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Posts with tag Voodoo

Voodoo Envy 133 unboxing and impressions


HP's Voodoo Envy 133, first announced in June, has struggled a bit off the blocks, with manufacturing problems keeping it out of buyers hands until last month. Of course, HP has a good excuse: carbon fiber. The notoriously difficult material wasn't used sparingly on the Envy 133, and if you've been looking for a laptop dripping with the synthetic material, HP's got your number. We mention this to remind ourselves that, like the MacBook Air before it, this laptop is about looks first, function second, and the Envy 133 succeeds in that regard wildly. There's always room for taste in these things, but HP makes quite a statement here no matter what your persuasion. We're not going to run through a full review here, but we'll let you know our first impressions after the break.

Voodoo's latest Envy hiding in plain sight?


See that? We could be wrong but that's not a 13.3-inch Envy 133 laptop -- it's bigger. In other words, while the video titled "Voodoo Envy: Carbon Fiber Closeup" is certainly an Envy, we're guessing (or at least hoping) it's the recently teased model. Widescreen Envy 184 anyone? Hit the read link for the full video.

P.S. Yes, the carbon fiber micro-weave is smokin'

[Thanks, Anthony M.]

HP making changes within Voodoo?


Here's a curious one -- merely months after HP essentially revitalized the Voodoo brand and cranked out the undeniably sexy Envy 133 laptop / Omen desktop, in flies word that the branch may be broken in the foreseeable future. In response to rumors that the Voodoo PC division would be canned entirely, Rahul Sood (yeah, the same guy that pimped an undisclosed new gizmo barely a week ago) stated that "HP is working on a plan to better leverage its existing resources to bring Voodoo products to market faster and make them more accessible to consumers." An HP spokeswoman was also quoted as saying that "[it] continually assesses and re-balances the size of its work force relative to the business environment and market conditions." In other words, no one is denying nor confirming the whispers, and while we have our own suspicions about what that means, we'll let you make of it what you wish.

[Via CNET]

Voodoo can't just come clean, has to tease yet another new product


Most everyone digs a surprise, but the novelty tends to wear off after the third or fourth iteration of the same trick, wouldn't you say? Rather than just coming right out and showing us the wares, Voodoo's Rahul Sood is playing the tease card again with an obviously undisclosed new product. In an apparent attempt to keep the wave (started by the Omen and Envy 133, by the way) rolling, Mr. Sood has dropped a sliver of a hint on The Next Bench. He states that "there's also this other thing [Voodoo is] working on right now," but he very purposefully fails to elaborate. Just keep it sexy and overpowered and we won't kvetch about the build up... too much.

[Thanks, William]

Voodoo Envy 133 unboxed on video, lookin' good


Right, so Voodoo's succulent Envy 133 looks a lot better in high-res images than in some highly compressed, artifact-laden YouTube clip, but that's what your imagination is there for. For those still waiting for their freshly shipped machine to hit the doorstep, hop on past the break for an unboxing sure to make you even more impatient. Or just restrain yourself and experience it first-hand in a few days. Totally your call.

[Thanks, Bernt]

Voodoo Envy 133 starts shipping, corrugated boxes seen sweating


Not a whole to say that we haven't already summed up in the title, but that hot little Voodoo Envy 133 is finally shipping right about now. A whole host of to-be owners have already received tracking numbers, and some folks have already had the pleasure of peeling away the tape and gettin' busy. So, are you still waiting for yours to leave the dock, or is it already halfway to your abode?

[Via CNET, image courtesy of Playername]

SplashTop instant-on OS hacked to run other programs, boot off flash drives


DeviceVM's SplashTop "instant-on" OS is based on Linux, even though it's locked down to only run IM, Skype, media software, and Firefox, and you know what that means -- it's already been hacked wide open. Yep, the clever kids at the Phoronix forums have managed to open up the BIOS-based OS and make it do all kinds of tricks, including run other programs and boot other machines off a flash drive. The hacks are still a little complex, but with ASUS shipping tons of ExpressGate-enabled mobos and laptops and HP's support in the Voodoo Envy 133, we'd there's a one-click unlocker in the wild fairly soon. Anyone brave enough to install it on their machines?

[Thanks, george85]

HP merging Voodoo with consumer PC unit

Just weeks after "reinventing" Voodoo with the Envy 133 laptop and Omen gaming desktop, it looks like HP's had enough -- it's decided to straight-up merge the specialty PC shop with its core consumer business, and sell its products alongside the Compaq Presario and HP Pavilion lines. Yeah, that'll make Voodoo seem totally hardcore. For it's part, HP says it's always been planning on this kind of merger, and that the move will make Voodoo product easier to buy worldwide and faster to get with no change in service for existing customers, but it's also oddly ambiguous on whether the Voodoo name will live on -- saying only that it's "likely," but that a decision hasn't been reached. All this means that it's even weirder that HP has both the Voodoo and Blackbird gaming lines, of course -- any bets on which one gets axed first?

Read - PC World article
Read - HP CTO Raul Sood's blog entry on the merger

Voodoo's Envy 133 gets handled by Maximum PC


The folks over at Maximum PC have gotten themselves a chance to go face-to-face (and tongue-to-laptop) with Voodoo's newest show-off -- the Envy 133 -- and they've shared with the rest of the world. There's not much to say based on these pictures, save that they clearly were stoked to be getting this close to the sexed-up excuse for maxing out a credit card. If you hit the read link, you'll catch a slew of pictures, some size comparisons with a MacBook Pro, and first impressions of what Voodoo's instant-on OS looks and feels like. What are you waiting for? Get!

First look at the Envy 133's instant 5-second OS


For those of you still able to focus, able to avoid a gobsmacked trance evoked by the unabashed sex of the Voodoo Envy 133, listen up. LAPTOP went hands-on with a pre-production Voodoo Envy 133 running the instant-on, Linux-based IOS (aka, DeviceVM's Splashtop) and came away "really impressed" by the "game changing" technology. Instead of waiting for Vista to steal another boot-minute from your day, IOS boots in just seconds letting you surf the web in just 15 seconds from a cold start -- 4-5 seconds for IOS boot, another 10 or so to launch the Mozilla-based "Splashtop browser." The IOS also presents users with a Pidgin chat (AIM, Google Talk, MSN, Yahoo, and more) client, voice-only Skype, and multi-media playback of photos and music. Let's face it, often, very often, this is all the functionality we need from our laptops, right Eee PC owners? Of course, you can boot to Vista from IOS or shut the laptop down if that spreadsheet can wait another day. Now hit up that read link to check the video hands-on.

Voodoo Envy 133 packaging revealed


As if it wasn't already clear enough, Voodoo is really going all out with its new Envy 133 laptop (and Omen desktop), and it looks like that extends right down to the packaging as well, as evidenced by this latest batch of shots provided by Voodoo founder Rahul Sood himself. As you can see above, the company has even gone so far as to include a microfiber sleeve with the laptop to add one more layer of anticipation as you unbox the thing. Be sure to hit up the read link below for the rest of the pics, including a peek at the acessories and some close-up shots of the keyboard.

Voodoo now accepting Envy 133 phone orders


Alright, it's finally here -- Voodoo's configuration page for the Envy 133 just went live with pricing information, and we're being told that orders are being accepted over the phone. Depending on options and paint jobs, you're going to put a dent in your wallet anywhere from $2100 to $3400, but it's still not clear exactly when units will be shipping out. Anyone taking the plunge?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Voodoo Envy 133 photographed gloriously in the wild


No frontin' here: this is the most excited we've been about in the wild shots in quite some time. Not only do we have a veritable plethora of Envy 133 shots to glance at, but each one is high resolution and sharp as a tack. If you think your heart can handle checking out this slab of sexy from all angles, head on down to the links below and give it a go. From here, the only thing we're down on is that mirror they call a glossy display; otherwise, this thing looks downright heavenly.

Read - TheNextBench message board
Read - Envy 133 gallery

Customized Voodoo Envy 133: a sin worthy of death


Anyone else feeling the rapid palpitations of desire is their cold, pawne-shopped hearts? You're looking at a pre-production, Scuderia-red Voodoo Envy 133 with "Rahul Sood's Racing Edition" engraved underneath. Mind you, this level of customization isn't just limited to Voodoo/HP execs. Both the Omen desktop and Envy 133 will launch with "extensive personalization options" for even the lowest of the lowly cubical monkeys.

[Thanks, Muhri]

Voodoo Omen gets examined from the inside

We've already seen plenty of official pics and videos of Voodoo's pricey new Omen desktop, but if you've been hankering to know what's going on under its shiny hood you can now get your fix courtesy of Pocket-lint, which has cracked one open and snapped a couple of pics. Not surprisingly, the Omen's insides are decided more cluttered than its minimalist exterior, not to mention considerably more brightly colored. Hit up the link below for a closer look.



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