Voodoo's Rahul Sood emerges from hiding, gives us all the low-down
By Darren Murph 
posted September 17th 2009 2:44PM
posted September 17th 2009 2:44PM
Now, at long last, Rahul has emerged from hiding, and he's got a story to tell. In short, Voodoo is still alive and well, but it's certainly not the same company that shocked the world with its ENVY m:790 laptop in late 2004. In fact, Rahul's been working on some pretty unorthodox projects, ranging from healthcare (okay?) to futuristic stuff for HP's Innovation Program Office. In a lengthy letter to the world, he explains that the initial push to get Voodoo completely underneath HP's wings was done in order to give Voodoo access to global partners, and in turn, to ship its products to every corner of the world. When speaking about the Envy 13 / 15, he proclaims that HP's own laptop team simply lifted ideas from Voodoo prototypes and designed them internally; the truth is that Voodoo didn't design either machine, it only influenced them. The removal of the "VoodooDNA" tagline -- according to Rahul -- has to do with "the overall design language, the target market, and the fact that [Voodoo] wasn't directly involved in the design."
In the end, Sood admits that there's still a chance you'll see another Voodoo-branded machine in your lifetime, but he also confesses that it has transitioned from a desktop and laptop company to "something beyond." He also makes clear that he hasn't forgotten about his promise to change the future of desktop gaming, and that new products from HP will continue to boast Voodoo's fingerprints. Typical Rahul -- it just wouldn't be a formal conclusion without a tease or two, now would it?
Raul and "Voodoo" have no DNA at all. All they ever did was add a paint job to a MSI/Sager computer and charge 3X the price. Hp bought them for the brand recognition and the image. Nothing more.
I'd have to agree. The HP brand is much stronger than Voodoo so it makes sense to get rid of the Voodoo name.
he looks like a sood. what? He dropped the shades???
It's spelled Rahul.
I was kinda hoping he'd dis apple in there somewhere, I love his apple hate.
That guy looks like he's in pain. a 'shop of his face on a $50 bill would not be funny
He looks like he's taking a dump.
Now I have a boner.
@ Adam
now we all know what you look like when you take a dump. thanks.
Darn, I was hoping for another Carbon Fiber cased laptop as thin as the Envy 133, but with more power.
Same here, my next laptop I wanted was just a more powerful version of the Envy 133. Now I feel this isn't going to happen.
That was easily by far the sexiest laptop ever made (and still is, but it's hardware is too old).
okay.
Kinda reminds me of Robert, the big guy from Everybody Loves Raymond.
soooo whats going on here?? do these pcs have 3dfx graphics? i hope so
Yes, these PCs come complete with 3dfx Voodoo 5 6000 boards. Also, they announced that all of thes PCs will be bundled with copies of Duke Nukem Forever.
i love the voodoo that he do.
At least Alienware put in those pretty flashing light to justify their 50% price hike.
where was he hiding? in a closet?
I can't believe nobody is as excited as I am about the Envy15's inclusion of the Mobility Radeon 4830 chip... that's a pretty friggen huge deal!!!
The Mobility HD4830 sounds great, but in reality it'll probably only be as fast as a desktop HD4650 or HD4670 at most. Sure you'll be able to play most games but at this price point you'd might as well buy a real gaming notebook like a Sager or Asus. You could argue that the Envy 15 is slimmer, unibody, and much more portable, but what's the point of such a slim profile if the battery life is going to be terrible?
@aznofazns
I think the excitement for the chip lies in its low power consumption. As the first 40nm option AMD has unleashed unto the notebook world, we could be looking at a significantly improved battery/performance ratio. If it's anything close to what the HD 4770 did for the desktop market, I'm more than satisfied.
I just realized that I misread the purpose of the "Slim Fit" battery... I thought they were just extra thin batteries that sit flush with the bottom of the laptop, but they actually extend battery life. If that's the case and the Envy 15 is able to get 4+ hours, then I will be impressed. Wouldn't be surprised if the extended battery costs an extra $100+ though.
It's a boy!!!
What if my lifetime is over tomorrow?
I heard all the stories from various friends that work/worked at Voodoo, and had lunch with the guy on one occasion. I am skeptical of any big claims he makes.
He has this story about a gold plated computer he made for a Saudi prince. The value of the computer climbs every time he tells the story, and in truth the thing sat in the back of their shop unsold for multiple years.
If I recall correctly, he also recently flunked out of some executive MBA program that HP tried to put him through.
In reality, he overpromised to HP, and underdelivered. Voodoo is a failure for HP, and the project is for all intents and purposes over. They're cutting the Voodoo brand, absorbing their remaining resources, and considering the whole thing a lesson learned. They will make their own Premium line instead of relying on a shop that bought ODM machines, painted them, and pitched them Billy Mays style to yuppies.
I guess he cut his last cake for a while ...
1998 called. They want their sweater back.
Yeah, you're right. We should all wear weird plastic and stuff like that like Lady Gaga to be "in"...
Idiot called. He wants to know what your doing friday night.
Assimilated!
Move on people.
for all those racist mofos out there........that how Indians look like.We dont wear rags around our heads or work at seven - eleven or play with snakes.Thats an average north indian guy and he looks like a regular american.
I'm sure everyone appreciates the clarification. It's as if you don't think 90% of us work in IT or something. And before you generalize, there's always that one guy that wears the rag on his head. You know that guy I'm talking about...
He's Canadian.
So...if my doctor has some Voodoo computers, does that make him a witch doctor?
I hope you guys realize that the m:790 wasn't actually hand built and assembled by Voodoo. Clevo / Sager are the people actually building these laptops. High end companies like Voodoo and Alienware buy the notebook, doll it up a bit, and charge an extra $1000 or so (I'm simplifying the process but you get the idea). Other manufactures are Armina (did the M9700 and the M9750), Uniwill (M5500 and M5550) and the list goes on.
From what I've seen those high end companies build some pretty amazing desktop computers but in the laptop section I feel that they're lacking for the most part.
The "real" m:790
http://www.notebookforums.com/thread49132.html
I've read his "articles" before and it is clear that he is so full of shit. He once wrote a whole article arguing for 10,000 RPM laptop drives. If he knew anything at all he would have seen SSDs coming like anyone with a brain. I mean clickety click click battery murdering 10,000 rpm HDD or quiet faster SSD, which would anyone pick?
This one is basically good at taking an OEM machine and adding a twist and a 200% markup for all the "trouble".