The HP Pavilion dm4-1160us ($849.98 list at Staples) is the lightest, and one of the sexiest, 14-inch laptops in the mainstream category. A metal design, above-grade features, and a speedy Intel Core i5 processor are the driving forces behind this lightweight. In addition, this configuration is packed with a 55WH battery that pumped over 5 hours of battery life.

Design
The dm4-1160us, along swith the Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch (Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz) ($1,199 direct, 4 stars) and Asus U45Jc-A1 (review coming shortly), are mainstream laptops that have the most sex appeal. They're covered in aluminum metal and are seductively thin (about an inch thick)—two characteristics that are often associated with luxury laptops. The dm4-1160us has a darker-toned aluminum chassis, whereas those of the MacBook Pro and U45Jc-A1 have lighter, silvery color. HP's imprinting technology is laser etched all over the dm4-1160us's lid and the palm rest area, as opposed to the cleaner-looking, pattern-free designs of its metal-clad brethren. At 4.4 pounds, it's the lightest in the 14-inch class, weighing less than the Lenovo IdeaPad Y460 ($1,049 direct, 4 stars) (4.9 lbs), Dell Inspiron 14R ($820 direct, 3 stars) (4.9 lbs), and U45Jc-A1 (4.7 lbs).

The dm4-1160us 's 14-inch widescreen is one size bigger than the 13-inch found on the MacBook Pro 13-inch and Asus U30Jc-A1 ($899 street, 4.5 stars), which means you will have more screen real-estate to work with. Still, it's a generic screen that uses a standard 1,366 by 768 resolution. If a higher resolution is absolutely essential, the HP Envy 14 ($1,286 direct, 4 stars) can scale up to 1,600 by 900. HP's traditional keyboards are now replaced with the chiclet-style kind, a growing trend in laptops. All the letter keys are perfect, isolated squares, and while it's responsive to any typing style (like touch or hunt-and-peckers), the Lenovo Y460 and Dell 14R have better typing experiences.

The navigating experience—the touchpad and mouse buttons—has also been redesigned, though not necessarily for the better. It's the type of touchpad that has the mouse buttons built-in, similar to the clicking touchpad found in the MacBook Pros, except this one didn't deliver on the multi-touch features. Often times, the built-in multitouch gestures and cursor have a mind of their own when two fingers are applied to the touchpad. A nice work-around is using the tap function with a single finger, or disable to the gestures in the Synaptics software (located in the Control Panel). HP has since issued a driver update, which mutes some, but not all, of the bugs.

Features
Like the U45Jc-A1, the dm4-1160us bundles a dual-layer DVD burner and still managed to keep a slim figure. It has your usual set of connectivity ports, including 3 USBs (one of which doubles as an eSATA port), HDMI, VGA, Ethernet, and a multimedia card reader. An ExpressCard slot is not included, though. Then again, not many 14-inch laptops do these days. The huge 500GB hard drive spins at a fast 7,200rpm, faster than the 5400rpm ones found in the U45Jc-A1 (500GB) and Inspiron 14R (320GB). A finger print reader, which is a rare find on a consumer laptop, is located on top of the right palm rest.

The dm4-1160us also includes Intel's Wireless Display, a neat feature that allows you to stream what's displayed on the laptop to an HDTV, wirelessly. You won't need a transmitter dongle that hangs off a USB port; the wireless chip is built into the laptop. However, you will need to buy the separate Netgear Push2TV receiver ($99.99) that connects to an HDTV, via HDMI. You launch Wireless Display (WiDi) by double-clicking on the WiDi icon on the desktop, which will prompt you to connect to the Netgear receiver already hooked up to an HDTV. Once the dm4 is connected, you can wirelessly transmit picture slideshows and high definition videos at 720p, maximum, to your HDTV from a distance of up to 20 feet.

Customers who buy this system from Staples can avail themselves of several services the retailer offers. This includes setting the new system up, data transfer from your old PC to your new one, software installation, and tech support and protection plans that range in price from $14.99 to $169.99.

Performance
While many of its peers elected to run an Intel Core i3 processor, the HP dm4-1160us kicks it up a notch with a 2.4GHz Core i5-450M. It's a moderately faster processor than the one found in the Asus U45Jc-A1, 14R, and MacBook Pro 13-inch, especially if you're an avid video or photo editor. The dm4-1160us outperformed the U45Jc-A1 in Handbrake (2 minutes 52 seconds), Photoshop CS5 (5:18), and Cinebench 11.5 (2.14) tests—all of which measure raw horsepower. What it lacks, though, is a good graphics chipset, like the Nvidia and ATI switchable graphics found in the Asus U45Jc-A1 and Lenovo Y460, respectively. But that doesn't mean you can't find a dm4-1160us configuration that has discrete graphics; the HP Pavilion dm4-1063cl ($899 list, 3.5 stars) runs an ATI Mobility Radeon 5450.

In battery tests, the dm4-1160us performed well with its 55WH (6-cell) battery, as its MobileMark 2007 score of 5 hours 30 minutes outlasted the Dell 14R (3:31) and Lenovo Y460 (4:52). But it couldn't compete with the U45Jc-A1's 84WH battery, which lasted a spectacular 9 hours 27 minutes.

The HP Pavilion dm4-1160us is one of the top contenders in the 14-inch consumer space. There are some touchpad issues, but they're eclipsed by a seductive design, a full plate of features, and great battery life. It's bested only by the Editors' Choice Asus U45Jc-A1, which had dominating battery scores and a switchable graphics technology.

BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS
Check out the test scores for the HP Pavilion dm4-1160us

COMPARISON TABLE
Compare the HP Pavilion dm4-1160us with several other laptops side by side.