It seems that there is a mixed bag a user experiences with the HP-dv4. So, I will throw in my two cents, be it similar to others here. My wife and I had been using a Dell 8600 desktop for a few years. We packed it with the maximum speed possible and HDD space that was logical. I did not want to do too much though, knowing that Windows 7 was on the horizon. We have been satisfied with XP on the old Dell. Once W-7 hit the streets, we thought maybe it was time to dump the non-portibility and see if we could make the move over to a laptop. I read a bunch of reviews for this product and others in the $500 to $800 range and settled on the HP.
The Gateway looked intriging with more features than that of the HP dv4 (and a slightly lower price). And the Dell equivalent was also appealing ("tank-like" build quality). But, with Gateway there seems to be a slew of troubles. The overall "cheapness" (sorry Frank Z.; I just like the term for descripton here) of the Gateway just took it out of the running. And with the Dell (as sturdy as they are and reputation to boot), are on the high-end of the price-point for a medium level laptop (of which this dv4 is also). With the Dell, to get the features the dv4 had, you are on the high end of this price range and possibly getting outside of the range we were trying to stay in. I looked at Sony and IBM, but the Sony (though a really well built and an ergo-nice unit) was again priced high vs. the features of the dv4. And the IBM seemed to have lately just turned the corner on quality. I mean the corner that it turned was to the "dark side".
As you can tell, I am making most of my decision based on others and my 'gut-feel" with some touch time at the retail outlets, like Best Buy. This laptop just has that better feel to it. Construction is fairly solid, keyboard feels very good (not Mac-like, but much better feel that say the Gateway or IBM), layout around the keyboard is logical (I like the touch-sensor volume and wi-fi). Speakers are of great reputation (Altec Lansing), but average sonic quality. Oh well, what can you expect from a laptop. Others have mentioned the touch pad was a little quirky straight out of the box. But, I worked that out in the pointers features option. So, it works well now. The HP Media Center is not what I would chose, but this laptop is mostly for my wife to use and not me. She is happy with it as is. The DVD drive functions fine. There are enough IO connections that we would never run out. Another USB connection would have been nice, as others have mentioned. But, where would it go? No more room on either side of the unit.... And, the output through HDMI is great. Movies on the DVD player look great on our 47" Samsung LCD. Even the TV shows that we miss and watch on network web sites look good on the same output-to-TV.
So, being light users that we are (some of the reason of going down from desktop to laptop - no need for all the bulk and physical "anchoring") this unit is "so far, so good". We have had it since January of 2010 and I hope that some of the problems encountered by other owners does not befall us.
This review / opinion may not help you make your decison. But, as with others that I read before buying, those personal opinions did help point me to the HP dv4 to make sure I at least give them a try at taking my money.. Maybe this guys opinion might lead you to beleive in your own "gut feel". Go try it at a retailer and see how it feels to you....Get more detail about HP Pavilion DV4 Series 14.1-Inch Laptop (Windows 7 Home Premium).
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