Warm: Ultra portable laptops direct from HP starting at $599

[RedBeard]

I just ordered one and I figured I would share. They are running some kind of promo right now. I stumbled across the page on accident.

Very nice ultraportable that has a integrated optical drive.

Start here

Example:
HP nc2400
Intel Core Solo U1400@1.2GHz
60GB
1GB
DVD-CDRW
Fingerprint Reader
12" WXGA
WLAN A/B/G and BT
1yr warranty
~3.5lb

$599 (shipping is $25)

Oh and you have to call them to order. The process was painless. The operator never asked me for any business information. The guy also said that accessories were half off (for whatever that is worth). All the refurbs I have got from HP in the past could have past as brand new.

 

[s44]

I got one too. Very nice deal, esp. if you can pop the Solo out and switch to a Duo down the line.

Best thing about this machine: it has a trackpoint.

 

[RedBeard]

I bet the CPU is soldiered onto the mainboard. But this still seems to be a great deal.

 

[Mac]

I just rec'd this machine at work and I find it to be a compromised design.

It is small and light which are its strong selling points.

But...it is slow. I doubt that the CPU can be upgraded.

Although the screen is sharp, it is incredibly small for a wide screen. It is only 12". I find it to be almost unusable. At the native resolution of 1280 X 800, it is a joke, unless you are nearsighted.

Keyboard is good...agree with another poster that it has a trackpoint which is my preference, too.

Does not have a SD card reader.

I dislike the machine so much, I am requesting that I get my 2 year old Dell X300 Latitude back. The NC2400 is cute...but I don't consider it to be a usable laptop except for the casual user. Power users should look elsewhere.

My recomendation is to purchase the NC6400. Much more usable machine.

 

[ric1287]

A 12" screen at 1280x800 is fine unless you have terrible vision.

 

[shybo1]

I fix a lot of these at work; the CPU's are NOT soldered on the systemboard. I would avoid the nc6400 as there seems to be a lot of problems related to the screen and also with the systemboard suddenly flaking out. This is a good price is someone is interested in an iffy laptop they usually sell for 2x or 3x as much. As always do a Google search on this laptop and read what the folks are saying about it.

 

[s44]

Originally posted by: shybo1
I fix a lot of these at work; the CPU's are NOT soldered on the systemboard.

Thanks -- do chipsets differ between dual core/single core models, or should I just be able to pop in a U7600 if I wish?

 

[Mac]

Originally posted by: shybo1
I fix a lot of these at work; the CPU's are NOT soldered on the systemboard. I would avoid the nc6400 as there seems to be a lot of problems related to the screen and also with the systemboard suddenly flaking out. This is a good price is someone is interested in an iffy laptop they usually sell for 2x or 3x as much. As always do a Google search on this laptop and read what the folks are saying about it.

I don't know anything about the reliability of the different machines. I can only comment about the ergonomics. The nc2400 is a flawed machine. The screen is way too small. To the earlier poster who stated:

"A 12" screen at 1280x800 is fine unless you have terrible vision"

I question if you have used one of these for an extended period of time. Sure, they work if all you want to do is pull up emails but if you actually use a laptop for anything other downloading porn, this machine is severely lacking. Don't think of this as being a traditional 12" LCD panel...it is widescreen, meaning the the vertical height is smaller. My Dell was a 12" also but the resolution was 1024x768. With the NC2400, it is the same width but the vertical height is one inch shallower. Then consider that more pixels are being crammed onto the display on both axis. I am just guessing but the text on this message is probably smaller than 6pt if that gives you an idea of how small it is.

And to repeat an earlier comment...IT SURE IS S-L-O-O-O-O-W-W. Unless you know what you are doing, I wouldn't even attempt to open up a laptop and swap out the CPU.

All I can say is that if I can't convince my manager to replace my nc2400, I am certain that an accident will occur soon which will render it inoperable and a replacement will be required.

Do not mean to thread crap, I am just telling it like it is. Perhaps you will like it but I can't wait to unload mine.

 

[dementedlemur]

Not to get too off topic, but screen resolution preference is going to vary from person to person. Personally I like the 1280x800 resolution on a 12" wide screen, moreso than a 1024x768 on a standard aspect ratio 12". This is from actual use on my 700m and now D420 vs my D410 and HP NC4000 series laptops.
If you dislike the resolution, HP has one of the nc4400 with a normal aspect ratio screen 1024x768 resolution that has a 1.66 core duo for the same $599 price as the nc 2400, although it doesn't appear to come with an optical drive.
I would be all over one of the nc2400's if Dell hadn't just replaced my D410 with a D420. I'm impressed with its speed, especially considering that it's running Vista Ultimate.

 

[RedBeard]

I actually got the NC2400 in. The 1280X800 12" LCD is very nice. It is bright an just the right size.

It is very easy to read. It isn't too small.

 

[ghost recon88]

They've got one with a DVD-RW now for the same price as the DVD/CD-RW one.