Upgrading from HP Pavilion dm3

1) What is your budget?

With the prices of laptops seemingly decreasing, I would prefer to keep the price less than or equal to $1,000 although I would be willing to go over if it was the right laptop for me. I have a Dell/HP computer discount (that I believe is 10-15% off) through my Dad's company that I can use if I purchase one of those computers.

2) What size notebook would you prefer?
a. Netbook; 10” screen or less
b. Ultraportable; 11" - 12” screen
c. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
d. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
e. Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen

I currently have an HP Pavilion dm3 that is 13" and I use a 23" HP Pavilion 23bw external monitor to connect to my laptop for display purposes. The dm3 is a great computer for traveling (which I do quite a bit of) because it is really lightweight and fits well in a backpack. The external monitor allows me to not have to worry about the small screen at home. However, when I am on the road traveling I am not a big fan of the small 13" as it can be a little straining on the eyes after awhile. So, I wouldn't mind looking into 14" and 15" screens in addition to 13" screens.

3) Where will you buying this notebook?

US/online.

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?

I have only had Dell and HP laptops up to this point. I have had an HP laptop for the last 5+ years and really prefer the quality over Dell.

Things I like about my current HP Pavilion dm3 laptop: Great battery life, very slick/cool design, plenty of USB ports, decent sound given its size, and I can do everyday tasks at a pretty good speed.

Things I dislike: The major issue I have with my dm3 is that the keyboard is horrible for typing (I'm just not a big fan of the chicklet-style layout). At work, we use Lenovo ThinkPad's and I was pretty amazed at how much more of an upgrade their keyboard is over HP. With that said, I recently heard something about Lenovo altering the ThinkPad's keyboard and a decent amount of people seemed to have negative reviews. Another negative is the touchpad, although I have yet to find a laptop from any manufacturer who has figured out this problem (I'm sure there is someone out there though!). I don't really use the touchpad very often since it's not very good in the first place and just bring my mouse to the bed, couch, wherever. So, this is probably more of a "minor" issue. There is also no optical drive, although I have now had one laptop with an optical drive and one without an optical drive and I don't really have a preference either way (it would be great to have an optical drive but then the laptop would weigh more so it's a give-and-take).

I'm open to but not really aware of any other brands. I don't want a Mac!

6) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?

I am moonlighting a startup so I will be doing a lot of small business tasks (emailing, multi-tab browsing, Word/Excel, Winzip, etc.). I am not much of a gamer anymore so I won't really need a computer equipped with that type of capability. I'm mainly looking to be able to complete everyday tasks quickly so speed is important. I have a good amount of documents, photos, and music stored on my computer but not many videos. I do watch a decent amount of TV shows/movies online, though. Right now I have 158 GB in free space of 284 GB total so I don't think I will need any upgrade there.

7) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both?

Both. I think I explained some of this above.

8) Will you be playing games on your notebook? If so, please state which games or types of games?

No, not really. I currently have a few games installed (Grand Theft Auto) but I don't really play games anymore.

9) How many hours of battery life do you need?

My current dm3 gets pretty good battery life (although I don't think it's 9 hours...seems more like 3-5 at this point) so anything more than that would be great. Minimum 3 hours.

10) Would you prefer to see the notebooks you're considering before purchasing it or buying a notebook on-line without seeing it is OK?

Buying a notebook on-line without seeing it is OK.

11) What OS do you prefer? Windows (Windows 7 / 8), Mac OS, Linux, etc.

I love Windows 7 but it seems like a move to Windows 8 is going to be a must in the future so might as well join the party.

Screen Specifics

12) From the choices below, what screen resolution(s) would you prefer? Keep in mind screen size in conjunction with resolution will play a large role in overall viewing comfort level. Everyone is different. Some like really small text, while others like their text big and easy to read. Click here for Screen resolution information.

No real preference here. More important to me is screen size first and I'm fine with 13"-15".

13) Do you want a Glossy/reflective screen or a Matte/non-glossy screen?

I have had both screen types and like the overall look of glossy but of course it can create some glare with my desk-side lamps. Open to both types of screens but I do a lot of my work at night with lamps so I'm open to switching to a matte screen this time around.

Build Quality and Design

14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?

This is a tough question. I love the stylishness of my current dm3, especially if you compare it to some of the ThinkPad's laptops. However, it's not an end all be all. Something in between really stylish and completely boring would be ideal if I could find a laptop with a great keyboard but that may not be possible.

15) When are you buying this laptop?

Within the next 4-8 weeks.

16) How long do you want this laptop to last?

3+ years.

Notebook Components

17) How much hard drive space do you need? Do you want a SSD drive?

I think I already alluded to this earlier. I am find with whatever is standard for each computer I look at as I won't be taking up 100% of that space.

18) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a DVD Burner, Blu-ray Reader or Blu-Ray Burner?

I currently have one that I use to play DVD's so yes. I don't need a Blue-ray Reader/Burner.