Thanks to the MacBook Air and the Lenovo X300, lightweight and slim notebooks have grabbed lots of attention. The price tag of these slim notebooks kept them out of an average consumer's reach. Netbooks are an option for people who want lighter devices, but the limited processing power and poor graphics are a turn off for power users. With the dv2 Entertainment Series, HP has ventured into the market with a slim notebook that doesn't break the bank, offers better performance than a netbook and is so slim that they call it a 'size zero' notebook.

There's no denying that the dv2 is one good looking notebook. Though the glossy exterior has become more of a fashion statement these days, the (almost new) unit we got was covered in micro scratches. Even the interiors of the notebook including the touchpad are glossy which makes the notebook extremely prone to fingerprints. Even the painted silver lining on the sides is also susceptible to scratches. Use the dv2 for a couple of hours and it looks several months old.

Coming to the features and performance now. The dv2 is powered by AMD's brand new Athlon Neo processor and has a pretty good 12.1” screen. The basic configuration includes 2 GB DDR2 RAM, 250 GB hard drive, WiFi and Bluetooth. You can opt for a larger hard drive (up to 500 GB and ATI HD 3410 graphics). The unit we received had the HD 3410 graphics and thanks to that, the notebook scored a decent 874 in 3DMark06 and 2184 in PCMark05. With BatteryMark, we managed about 2 hours 47 minutes. It comes loaded with Windows Vista Home and the Vista experience index gave it a 3.4 rating. This kind of performance is way ahead of any of the other standard netbooks, which typically manage 100 3DMarks and 1500 PCMarks. With this performance, the dv2 is in the league of notebooks like the Lenovo SL500.

Glossy surfaces aside, the biggest issue of the notebook is that it runs extremely hot. Obviously the 'size zero' aspect had led to certain compromises in the cooling system. After about an hour of stressing it, it is near impossible to place it on your lap. And you can't even hold it from the sides. At one point, temperatures of certain panels near the air vent reached 70 degrees celsius even in an air-conditioned room. Even the palm rest of the notebook gets uncomfortably hot, while interestingly, the temperature of the processor hovers around the 30 degree mark.

Weighs a mere 1.6 kg and you get an external DVD drive in the box, makes it a good deal for the price. Unfortunately, because of the heating issue, we can only recommend it for someone who stays in a place with a lot of snowfall. At least then you'll be able to use it to keep your hands and lap toasty warm.

HP Pavilion dv2 Rs 37,490 onwards (plus taxes)	Performance Coolness
Pros Good performance for the price Cons Runs extremely hot Sold by HP India, www.hp.com/in	Specs AMD Athlon Neo 1.6 GHz processor, 2 GB DDR2 RAM, 250 GB HDD, 12.1” display, 1280 x 800 resolution, ATi HD3410 graphics, WiFi, Bluetooth, external DVD-R/W, 1.6 kg Verdict