Dell

Take note of Dell’s first two promos, which features percentage discounts on popular laptops like the Inspiron Mini 10 and the Studio XPS 13.

	Promo	End Date	Coupon
	Save 20% on all laptops and desktops on landing page, including the Mini 10 netbook with coupon code 5TK?LC9VJ5F$33	1/28/09 11:55 PM CDT	5TK?LC9VJ5F$33
	Save 25% on all laptops and desktops on landing page with coupon code ?$QNC1?HSKNR9F		?$QNC1?HSKNR9F
	Save 45% on 5dot Connect’s Deep Forest Backpack. Only $38.49 after discount.	12/17/09 5:55 AM CDT	None required
	Dec 13 – 15: Dell Home Electronics Super Sale on items that will ship in time for the holidays!	12/15/09 6:59 AM CDT
	Stackable $129 off this Studio 15 laptop with Office Home & Student. Only $649 when you use coupon code VF$1LDWF7N9MMM at checkout.	1/1/10 5:55 AM CDT or after 2,000 redemptions	VF$1LDWF7N9MMM

HP Promos

The good thing with HP’s promos? As you customize the maker’s desktops or laptops before adding them to the cart and checking out for purchase, you save more money as you choose more powerful specs. Use the links below as your starting point to get more for less:

	Promo
	Save up to $605 instantly on the HP Pavilion dv6t Quad Edition Series Customizable Notebook PC!
	Save up to $585 instantly on the HP Pavilion Elite e9250t Series Customizable Desktop PC!
	Save up to $515 instantly on the HP Pavilion dv8t Quad Edition Series Customizable Notebook PC!
	Save up to $555 instantly on the HP Pavilion Elite e9280t Series Customizable Desktop PC!

All the above HP promos end this December 19, 2009. Good luck shopping!

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	Promo	Ends	Coupon Code
	Free 2 business day shipping on all Alienware laptop and desktop purchases with coupon code D9MF6D4X1C9BVH	12/18/09 11:59 PM CST or after 200 redemptions	D9MF6D4X1C9BVH
	Save $149 on this Alienware Aurora desktop. Only $1499 after discount	12/12/09 5:55 AM CT	None required
	Save over 45% on this Studio 15 laptop. Only $549 after instant discount! Hurry only 1000 units available at this price.	After 1000 redemptions
	This Inspiron 15 laptop only $399 after $100 instant discount and coupon code 40M?6?W03KFH93. Plus get free next business day shipping.	12/18/2009 11:55 PM CST or after 1830 redemptions	40M?6?W03KFH93
	This Inspiron 15 laptop only $479 after $220 instant discount and coupon code 1R$ZL9Q7CFG69V. Plus get free next business day shipping.	12/18/2009 11:55 PM CST or after 1200 redemptions	1R$ZL9Q7CFG69V
	Nov 19-Dec 4: Only $415 for the Inspiron 11z laptop + free next business day shipping! Use coupon code $9532Z?LL5DB9$.	1/2/2010 11:55 PM CST or after 400 redemptions	$9532Z?LL5DB9$
	Save up to $605 instantly on the HP Pavilion dv6t Quad Edition Series Customizable Notebook PC!	12/6-12/12	None required
	Save up to $515 instantly on the HP Pavilion dv8t Quad Edition Series Customizable Notebook PC!
	Save up to $545 instantly on the HP Pavilion Elite e9250t Series Customizable Desktop PC!
	Save up to $515 instantly on the HP Pavilion Elite e9280t Series Customizable Desktop PC!

Please note the validity periods, as some promos last until certain dates, while others end after a certain number of redemptions. If you’ve got your own holiday promos you’d like to share—and have something to do with gadgets—hit the comments below.

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Another notable trend becomes clear when comparing brands. Here’s the list of nine different brands, ranked from most reliable to least, in terms of malfunction rate:

1. Asus
2. Toshiba
3. Sony
4. Apple
5. Dell
6. Lenovo
7. Acer
8. Gateway
9. HP

Looks like Asus‘ marketing department have a new talking point to advertise, while Apple has another reason to stick its nose up at Dell. I’m also sure Sony would like to mention being second in reliability while pimping its stylish VAIO lines.

The most depressing trend noted, while somewhat obvious, is still a bit depressing: From an average of 7.2% after 12 months of ownership, the average rate of “total failure” rises to 19.7% after 24 months, and steadily rises to 31% by the third year.

Great info from Squaretrade, relevant to makers and consumers alike. What I’d like to see though is a survey on the reliability of desktops. In any case, do you own a laptop? How reliable (or not) has it proven to be?

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Save up to $315 instantly on the HP TouchSmart tx2z Series Customizable Notebook PC! – Savings Include: $200 instant rebate, FREE memory upgrade from 2GB to 3GB ($30 savings), FREE hard drive upgrade from 250GB to 320GB ($40 savings), and get FREE shipping ($29 savings). Ends 11/14

Save up to $275 instantly on the HP Pavilion dv6t Series Customizable Notebook PC! – Savings Include: $150 instant rebate, FREE memory upgrade from 2GB to 3GB ($30 savings), FREE hard drive upgrade from 250GB to 320GB ($40 savings), FREE color customization ($25 savings), and get FREE shipping ($29 savings). Ends 11/14

HURRY 3 Days Only!!! Save up to $495 instantly on the HP Pavilion Elite e9250t Series Customizable Desktop PC! – Savings Include: $250 instant rebate, 35% off 8GB memory ($30 savings), FREE 640GB hard drive upgrade ($50 savings), FREE 15-month Norton Internet Security subscription ($49 savings), 35% off a 21.5-inch diagonal widescreen monitor ($90 savings), and get FREE shipping ($29 savings). Ends 11/10

HURRY 3 Days Only!!! Save up to $325 instantly on the HP Pavilion Slimline s5250t Series Customizable Desktop PC! – Savings Include: $170 instant rebate, FREE 640GB hard drive upgrade ($50 savings), 40% off a 20-inch diagonal widescreen monitor ($80 savings), and get FREE shipping ($29 savings). Ends 11/10

HURRY 3 Days Only!!! Save up to $305 instantly on the HP Pavilion p6250t Series Customizable Desktop PC! – Savings Include: $150 instant rebate, FREE 640GB hard drive upgrade ($50 savings), 40% off a 20-inch diagonal widescreen monitor ($80 savings), and get FREE shipping ($29 savings). Ends 11/10

More promos launch on November 11, 2009 (11/11), so feel free to mark that date down as well. These discounts only apply to desktops:

Save up to $505 instantly on the HP Pavilion Elite e9280t Series Customizable Desktop PC! – Savings Include: $300 instant rebate, FREE 9GB memory upgrade ($40 savings), FREE 15-month Norton Internet Security subscription ($49 savings), 35% off a 21.5-inch diagonal widescreen monitor ($90 savings), and get FREE shipping ($29 savings). Ends 11/17

Save up to $415 instantly on the HP Pavilion p6280t Series Customizable Desktop PC! – Savings Include: $250 instant rebate, FREE 640GB hard drive upgrade ($50 savings), 35% off a 21.5-inch diagonal widescreen monitor ($90 savings), and get FREE shipping ($29 savings). Ends 11/17

Save up to $415 instantly on the HP Pavilion Slimline s5280t Series Customizable Desktop PC! – Savings Include: $250 instant rebate, FREE 640GB hard drive upgrade ($50 savings), 35% off a 21.5-inch diagonal widescreen monitor ($90 savings), and get FREE shipping ($29 savings). Ends 11/17

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Based in the US? Here are some promos from HP:

• Save up to $319 instantly on the NEW HP Pavilion dv6t Quad Edition Series Customizable Laptop PC!. Includes $200 instant rebate, FREE memory upgrade from 2GB to 3GB (-$30), FREE hard drive upgrade from 250GB to 320GB (-$40), and Save 50% on 4GB memory (-$20). From 10/25 to 10/28/2009.
• Save up to $209 instantly on the HP Pavilion dm3t Series Customizable Laptop PC!. Includes $150 instant rebate, and FREE memory upgrade from 2GB to 3GB (-$30). From 10/25 to 10/28/2009.
• Save up to $518 instantly on the NEW HP Pavilion Elite e9280t Series Customizable Desktop PC!. Includes $300 instant rebate, FREE 750GB hard drive upgrade (-$50), FREE 15-month Norton Internet Security subscription (-$49), and 35% off a 21.5-inch diagonal widescreen monitor (-$90). From 10/25 to 10/27/2009.
• Save up to $419 instantly on the NEW HP Pavilion Slimline s5280t Series Customizable Desktop PC!. Includes $250 instant rebate, FREE 640GB hard drive upgrade (-$50), and 35% off a 21.5-inch diagonal widescreen monitor (-$90). From 10/25 to 10/31/2009.

All HP promos also include free shipping (-$29), and are applicable only to US buyers. To those who buy Pavilion Elite e9280t, I’d uninstall Norton as soon as I can, as I’m not convinced of its benefits.

Lenovo UK ThinkPad and Accessory Promos

Obviously, the following promos only apply to UK buyers. They are active now, until Wednesday, October 28, 2009:

• 10% Off ThinkPad X301: ThinkPad X301 gives you the perfect balance of performance, portability and energy-efficiency. Use discount code AFF10X301 to avail.
• Extra 5% off all Lenovo ThinkPads: Get Extra 5% off all Lenovo Ultimate Business Tools, ThinkPad notebooks, with protection and performance just an upgrade away, with Intel technology. Use discount code AFFTALLTHINK5PC to avail.
• 10% off Any Options/Accessories: Get 10% off all Options/Accessories from the Lenovo UK website. Use discount code AFFOPTIONS to avail.

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HP Desktop Deals

• Save up to $515 instantly on the NEW HP Pavilion Elite e9280t Series Customizable Desktop PC! – Savings Include: $300 instant rebate, FREE 750GB hard drive upgrade (-$50), FREE 15-month Norton Internet Security subscription (-$49), 35% off a 21.5-inch diagonal widescreen monitor (-$90), and get FREE shipping (-$29).
• Save up to $415 instantly on the NEW HP Pavilion Slimline s5280t Series Customizable Desktop PC! – Savings Include: $250 instant rebate, FREE 640GB hard drive upgrade (-$50), 35% off a 21.5-inch diagonal widescreen monitor (-$90), and get FREE shipping (-$29).

HP Laptop Deals

• Save up to $325 instantly on the NEW HP Pavilion dv6t Quad Edition Series Customizable Laptop PC! – Savings Include: $200 instant rebate, FREE memory upgrade from 2GB to 3GB (-$30), 50% off 4GB of memory (-$20), FREE hard drive upgrade from 250GB to 320GB (-$40), and get FREE 2 day shipping (-$39 savings).
• Save up to $315 instantly on the NEW HP Pavilion dv7t Quad Edition Series Customizable Laptop PC! – Savings Include: $200 instant rebate, FREE memory upgrade from 3GB to 4GB (-$40), FREE hard drive upgrade from 250GB to 320GB (-$40), and get FREE 2 day shipping (-$39).

Now for the Rest of the Net

• UK’s TalkTalk sent out an “investigator” to go around and download bootleg songs through any WiFi hotspots found. The point was to show that disconnecting file-sharers on the basis of IP alone is not a good idea. Bravo!
• New camera promises to capture your whole life. What the headline said.
• Would you buy a personal supercomputer (for $8K)?. Again, what the headline said.
• Apple gets best spot in EU browser ‘ballot screen,’ Mozilla says. So Mozilla is slamming a Microsoft proposal—because it’s too favorable for Apple! Huh?
• Totally OT: Daniel Beaty’s riveting speech about the choices you can make.

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In fact, the longest part of the setup was installing the drivers (which work nicely on Windows 7 by the way). 5 minutes later, the Windows printer test page was out. Being a B/W laser printer, with less colors to process and worry about, does have it perks after all. At least the built-in scanner does color, which is all that matters in my eager-to-print-reports opinion.

At an average price of over $200, the HP M1120 MFP is one of the most affordable laser printers today. Locate a shop online.

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But by far the most mouth-watering feature of HP’s desktop is its two NVIDIA 9800S setup. That’s two relatively high-performance video cards, both featuring 512MB of memory each, working in tandem to provide lots of power to drive graphics. Like for say, those needy video games? All these functionally high-end specs are contained within a relatively small and stylish desktop tower, which comes with a wireless mouse and keyboard. Unfortunately, a display is not included, but that means you have freedom in that regard.

You can buy the HP Firebird 802(GM339AA) Core 2 Quad Q9400(2.66GHz) 4GB DDR2 from Newegg.com ($1300)

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To make a long story short, the HP Mini 2140 is a bit expensive, but you get what you pay for. At least according to Liliputing:

Sure, the processor isn’t any faster than the CPUs in lower priced netbooks like the HP Mini 1000. And it’s not the thinnest and lightest mini-laptop available. But for a reasonable amount of extra cash you get a sturdier case, an accelerometer, a spill resistant keyboard with DuraKey finish, an ExpressCard slot, and a decent if not spectacular 3 cell battery. A 6 cell battery is also available, which reportedly runs for up to 8 hours with a standard hard drive, and up to 10 hours if you opt for the $575 80GB SSD.

Personally, I’m happy that HP didn’t make the same mistake they did with the Mini 1000: engineering a proprietary VGA-out port. That setup required a relatively expensive adapter to be remotely useful for presenters on-the-go, and limited the potential appeal of that netbook.

(Image courtesy of HP)

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The excitement of Boing Boing Gadget’s Rob over the new HP Mini 2140 is understandable. Save for the really small trackpad, the Mini Note form factor is great because it wonderfully fits a decently-sized keyboard into a netbook. And a 10.1″ display with a native resolution of 1377 x 768? Even better! Or, is it?

My first encounter with my retired Dell Inspiron E1505’s 1680 x 1050 15.4″ screen was a giddy one. The resolution did allow me to keep windows side-by-side, until I realized that all those tiny pixels made the details hard to see. I’m no old fogey, but a significant time was spent craning my head in for a better view.

For some reason, experiencing the same resolution on my 22″ HP w2228h display was a totally different experience. Maybe it’s the screen size.

Yes, I was amazed when I encountered the HP Mini-Note 2133’s 8.9″ 1280 x 768. And yes, the Mini 2140’s display is bigger. But you can bet some users will be squinting, trying to decipher pixels too small for normal eyesight to comprehend.

(image from hp.com)

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