DESIGN, BUILD QUALITY:

The V3614AU comes in a very, very attractive red-brown box with the new Compaq logo plastered on its front and back.  As usual, the inside contains everything you need to start the V3614AU, sans manual (which comes on a CD-ROM), and the V3614au itself. As this is the FreeDos version, no OS, documentation OR drivers come with the laptop (although the shop I was at was kind enough to provide me with a driver CD).

After unwrapping it from its plastic foam confinement, one could immediately see just how glossy the lid is. I don’t know if it’s a current trend, but nearly all HP (and Acer) consumer models come with this iPod-ish gloss on the front lid. But one thing’s for sure: it does make the laptop look good. Keeping it clean from thumbprints would be a huge problem though. In place of the small COMPAQ in place in the middle of the previous V3516AU’s lid, we have a rather large Q embossed on the lid.

The V3614au is built entirely out of plastic, but thankfully it does not feel cheap (as some all-plastic budget laptops do). Maybe it has to do with its very high level of build quality, as I’ve yet to honestly come across screwed together pieces of plastic as well engineered as the V3000 series (particularly the V3600 series). Seams are tight, no screws are loose, not even one noticeable gap in the chassis (the screen’s a different story though, but its still miles better then my Dell M1210). The lid flexes a bit though, but this is to be expected from a full plastic laptop lid.

The only noticeable problem seems to be a small area above the wireless/Bluetooth switch. Press down on this area, and it clicks. Other than that, it’s the LCD panel-frame gaps, but for a sub-2k machine, it’s quite an achievement to have gaps that are miles smaller then even my Dell M1210 (or that one particular low end Vaio SZ that I came across – horrific, horrible LCD panel-frame gaps). Maybe that’s why HP is leading in terms of sales nowadays (Dell, take note).

For a 14.1 inch screen model, the weight, dimensions and thickness is just right. And the design, oh the design… Don’t get me started on the design. Sure, by now people are probably sick of the glossy blackness of the Pavilion V3000s, but park it side by side to any M1210 (or even the Aspire 4520 – at least to my eyes) and you’ll understand why HP Compaqs have been winning Red Dot Awards for design. This might just be my subjective opinion, but at least it’s a huge improvement over the older full grey Pavilion V2000s. The glossy coating also serves to protect the paint underneath from chipping, fading or scratches – when it’s not busy attracting fingerprints, that is!

The large, full width hinge design looks and feels sturdy as well, but the limitations of these back hinge types are awfully clear  - you can never open them up fully flat horizontally (180°). But even with that in mind, the hinges feel solid and the V3614au closes with a solid thud. There’s no hinge locks as well, similar to my M1210.

The external ports are distributed along only 3 sides of the laptop, as the full width back hinge makes putting on back ports impossible. On the right hand side we have 2 USB ports, modem jack, Kessington lock port and the AC adapter jack; while on the left hand side we have, 1 USB port, FireWire, S-Video, VGA-out, Ethernet Port, Expansion Port 3 (I have no idea what this is for:- docking station maybe?) 5 in one card reader and the ExpressCard/54 slot. The front side only has the audio jacks and the wireless switch.  

The lighted AC Adaptor jack ought to be given honourable mention. It’s lighted up when the jack is connected, which not only looks extremely cool; it also serves to help you find the jack in complete darkness. Very practical indeed.

Now, let’s move on to the interior of the V3614au. Keeping in line with the black theme of the whole laptop, the interior of the Presario is fully black. The full sized keyboard is black, but lacks the textured coating of my Dell M1210’s keyboard. The keys feel comfortable enough though, with adequate travel and very minimal flex. Admittedly, no keys popped out this time, evidence of the V3614AU keyboard’s better build quality in comparison to my Dell.

The touchpad sits right below the keyboard, and in my personal opinion, it’s actually the worse part of the whole entire laptop. First, its surface is much too smooth for comfortable use, compared to my old Fujitsu, my M1210 and even my little brother’s old Acer Travelmate. Second, the touchpad buttons feel very squishy, as in it lacks the proper amount of cushioning.

But, in its favour, it tracks well enough, even though there were NO PROPER DRIVERS available for it at the time of purchase, so the silkscreened side and bottom scrollbars are all just for show as vertical and horizontal scrolling JUST DOESN’T WORK. The turn touchpad button on top of the touchpad is also a stroke of genius, something other manufacturers should at least consider as it is a wonderful convenience.

Other Particular points of interest include the glossy palmrests (which prevents palmrest colour fading, a common enemy of laptop palmrests… Plus, it has a more interesting pattern inlaid within it in comparison to the previous V3415AU and the glowing, touch sensitive media control panel above the keyboard (very cool in concept, not really that practical in execution - it's just too sensitive).

The V3614AU’s speakers are, in my personal opinion, one of the best laptop speakers I have ever heard. Located right above the keyboard, it provides clear bass and treble at volume levels that can be considered as very loud for a laptop speaker. The speakers are produced by Altec Lansing, which is probably why they sound so good.

Overall, the V3614AU simply looks good. With its simple design and glossy black goodness, it’s no wonder HP is leading the computing market in terms of sales.

Next, as usual, we move on to build quality problems, of which only two are major – surprisingly for a sub RM2k laptop. The first problem, as mentioned before, has to do with the clicking on the left palmrest right above the wireless switch/audio port. Press hard on this part, and it clicks loudly enough to be heard from at least a meter away. The second problem has to do with the DVD drive, which, like my M1210, is far too loose. While this does not affect its read/write performance, any CD/DVD that is hard for it to read will spin very noisily inside the tray.

Besides that, there are only minor gripes, like the tiny LCD panel-frame gaps. Overall, it is probably one of the best built, sub-2k laptops that I’ve ever gotten my hands on.

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