Processor: 1.7 GHz Intel Pentium M

RAM: 512 MB

Hard drive: 60 GB

Weight: 5.3 lbs. (5.7 lbs. with power adapter)

Display: 14-inch widescreen LCD

The Hewlett-Packard Pavilion dv1000 series, which includes the lightest models in the Pavilion lineup, stands out in a few ways, some good and one bad. The tested model was $1,149, with a $50 mail-in rebate available.

It's certainly one of the easier machines to spot in the dark: All of its important control buttons glow blue.

The glossy surface of its 14-inch widescreen display helps movies pop off the screen. And with two headphone jacks, a couple can easily share an in-flight flick.

You can boot this machine into a nifty, simple QuickPlay system to watch DVDs and listen to music without having to wait for Windows to start.

Unfortunately, HP's innovation didn't extend to the dv1000's power supply. It conked out after 1 hour 40 minutes of movie playback and 2 hours 5 minutes of music playback (with the screen at half-brightness), a pathetic performance.

HP sells a higher-capacity, 12-cell battery for just $25 extra, although it adds weight and size to the laptop.

— John Breeden II

Special to The Washington Post