Ultrabooks are a dime a dozen now…if only that was the price you found them at though. Today's deal focuses on the HP Spectre 13t-3000, a 13-inch Ultrabook that includes a Core i5 processor and a 128GB SSD, all for a reasonable rate of $799.
Top Deal
- HP Spectre 13t-3000 13.3" 1080p Core i5 Touch Ultrabook w/ 128GB SSD for $799.99 with Free Shipping (normally $999.99 – use coupon code: PC92229).
Additional Deals
- Dell Inspiron 660s Core i5 Quad-core Slim Desktop w/8GB RAM for $499.99 with Free Shipping(normally $719.99).
- Sling Media Slingbox 350 for $118.99 with Free Shipping(normally $179.99 – use coupon code: SLING350).
- Samsung UN32EH4003 32" 720p LED HDTV + $125 Dell eGift Card for $257.99(normally $320.99).
- Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 Speaker System for $99.99 with free shipping(normally $139.99).
- ThinkGeek Coupon: 20% off Orders of $40 – use coupon code: NIMBUS.
And such a great listing of
And such a great listing of system specifications, NOT. There should be a required manufacturers’ data sheet on any laptop/tablet/phone, and retailers/resalers should be required to link to it or have a copy in a binder next to the display model! This data sheet should list the complete hardware, down to the ODM motherboard, and chipsets, all extarnal ports, and Memory (Memory make and Model, speed, and OEM part/SKU numbers). The data sheet should be for that specific make/model with included make and SKU/Model number printed in the data sheet title! Any device found to be lacking this available COMPLETE information beforehand should not be certified by the appropriate Federal agencys, or allowed to be imported! Any retailer/resaler found to not have this information for their display model SKU, or for online SKU a link to the data sheet, shall have to remove the item for sale until the proper information is provided. All of the above rules should also apply for a data sheet of installed software, including the Installed Graphics Drivers, and the device’s graphics drivers’ explicit listing as GENERIC(ONLY serviceable by THE GPU’s OEM), or the Graphics driver’s explicit listing as OEM CUSTOMIZIED( ONLY serviceable BY THE device’s OEM).
A lump of COAL to all the retailers, brick and mortar, and online, as well as the device ODMs/OEM’s who obfuscate this needed information from the consumers’ who properly and legally have a right to this information to make an informed purchasing decision!!
So agree…there is ALWAYS a
So agree…there is ALWAYS a catch…the CPU is always an OLDER model i-series and not a Haswell.
In a portable device this makes a HUGE difference.
You should be a law-maker if
You should be a law-maker if you are not.
What you stated is 100% correct and makes a world of difference to consumers.
My first laptop (10 years
My first laptop (10 years ago) came with a good Data sheet, but until people start to complain to their states’ attorney generals, and elected officals, the entire OEM/CPU/GPU Industry’s marketing wing will try to obfuscate information to keep the consumer in the dark! And how many Tech Websites that ever review laptops/PCs ever inform their readers about graphics drivers(Customizied, or generic), and graphics driver updates. I have a first generation core i3 based Toshiba Laptop that has never had a graphics dirver update, Intel made the integrated GPU in the laptop, but Toshiba customizied the Intel HD garphics drivers, and Intel can not offer updates for OEM customizied HD graphics drivers, as Intel can only service Intel’s Generic Un-customizied HD graphics drivers! Is there a data sheet reguirement for laptops/PCs that will tell the consumer that the drivers on a laptop are customizied, no, is there a way to tell, Yes, but to tell requires administrative privileges! Fat chance getting any sales associate, or store or manager to give you administrative privileges to download the software from the Intel driver update website (that will tell you) and install it onto a laptop that you do not/may not own/purcahse! From my own personal experience 2 out of the 3 laptops that I own will never get graphics driver updates, from their OEMs, the only laptop that I own that gets regular Graphics driver updates, is an ASUS that comes with Intel Generic HD graphics drivers.
Most PC/Laptop review websites are little more than extensions of the manufacturers marketing departments!
The few that are trustworthy mostly cater to the full gaming desktop system market, and do not have the time to properly review the many makes and models of OEM laptops that come on the market! If you BUY a laptop for gaming, be sure to test for Generic Drivers, especially for Intel graphics, before the laptop’s return date expires, and if the drivers are non-updateble by the Intel website, bring it back! Laptop OEMs are terrible about updating their customizied HD graphics drivers, and if your games need updated drivers, you may be SOL without graphics driver updates!
Why is it so difficult to go
Why is it so difficult to go to the manufacturers website and spec it out yourself??? BTW, there is a link – direct to HP for this model. Nothing obfuscated here
More obfuscation by One Size
More obfuscation by One Size fits all, and lack of proper documantation! And really laptops used to have real data sheets that the sales associate kept in a clear plastic sleeve by the display model!
I have an HP laptop, their manuals are one size fits all, including the repair manual! And little/no info about the installed software, and I want it printed in the manual, the full specs of the descrete GPU, including telling me if the graphics dirver updates come from HP, or if I can get them directly from AMD! I want the same kind of manuals, like they had in the old days with the TRS-80 model III, Full technical schematics with every IC chip/port labeled and full OS manuals! If there are ports on the motherboard that are not used I want them listed as there but not used! If HP uses and ODM card/motherboard/GPU or other device, I want that devices manual, user/repair manual included with the documentation that HP should provide! Hell the HP laptop repair manual does not even tell me if the CPU is replacable or not, BGA, ZIF, LGA? I want manuals like I had for the IBM/Burroughs mainframes at college, One side of the room full of the system software manuals, the other side of the room filled with the hardware manuals, No web based/HTML manuals, with their half broken links, and gimped writing style, I want full manuals in PDF format, the big fat 10,000 page ones, not some google translated pile of crap, non cogent, non edited clap trap. HP, at one time long ago, had manuals, but not any more. And the HP system update software is a pile of crap, that stopped working after it updated itself, without my permission about one month ago (I thought that I turned HP auto update off). The HP laptop data sheets are crap also, I want parts numbers listed for at least the user servicable/replacable parts, make/model number/HP SKU number, and the memory size/speed, and the maxium memory the laptop can take (not listed in the user or repair manuals)! The OS that comes with the device should have a complete manual that lists any OEM customizations. The HP software update website lists 2 versions of update driver software for my make, model, and OS: regular and energy star and looking through the installed software I can find enegry star power saving software, but no required enegry star sticker on the laptop, or explicit enegry star listing in the user manual. laptop OEMs need to list their updates by the device’s serial number(searchable by device’s serial number) , and not the one size fits all Make and model numbering schemes that they currently use, and the downloaded updates should install themselves, and not have to be unzipped into a directory, and then made to run! I am afraid to run the BIOS update, using the HP crappy system update software, BIOS/UEFI updates should be handled by special BIOS/UEFI ONLY update/flashing software. The HP laptop itself is not so bad, and at least it ships with a linux distro also, and did come pre-downgraded to windows 7, so its getting SUSE after windows 7’s EOL! The Old PC manuals were great compared to the current documentation, and its no wonder the call centers take hours of waiting, only to get someone with no technical skills reading from a poorly prepaired script, the same script they threw together to make the crappy manual! Damn HP the laptop comes with a turbo boost enabled CPU and a descrete AMD GPU, at least ship your laptops with a CPU and GPU monitoring gadget or application even if it is a simple 0 to 100% sliding bar (GPUz does not work for some reason) AMD’s monitoring/configuration software sucks for mobile GPUs!