HP has unveiled their holiday line-up, and the standouts are obviously the flagship HP Envy 13 and Envy 15 notebooks.  Along with the two new Envy models, though HP have also announced a bevy of other notebooks and netbooks, including the business-centric HP ProBook 5310m, the entry-level HP Pavilion dm3, a special edition Studio Tord Boontje HP Mini 110 netbook and the new NVIDIA Ion based 1080p-capable HP Mini 311.

The dm3 comes with a few software extras, but we couldn’t see that they added much value. When we first started up the notebook, HP’s PC Dock was sitting across the top of the screen, ready to be customized with favorite applications. It isn’t any better or simpler than the standard Windows toolbar, but. A second dock in the middle of the screen let us quickly open HP’s MediaSmart multimedia apps, including ones for photo viewing, music playing, and online video viewing. The apps themselves are too slight to be useful, and we disliked the media dock being on by default. The hp laptop battery also comes with the usual Windows bloatware, including a desktop eBay shortcut and a persistent Norton ad that lacked an off button. Oddly, the computer also came with LightScribe disc-marking software, even though it lacks an optical drive. And the dm3′s warranty could use some strengthening. Buyers get one year of limited hardware support, plus 30 days of limited software support.

Now HP is rolling out the successor to the DV2, the HP Pavilion DM3. HP says this laptop will get up to 10 hours of battery life using a 6 cell HP Pavilion dm3 battery and an Intel Core 2 duo processor. It’s also available with a dual core AMD Neo processor and ATI graphics, but that version won’t get the same kind of battery life. Both models will have discrete graphics cards which can be switched on or off depending on whether you need to boost your graphics performance or battery life.

Those who were hoping for another 12.1 inch or smaller netbook might be disappointed to note that the DM3 will have a 13.3 inch show. But the laptop measures just about an inch thick and weighs 4.2 pounds. The AMD version starts at 9, while the Intel model will have a starting price of 9. And if you’re looking for something smaller, there’s always the HP Mini 311 with NVIDIA ION graphics and a slower Intel Atom CPU.

Specs
Processor: 1.3GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300
Memory: 2GB RAM
Storage: 500GB hard drive
Optical Drive: None
Screen: 13.3 inches (1,280×800 native resolution)
Graphics: Integrated Intel GMA 4500MHD
Weight: 4.2 pounds
Dimensions (HWD): 1.2×12.8×9.1 inches
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
 
Those new ENVYs too rich for your blood? HP still has some design chops to show off in the ProBook 5310m and the (leaked, pictured) Pavilion dm3. HP is calling the classy 5310m the “world’s thinnest full-performance notebook,” whatever that means, while the dm3 offers a choice of AMD Neo or Intel Core 2 Duo processors. Both rock 13-inch LCDs, hover around four pounds and measure around an inch thick. The Pavilion dm3 battery is available with a Celeron for as low as 9, but to get that “full-performance” Core 2 Duo action, you’re looking at a 9 tag. Meanwhile the dm3 starts at 9 for AMD and 9 for Intel. With thin-and-light prices like these, who needs netbooks? Both laptops should be out on October 22, running Windows 7. Full PR is after the break.

The 4.2-pound dm3t is heavier than both the UL30 (4.0 pounds) and the Envy 13 (3.8 pounds), but because it omits a DVD drive, it measures just 1.0 inch thin; we had no problem slipping this laptop in a backpack.

HP took a minimalist approach to the rest of the design, and it mostly pays off. Like the Inspiron 14z, we like that dm3t skips dedicated multimedia keys and instead uses the top row on the keyboard for controlling playback and quickly adjusting things like brightness and volume—no function commands required. Other welcome touches include a red LED above the mute button (to let you know when it’s activated) and a touchpad lock button that changes from white to red when engaged. We just wish that the power button was up top for simple access; instead, it’s a switch on the right side.

When you want to buy a excellent looking business notebook you are typically limited to industrial designs which are rugged and durable but not really stylish. Usually the only attractive option was the Apple MacBook Pro up until recently. Dell hopes to change that with the new Latitude Z … a super thin, high-end, 16-inch notebook aimed directly at company professionals.

The Dell Latitude Z is built nearly as excellent as it looks. Some limits are pushed with the thin chassis which can be seen with some mild chassis flex when you try to carry the notebook by the corner of the palmrest. I reckon if the design was slimmed down to 13 or 14-inches this wouldn\’t be as a lot of a issue. With the notebook lying flat on a desk the body has nearly no flex whatsoever, such as key areas like the screen cover, palmrest, and keyboard tray. Two items that really made a excellent impression on me out from the box were the show hinges. They had been very solid and had absolutely no wobble to them when the show fully opened. If Dell place the same attention to detail into their other notebooks as they did using the Latitude Z we would have far fewer complaints with most Dell notebooks.

The Z includes a spacious multitouch-enabled ALPS touchpad. I found it offered excellent sensitivity and no noticeable lag. In testing I did find its tap-to-select feature would hold onto objects without having releasing but some software adjustment aided fix that. The touchpad buttons had been large and simple to trigger with the edge of your finger. They provided a soft clicking action having a medium throw distance. General the touchpad when paired using the EdgeTouch show bezel really made using the notebook an enjoyable experience.

Energy consumption about the Latitude Z is higher than we want to determine, drawing as a lot as 16 watts of power during out battery test. Using the show brightness set to 70%, Wi-Fi active, and Windows 7 set to the “Balanced” profile the Z stayed on for 3 hours and 43 minutes with the 8-cell battery. For such an engineering marvel it was a surprise to see so small tweaking done to enhance battery life.

The Latitude Z packs quite a few surprising features inside its thin chassis. You can configure the Z with an inductive charging system that lets you power the notebook without connecting any wires. The Z also offers EdgeTouch which is a touch-sensitive strip built into the edge of the screen bezel. With the included software you can configure tap-zones to launch programs or use the strip as a huge scroll wheel. As someone who doesn\’t like multitouch-enabled screens for that hazy screen covering or fingerprints this is really a fantastic alternative. Another cool function of the Latitude Z is the touch-sensitive volume controls. This in itself isn\’t a surprise to determine on a notebook, but its haptic feedback when pressed is. Every tap is met having a soft beep and vibration that gives you a very noticeable indication that you pressed the button.

The Dell Latitude Z is really a very impressive high-end business notebook with many tricks up its sleeve. This notebook offers EdgeTouch technology, inductive charging, and haptic feedback for the volume controls all inside a chassis that is no thicker than about ¾ of an inch. Compared to other thin and light notebooks the Z provides a 16-inch show with lots of real estate and one of the greatest keyboards we have observed to date. Besides the cost our only complaint about the program is that it lacks the performance of other notebooks in its cost range and size, but for its intended market that may not be a large problem. Overall should you can\’t be seen with something much less than the best looking notebook about the market near you, look no further than the Latitude Z.

Dell Latitude E6400 Overview / Review
Specs
Intel Core 2 Duo P8700@ 2. 53Ghz 3mb L2 Cache 1066MHzz FSB
4GB DDR2 800MHz Ram
14. 1 WXGA LED Backlit Show LG Panel
250GB HD 7200RPM
Nvidia Quadro NVS-160M