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HP's updated Stream laptops offer better battery life for your buck
HP's inexpensive Stream laptops weren't perfect by any means, but with a starting price of $200, we were able to forgive a lot, including so-so displays, sluggish performance and sometimes-flaky touchpads. Today HP is refreshing both the Stream 11 and 13, and while neither seems to address the flaws we found in the original, they at least keep the same price, all while bringing longer battery life -- and in the case of the smaller one, a lighter design. In particular, the 11.6-inch model now weighs 2.6 pounds, down from 2.74. The 13.3-inch version remains unchanged at 3.42 pounds, and there's an optional touchscreen for the larger model as well. In both cases, you can expect better runtime: up to 10.5 hours on the 11 (up from 8:15) and 8.5 hours on the 13 (versus 7:45 on the last generation). That's important, as the Stream line competes in part against Chromebooks, some of which have no problem reaching the 10-hour mark.
HP's next assault on Chrome OS is a pair of tiny Windows PCs
It's clear that when it comes to operating systems, HP isn't one to play favorites: The company's current lineup includes Windows machines, Chromebooks and even an Android laptop. At the same time, if there's anyone who's been giving Chrome OS a run for its money, it's good ol' Hewlett-Packard. After releasing a pair of aggressively priced laptops, each of them marketed as "Chromebook killers," the company is back, and this time it's taking on Chromeboxes. Here at CES, HP has just announced two miniature Windows desktops, both of which are small and inexpensive enough to compete with Chrome. At the lower end, there's the $180 Stream mini, which has a bright blue, plastic chassis, just like the Stream 11 laptop we reviewed recently. The higher-end Pavilion mini ($320) has a slightly more sophisticated design, though the overall shape is the same -- a 2-inch-high cube with four USB 3.0 ports, an audio jack, HDMI socket and DisplayPort.
HP's $199 Windows laptop arrives alongside a pair of tablets
Contrary to earlier rumors, HP's Chromebook-like Stream 14 turned out to be more expensive than people had hoped for when it was announced a few weeks ago. Having said that, today HP is finally introducing its $199 laptop with Windows, staying in line with what a company representative had told us before in regards to the Stream line expanding beyond the 14-inch machine. But there's more, since HP's new, budget-friendly, 11.6-inch laptop isn't the only fresh announcement. There's a 13.3-inch model as well, priced at $230, which, along with the $199 Stream, features an Intel Celeron processor and 32GB of flash storage. In addition to this pair of notebooks, HP is also introducing two Windows 8.1 tablets: the HP Stream 7 and HP Stream 8. If the moniker for each didn't give it away, they are 7- and 8-inch slates, respectively, with the former costing a mere $99 and the latter going for $149.
HP's Chromebook-like 'Stream' laptop is real, but not as cheap as we thought
When we first saw leaks for the HP Stream, a $199 laptop primarily meant to be used online, like a Chromebook, we were pretty excited -- here was something as affordable as a Chrome OS device, but running Windows 8.1. It turns out, however, that although the Stream is indeed a real product, it's not as cheap as we all thought. HP just formally unveiled it, and it's actually going to start at $300, not $199, as Microsoft itself previously promised.
