The dv6-6153cl has a nice selection of ports, including two USB 3.0 ports, two headphone jacks, a microphone jack, VGA and HDMI video outputs, an Ethernet jack, and two USB 2.0 ports. This model lacks an eSATA port, however. There’s a DVD multi-drive on the right side of the laptop, an SD/MMC card reader slot on the front, and a webcam embedded in the display’s upper bezel. Wireless features include 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and WiDi 2.0, the latter of which lets you send images to an HDTV or stream your PCs contents onto a display without having to run cables. (Keep in mind you’ll need a Netgear Push2TV receiver connected to whatever device you are sending to for this to work.) The dv6-6153cl doesn’t come with WiMAX broadband capabilities, nor does it have a Bluetooth radio. The 750GB hard drive is spacious and speedy (it runs at 7,200rpm), and comes with Windows 7 Home Premium, Cyberlink YouCam, HP Recovery Manager, HP CoolSense, and HP SimplePass 2011 fingerprint software. It also comes with eBay and Snapfish adware, dozens of games, and a trial version of Norton Internet Security—in other words, bloatware. On the plus side, this model is a Costco exclusive and as such comes with a two-year warranty rather than the typical one-year manufacturer’s warranty. Costco members can also take advantage of Costco’s Concierge setup and troubleshooting service and generous 90-day return policy.
