*HP Envy 15 Owners Lounge! PART 1*

Sandy Bridge in 2011!

 

Count me in! I love the "wet look" of a glossy screen...

Reflections... blehhh

 

I got the anti-glare as my wifes Sony Z has a matte screen and it rocks.

Just as good color sat without the reflections

 

I've yet to see a matte screen that has the same vibrancy of a glare screen...

Although the panels themselves may be the same, a matte screen is like looking at a painting through a bathroom window, and a reflective screen is like looking at the same painting through a clear glass window. To me, a definite difference.

I suppose I'd have to see them side-by-side to say for sure that there isn't any difference...

 

I'd like to show you my U2410 and see if you still think that

 

Personally, I like the glossy screen look. It makes it look sleek. My order shipped today, hopefully it gets here by Friday. I got:
i7-720QM
4gb RAM
320gb HDD
HD glossy Screen

I plan on upgrading the Ram to 8gb at least, and the HDD to a SSD whenever the next price-cut is.

I originally bought an ENVY at the beginning of Dec, returned it, and ordered the gen2. The first time I got 20% Bing cashback. They haven't canceled it for about two weeks and recently it went from pending to available. What should I do?

 

You may be interested in these eSATA portable drives;

http://www.rocstor.com/products/Rocport-SB.html

It's unclear on the site if they can pull power from a combo USB/eSATA connector or if they require the AC adapter. I sent an email requesting clarification about this, will update if they respond.

 

Let's see, an IPS panel, 12-bit color (1.06B colors), 100% sRGB gamut, and $600, compared to almost any laptop panel that is nowhere near that in specs. Apples-to-oranges.

Plus, since the U2410 only comes as a matte screen, how would we know what it would look like with a glossy front? Probably even more spectacular!

 

Sorry, I'm not buying the glossy = better argument.

It may appear to saturate colors better but the negatives outweigh any positives (for me, at least).

 

Let us know! That was the kind of gizmo I was referring to in my earlier post about combo esata/usb...nice drive (nice girl holding drive), but I prefer to roll my own unless pricing is reasonable. I know I've seen empty enclosures with the combo esata/usb connector. Let me see if I can find them...

 

My point exactly. You had said " Just as good color sat without the reflections", and my argument was it was better saturation, which you now agree to (" It may appear to saturate colors better"), but with other negative qualities. Thank you.

I'm just giving you a hard time. I could really care less one way or the other!

 

I bought one of these off ebay the other day:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812123311

I will try this until a decent enclosure is available to use a single cable for both data and power.

 

"may appear" means that it really isn't saturating any better, just giving off that effect.

I am sure a colorimeter would show near identical numbers between the 2..

 

What's the difference? Since we LOOK at a screen that APPEARS more saturated, who gives a rats a$$ if a colorimeter says otherwise or not? What my eyes and brain tells me is all that is important! Personally, I don't have the expertise to have a technical arguement with you, but as they say..."if it looks like chicken, smells like chicken, and tastes like chicken...it's chicken."

 

According to HP the glossy screen offers an 18% improvement in contrast compared to the non-glossy version.

Does no one else have a wife or children that tend to touch the screen to point at things? IMHO this is the real benefit of a glossy screen. Easily wipeable!

Of course, the matte screen is less susceptable to glare, although I rarely use my laptop outside...

Without seeing either screen prior to purchase I just hope I like it.

 

I also got one of the matte screened beasts. And I do agree that glossy screens do "appear" to have darker blacks and more vibrant colors. However, in my opinion, it's not enough to counteract the disadvantage of seeing the reflection of my face, and every single light source behind me in the glossy screen all the time... I don't get the luxury of using my computer in completely darkened room all the time.

 

Are you under the impression that you can't easily wipe an anti-glare screen?
I find both can be easily cleaned.


I don't use my laptop outside but I still have problems with glare anytime I sit near a window...which is pretty much anywhere in my house. Ceiling lights aren't too much of a problem but floor and table lamps are annoying.

 

I think what he meant was that the finger prints won't show up as readily, which they won't on a matte screen. Just like how finger prints don't show up as readily on matte surfaces. I have a feeling though that this "Anti-glare" screen isn't a true matte screen so that it will still be suscible to finger prints fairly easily. The real advantage will be less glare (i.e. "Anti-glare"... lol)

 

I think he is saying the glossy screen has the advantage of being more easily cleaned.

However, I think anti-glare screens are not only less susceptible to finger prints but also just as easily cleaned.

I'm sure the anti-glare screen is just like every other anti-glare or matte screen that has been standard for years. Nothing special.

 

My Fedex still shows nothing in tracking.
Anyone ?

 

Mine still only says its in China. Sometimes it takes 2-3 days for it to get out of China. But once it gets to the States, it moves pretty quickly.

 

Nothing here as well

 

Thanks for the info, but I have a question regarding Step 2.

I did some searching and found this tutorial that walks you through the process after creating the VHD, in this thread:
http://www.sevenforums.com/installation-setup/13644-guide-how-convert-vhd-iso.html


Steps:
1. Start > Right-click on My Computer > Manage > Disk Management
3. Click on More Actions and select Attach VHD, and locate your VHD
4. Open up GImageX
5. For source, select the drive which the VHD was mounted to
6. For destination, make the file name install.wim and choose where it should be placed
7. For SKU Flag, choose Ultimate
8. For the description information, just customize it however you like
9. Once done, click the Create button
10. Once the conversion is complete, open UltraISO
11. Open the ISO with UltraISO
12. Inside the ISO, there will be a sources folder, so just remove the install.wim file and drag the install.wim file that you made with GImageX into the sources folder. (In other words, you are just replacing the install.wim file that's on the ISO, with the one that you made.)
13. Finally, save it as an ISO
14. Burn the ISO using UltraISO or mount the ISO!


My question is, are step 1 and 2 above required to perform Step 2 in your process? I know nothing about virtual drives and mounting them, so I just want to make sure I have the steps down.

Thanks

 

Ha! Yes, I've wiped many of my 4-year-old's fingerprints from my glossy.

He also hurled a set of keys at my machine once. Missed the display, thank Krog, but made a small gouge in the magnesium just below the trackpad...

 

The reason I use disk2vhd is that this app gives the the option to included the system partition in the vhd, whereas the the windows native "create vhd" doesn't included the system partition in the vhd and thus it will not boot after installation. I tried your method before but i had no luck. The easiest way i found it using disk2vhd.

 

My tracking number finally made it in to the system at 5.38am EST. and of course HP cheated and sent the shipment notification before Fedex actually received the package... of course because I'm getting 5-7 day shipping I won't see it until Monday, assuming it will make the Fedex flight that leaves china in a few hours from now.

I won't hold my breath.

 

LFM problems update.

Based on some of the info released over at thenextbench.com it looks like the lfm is here to stay. it is not a problem with the bios but is the way that hp designed the battery.

If true this means what everyone has been saying and that is your stuck with a machine that will run slower than a C2D on battery (when both machines are on battery since a C2D is not crippled on battery).

I can say I am dissapointed as I thought that the whole purpose of having power managment in the OS was to help control your power usage.

there are still some manufacturers that do offer the ability to run full speed on battery these include HP and Dell.

I know that the Sony F11 is locked on battery at the lfm, and I have not been able to find someone with the lenovo W510 in hand yet. Also the Asus may not be problematic either although it has not been shipped yet either.

cheers,
John

 

fedex doesn't deliver on the weekends?

 

Yeah.... that's really disappointing. The LFM is one of the reasons I upgraded from the 720qm to the 820qm. The 820qm LFM is x9 (1.2GHz) as opposed to x7 (933MHz) on the 720qm.

Even though it's disappointing, considering the battery life I am getting (barely 1 hour on the 6 cell), the machine would probably run for 15 mins only if they unlock the processor.

I feel there are other power issues they have to fix before they unlock the multiplier. I know these processors are power hungry, but it almost feels like there is something wrong that is draining the battery faster than expected.

As previously stated, people who are on battery a lot, this machine is a waste of money and pointless.

 

Dell has the opposite issue which is much worse. The XPS16 doesn't run at full speed when plugged in.

 

don't think so unless you get the next-day delivery thing

 

Yes I agree that it would seem we would have less battery however the majority of C2D processors have 35W TDP yet the i5 version of the envy is locked also. I would like to hear a battery story from someone with a dell m6500.

Yes I did not think the m6500 had that problem though. that would be a closer match to the envy with the ability to run 16gb ram.

 

You have to pay extra for saturday delivery even with next day priority.

no delivery on sunday.

 

Isn't the Dell m6500 heavier and much more expensive? It starts at 8.5lbs and $2,750, uses a 210W power supply. IMHO seems like a nice laptop but not really comparable.

 

Have you checked out 'ThrottleStop' which ahs been developed as a fix to the Dell i7 throttling issue?

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=446193

More info on this thread:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=5790131#post5790131

I have posted a request asking if it is compatable with the i5 series (PM55).

 

I ordered mine on jan 8th, got it shipped on jan 26th, and it is estimated to arrive tuesday feb 2nd, which means It has almost been one month for me to get my product.... thats totally unacceptable. If any product is going to be released by the company, they should make sure they have the supplies in place to support the demand. I m very disappointed but I m glad I got a good deal on my envy.

 

Yes, it doesn't do anything for the Envy on battery. I've been in contact with unclewebb (see http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=445178). He said we was going to make a few changes and ask me to try a private version of ThrottleStop whenever available.

 

Where do you get a custom laptop in less than a month?

 

Thanks for that; let me know if it works. I may try it on the i5-540m version I have coming, but my guess is it will have the same throttling setup from HP as your i7.

 

I think the frustration w/ HP in this case is the lack of information, and the amount of misleading/incorrect information.

Apple ships "custom" laptops in 3 days or less

 

yeah I definitely don't mind a custom laptop taking a month for sure. I just get infuriated when I am lied to over and over again. Its unnecessary and screws up my work flow.

 

Apple......Custom. Don;t ever use these two words in the same sentence.

 

To be clear. HP never ever provided a coupon for Envy systems in the past before the $300. They were probably getting few hundred orders for these systems each week. With the discount and the coupon, the orders exploded. I assume there were few thousand of these systems ordered in less than 2 weeks. That is why HP stalled. I am not saying what they are doing is right. Over all they lowered the price and issued the coupons. They should have calculated an increase in sales.

 

We'll see if that is still the case if they announce a new product today.

Of course, we can just look at prior history to see how perfect they are:

http://theappleblog.com/2009/12/14/apple-delays-imac-shipments-says-sorry/

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/03/developer-inves/

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10157043-37.html

http://www.geek.com/articles/chips/apple-delays-imac-shipments-again-20100121/

http://www.appleinsider.com/article..._causing_major_delays_for_att_businesses.html

Some people have been drinking koolaid and ignoring facts.

 

I dont know if this helps ya feel better, any at all.. but the xps 16's with the 720qm etc have a few people that have reported bricking theyre battery due to high loads (on and off throttlestop). The turbo boost i think can put loads to fast for normal throttling schemes to catch the current from spiking. Those were big 90w/h ish batteries. The i7's actuall power pull was a boatload more than TDP.

I know ya have an i5, i just mentioned that as it was being discussed earlier. If doesnt help just ignore me

 

Usually from HP. My first envy took two weeks and that was with 5 day shipping.

 

is it just me or does the border for the new ipad look too big?

10 hour battery life is epic though... better than any tablets announced this far.... although the hp windows 7 tablet looks nice, i bet it only gets 3-4 hours.

 

I just thought of something. With the Envy 15 I know it does have a webcam but does that mean it has a built in mic or am I going to need to pick up a mic somewhere?

 

I dont see anything original with the Ipad. I might be wrong.

 

they prob need the border to reinforce the super thin device..