HP's new Pavilion dv2500t series of laptop computers sports their Radiance finish, offering a polished black coating that is resistant to rough handling. So it looks great and it can take some punishment as well. Part of their mobility line, the dv2500t weighs in at only 5.3 pounds, making it easy to port around.

Yet these laptops are fully equipped for their size. The default price of a grand gives you an Intel Core 2 Duo T7100 processor with twin 1.8GHz cores operating on a single chip. HP also include a gigabyte of DDR2 memory and you can also kick that up to 2GB for a reasonable $50 upgrade if you're ordering direct from HP.

Small laptops inevitably have small screens and the dv2500t is unfortunately no exception. But its 14.1-inch widescreen display delivers crisp and clear images, thanks to a high 1280x800 native resolution.

Another area that is often skimmed in thinner laptops is graphics, and these systems do ship with integrated video. But HP left room for an upgrade to an NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS if you want to game on these systems. For under $50, this graphics option gives you 64MB of dedicated video memory and a much better graphics processor for 3D gaming.

The default 80GB 5,400rpm hard drive is adequate, but you you can beef it up to a 120GB drive for a fairly reasonable $40 or double it to 160GB for $80, so if you'll need more storage space down the road, you might consider a hard drive upgrade when you buy.

HP includes a Super Multi DVD writer with these laptops that burns to traditional DVDs and CDs as well as 8.5GB Dual Layer DVD media. For an extra $15, you can step up to a LightScribe DVD writer. This drive does all of the above and also lets you imprint professional-looking labels to the surface of specially formatted media.

No matter which optical drive you opt for, you'll be able to play DVD movies via HP's QuickPlay, which lets you start up a movie via a remote control without having to boot up the entire system. The remote also fits snugly into the ExpressCard expansion slot when you're traveling.

These laptops boast three USB ports, a Firewire port, and a 5-in-1 media card reader for easily transferring files and photos from your PDA or digital camera. Connectivity includes a modem, network interface, and 802.11a/b/g wireless. For under $50, you can add Wireless N access as well as Bluetooth connectivity for synching to your PDA or cell phone without cords.

Radiance machines also have room for optional built-in webcams or fingerprint readers for users who need online video communication capabilities or additional security. Each option runs you an inexpensive $25 extra.

As is, the HP Pavilion dv2500t is a decent laptop computer that is easy to port around. But with a few key upgrades, it can be an excellent machine for almost any user.


Pro: Sharp design, light
Con: Some upgrades required

Warranty
1-year limited