinking the same thing when I just watched the video. That was Boy's in the Hall wasn't it?
Seriously cool touch-pad but when you think about it...why did it take this long to come up with? The touch screen has been around for many years and it's been possible to map to points on a touch pad for longer than that.
I'm just not sure if it's going to be a very practical feature for most people.
i don't think i's a good idea putting touch screens in everything...
So based on this video, single touch is excellent, but multi-touch needs some work. Hopefully this can be fixed with better driver support.
yeah.. great that its included but its the just falling at the finish line I have come to expect from much of MS's work..
yep give it some time to mature..
@ James
You mean fail at the starting strip?
still no love for the curly design elements...
I agree, i went to best buy to look for a core i7 laptop and saw the HP dv7. WTF is HP thinking with that curly design? Dell studio 17, me thinks.
How long before that hidious charger plug'll just snap.. HP makes great laptops, with some stupid solutions sometimes..
The way things are written on this site in general, I can't imagine anyone choosing anything over macs. Why is that?
Because if you erase the price differences (which is the only thing people bitch about), macs are the best in terms of quality, software, and ease of use.
It is Engadget.
i hope you were joking when you said software because they're great for itunes and imovie but windows has more selection and more free alternatives
With respect, if all you know about Mac software is iTunes and iMovie then you really should not comment. As a switcher from Windows I can confirm that there is a larger selection of software titles for Windows but I wouldn't read too much into that because a lot of it is pretty poor quality. The Macintosh platform has an excellent indie developer community and the titles they produce are simply better, which is why I haven't switched back.
Learning gestures, with Engadget.
So why arent they using the nice chiclet keyboard from there dm3? Guess im gunna stick with getting that.
what's the big deal with chicklet keyboards? they look nice, but imo they're not really any more comfortable/easier to type on than a regular keyboard. in fact they may be harder to use, because the keys are usually flat, as opposed to these which are concave. this keyboard is the same as on my dv5, and i have absolutely zero complaints.
That thing is obviously not ready for prime time.
Now I know why Apple made their new glass trackpads so big. Every time I'm in Best Buy I go play with the MacBook Pros. Gosh, those trackpads are nice. 2 finger scrolling should be required on all laptops.
Windows laptop trackpads are too small for even regular browsing... not to mention cramming 2 fingers onto it.
And no... I will never purposely put my fingers on a laptop screen.
Check out the Lenovo t400s' trackpad.
Still using that serial killer/pedo avatar I see.
@OneLove
I uploaded another one... and it now switches between this one and the new one. There is no option to delete my old avatar.
But thanks for noticing!
While I get the impression that the Windows laptops are starting to incorporate larger trackpads, I do agree that the MacBooks are still quite a way ahead on this and that under no circumstances am I going to be putting my fingers on the display. The whole idea behind a touchscreen laptop is just wrong. Still, I suppose that you aren't being forced to use it so I'm not too bothered about them as long as I don't have to pay extra for something that I won't use.
Fingerprints?
The features are potentially nice but in reality it's such a cheap feeling computer, and many people complain about quality issues. HP obviously didn't want to compromise their "elite" business offering so made it out of bulgy plastic with a design that will only appeal to some. Too bad because with a bit better fit and finish it could be the perfect convertible for everyone.
Im sticking with apple after my last debacle with HP support for their poorly designed laptops - they offer absolutely no warranty or support!
see http://forums11.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/bizsupport/questionanswer.do?threadId=1260549&admit=109447626+1256688083174+28353475
Haha that's why I went back to Apple, too. I have happily used a plethora of HP's and Sony Vaio's for the last 4 years with only minor problems (but problems nonetheless), but I needed something that I could trust and that if anything went wrong whatsoever, would have a 3 year warranty that covers almost everything I want it to, with no phone calls, and no hassle.
Oh my god, it's gorgeous!
That's definitely what she said.
Yeah I'm sorry but that was a shitty demo. And I totally realize that driver updates etc. might make this work better on computers running windows, but multitouch support on Apple's trackpads is just plain better. It's smooth, extremely intuitive, and there is no lag! The four finger 'show desktop' motion, as well as the 'show all windows' motion blow any Windows Aero feature out of the water. Two finger scrolling is excellent, and manipulating pictures is extremely easy with it.
That being said, I do love Windows, I like 7 alot, and I'm all about competition in the multitouch market (that's what gives us, the consumer, more awesome tech to enjoy!). So I hope touch integration gets better in Windows 7 and on different hardware.
Yeah... I love the Mac glass trackpad.
One question... does the Windows 7 multitouch work on a new MacBook Pro running BootCamp? I'd at least want 2 finger scrolling...
I don't have a laptop right now... and I usually hate trackpads on most laptops... I'd rather use a mouse. But I could get used to the glass trackpad on a Mac.
Well, I'm running Vista on bootcamp right now, and two finger scrolling works, but definitely not as well as it does in OSX. I've heard many complaints from others regarding driver support for the trackpad in Windows. Probably will be cleaned up in the future, but until then, using the multi-touch trackpad in Windows is kind of a pain.
Why don't they use the shell of the envy 13 for all their laptops, that way more people will be tempted to buy their laptops as they look very high quality even though it would probably barely affect their actual cost of production. Same with dell, why don't they just use a thicker version of the adamo casing with the inspiron laptops. I think we are at the point where even the low budget laptops are good enough for what most people do and most people are now buying their laptops based on the looks.
My goodness ! In the pictures in the gallery, the keyboard looks fucked up ! the # is near the return key !
I would never want this !
Did you miss the part in the first sentence about this being a British model, hence with a British keyboard?
it's trackpad is very small to use multitouch and using the scree could be very uncomfortable
I love what HP has been doing and was completely and utterly unimpressed with that video. Also the screen was not very sturdy, as it appeared to jiggle every time he touched it. Also, after having a few friends have problems with their HP laptops, and now reading even more people talking about having issues with their HP's, it has me even second guessing getting an HP at all. I was looking at the Mini 311 or Dm3t. Hmf
That is one ugly laptop. Could H-P have squeezed just a little more fake chrome, cheap, shiny plastic and a few more stickers on that baby?
Nothing like a screen with a bunch of greasy fingerprints. Totally pointless. Maybe a tablet PC but not a desktop or regular laptop.
A 2 minute video of you guys molesting that laptop :(
Who is going to use multi-touch on their screen when they have a keyboard and touch pad?
IMO Apple is doing it right with multi-touch based gestures on the touch pad, that's the ergonomic and smart thing to do.
No one is going to switch from touching their screen to their keyboard and touch pad.
Gestures FTW.
hm. i'm torn on my opinion of this. on one hand convertible tablets are much better for writing w/ a stylus, but on the other hand i could use this for taking notes; i type much quicker than i write, so i would have the keyboard available, but can jot down a diagram on the screen (for taking notes). of course you could do this with a tablet, but tablets typically are thicker/have weaker internals, possibly because the hinge takes up so much space.
If you don't see how multi-touch on a tablet interacting directly with the images on the screen is more practical than a remote huge in-the-way trackpad under the keyboard, then I can't help you. That said, I see zero value in any touchscreen (multitouch or otherwise) on a regular laptop or vertical screen desktop.
"...does the Windows 7 multitouch work on a new MacBook Pro running BootCamp?"
Apple's displays are not multitouch. Jobs and company put the multitouch interface where it should be -- on a smooth, glass-covered optical trackpad that is positioned right on the case where it is physically closer to the keyboard and your body. This makes it far more comfortable to reach. For most users, this is where a touch screen should be.
I meant on the glass trackpad... I'm well aware that Apple doesn't make touchscreens...
I guess I am the only one who thinks touching a screen for multi-touch is the dumbest idea ever outside of point of sale/restaurant systems. People keep plodding towards this concept though, no matter how poor it actually is. The proper solution is a mouse-pad-like item on which you actually touch and interface with your fingers on your desk. A Wacom-ish tablet that can be a mouse pad, drawing tablet, and multi-touch surface. You can have your grease-streaked screens and laptops.
did you see the article on those five multitouch Microsoft Research Department mice? they were pretty mindblowing.
I just looked them up, I have to say it is still misguided IMO. Just like Apple's new multitouch mouse which is actually almost impossible for me to use as intended with large hands. I don't want multi-touch on my screen or on my mouse, neither are natural. Some times a mouse will be best, sometimes a stylus, and other times the fingers... a mouse-pad interface unit makes the most sense.
I'm getting the error "video not available"
maybe your ISP has censored porn