HP 8740w... Anyone have one? How does it compare to a Thinkpad?

The specs seem great. Magnesium chassis (compared to ABS plastic for Thinkpad), durable aluminum finish, and a coated keyboard.

How is the sound compared to the Thinkpad (My W500 is VERY quiet)?
How is the track point and keyboard compared a Thinkpad?
How is the screen compared to a Thinkpad (I can't imagine it is worse!)?

Thanks!

 

Nobody has received this computer yet.

User SecretAsianMan (and others) have already ordered it. In my country (Spain) is not available yet (and I think in others too). HP started to receive orders at the end of the past month, but HP really scheduled its release earlier this month.

Currently we are talking about this lappy on its owner's lounge thread.

The DreamColor screen is stunning, and it's rumoured that version 2 of this screen will be released on May, with a true 10-bit IPS panel, something unique in the laptop world.

 

Based on the numbers (viewing angle, etc.) that were released for the 8740w unfortunately point to the screen being a 10-bit TN panel (a step up from last generation's 8-bit TN panel, but no where near even a MVA/PVA panel, let alone an IPS one).

 

Where did you find those specs? Have you got any proof for this statement?

The original DreamColor screen it's an 8-bit TN panel, for sure, but it has almost the same specs as a good IPS panel:

Typical contrast ratio: 800:1 (real not dynamic)
Brightness: 300 nits

The horizontal viewing angle is not as good as an IPS panel, since an IPS panel reaches 178º for horizontal viewing though.

Read the tech specs for the 8730w, page 32 of PDF.

And don't forget DreamColor specs are not relased yet for the 8x40w generation (even the related to the DC v1), so please don't lie to people.

 

I posted the link in the 8740w owner's lounge. It's just that HP has never explicitly said that they are using an IPS panel just a "wide viewing angle" screen, users like you and me just took those words and assumed it was IPS, but the fact is that we don't know yet. All I'm saying is take all comments (including mine) with a grain of salt, no need to call people liars.

 

No, I don't assumed the DC2 will be an IPS panel only knowing speculations. I have had some info from a reliable source that it's likely this panel could be an IPS panel (not only for the specs), but because it's rumoured this panel will match with the HP LP2480zx desktop monitor in tech specs. The LP2480zx is a 10-bit H-IPS panel.

 

Interesting, did your source say anything else about it?

 

Of course, the source is HERE. The guy mantaining that blog wrote me an e-mail before that information is released. I wrote him before too, to let him know I'm very interested on any news about the 8740w and he said me he will keep me informed about it.

This guy guessed the pre-release date for the 8740w (later on march) and also the addition of a backlit keyboard as an option (new to EliteBooks), so I think his predictions are very reliable.