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HP PeoBook 4430s : The HP 4430s is endowed with above-average looks, but in other respects it is the epitome of a basic, all-purpose business laptop Price from: £487 |
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Reviews
The 4430s is a solid, affordable business laptop that looks good in the meeting room and will get the job done. The absence of a high-speed local bus, however, is a definite drawback.
It's good at nearly everything, though not so good that you're likely to think "This is it!" It offers biometric security, but lacks USB 3.0 or eSATA for quick local backup.
The Design
The metallic gray color complements the vertically brushed aluminum finish. Your PC's good looks stand up to the commute between home and work with added aluminum casing. But going with the stocky profile enabled HP to include a DVD-RW drive. The rest of our $579 test unit's components were capable, though unspectacular: an Intel Core i3-2310M.
The 4430s weighs in at about 4.5 pounds, which gives it a solid feel but at the same time does make it heavy to place on your lap. The body of the unit has the look of brushed aluminum but is smooth to the touch.
Frame reached the high 20s in frames per second--teasingly close to playable, but not really there. Video playback at any resolution is smooth. The sound is loud and clear, but it emphasizes the midrange when played through the laptop's speakers.
The 4430s's Chiclet-style keyboard is a pleasant surprise. It offers an uncommonly solid feel for a laptop keyboard. The keys are sculpted ever so slightly for a secure feel and I noticed very little key wiggle. The touchpad and buttons offer good response, and are positioned nicely for thumb access as you type. A particularly welcome feature is the ability to turn the touchpad off by double-tapping in the upper left corner. If you've ever put your cursor in the wrong place by inadvertently dragging your thumb across the touchpad while typing, you'll appreciate this option.
The trackpad on the 4430s is middle of the road. HP said that they listened to customer feedback to make it larger, but it still looks to be about the same size as most competitors on the market. It works as one would expect, but is nothing special.
The two buttons below the trackpad receive high marks for the build and "clickyness." While they are a bit firm, over time they will become second nature. The keys are well planted in the chassis and rank among the top that we have used.
Engine Room
Laptop is a Core i3-2310M, the machine had few issues churning out Excel, Word, Outlook, and YouTube videos. Clearly a lower spec machine, this would not be ideal for heaving Photoshop use or video editing. But for your simple daily tasks, there are no issues.
Connectivity
All four USB ports are USB 2.0, and there's no eSATA or USB 3.0 to support fast local backup. Happily, the ethernet port is gigabit, so if you have a fast NAS box or network, you can back up quickly that way. Other ports include an SD/MMC card slot, audio-in and -out, and VGA. There's no HDMI but HP does offer 802.11b/g/nwireless and Bluetooth 3.0 on board.
Storage
HP PeoBook comes with a 4GB of system memory, and a 7200-rpm, 320GB hard drive. The display is a 1366-by-768-resolution, 14-inch widescreen with exceptionally even backlighting.
The Display
The resolution of the laptop is pretty decent as well, considering its 14 inch size, the resolution 1366 x 768 will give decent results. The HP PeoBook also comes in a faster model equipped with a Core i5 processor and a much larger 500GB hard disk drive. With its complete package, HP also ships preinstalled copy of Windows 7 professional edition.
Viewing angles both horizontal and vertical were adequate but they are not extraordinary. The screen is matte and is something that we prefer as using it in a well lit area is done with ease and direct sunlight, while a small barrier, is workable on this laptop.
Battery Life
The battery life at 4 hours, 46 minutes, which isn't the best we've seen, but does beat several comparable units such as the Toshiba Satellite L755-S5258. There is also a 9-cell battery option available for those who need to go longer durations without plugging in
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