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I HATE MY HEWLETT PACKARD LAPTOP
Come to think of it, I hate every Hewlett Packard product I have ever owned.
Why do I keep buying them, then? Because they keep reviewing well on Consumer
Reports, which always figures heavily in my purchasing decisions.
The long-toothed liability of HP products in my life is causing me to question
my loyalty to that otherwise excellent publication.
HP does manage to make it through the paces that CR puts them through, but
there is something about the everyday use of HP products that makes me want to
throttle someone.
Back to my laptop. From day one, it annoyed the bejezus out of me. The clips
that hold the device together (when closed) are spring-loaded so they snap into
place, but the design leaves them hanging loose when not engaged. Every
keystroke causes them to rattle. I feel like I'm typing on a joy buzzer. All
the time. Seriously. When I use this thing, I run the dishwasher, loud music,
a DVD of random crap - just so I don't have to hear my laptop rattle like one
of Parker's baby toys.
I'm not exagerating. It's that bad.
Next on my list for this machine. MASSIVE heat issues. If I try to run
anything that utilizes the 3d hardware, I have to have the laptop proped up on
a book or other spacer. If it rests - even on a hard surface - it will
overheat in about ten minutes and do an emergency powerdown. You don't want
that to happen when you're in the middle of a timed job interview. I've had it
happen. I wonder if I have the same crappy NVIDIA chip in this thing that has
caused Apple to repair so many MacBooks?
While I'm on the subject of heat - when the cooling fan kicks up to maximum,
the power drain kills the wireless hardware temporarily. Now, let's see. If
I'm running 3D hardware (and it's not for job selection purposes) what might I
be doing? Playing a game online maybe? Not the best time for the net
connection to drop, maybe? Yeah. It happens. Constantly.
Still on the subject of heat: you only put this laptop on your lap if you want
your privates medium rare.
Off of heat now, I've owned it for juuuuuust longer than the warranty period -
and the battery suddenly goes from being good for 90 minutes of conservative
use to dying in 10 minutes. If I power it down completely and unplug it from
the wall, in two days, the battery will not be enough for it to even boot up.
Don't get me started on HP printers, scanners, or monitors. I've used them
all and God willing, never again.
"The PC - It's Personal Again" is their new motto. Oh, yeah. It's personal.
-rbarry
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