Hel 80 Owners Lounge

Hi all, I've decided to buy a Hel 80 with the Go 7600 video card, I just wanted to know WHERE is the best place to buy it? I need to be able to customize it so it comes with Vista Premier/2gig ram/t7200

I know of discountlaptops.com but other than that im not sure which sellers are good

I dont think warranty will be an issue since I've heard Hel 80 is very durable and havent read anything bad about it like dell/hp notebooks

Also was wondering, is the keyboard spill-proof?

 

I can't tell you where the best store is becuase there are alot of factors to consider.

but check out www.Powernotebooks.com or www.Xoticpc.com or www.agearnotebooks.com or www.RJtech.com

And i dont think the Keyboard is spill-proof.

 

Try XoticPC.com. I am now in the process of ordering from XoticPC an HGL30, the 14.1" sibling of the HEL80. Best prices for the quality on configuration, warranty, and shipping of any of the dealers. Top-tier customer reviews at resellerratings.com, too. You can't go wrong with some of the other resellers, either. But I ran the configuration I wanted on both HEL80 and HGL30 at six reseller sites. I contacted several of them about this or that. The best package overall came down to this store, including attentive and responsive service. It is the second notebook purchase I have made with them.

 

thanks ill check out those sites.

and i guess ill be sure not to keep liquids around it hehe

 

Yea I'm really liking their options like sound card/dead pixel policy

 

You will probably find most of the same options configurable across resellers. Your decision will need to come down to a personal preference for a combination of features, costs, and service/support.

 

Hey i found a place that still sells the wsxga+ screens for a good price, but the warranty is only a year. I dont think I would travel around much with it, but i am taking it to college so I dont know until then. Should i go for it? If i buy a extra warranty, it would be too expensive..

 

Are you looking at a Compal HEL80 or a Sager NP2080? If the WSXGA+ is more important than the warranty...go for it. If the warranty is more important than the resolution..than the standard warranty with the WXGA version may be the way to go.

It really is unfortunate that the WSXGA+ matte screen has been discontinued. Hopefully their '07 release this summer will be a good replacement.

 

nvm i got it for the screen

1 year is good enough

 

A new member to the HEL80 club, reporting in

This is one solid laptop. Blazing fast and silent. The keyboard flex problem is indeed there, but doesn't bother me at the slightest.

 

Welcome to the club, rahkunn!

I'd say that hitting the touchpad while typing on the keyboard is a bigger issue to me. But it's really my fault for not typing properly (you know...how they teach you to do in school). I really wish there were an on/off button like many Asus models have though.

 

but you can disable the touchpad when typing. at least if you have the touchpad drivers installed. there's a "disable when typing" option.

 

Yeah I guess it depends a lot on your typing posture. Since the way keyboard and touchpad are placed is vaguely similar to that of my old laptop, I don't have any problems while typing.

One question though, I can't quite tell if the palmrest is of a painted finish; if it is, will it fade over time like some of those silver painted ones do?

 

Hmm, I'll have to look into that. I didn't really use my notebook keyboard at all until recently (I have a strong preference for a full-sized external whenever possible). I sort of took a quick look once but didn't seem to find it. I'll have to check again if I start taking it with me again.

 

If I've understood your question properly, I would say yes. The color fades much at the palmrests and on the keyboard..I don't like it!

I'm also bothered by the 'hitting touchpad while typing' issue, and I find the driver feature disappointing...when it's deactivated when typing, it doesn't reactivate the moment you stop typing, which I find extremely annoying..It causes a break in my 'workflow' (type -> wait -> use touchpad)..Also, the drivers aren't available in linux, so the feature is excluded there..

 

I'm placing an order for an HEL80 today! I'm really excited to get this thing.

I have a question about the fingerprint reader though...I plan on using it to lock down my computer (mainly because my friends and I like ***with each other when we find each other's computers laying around our radio station). However, I also use my computer via remote desktop daily while I'm at work. Is there a way to bypass the fingerprint reader via remote desktop yet still have it in place when physically at the machine?

I guess someone will only know about this if they're in the same boat, but I figure that this would be a good place to start asking about this before I go elsewhere.

 

Your fingerprint reader can be bypassed with a password.

 

Alright, just as I was ready to put in my order for the HEL80, I find out the WSXGA+ screens are discontinued. The question now becomes: how reliable is the rumour that a replacement is coming this summer? In other words, do I settle for WXGA or wait for the 'return' of WSXGA+???

 

as of friday, xvxonline.com still had the WSXGA+ screen.

 

Since it is the actual LCD screen that became unavailable, not the model, I would not count on seeing it again this Summer...however in this business you never really know anything for sure. If you can wait then I would wait for the Santa Rosa platform anyway, and then we could all get lucky and see the 1680x1050 matte screen come back.

 

AndyNJ! THANK YOU! Your tip got me the very LAST unit available! They had 20 yesterday, and 0 today. But had 2 coming in next week and I got one! Cant believe how fast they sold! Thank you again AndyNJ!

 

Wow. you really lucked out!

My parents are ordering mine for me as a birthday gift (don't get me started...i can more than afford to buy it myself, but they are insisting. i think they feel bad that they didn't pay for my college and i have $60k worth debt from it). I hope that they did it yesterday like they said they would and were able to grab one for me otherwise i'll be a bit ticked.

 

pctorque might still have it, maybe agearnotebooks too ( they never replied to my emails so i dont know)

 

AndyNJ, I am really hoping you get one too! You deserve one for being so generous with me about the tip. here's another place you could buy from but its based in Toronto, Canada. milestonepc.com. they confirmed to me that they still have them. speak with Danny Li. i didnt like their website at all (its all broken) so that deterred me. Hmm, perhaps I should have offered my web design services!

 

I got mine from milestone PC just a week ago.

Ordered it bare and bought all the other pieces from newegg.

The matte screen is very nice. I had a glossy before (appropriately nicknamed "glare screen"). The text and icons are Very Small TM. It's not a problem for me but it would be with some other people.

I didn't get the optical drive mounting bracket because I didn't want to pay $90 for a $50 drive. Otherwise I'm totally happy with my purchase from milestone.

 

HEL80 with WXGA glossy 1280x800 – Questions

(I hope it's OK to post my questions in this thread, since I'm not yet an owner. If not, I apologize. You certainly have my permission to move the post appropriately.)

I'm probably going to purchase the Compal HEL80 (PowerPro L 8:15 Supra) from the good folks at powernotebooks.com. I've read through hundreds of forum entries on various subjects. (Thanks to all of you for generously sharing your knowledge and experience.) But I still have some unanswered questions. And I'm hoping you can help.

Regarding the LCD:
There's lots of feedback about the highly regarded WSXGA+ matte screen. But it's no longer available. So the 15.4” WXGA glossy 1280x800 LCD is the only option right now. However I haven't seen very much information about this LCD. So I'd appreciate hearing from some current owners who have this screen.

Brightness
If I recall correctly, somewhere in the forum posts Donald (paladin44) mentioned that the WXGA screen was rated at 150nits. Not a very high number, but it's only a number. What I'd like to know is:
What's your subjective experience?
Does it seem bright enough in most all situations (except outdoors, of course)?
How would you compare the brightness to the average 1280x800 screen that I would see on the shelves at the big box stores (Best Buy, Circuit City, etc.)?

Evenness of illumination
From normal viewing angles, if you were viewing a spreadsheet or something with a flat, unchanging background:
How even is the lighting of the screen from left to right, top to bottom?
I know that's asking for another subjective evaluation, but you get the idea.

I know that none of the notebook LCDs are as evenly illuminated as a good CRT monitor. But I've looked at a few dozen screens at the big box stores. And I've seen quite a bit of variation. Some are just fine. But some seem to have a noticeable brightness drop-off at the sides. For some reason I don't understand, a drop-off seems to occur more often on the right side. Often there is a noticeably dimmer crescent sweeping from the lower right corner to the upper right corner. (And no, it's not a flaw in my eyeballs, even if they are “over 40” eyeballs.) This is not the kind of thing one would notice when viewing multi-colored screens or viewing a DVD movie. But I spend a fair amount of time with spreadsheets and databases. That's when it matters most.

Ron at PowerNotebooks.com assures me that they've had very few people who had any problems, and that's encouraging. (Thanks for all your help so far, Ron.) But I'm just trying to do my homework before actually purchasing. In the end, it may just be a quality control issue with the various LCD manufacturers – they may just vary, one piece compared to another, more than I think is appropriate. Obviously, it's harder to do the research when you can't actually see the computer in person before purchasing. Which leads me to my last questions:

Do any of you know who makes the WXGA 1280x800 LCD's for the HEL80 (PowerPro L 8:15)?
Is there more than one maker?
Do you know which models by other OEM's (Dell, HP, Toshiba, etc.) also use these same LCD's?
If so, I could go look at some of those models in person.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

i got mine yesterday!

so far i love it, but i haven't gotten to play with it much yet. i'll probably post a lot more about it over the next couple weeks.

 

andy did u order yours from xvx? mine didnt even ship yet

 

Welcome to the forums, seeker7.

Here's a link to the HEL80 review I wrote up after using mine for 5 months. At the bottom there is a link to three more HEL80 reviews here at NBR. It would be a great place to start to get answers to your questions.

 

omg T_T

"Note:

We did not receive enough WSXGA screen last week to fulfill your order, we are expecting the last shipment for these screens on Monday 23rd

Your system will ship out on that day or the following day.



We apologies for any inconvenience."

 

that stinks that you have to wait another week!

 

A quick and simple fix for the rattling keyboard issue, for this or any notebook:

Remove the plastic plate above the keyboard containing the power button etc.

Remove the screws holding down the keyboard assembly.

Take a paper towel, fold in half and trim to the dimensions of the keyboard.

Carefully tilt up the keyboard, be careful not to strain the ribbon cable.

Place the folded paper towel under the keyboard assembly.

Set the keyboard down and replace the screws.

Test the keyboard for noise, reassemble after youre satisfied.

I do this to all Compals that I sell.

Raliegh

 

Does your warranty cover fire hazards? Hope your extended warranty covers property damage

***NOTE***
I'd never buy a computer knowing the system builder does things like this... I'd also say be careful which states you sell to, because that kind of "rigging" without easy to find notice is against the law..

 

Chrisyano, thanks for your response and for your excellent review. The links to the other reviews were very helpful too. By now I'm confident that it's a good machine.

Obviously, all of you who have the hi-res matte LCD are pleased with it. But...it's no longer available apparently. "gotgenes", who has the glossy 1280x800 screen, thought his was good but not great. The difference probably has to do with the "prism" technology of your hi-res matte screen vs. the basic "TN" type of LCD. Plus evaluating something like an LCD is necessarily so subjective. So next step, probably just order it, evaluate it myself, and report back here to see if I can help someone else. I'll probably love it. Thanks again.

 

I just got my HEL 80 a week ago. With Vista Ultimate. The builtin V cam only seems to work with Windows Messenger (but I knoe it does work). If I click the cameral icon in the tray, it tells me the camera is disabled. If I click "enable", nothing happens. Is there some software that is needed to use this camera without using messenger?
I have had a deparate camera in the past, and could insert clips into emails, etc. just by clicking on it.

 

Placing paper between 2 pieces of aluminum plate is hardly a fire hazard. Unless you try it for yourself,
its hard to imagine just how nice and quiet the keyboard can be. But if fire is your concern, I'd imagine there are dozens of other materials that
can be placed there to achieve the same effect. On
that thought, I'd like to test how well a piece of aluminum foil would work.

--Raliegh

 

2.7 billion people drank coffee from MacDonald's... it only took one stupid case to get a lawsuit and cardboard restraint jackets for each cup

 

I'd just like to see some QC on the lids. I've had coffee poured on me at least three times I think, from lids that wouldn't seal properly. (I'm groggy and stupid in the morning, and prone to not paying close attention.)

@Raliegh: We've been using double-sided tape.

 

Have you slid the camera lens to the right exposing the lens?

 

XVXonline.com's site says that the HEL80 can take up to 4gb of memory. Their configurator let's you add that much and purchase the computer with 4gb of memory.

has anyone else noticed this?

everything and everyone else says it maxes at 2gb so that's what i'm going to believe, but i was just wondering if anyone has asked them about this.

 

Haven't asked them, but it makes you wonder about a reseller that doesn't know any better than to offer 4GB in an Intel 945 chipset based laptop.

Either they simply don't know their own technology (giving them the benefit of the doubt) or they...well, you know.

Either way it is pretty bad.

 

ah! here's the story (i just did an online chat with them)...

looks like it's a mistake by their web team and they will be fixing their site soon.

i wonder if anyone has actually tried buying it with 4gb of memory and what they did.

 

Resellers posting the wrong specs on their websites is sadly a rather common occurrence. 2 GB RAM sticks are still rather expensive, so hopefully nobody did place an order like that.

But from the sounds of it, the reseller at least knows that it's a mistake and would have hopefully let the buyers know about it should they have placed the order.

 

xvx also said the weight was 5.5 lbs

 

yeah there was that too.

other than that i'm very happy with them though. they got me my HEL80 with WSXGA+ screen in 5 days. :-D

 

omg why do they take so long on mine??
i bought mine on the 6th

so far so good on ur laptop andy? ^____^

 

so far it's pretty awesome. i'm really liking it.

i think i got lucky and they had the screen in stock at the time. we also called them a couple times and bugged them and then paid for overnight shipping (don't ask )

 

oo thats cool ^^
sorta sucks that i gotta wait 3 weeks

 

Waiting for a new notebook to arrive can be excruciating. Hang in there, kickdim.

 

Ordered a PowerPro model from Donald and the other awesome folks over there at powernotebooks.com yesterday. I honestly can't say enough about how great they were about answering my questions and giving me updates on my order. Now I have to wait for the new family member to arrive in the mail .