Oh my. First you're
slicing cake with the MacBook Air, then you're looking to steal its market share.
Lenovo, you can't afford to be too smug either. Voodoo's $2,099, carbon fiber Envy 133 isn't a gaming rig. It is, however, a 13.3-inch ultra-portable with LED-backlit display, 1,280 x 800 resolution, Intel GMA X3100 graphics, 1.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SP7700 processor, HDMI, 2x USB (1 doubles as eSATA) and hard disk or SSD option. It also features an instant-on Voodoo IOS mode that lets you surf the web, chat, look at photos, and make Skype calls without booting into Windows. Impressed yet? Well what if we told you that the power brick (and it's definitely a brick!) doubles as a WiFi access point? Check the preview just beyond the read link, or full video explanation after the break.
posted Jun 10th 2008 4:10AM
better then air
but $1,500+ more then the wind :(
not.
i agree. $2000 or more for a gaming laptop is fine. but this aint one.
with what it has, this thing is still $1000 overpriced.
He's explaining why he has to screw you.
way too expensive. i hate apple, but its seriously cheaper to buy the air, throw out your osx cd, buy windows and then install it. and intel integrated graphics = shit. never ever again will i buy an intel graphics chip.
anyone else see the hooker in the reflection? voodoo is baller
It has Splashtop. Splashtop is based in Linux. It's well worth any money.
Very interesting. I, however, would challenge there patent of putting the Ethernet port on the power brick (depending on the exact wording). Years ago I came up with the idea of putting a full assortment of ports on the power brick, and offered it to the public domain free of licensing. How could this be achieved? With a single fiber optic strand in the power cable. Isn't fiber optic hardware expensive? No, not anymore. Every DVD player, stereo receiver, and Mac are being made with optical audio ports. (Macs have optical in and out hidden in the headphone and mic jacks.) Scientists have sent data in excess of 9 Terabit per second over fiber optics... I think that will be enough bandwidth for everything for a long while. This could also lead to a solution superior to Green Plug. Not only could you create universal power supplies be cause of the bidirectional nature of the connection. The power brick could server as a universal docking station. I didn't want any money when I invented this. I just wanted someone to make it available for the good of the industry.
Is that it?
I was hoping for a serious kick-ass gaming machine, the kind of thing voodoo was known for in times gone by.
With HP behind them voodoo could have created one hell of a gaming laptop.
They did say it's the start of a new line in the department. So a performance type version shouldn't be too far hopefully. They are Voodoo ofc.
Who says they're not going to?
I wouldn't dream of buying a gaming laptop right now, since we're basically at the end of the line of the last gen of graphics chip. If you spend 2 or 3 K on an uber gaming laptop right now, the most you could get (as far as I know) would probably be SLi'd 8800gtx's... I'd rather wait for the mobile revisions of the GTX 200 series, ATI 4870's and whatever Intel has got cooking and buy a laptop with graphics at the beginning of its life cycle.
Looks nice, but I don't really see how it can cost twice as much as the Macbook or the XPS m1330.
Also can somebody please kill whoever chose that font for the keyboard.
It does look pretty nice, but it doesn't change the fact that laptops are for people too weak to carry desktops. I wouldn't be seen dead with one - I've got to maintain my hard-man image.
I would love to see you carry my case, its so frickin heavy you wouldnt get two feet, Its not ever moved from where it was built.
@Blaine (or Oliver. How come you have two first names?)
You should see my muscles. I can benchpress an HP Pavilion HDX.
That person has even invented a brand new "CRTL" key. How can you type correct when even the keyboardmanufacturers can't? *confused*
No optical drive
comes with one free though
External ODD - An ID-coordinated external optical drive is included with every Voodoo Envy 133.
I can't wait until I can just hold a CD/DVD/BR disc in front of the in-bezel webcam, spin it with my finger, and watch a movie. WHEN ARE TEH COMPUTER MAKERS GOING TO LERN!!!
It's got some pretty sound ideas there and I read Rahul's column in CPC every issue. Gd luck with this.
I really like this direction. Finally, an extremely well built laptop with Windows that IMO is better looking than the Macbook Air. I can't wait to see their other notebooks with this new design.
@WeeManFoo:
"better looking than the MacBook Air"????
This thing is cool. It's good looking enough... but it's NOT better looking than the MBA. I wouldn't buy either of them, but I have eyes. The carbon fiber on the Voodoo is attractive,I'll give you that. But in terms of DESIGN? MBA trumps it.
None of them is a serious machine...
Oh, BTW.... nice way to keep the bulk down on the notebook: Peddle it with a 1lb power brick!!! And somehow convince people that it is the ethernet jack / wifi.
cool. lets see how this turns out.
Not bad at all. Maybe not something most people would be willing to pay, but if you have the cash and are in the market it's certainly worth the price. Instant-on, wifi integrated into the power, HDMI, Expresscard, eSata, removable battery - you won't find any of that in other light laptops. It could use a little more performance but he did hint to the upcoming hybrid graphics.
no expresscard slot or hdmi in any other light laptop huh. did you do any fact checking before you submitted this...?
http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/xpsnb_m1330?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&~oid=us~en~29~xpsnb_m1330_anav1~~
If this thing has a firewire port, I think I've just found my next DJing laptop :)
Fus
he said it has an expresscard slot, so you should be able to add firewire no problem.
You are trying to play Britney Spears... Cancel or Allow?
And, of course, "Allow" is greyed out.
...But why wouldn't you *want* it to be grayed out?
chalk it up as another system by voodoo that I wont ever be able to afford even if i sold 2 arms and 2 legs =P
Try selling your torso. They generally fetch a lot more than limbs.
the prices people are (apparently willing) to pay for these things make the mind boggle. To me it's a case of severely diminishing returns beyond $700 in the notebook market (for my needs).
*eSATA powered by the USB... intriguing? eSATA is always nice to see, especially in notebooks.
*ambient light sensor. Nice to see.
*removable battery. Only way to go. Batt life?
*flush trackpad (I actually prefer non-flush but i can understand size constraints)
*tactile keyboard (IBM feel). Sounds good.
*ethernet in (sizeable) power brick. Meh.
*"quick boot OS" (dislike bootup voodoo 'logo' but nice feature)
*hyphothetical production cost without HP involvement (5k, lol, debatable)
*"happy with Vista" .. hrm :)
Gloss, extremely ugly.
Squarish design with no rounded edges: dislike this.
Less USB ports, optical...not nice for my uses, understandable under the circumstances.
All in all, you pay a lot for thin, is the message, I think.
I couldn't live with a gloss device like this with the harsh edges or the lack of ports onboard. But this isn't targeted at me, that's for sure.
It's definitely very bling bling, not to everyone's liking :D But then again, that's pretty much what Voodoo stands for.
yeah, if I wasn't waiting until this december for a tablet, two things would have to happen:
1) Battery life needs to be good (greater than 5 hours)
2) Matte screen option (hate glossy, can't see shit unless you're in a dark room and you can see it on the video)
If both of those were true I would pick one up in an instant for college, that is VERY competitive and the Voodoo name is supreme.
damn consumers and their glossy screens, looks great when it's off but even the video has shown you can't see $#!%.
when will someone give me something that is entirely matte so I don't have to slide over the slew of my own hand grease, or for that matter: make a keyboard compartment that I can eject and wash in the dishwasher.
wow it looks really nice! .. but it must gather fingerprints and scratches like hell!!!
maybe it should come with something like invisible shield? - has anyone tried that? - how did it turn out?
AND it won't cut you! That is a nice looking laptop
Please forgive me if I'm totally out to lunch and not comparing apples to apples, but can't you get something like a Sony Vaio SZ with an integrated optical drive and more power in a very similar form factor for less money? Plus the fact that you won't be hunting around to try and get service/parts on a Sony versus a Voodoo.
This is a cool design, but it doesn't seem that innovative. It's certainly no Macbook Air, and the Vaio SZ has had the same chassis design for quite some time and it still compares favorably. I could be wrong though.
your right, its better than the air
It's hard to find a laptop that's not better than the Air.
The Air is simply for people who dont know any better, Mac users in other words.
Hamid: If "not knowing any better" means using and enjoying a vastly superior product line, then cheers--I'm proud to not know any better.
Back on topic (sadly something lacking here among the anti-mac sentiment), this does seem to be a great, if not overpriced offering. I agree with the user above that this could be a great DJ solution.
Yes, you are wrong. The SZ has the same size screen but is not an ultra portable. Compare the SZ with a MacBook if you must - that's more the category it's in.
The Envy is really the first notebook that can be considered a direct competitor to the Air in terms of features and size. It's a great attempt and compares very favorably in most aspects - kudos to Voodoo. I am really thrilled about it. Unsurprisingly though, it also makes many of the same design compromises as the Air - external DVD, external ethernet, few ports, and so on. TANSTAAFL.
I am hoping this will speed up the development of the MBA rev. 2 - an eSata port would be much appreciated.
On this page: http://blog.laptopmag.com/tag/voodoo-envy-133
On this image: http://blog.laptopmag.com/wpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/envy-133-keyboard.jpg
There is a typo in the ctrl key, or may be a new button - crtl? :)
well spotted, wonder if they know :p
... and something which looks like a "caps loch" key. Maybe a tribute to Nessy :)
this is thinner than the air... only 0.7inches thick (1.79cm) the air is 0.76inches thick (1.94cm) apple need to change their marketing quick, i feel some good old all american law suits coming on...
I actually love the keyboard font!
But I do wanna see the next carbon-fiber 15.4" gaming system with THAT design!! :D
Anyone else notice the control key says CRTL instead of CTRL ?
That's the, um, cartel key.
Ha!
"Press to subjugate third world country"
I'd say this is as viable an Air-beater as the X300. WAY nicer looking, too.
No optical drive ? No ethernet onboard (I like the idea of the power brick but its not a replacement for an ethernet port) ? 1280x800 resolution ? No Trackpoint? ? 2 USB ports (which are both going to be used for a slot loading external drive unless it has its own power brick) This is no X300-beater (Air is no competition for the X300 imho).
I like the design, I like the sound of the keyboard (although I doub tit will be as good as a ThinkPad) but again its a system thats unlikely to be your only system. If your looking for a really small and light but limited consumer notebook then the Ideapad U110 looks like good competition for this in a smaller form factor.
I'd also question the strength of the system - while carbon fiber is a good material it looks like there is nothing in the way of protecting the screen (buffers/bones/latches).
An optical drive comes in the box. This is much better than the Air and the price is actually very reasonable. Put your cheapness aside and actually look at the specs for once.
Also, it's meant to be a executive high-end business laptop, not a gaming rig.
actually the external drive connects to the eSATA/USB combo port, eSATA for data, USB for power
Now THAT is some innovation! This laptop deserves all the same coverage the macbook air got. That thing is seriously sexy.
In terms of the 'planning for the future' graphics chip... That sounded intriguing. I suppose he means some kind of new high performance integrated graphics from Intel coming up?
intel x4500,ati rs780,nv 9000m
Shiny super reflective screen - weyhey.
Nothing better than being able to stare directly into your own eyes whilst chatting on pidgin.
lol
Great design apart from that, if a bit dear.
Malc
What an expensive mirror ! one can barely see what's on the screen !
Is it suposed to be used in a dark room only?
And worse: it's too thick to cut a cake with it :)
no actually it's thinner, and u can cut a cake with it...
Is that it?
I was hoping for a serious kick-ass gaming machine, the kind of thing voodoo was known for in times gone by.
With HP behind them voodoo could have created one hell of a gaming laptop.
So, given the similarities between this and the Air (Ethernet only through use of an attachment, few ports, thickness, screen size and res, etc) will people finally shut up that the Air isn't a 'real' computer?
Will they buggery.
Looks like people wanting an ultrathin ultralight notebook now have 2 good options, neat. I'd prefer an aluminium machine to carbon fibre, but the non-tapering edges appeal to me. While the tapering does make the Air look and feel 4mm thick, it just seems like a cheat...
Actually now I get a look at it, it looks like the result of keeping the edges parallel while seeking to shed thickness is a bottom casing that is very much out of proportion to the lid. When open, due to the relative disparity in thicknesses between the two parts, the Envy looks positively chunky. Ah well, at least another manufacturer has validated what was otherwise a highly derided product segment.
To quote Cpt James T Kirk's last words
"Oh My"
The HDMI port is the selling point for me.
If this thing had at least an 8400M GS or GT, I'd consider getting it as an alternative to the Air and X300, that is, if I had $2000 to burn -- in which I don't. I'm sticking to the MSI Wind for now. Yeah. Screw me. I'm a cheap bastard.
Damn that notebook is fine looking. It looks as if it is also quite tough (i guess the carbon fiber, lol the way he was closing the lid in the vid. Ah i wish i had the dough.
They're on the right track. THIS is how you're going to sell PCs for a premium price: innovative, genuinely useful features.
I especially like:
-easy-boot linux environment for quick access to firefox (which is what I would be booting Vista for 95% of the time anyway)
-multitouch trackpad... heres to hoping it works well with vista, im assuming they're using some sort of proprietary third party software interface
-eSATA! every single notebook and desktop should have these ports, for external storage they're just SO much faster than USB 2.0 or Firewire (300MB/s vs 60MB/s or 50MB/s respectively). And yet almost none do.
-inclusion of the ethernet port in the power brick. since if you're tethering yourself with ethernet anyway, you might as well also plug into power, I see this as a no-loss design feature that allows them to skip a separate ethernet dongle. Now if only I saw where "Thomas Ricker" (submitter) was getting his info on the power brick doubling as a WiFi access point, because that is also a slick feature.
I'm liking the continued re-stratification of the computer business. In the good old days, they're were the shit PC retailers, and then companies like IBM and (ironically, seeing their status today) Dell who sold well-built computers with standard parts, smart internal designs, and great service/support.
but ok... so they want to use the vw, audi, lamborghini analogy, thats fair, but if hp is vw and voodoo is lamborghini, what i want is the audi that gives me 90% of the performance of the lamborghini for 40% of the price.
"Voodoo Aura PowerConnect – 56W AC Power, plus integrated
802.11b/g wireless personal access point + RJ45"
Its not really ethernet via the power adapter, that would suggest some sort of s dual purpose cable. It really is a wifi AP in the brick, no ethernet beyond that.
Wow, very nice, it looks better then the MBA, should perform around the same is much more innovative, making a laptop thin isn't difficult when you seal the battery in, and solder everything flat to the PCB, however they just managed to build an MBA, including a reasonable selection of ports, good cooling, a fast boot up linux OS, a removable battery and make it extremely light, the only thing is it's slightly thicker then the MBA but who seriously would find something this small diificult to carry around anywhere?
LG P300 is better than all of these.
with a 8600GS video card, I think it's the most powerful 13.3" laptop on the market.
I like it, very good looking, steep price and kind of wanted an optical drive.
with the carbon fiber body and the SSD I wonder how many times I can drop it from 4 feet (1.2m) and it still work? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ0epRjfGLw
I really do like the design, but it's not for me, I lost interest with the "GMA X3100 graphics"... hopefully that will change soon, then VooDooPC will have a real killer on their hands.
that guy wasnt kidding when he said they had a apple air killer.
the laptop and the ideas surrounding it are all very nice. its cheaper than the other two options and imo, better looking.
costermonger, did you see the part where he said the thermal management system is designed to allow for discrete graphics later this year?
That inside-beveled back-edge is begging for breakage (and alliteration, apparently).
Well, there's no denying it's got the looks. Can't wait to get my ear to the groun on reviews
that looks a hell of a lot like that oldschool MBP 12.1 incher that apple cancelled a while ago
the only difference is that........
Carbon fiber plating
lame C2D
SSD option
windows
but Carbon Fiber seriously, that shit is expensive
funny how so many companies are copying the air! First IBM, now this! And the Macbook Air still wins in price and size! How amazing. Oh, and for those that DONT know, you can easily get the external drive for the Air for only $99 so thats $1900 BUT WAIT..... Students save up to $230 AND GET A FREE IPOD
so thats:
1 MBA
1 MBA external drive
1 FREE IPOD (that can be an iTouch)
$1670
but you guys are right, this laptop is WAY better!
You forgot to mention the $100 rebate you get for buying a printer with your Mac ;)
"Macbook Air still wins in price and size"
except that it doesn't . . at least in size (envy is thinner) or features for that matter
and is it completely impossible for people to consider that instead of every company waiting for Apple to come out with a product and copy it that there are several companies exploring the same market segment simultaneously?
Engadget, you have killed another website again with DDoS...
I can't play they video, either go to the notebook.com's review site!
or, maybe just my laptop blocks that site so that I don't throw away my doggy HP notebook.
Making generalizations is a cheap way of saying I don't really know why I don't like it, so its because people who do are stupid.
Did you notice that there are many people who have switched from PC to Mac? So were they normal till they switched to a Mac? I was a PC user for 27 years up till a Vista Laptop which I sold and now own a Macbook Air which I love. 60% of coumputers over $1000 sold today are from Apple. Lots of people who don't know any better, I guess.
"It's hard to find a laptop that's not better than the Air.
The Air is simply for people who dont know any better, Mac users in other words."
george, what you saying is utter tosh.
where do you get your figures from.
This is a lie, I think. 60% of all computers sold are sold by HP & Dell I think. 60% of all computers sold are sold to businesses I think.
...tosh
quote your sources
It's funny how many ignorant Windoze retards troll about on here.
Windows is a pile of bloated junk. That's why they had to develop that "quickstart" OS.
OSX is incredibly powerful - It's highly optimized and has great power management. You won't need to slow it down with virus scanners either.
Wake up children. Educate yourself.
ur right, my computer lasts way longer when it's running osx than running on vista.
Ohhhhhh he's appearing to know something about graphics that we don't 0_o
It comes with vista?
Bricked.
(unless I can get rid of it for anything else)
I would just install XP
I was debating getting an MBA for my birthday, but this carbon fiber beauty got my eye and now Im sold. Same price as an MBA, but it has a better brand, extra USB, HDMI, and Ethernet. And I don't have to memorize another OS.
I shall attempt to put right many peoples apparent lack of knowledge here:
@Spoony Badger - You might wanna look up troll sometime. OSX and Windows both have their pros and cons (and plenty of fanboys). Personally I was bought up on Windows but have recently started looking at Linux. Tried OSX for a month and couldn't get into it. Plus I didn't find it any quicker than any other OS.
@SoreThumb - Vista is no slower than XP. Check all the benchmarks posted over the last year. It does things differently and can appear slower but XP and Vista work differently. I read two different benchmark posters indicating "Vista seemed to run more smoothly than XP but how do you measure that". It's also doing a lot more. Turn off a few services that you don't need and it'll actually run quicker than XP (apparently). I'm not dissing XP either. It's still my gaming OS I'm just saying Vista isn't that bad (no worse than XP was when it first came out!).
The Envy 133 is not twice the price of the MacBook Air but if you're buying one of these, price should not be such an issue. If it is you're in the wrong shop. The MBA is ok but I've heard reports of overheating due to the tappered case (no Air flow. Ironic don't you think). It needs a dongle for the ethernet port. The Envy just has some great extra touches (that I won't go into here). It's really worth checking out. The X300 is fine but lacks style and power (1.2Ghz CPU).
To sum up the problem here, the MBA and Envy spec match very closely. So what's left? The two things that can't be compared: Styling and, OS. The latter, in part, because there are two many fanboys on both sides.
Personally I prefer the styling and extra features of the Envy and don't care for OSX. Others will prefer the MacBook Air.
A word on Virus checkers. 1) You don't need one if you're careful. 2) Macs get viruses too it's just that virus writers choose to write viruses for the more popular OSes. Right now that happens to be Windows.
A word on stability. I've heard Macs crash and when I used one for a month it did too. In contrast, my PC has been fine for about six months (which is as far back as I can remember). I'm just saying neither OS is perfect.
One thing I'll say: With Apple back in the picture PC manufacturers are starting to realise what consumers want. Lets hope this filters through to Microsoft!
I am in awe of your awesome tech knowledge. Summed it up without dissing either side(even though we know which is better *cough cough voodooo*). unlike my comment....teehee
Horrible presentation i like the laptop though. But i think it is expensive.
Did anybody actually download the spec sheet?
The low end one has a lame 80 GB 4200 RPM HD. This will sell for what ~$2100. To get the SP7700 CPU I'll bet you gotta buy the SSD model which will go for over 3 bills and it weighs over 3 lbs.
I wanna see what the new Dell E4200 will cost and have available:
http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/21/up-close-with-dells-latitude-e4300-and-e4200-ultra-portables-wi/
before I plunk down $2-3K.
I'd rather go with Dell than have to deal with some nitwit at the Genius Bar or some unknown bozo in tech support at Voodoo. The AppleCare plan doesn't even cover accidental damage such as a broken LCD which might not even be the result of an accident. Look at all the problems with the Lenovo X61s displays coming apart. i saw a similar problem on a Sony SZ notebook as well.
You know why This is thinner than the Macbook air? Because of that Ugly bulge it has. You know why you probably like Mac so much?
1) Your a fanboy. FYI Im an HP fanboy
2) All of Macs advertising.
You can compare and Mac to an HP of similar price and HP will have it beat.
Mac pro- Blackbird 002
Imac- HP Touchsmart !Q504
Macbook-HP DV9700t
HP has got Mac outclassed and outperformed. HP makes stuff that rich or poor people can buy from printers, to cameras, to gaming computers.
i didnt even know there exist a specie such as HP fanboy, lol j/k
I just returned a tx2000 tablet, the build quality is horrible. power switch stuck, (that seems like a common flaw) and i can constantly hear some plastic part vibrates inside. and the main reason for te return was because, 2 days after the purchase, I couldn't make my restore disks and F11 restoration fails as well.
however, our hp laser multi function station works prety well. i guess i ll just stay away from their computers.
I like the way he says "It's got a natural carbon fibre weave". Carbon Fibre isn't natural and so doesn't have a natural appearance! And he pronounced 'chassis' wrong.