Malibal arrived

P151HM1 just arrived, unboxed it (nicely packed) and have been messing with it some. Mixed feelings on it thus far. For the record I'm coming from an M17x R3.

Process: Shipping time was massively faster than I anticipated (helps that I live relatively nearby) and the customer service rep I spoke to was outstanding. The price of the computer was pretty good (I'll get a better feel for that once I see how well it performs). If every transaction with malibal is as simple and easy as this one, they have easily earned their BBB rating.

Looks:
I like the really subdued look to it. It's a business looking computer with entertainment/gaming interiors. Going from the "LOOK AT ME" of the Alienware to the far more subdued Lotus is actually a nice change of pace. I don't mind the lights and whatnot of the alienware, they certainly have their place. But these days I'm getting a little older (I'm 29) so carting around a glowing neon laptop just begins to feel less and less like "me." Yes, I'm getting boring.

Screen: The screen seems solid. I did not opt for a blu-ray player but I did download and play some 1080p videos and they look just as good on the Sager as they do on the Alienware.


Feel: The keyboard seems pretty responsive but it's been a long time since I typed on a chiclet keyboard so I know I will have to get used to it again. Likewise, it's smaller than what I'm used to with my alienware so another change. I don't think it's a bad keyboard at all, but I know it will take getting used to. I've been spoiled by the massive M17x R3 keyboard.

I do not like the texture of the touchpad. I'm used to a glass smooth touchpad and the friction of the touchpad on the clevo is really strange to me. Maybe I will get used to it, maybe I will not...it doesn't seem to slow me down much (I just have to press it lighter than I'm used to with the smooth ones) but it does seem to attract dirt like no tomorrow, even when my hands are pretty clean. The good thing is there is basically no oil or fingerprint retention from it.

The buttons aren't bad, I do wish they clicked a bit deeper. They are quite different from the ones on my M17x R3 as they are smaller, click "hard" (make an audible and physically felt CLICK when pressed), and their click depth is pretty shallow. They're not bad, they're just different. The intergrated fingerprint reader is neat, but I haven't had a chance to use it yet.

Performance results to come soon, I'm downloading a few choice games and programs and I'll watch some stuff streamed to my TV in a bit.

 

Welcome to the other side of the fence. It took me a while to get used to the keyboard too, but once I did I fell in love with it.

 

I'm coming from a XPS 1530 to P170HM, so the keyboard is MASSIVE to me and it's a lot different but it'll just take some time to get use to... I did like the smoothness in the XPS side of things and the keys being easier to push

 

sooooooooo Malibal has the nice boxes by now?

Could you upload a pic of the box? Would be very much appreciated!

and yes, welcome to the Clevo land of happiness

 

No - not yet, Hans.

 

I don't know that it's what I'd call a nice box..I'd just say that it was boxed nicely. There was clear contact style laminate (not stuck to screen) wrapped around the laptop screen and keyboard separately, as well as thin foam dividers between the two. Totally preventing scratches. The laptop was also in it's own little foam baggie, and finally packed into shaped foam that held it suspended in the box. So nothing remarkably fancy, but certainly nice and protective.

I've been playing with it some more and enjoying performance so far. I do not like how loud the right side of the keyboard is, right around the part that sits above the disc drive. Clacks quite audibly when you type on it. The rest of the keyboard is solid.

 

My NEXOC shipped exactly the same way. The laminate protects even the rubberized part of the lid, the area around the touchpad and the speaker grill.

So maybe thats the standart packaging by Clevo....

 

Nice! glad u like

 

Whoever does it, it's a good move. I dig it.

 

Congrats! Mine shipped on the 31 and it's already past customs! Should be here monday hopefully, I can't wait!

 

I received mine today, and it is nothing short of amazing! Touchpad is gonna take some getting use to, but that's why I got a mouse.

 

I got mine 2 days ago. I am still using it with the laminate on. Even with that sheet on the screen, the display is still darn good I agree on the boxing. My laptop was inside the carrying case, inside the box. No foam or anything. The AC adapter, weirdly, is wrapped in styro foam.

 

So what is the texture of the trackpad? I have been wondering about that, is it visibly textured like is a recent trend, or just feels a bit more "friction-y"?

 

just friction no visible textures

 

and it's not that bad to be honest

 

Not bad, I agree. But it could have been a whole lot better if they did not put the rubberized texture on it. This is one of the worst touchpad I have had. I am not saying it's the WORST ever. I have owned many Dells, Sony, and HP, and this touch pad is by far the worst among all of the ones I owned.

 

Kinda, funny, I am a big fan of the touchpad, I like the texture and rubber feel of it.

 

I just found a dead pixel on my screen 0_o it wasn't there when I first turned on the screen today, but I ran one of those youtube test for a little bit. it was still there, but then I started playing with spotify and now it's gone! i'm lucky lol

 

There's nothing rubbery feeling about the NP8130's touchpad. It feels like hard, textured plastic (because it is). It's a fairly awful touchpad to be honest.

The computer itself though seems to be quite primo. I do REALLY miss my backlit keyboard though.

 

oh Sorry, I am on the 150hm, not the 151hm.
the backlit is also the 1 thing that I really miss. It is incredible how used one can get to backlit keyboards.

 

Im looking forward to 2012...maybe in August 2012 we can see some Ivy Bridge based 15" barebone from Clevo, that has these things:

-backlit keys
-less weight
-better speakers
-better-feeling plastic casing
-smaller adapter
-PCI-Express 3.0
-all 4 RAM slots underneath
-thinner design (by 2-5mm at least)
-2x stronger battery


If that happens all at once in the next model, Im gonna buy 2. One for work and one for home & gaming.

 

These good customer feedbacks are pouring in for malibal.
GZ for the op on new laptop, and thanks for sharing

 

Just remember these things cost money. Clevo may not want to do some of these because it might skyrocket the price... Thus them selling less laptops.

 

backlit keyboard would be huge for me, I miss mine bigtime.
Weight, I think the weight is just fine honesty.
Better feeling plastic...they need to either smooth it out a bit (not go glossy, just smooth matte) or rubberize it.
smaller adapter...this thing is pretty darn small as it is.

thinner design, smaller battery, etc...all of that will come as technology increases. right now you get dedicated kick but gpus and lack of battery power (though optimus and integrated graphics switching has started helping with that) or you get long battery life with gma graphics.

Regardless thus far I've been pretty happy with the computer. And Malibal was pro in their delivery and in the actual purchase process.

 

typing in the dark would be easier with backlit

 

That's the one negative of not having a backlit keyboard, in low light conditions, can be a bit of a pain trying to type.

 

Yes which is very pertinent to me since my living room (where I do a lot of my work) tends to be relatively dim, even the overhead lights we use are fairly dim lights.

I'm getting more used to it but I really do miss the backlit a lot. Last three laptops i've had have all been backlit keyboards.

 

I solved that problem 2 years ago, when I had my desktop PC. I like gaming in the evening, with all lights turned off. Problem was - I couldnt see my keyboard and I had typo-errors when chatting. Even worse - playing real time strategies requires hotkeys, so I wasnt able to play to my fullest with constant missing of the wanted keys.

I remembered I had an old and tiny 12W 220V rack lamp (from an old furniture), dug it out and mounted it on my PC desk, underneath the top, where the keyboard drawer is. Its very nice as it provides sufficient light without irritating and keeping the dim atmosphere that I like when gaming or watching movies.


Im still using it to this day (the bulb is about 15 years old!!!) and my USB keyboard + mouse.

I might have to buy a backlit USB keyboard for when I travel though...are these any good (saee pic below)?

 

I don't think you would get good feedback on those keys...

Mr. Mysterious

 

Problem is, quality backlit USB keyboards are:

-expensive.
-expensive!
-too big for my laptop bag
-hard to clean
-e.x+p.e.n.s.i=v.e

 

Your experience might vary, but I've found that those flexible/portable keyboards in general are horrendous if you want to do any serious typing. They have almost no tactile feedback, aren't very accurate (missed keys), and require you to type rather hard. I'd say go for a real keyboard and lug it around if you want a decent one. I've had a lot of keyboards over the years and I have to say that my favorites are the higher end mechanical keyboards.

 

Yes those rubber flexible keyboards are horrible to type on. Maybe, just maybe it'll be bearable for RTS gaming, but thats about it.

 

Or Clevo could just do backlit keyboards. lol

 

Or try one of these....



Laser keyboard!

 

Get ready for some sore fingertips!