First laptops "designed by" Best Buy look like winners

HP's first 13-inch consumer laptop, the Pavilion dv3510nr, is getting good grades, including an Editors' Choice award from CNET.com.

The Pavilion dv3510nr is one of two Blue Label notebooks--the other is the Toshiba Satellite e105-s140--which are not only sold exclusively at Best Buy, but were also designed based on feedback from the retailer's customers. According to Best Buy customers are looking for a decent-size display in a thin and lightweight laptop, a backlit keyboard and a standard two-year warranty.

The $1,099 Pavilion dv3510nr has a 13.3-inch LED-backlit display (1,280x800), 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P7350, 4GB of memory, Nvidia GeForce 9300M GS graphics with 512MB, a 320GB hard drive, a DVD burner and the 64-bit version of Windows Vista Premium SP1. Extras include a 6-cell battery that doesn't stick out of the case like most extended batteries, the backlit keyboard, media controls, a remote control, and HDMI and eSATA ports.

Throw in solid performance and CNET's Matt Elliott writes that the "sleek-yet-loaded 13-inch laptop deserves a blue ribbon, too, for its all-around excellence and value." Laptop Magazine liked "the sleek and powerful 13-inch laptop" as well, but wasn't as impressed with the battery life even though they both got nearly identical scores (3 hours, 41 minutes on LaptopMag's tests versus 3 hours, 31 minutes on CNET's benchmarks). Reviewer Michael Prospero also noted that the Satellite e105-s140 has longer battery life and a larger display (14 inches) for about the same price, though it doesn't match the style or, with its Intel integrated graphics, the performance of the Pavilion dv3510nr.

Either way, it looks like Best Buy and its hardware partners are off to a strong start with the Blue Label program.