Hewlett-Packard Pavilion dv1000

Powered by a 1.5-GHz Pentium M processor, this isn't the fastest notebook on the block, but we had no trouble juggling Word and Web-surfing while we ripped some MP3s. The dv1000 also features Intel's PRO/Wireless 2200BG connection, enabling you to connect to the Net at high speeds through your home wireless network or at any number of hotspots on the road. A dedicated wireless button lets you turn the Wi-Fi connection on and off to save battery life.

That's only one of ten shiny black buttons just above the keyboard, all of which sport a cool, blue backlight. The two most interesting are the QuickPlay buttons, marked with a DVD logo and music note, which enable users to watch movies or listen to CDs without having to boot up Windows. There are also seven Media Control buttons for controlling playback (Play/Pause, Rewind, Fast Forward, Stop) and adjusting or muting the volume.

When we pressed the Music button, it took less than 10 seconds for the dv1000 to launch a bare-bones playback interface, quickly cuing up our Beastie Boys CD. It took about the same amount of time to load Secret Window when we pressed the DVD button. To navigate menus for either music or movies, you press the plump, oval-shaped menu control buttons that HP designed to replace the traditional arrow keys. There are two small OK and Back buttons just to the left with which you can select options and back out of menus.

If you don't feel like hunching over your notebook to be entertained, HP includes a credit-card-sized remote, which conveniently slips into the notebook's PC Card slot. In addition to mirroring the QuickPlay, media, and menu controls found on the notebook, the remote has an instant-print button, a button that launches HP's Image Zone software for your digital camera, and a video-output button that works with the S-Video port. This last one comes in handy when you want the dv1000 to double as a DVD player for a TV.

As the white icons that line the left and right side of the dv1000 constantly remind you, this notebook has nearly every connection you can think of. In addition to the aforementioned S-Video port, you'll find three USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire port, a six-in-one memory card reader, plus the traditional VGA, Ethernet, and modem. While the icons are useful during the first few days, they detract from the notebook's aesthetics. Our suggestion: easily removable stickers.

The Harmon/Kardon speakers deliver more volume than what you'll find from other notebooks, although they distort when you pump them all the way up. In a thoughtful move, HP also includes two headphone jacks, should you want to share a flick with a seatmate on a long flight, or let the kids watch a movie quietly in your car's back seat.

How many flicks should you be able to get through before the battery conks out? About two, as the dv1000 lasted 5 minutes short of 4 hours in our MobileMark test with wireless turned off. With wireless on, the battery life dipped to 2 hours and 32 minutes.

With all of its entertaining talents, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that dv1000 is a more than capable notebook for work. Its MobileMark score of 152 isn't nearly as fast as more expensive thin-and-lights powered by1.8-GHz Pentium Ms, but the system kept up nicely with multiple applications open at once. Its 3DMark score of 1819, however, should scare off even semi-serious gamers.

Our biggest complaint is that the QuickPlay feature doesn't support WMA files or AAC files, so you can listen to only CDs and MP3s without booting up. iTunes can rip MP3s from your CDs to the hard drive, but for legal downloads you'll have to find a way to convert your music to MP3s. Also keep in mind that MP3s must be stored in the Shared Music folder, not the My Music folder.

The only other annoyance is that you can't play, stop, rewind, or fast-forward tracks in iTunes while you're working in another program, although you can manipulate the volume. All of the media controls work with Microsoft's Windows Media Player while it's playing in the background, however.

These minor complaints aside, HP has done a magnificent job rethinking how a multimedia notebook should look and function. The dv1000 delivers your entertainment fix in a hurry, with a design that raises the bar for portable style.