Tuesday, January 10th 2012

HP Unveils Premium Ultrabook with Extraordinary Glass Design – the HP ENVY 14 Spectre

HP today revealed the HP ENVY 14 Spectre, a premium consumer Ultrabook PC that commands attention with its unparalleled use of glass and stunning performance.

"Sleek, midnight black glass on the outside and stark contrast silver glass on the inside make Spectre extraordinary, defying conventional notebook design," said Eric Keshin, senior vice president, Strategy and Marketing, Personal Systems Group, HP. "We chose the name for our first ENVY Ultrabook to evoke mystery, and we packed it with the best in entertainment technology to satisfy those who expect the unexpected."
Tough yet beautiful, the HP ENVY 14 Spectre uses lightweight, scratch- resistant glass on the lid, display, palmrest and HP ImagePad - an industry first. A full 14-inch screen inside a 13.3-inch body means customers can get more enjoyment from their entertainment.
The HP Spectre's high-definition (HD) HP Radiance Display offers higher resolution, richer color, better brightness and wider viewing angles than traditional notebook displays.

Equipped with a matching audio-grade speaker mesh and Beats Audio, an exclusive, high-performance technology developed by HP and Beats by Dr. Dre, the HP Spectre boasts an aluminum analog volume dial that acts as a visual design cue and works seamlessly with Beats Audio Manager to precisely adjust audio levels.

Built-in HP Wireless Audio turns any home into a concert hall, allowing users to stream uncompressed audio to up to four external devices or directly to any KleerNet-compatible device.

An HP Radiance Backlit keyboard provides outstanding illumination using individual LEDs dedicated to each keycap. The keyboard works with an advanced proximity sensor to intelligently sense a user's presence, lighting up when a user approaches and dimming down after he or she leaves.

Uncompromising performance
The HP Spectre is blazingly fast, stunningly sleek and boasts up to 9 hours of battery life.

Powered by the latest Intel Core processors, the 20-mm-thin HP Spectre weighs less than 4 pounds and includes up to 256 gigabytes (GB) of storage. Intel Rapid Start Technology and support for two ultrafast mSATA solid state drives allow for quick boot and resume times.
The HP Spectre also comes loaded with HP exclusives, such as HP CoolSense technology, which automatically adjusts performance and internal fan settings for a noticeably cooler PC. In addition, the HP ImagePad provides precise multifinger touch navigation and the HP TrueVision HD Webcam provides brighter, cleaner HD images.

Eliminating the need for external dongles, the HP Spectre features a full array of advanced input and output options, including Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0, HDMI and Mini DisplayPort.

Additionally, the Spectre offers a performance-tuned software image, full versions of Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Elements, two years of preinstalled Norton Internet Security and a concierge phone line for technical support that is dedicated exclusively to HP ENVY users.

Pricing and Availability
The HP ENVY 14 Spectre notebook PC is expected to be available in the United States on Feb. 8 with a starting price of $1,399.99.
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22 Comments on HP Unveils Premium Ultrabook with Extraordinary Glass Design – the HP ENVY 14 Spectre

#1
a111087
that's what happens to glass :laugh:

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#2
Andrei23
I see fingerprints in its future
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#6
R_1
An iPhone will break instantly if dropped from 1 meter, screen down, on concrete . See this review. It is not unusual to drop you phone from flimsy pocket, or laptop from kitchen table.
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#7
Fourstaff
$1400 is too much for a laptop nowadays, you can get really decent machines under $1000.
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#8
trickson
OH, I have such a headache
How stupid ? Once some one drops this thing it is OVER ! Glass every where people getting cut . I see RMA all over this one !
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#9
freaksavior
To infinity ... and beyond!
Take out the Adobe license and that'll save me $600 for their overpriced software.
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#10
Kantastic
Well... if you mean defying conventional notebook design as in copying Apple and doing what every other Ultrabook manufacturer is doing... then great job!
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#11
mediasorcerer
i like it, i think they are finally moving in new directions, just hope they put a good gpu in it.
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#12
Mega-Japan
I don't like how ultrabooks seem to be the new "in" thing nowadays. They're neither as powerful as a notebook, or as portable as a tablet. I don't like the uncomfortable "in between" position. I don't remember MacBook Air's being remotely popular when they were released, so what gives?

Either way, I already bought me an all new ENVY 17 2012 Edition, and not planning to buy another notebook for years to come. Might buy a tablet when they get 1080p and more fancy stuff though.
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#13
freaksavior
To infinity ... and beyond!
^ they are nice because it has enough power to do pretty much anything you need to do besides gaming. On the downside they do not have dedicated cards which sucks.

What I like is the fact it's powerful for a little machine but also portable. I just wish they could put a quad i7 in it
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#14
Meizuman
btarunrEliminating the need for external dongles...
No place for SIM, no 3G/4G. Dongle needed.
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#15
Mega-Japan
freaksavior^ they are nice because it has enough power to do pretty much anything you need to do besides gaming. On the downside they do not have dedicated cards which sucks.

What I like is the fact it's powerful for a little machine but also portable. I just wish they could put a quad i7 in it
IDK, not enough to justify the "burst" of ultrabooks when there are tablets and notebooks for their respective markets IMO.

As for this particular product, I'm not gonna lie, it looks very nice. But no 1080p is a dealbreaker IMO. I'm still waiting for a tablet with at least 1080p in a 10.1" screen, why would I want an ultrabook/notebook with any less?
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#16
Fourstaff
Mega-JapanAs for this particular product, I'm not gonna lie, it looks very nice. But no 1080p is a dealbreaker IMO. I'm still waiting for a tablet with at least 1080p in a 10.1" screen, why would I want an ultrabook/notebook with any less?
You wouldn't be able to tell that much of a difference at 10.1 inch between a 1080 and a 768 and for most its a premium not worth paying.
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#17
Mega-Japan
FourstaffYou wouldn't be able to tell that much of a difference at 10.1 inch between a 1080 and a 768 and for most its a premium not worth paying.
Difference in regards to what? For movies, I agree. For browsing and most apps, it's a plus.
16:9 1080p on 10.1" tablet comes to about 218dpi, which isn't that high compared to these wave of smartphones with 250dpi+, so I don't think I'm asking for much.
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#18
Fourstaff
Mega-JapanDifference in regards to what? For movies, I agree. For browsing and most apps, it's a plus.
16:9 1080p on 10.1" tablet comes to about 218dpi, which isn't that high compared to these wave of smartphones with 250dpi+, so I don't think I'm asking for much.
You keep your phone much closer to your face than your laptop
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#19
entropy13
FourstaffYou keep your phone much closer to your face than your laptop
Nope.
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#20
Fourstaff
entropy13Nope.
How close/far do you keep your laptop/phone from your face? Arm's length for phone, so about 20-30cm while for laptop its on the desk, almost 80 cm away, but most will keep their laptop screen at about 40-50cm away, data from counting the dozens of students in the lecture hall instead of paying attention to the lecturer.
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#21
entropy13
FourstaffHow close/far do you keep your laptop/phone from your face? Arm's length for phone, so about 20-30cm while for laptop its on the desk, almost 80 cm away, but most will keep their laptop screen at about 40-50cm away, data from counting the dozens of students in the lecture hall instead of paying attention to the lecturer.
I keep my phone at around 65cm away from my eyes. Roughly the same when I play with my PSPgo, and roughly the same as when I use someone else's laptop.

And it's not even a smartphone, it's a very old Sony Ericsson K800i.
Posted on Reply
#22
Fourstaff
entropy13I keep my phone at around 65cm away from my eyes. Roughly the same when I play with my PSPgo, and roughly the same as when I use someone else's laptop.

And it's not even a smartphone, it's a very old Sony Ericsson K800i.
Fair enough, I am just telling you what I think is the norm.
Posted on Reply
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