Many students like the 15.4-inch screen that comes standard, as it offers lots of size for long periods of use, without unpleasant eye fatigue. The anti-glare finish that is part of the display makes it very usable under a variety of lighting conditions and eliminates the glare common on most laptop computers when using them in bright lighting conditions.

Students will find the HP Compaq 6730b to be a fundamental tool for all their needs, but mainly due to its connectivity options. No matter what part of the campus you're at, one of them will always keep you in contact as if you were at your dorm, or school. The Bluetooth option gives our laptops for college even more flexibility when your on the fly. Wireless broadband is also available from AT&T, Sprint or Verizon Wireless. This is, of course, and option and the preferred carrier must be specified at the time of ordering. Use of this service requires activation of wireless broadband service from the selected carrier.

Microsoft Windows 7 Professional is the operating system offered on this laptop. Surprisingly, Compac offers a downgrade to Windows XP or Windows Vista for those of you that prefer either of those systems.

Conclusion:

Students we had testing the Compac 6730b said they really loved the LightScribe labeling option for their graphics classes. One complaint everyone seemed to have was limited battery life when they were running multiple programs, or connected to broadband services. However, this is to be expected with any laptop. Hopefully HP will seek to upgrade the battery in their next project. One can still expect at least 3 hours life, with every program running at the same time.

The HP Compaq 6730b offers the best pricing among laptops for students that are on the market. We recommend the base model with the 500GB Hard Drive for those who have a limited budget. HP’s website instantly calculates how each option changes the checkout price, to help avoid disappointment when you are ready to make the purchase. Strangely purchasing the Bluetooth option will extend your standard warranty options - while this is obviously HP's attempt to market their Bluetooth to you, keep it in mind when you purchase.