Compal HGL30 (Nvidia Go 7600)

Was a date posted for when this notebook would be available on the Powernotebook website?

 

We do not have a release date yet...but it will be soon.

 

Thanks, I will keep an eye out for the post.

 

Mmm...i'm sorry if someone has already asked or if its already been said but is their a price for it yet or do you have a pretty good idea of how much it will be? I heard around the same price as the HEL80. Thanks

 

No pricing until it is released, although I would expect the pricing to be similar to the HEL80...maybe just a little bit less.

 

I know this is a compal forum and all, but i need to ask, is it worth it for me to just order the Asus W3J?

It seems that this laptop might not come out till the end of july and i need my laptop by august 12th.

Also, it doesn't seem like this laptop will be much better if at all better than the W3J. The only downside is that the W3J is more money, but its also good quality.

What do you all think, cause i'm open for all ideas

 

Well it sounds like the HGL30 is only a week or two away (hopefully). If you can afford the W3J though, go for it, it seems to be a great laptop. I was set on that one for a long time but now I just can't justify the extra money for it. For many it is worth it though.

 

well the W3J has nicer materials used in its construction, a magnetic latch and a modular bay. However it is significantly more expensive.

The Compal will be missing a firewire port and a modular bay, but will likely come with a larger cell battery as standard, will have more configuration options, and a dedicated webcam. It'll be all plastic, which does not necessarily mean it is poorly built. If pricing will be lower than the HEL80.. it means you can get a basicly configured HGL30 for less than $1200.. a big factor in those who want something more affordable, or those who are interested in using that $500 saved to invest elsewhere. If anything, the Asus A8jm is more comparable to the Compal.

Service will also be another factor. the W3J having a 1 year international one I believe.. while the Compal will have either a 1-3 year warranty from the reseller, and life time support. Depending on the reseller,.. their warranties and support surpasses that from the manufacturer

 

According to the specs at Marasst Inc., the HGL-30 has one FireWire port. Are you saying that you have specific info to the contrary?

 

yes, close up pictures. infact you can look at the ones on Marasst itself and try locate it.

 

You can also look at page 8 of this thread, paladin confirmed that it does not have firewire.

 

Well I'll be ...



But ... but ... I read it on teh itarweb ... it *must* be true!

 

Actually I can't, as there *is* no page 8 for me. The number of posts/page is a configurable setting. It's better to quote a message number or, better yet, a link to the message.

Thanks for the tip, though. I did find the messages for Paladin44 that I believe you're referring to ( 63 and 79)

 

Hmm, forgot about that, lol. Good that you found it though

 

yeah both Anadem and Marssat list it as having one.. but all the pics I've seen clearly do not have it

I believe Donald has seen it in person and can confirm that he did not see one.
maybe when the production model hits, we may see something

 

Since this notebook will be similar to the HEL80 can we expect an optional TV tuner?

 

No TV Tuner on the HGL30

 

just to double confirm, the HGL30 is a glossy screen yes?

 

Yes, it is the glossy screen.

And they will be arriving...the week of the 17th.

So, with build, burn in and test time of 3-4 days they will be shipping the week of the 24th

 

No word on pricing then?
I know the estimates, but I wanted exact numbers.....

Awesome that we now have a date of when they are coming!!

 

No pricing yet.

 

Ok, now for the good news...

The HGL30 will be up on our website tomorrow as our Crown P 14:2.

It will have the teal LCD cover (actually, the more I look at it the better I like it, the pictures don't do it justice) ...and it will be about $30 more than the Crown P 15:2 (HEL80) with the WXGA screen.

 

Wow that's fast! if we were to order it tommorrow, how long would it take to build it?

any reason why they ended up going for the teal? it seemed certain it was going to get the dark grey? any other differences? will it come with the 9 cell as standard?

 

We should be shipping the week of the 17th.

The HGL31 has the dark grey LCD. The "high end" HGL30 gets the fancy teal...go figure.

Yes, the 9 cell battery is standard.

 

ah wells, I guess it's to be expected? I remember all the integrated versions of their Sonoma laptops were grey-ish or silverish, while all the dedicated gpu ones were more colorful.

DL76 red, DL 76 grey
FL30 white, FL31 black/silver

can't wait to configure it , I think the one thing everyone wants to know.. battery life on the 9 cell!

 

Wow...that was unexpected. Thats odd that they would do the colors that way. That and it being more expensive then the HEL80, not by much though. At least its coming sooner then expected, thats a first. Is there going to be a PowerPro version soon too?

 

We are still deciding about the PowerPro version...odds are for it at this time, but we won't know until next week.

 

Just in time for my birthday!

Now if I could just stop waffling between the P1MX (A8jm), the HEL80 and the HGL30 ...

Say, quick question. The Marasst page describes the display as

14.1" (16:10) WXGA (1280 x 800), glare; anti-glare/anti-reflection
​

Is that just poor translation for a normal glare type glossy display, or is there actually some sort of anti-glare coating on the screen? It be really exciting if they finally started doing that.

And yes, I realize I'm a bit obsessed with screen quality. I do stare a computer screens for 12-16 hours a day, though, so it's not like I don't have reason to be. I'm picky about keyboards, too, but I've already owned a ThinkPad (typing this on my T41) ... everything is at least one step down from there, so no point in worrying about it as long as it's not a Sony or Toshiba.

 

Well, since the glossy reflective screen is not liked by so many people they put an anti-reflective coating on it to tone down the reflection. Now they are left with the marketing task of convincing you that the glare is not really glare, so they use double talk that is so convenient to the twisted marketing mind.

All the double talk ends up being the glare type glossy display, toned down a bit.

Did you see Chaz's comment about the HEL80 screen at http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=1462923&postcount=16 ?

 

Sounds hard to quantify verbally. I suppose I'll just have to wait for pictures, assuming I don't break down and pull the trigger on something else first. I'm pretty sure that a normal glossy screen isn't going to work for me, though.

Yes, I did, I just haven't gotten around to commenting on it yet. His comments, along with your honest and consistant presence here, had just about overcome my resitance to the appearance and size of the HEL80 (vs. the A8jm). In fact, I had planned, until your sudden HGL30 anouncement a few messages ago, to take a break from perseverating over what laptop to purchase to take the place of my beloved T41 until Monday and just try to answer other peoples' questions here instead. Now I have to at least take the time to rule out the HGL30.

If only Asus or Compal would wake up and include a higher res, matte screen on their 14.1" machines ...

 

Compal's previous 14.1", the FL30, was matte screen. dunno if you want to settle for something from last year though

fortunately for you, Powernotebooks has a generous return policy, if you end up not liking the HGL30 or HEL80, you can trade it for the other!

 

Trust me, its glossy. If you prefer matte, you won't like it.

I agree

 

Heh, nope. Dual core, a metric a**-load of memory and 7200RPM drive for work (coding) and a decent GPU for play (all work and no play makes Sindisil very unhappy camper) are table stakes. Actually, I may settle for 1GB of RAM out of the shoot, to leave more of the budget SWMBO is comfortable with to go toward the external LCD I'm getting to go with the new machine.

Good to know, though I have no plans to take advantage of it.

 

Not so much that I prefer matte, though all my laptops have been matte. It's just that the glare from the glossy screens doesn't seem amenable to long use editing code and graphics.

Put it this way ... at work, were I'm currently stuck with a pair of CRTs, I have unscrewed the tubes in several of the ceiling fixtures behind me to reduce the glare because it was giving me headaches. All the glossy LCDs I've looked at have had much more glare than most CRTs.

Sounds like a recipe for migrains to me.

Anyway, thanks for being upfront and helpful, as always!

 

ooh coding eh? then I really think you'll prefer the HEL80 then.. combined with it's wsxga+ screen AND matte texture.. you have alot more lines of coding being displayed than on a wxga.. and your eyes won't be as tired.

or.. you could go for the HGL30 AND a seperate nice external LCD screen for home use

 

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking.

Wish the HEL80 were a bit less. Less heavy. Less big. Less gaudy.

Oh well. Nothing's perfect, just have to optimize best I can.

No "or" about it. I'm getting an extern LCD regardless, both for myself for coding and graphics editing, and for my wife's photo editing. I've grown accustomed to a multi-head setup at work, and I'm finding it harder and harder to code at home with a single display (SXGA on my T41, but still ...)

 

will a 1440x900 resolution display be an option?

maybe after the initial release, just like when the HEL80 wasn't initially available with the WSXGA+ screen?

 

Sorry, it will never be an option in the US market

 

The new Crown P 14:2 (Compal HGL30) is now up on our website and available for pre-order.

We will begin shipping the week of July 17th (that always means by the end of the week if everything goes as planned )

 

that's a shame. at least i can rule this one out and stop waiting for the release...

 

Sweet, now I just hope the PowerPro version goes ahead too. I hate to keep bringing up the firewire thing, but it's listed under the specs as
"IEEE-1394 Firewire Port (VIA - 4 pin)"...did something change or is that part just off?

 

Ooops! Sorry, it was late and I missed the IEEE-1394. It has now been removed...it is unfortunately not on the HGL30

 

Just out of price range
Looks like its the S96j for me

 

Have you called us to see what the Special Promotions are for the HGL30?

 

promo?? hm.. ill be calling you guys to order one as well, would i still be able to get the promotion if i order it within 2 weeks or so?? thanks.

 

Sure, our call in Special Promotion is running through July, and probably August.

 

cool, good to hear, thanks, i will be ordering shortly if the price is still in my range

 

We will be here to serve you when ever you are ready

 

will the VBI versions be coming outsoon?

 

There is no definative word on that yet, but the WXGA VBI HEL80 will be releasing next week.

I am curious though, what is the attraction to the VBI version?