Envy
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HP's new Envy laptops include the first IMAX Enhanced PC
HP has revamped its Envy laptops with higher performance and even an IMAX-certified model.
HP’s premium laptop revamp: more OLED displays, 12th-gen Intel CPUs
This spring, HP is basically updating its entirely premium laptop portfolio with a range of new Spectre and Envy notebooks in a wide range of sizes and designs.
HP's Envy 15 returns with a vapor-chamber-cooled Intel i9 CPU
HP has unveiled its latest laptop lineup, designed with creators in mind.
HP adds a wood option to its Envy laptops
Following on from the stylish business casual, leather-clad Spectre Folio, HP is showcasing its first convertible PCs with authentic wood paneling. In fact, it's sharing the alternate material option across Envy 13, Envy x360 13, Envy x360 15 and the bigger Envy 17. Naturally, these will all come with options for either the latest Intel processors or second-gen Ryzen mobile chips.
HP's new Envy PC is the first all-in-one with Alexa built-in
If you treat your all-in-one PC as the central hub of your home, shouldn't it double as a voice control hub, too? HP thinks so. It's launching a new version of its 34-inch curved Envy all-in-one with Amazon's Alexa built-in -- the first AIO with Alexa, in fact. Talk to your desktop and you can play music or check the weather, complete with Alexa's signature blue light to confirm that it's listening to your commands.
HP's new PCs include an updated convertible, a thin-and-light and some all-in-ones
Of all the products HP is announcing this morning, its Surface Pro competitor is likely to get the most attention. That said, the company's new line of PCs doesn't end there. HP is making some minor tweaks to its premium Spectre x360 convertible, which we liked very much the first time around. For those with simpler tastes, the firm unveiled a new thin and light notebook that keeps its weight (and waistline) down by forgoing a touchscreen and sticking with a basic clamshell design. And, completing the gamut, HP also introduced some new all-in-one desktops.
HP unveils $300 Pavilion X2 hybrid and new Envy laptops
HP's got refreshed laptops for budget buyers and those looking for something a bit more premium. The company just announced its latest Pavilion X2 hybrid laptop, which features a 10-inch detachable screen and an Atom Bay Trail processor for just $300. The big change this year is a new magnetic latch which quickly connects the X2's screen and keyboard, and also lets you easily reorient the laptop in different orientations. Also announced was the new 15.6 and 17.3-inch Envy laptops sporting the latest Intel and AMD processors and double the battery life from last year. The smaller model will run you $630 for the AMD chip or $800 for the Intel one, while the 17.3-inch starts at $1,000. (HP also announced a 14-inch Envy that won't make it to the U.S.)
How would you change HP's Envy Spectre XT?
We've always prided ourselves on having a crack team of laptop reviewers, who run the rule over almost every mobile computer available. One that earned a measure of praise was HP's Envy Spectre XT, which addressed plenty of our complaints that we'd lodged against the original Envy 14 Spectre. The only things that remained stuck in our collective craw were the unimpressive battery life and poor audio, but otherwise it received a clean bill of health from us. But now that you've had some time to spend with this hardware, you can share with us what it's been like to live with it on a daily basis. So why not come on down to our forum and dish the dirt?
How would you change HP's Envy Sleekbook 6z?
Intel's Kirk Skaugen was relaxed about "me too" thin-and-light devices trailing behind Ultrabooks like Remoras. Perhaps it's because of our lukewarm reception of devices like HP's Envy Sleekbook 6z, which we found to be a little lumpen. While we liked its understated design, the sluggish AMD internals and flaky trackpad meant we weren't feeling particularly fondly on this piece of hardware. This is where you come in. Why not dream up a budget laptop that could hit the same price point but without the flaws -- the more imaginative, the better.
HP refreshes its laptops for back-to-school season, one has a 3,200 x 1,800 screen (updated)
With back-to-school season upon us and Intel's Haswell launch just around the corner, now's a great time for PC makers to start unveiling their summer lineups. Two weeks ago we heard from Sony and today it's HP's turn: the company just refreshed everything from its mainstream notebooks to its high-performance machines. Heck, even the pint-sized dm1 got a makeover. With the exception of that machine (now called the Pavilion TouchSmart Notebook), everything here will be offered with Haswell. There's a little something for everybody, and it's all waiting for you in a neat summary after the break. Join us as we break it down. Update: We've added one more model to the list, and we think you're going to like it: an Ultrabook with a 3,200 x 1,800 display. HP hadn't meant to announce it today, but you know the internet -- sometimes the cat gets out of the bag anyway. In any case, we've added a quick blurb, as well as hands-on photos. Enjoy!
CEOh no he didn't!: Rahul Sood heckles HP over strangely named Envy h8 PC
It's no secret that Rahul Sood, who now runs Microsoft's Bing Fund, feels a twinge of bitterness towards his previous employer. Having worked for HP until 2010, and having endowed it with the Envy sub-brand, he's since been forced to watch from the sidelines while the mothership floundered. But it's not the u-turns or bad investments that have jerked Sood's chain this time -- it's actually the slightly awkward (and potentially emotional) branding of a model in HP's desktop range. After seeing details of the product pop up online, he tweeted: "Thought I'd seen everything... then I saw the 'HP ENVY H8' desktop... what the heck guys? Is this code for I give up?" Tom's Hardware reached out to Sood for an explanation and got a carefully-worded response in which he implied that HP has become preoccupied with the "logo on the box" at the expense of "culture" and "community." Meanwhile, the old Pavilion h8 has somehow slipped by unnoticed.
Top guild Method discuss their World First
Top EU guild Method came from behind to beat the US guilds' head start and take the World First 25-Man Will of the Emperor by 12 hours before any other guild. Three of Method's raiders answered our questions about their World Firsts. What's your role in Method? Artzie: I play shadow priest. Vailaine: Also shadow priest. Treckie: I'm one of the two main tanks in Method, I play protection paladin. What did Method do in the way of planning? Artzie: We had a basic plan that included everyone having at least a second character levelled to 90 before we start clearing normal modes, so that we could create as many raid groups as possible. Other than that, our goal was to become #1 in this progress, we'd do anything we can for that.
Mogu'shan Vaults world firsts
Following the release of the Heroic version of Mogushan Vaults on October 9 in the US and October 10 in the EU, the very, very early morning of October 13 -- 00:43 UK time to be precise -- European guild Method took down Heroic Will of the Emperor 25-man. Despite the delay, where the raids were released in the US several hours earlier, Method came from way behind in the starting grid to snatch the World First from Vodka and Blood Legion. World second went to another European guild, Envy, with Vodka third and Blood Legion fourth. Blood Legion and Vodka set up a healthy lead, alternating first and second between them for Stone Guard, Feng, Gara'Jal and the Spirit Kings, but Method crept into second place for Elegon, the penultimate boss, pushing Vodka into third but still behind Blood Legion. According to Method's website, the world second took place a full 12 hours after their world first. But, the race for 6/6 Mogu'shan Vaults had already been won over 30 hours earlier, when Finnish guild DREAM Paragon swept to the end of the heroic 10-man version of the raid, downing Will of the Emperor on the afternoon of October 11. Paragon came in world 4th for the second 10-man boss, Feng the Accursed, and world 1st for every boss thereafter in the 10-man raids. But it seems that people still count the 25-man race as the "proper" race, despite Paragon's remarkable achievement. What do you think? Can 10-man world firsts be considered the same as 25-man world firsts? Should Paragon try to go back to 25-man? Mists of Pandaria is here! The level cap has been raised to 90, many players have returned to Azeroth, and pet battles are taking the world by storm. Keep an eye out for all of the latest news, and check out our comprehensive guide to Mists of Pandaria for everything you'll ever need to know.
HP retools its Envy Phoenix h9 desktop, says the new version will go on sale October 26th
It was just a few months ago that HP refreshed its Envy Phoenix h9 desktop tower with Ivy Bridge processors, and now it's gone back to the drawing board to re-tool the design itself. In its latest incarnation, it has an "armor-plated" design and toolless hard disk bays that can support up to three drives. HP says it also fine-tuned the cable dressing to improve airflow and cooling performance. As ever, the machine will be offered with third-generation Intel Core processors and your choice of NVIDIA or AMD graphics. Solid-state drives are also an option. Curious? You'll have to wait until the Windows 8 launch on October 28th to get one. An odd move, if you ask us, since the h9 isn't a Win 8-optimized system, and the changes here appear to be purely hardware-related.
HP announces Spectre One desktop, three other all-in-ones
Didn't you hear? All of HP's top-shelf product consumer products will henceforth have the word "Spectre" in the name. So, it makes sense that the company would expand beyond laptops and release a futuristic desktop bearing the same branding. Indeed, the company just announced the Spectre One, a 23.6-inch all-in-one with a skinny design and nice-to-have features like NFC. Though that aluminum frame and tilting 1080p display are pleasing to look at, the real story isn't what the Spectre One has, so much as what's missing. You see, in order to get the system down to 11.5mm thick, the design team had to forgo certain features you might otherwise expect -- features like a TV tuner, touchscreen and even an optical drive. It's a gamble, to be sure, but HP is betting that fashion-forward, tech-savvy users won't really mind. (The jury is out on whether a Windows 8 all-in-one without touch is a missed opportunity.) In any case, HP did include four USB ports (two of them 3.0), HDMI input, an Ethernet jack, Beats Audio and a memory card reader, with optional discrete graphics and SSDs. The components are also easily serviceable via a back door, if tinkering is your idea of fun. Lastly, the One ships with a keyboard, Magic Trackpad-style wireless touchpad and two NFC tags, which can be assigned to favorite websites. In addition to the Spectre One, HP also trotted out three other all-in-ones. At the mid-range, you'll find the Envy 20 and 23, which have 20- and 23-inch screens, respectively, with 1,920 x 1,080 resolution. Rounding out the list, the company announced the low-end Pavilion 20, another 1080p system. Put simply, the two Envy systems have touchscreens, Beats Audio and will be offered with Ivy Bridge processors only; the Pavilion is non-touch, and will be offered with both Intel and AMD chips. Whichever you choose, HP's old Magic Canvas UI for Windows is gone; in its place, the "Connected Suite," which includes a mix of desktop and mobile apps for sharing photos, streaming music and remote access. Though the mobile applications work with iOS and Android devices, you'll need a Windows 8 laptop on one end of the setup -- specifically, an HP PC. That's right: for now, at least, the software will only work on the company's own computers. The Envy 20, Envy 23 and Pavilion 20 will all be available on October 23rd, with the budget Pavilion going for $499 and the two Envys starting at $849 and $1,099, respectively. The Spectre One doesn't arrive until November 14th, but when it does it will cost $1,299.
HP announces 15-inch Spectre XT TouchSmart Ultrabook, Envy 4 Ultrabook with touch (update: video)
If you thought laptop / tablet mashups were trendy, we can think of at least one other theme you're going to see repeated ad nauseam over the coming months: PC makers putting touchscreens on things that didn't used to have them. That's right, in addition to all those funky-looking hybrids, you're going to see lots of familiar-looking laptops get upgraded with touch in time for the Windows 8 launch. Exhibit A: HP, which just announced two conventional notebooks with touch. This includes a finger-friendly version of the 14-inch Envy 4 Ultrabook, as well as the Spectre XT TouchSmart Ultrabook, a 15-inch version of the Spectre XT announced earlier this year. Both will be available during the holiday season. That's the short version, but if you follow past the break, we've got a lot to talk about in the way of specs. Join us, will you?
HP unveils Envy x2 laptop / tablet hybrid: 11-inch IPS screen, NFC and pen support, arriving later this year
You didn't think the world's top PC maker was going to sit out the laptop / tablet hybrid trend, now did you? HP, one of the last OEMs to share its Windows 8 plans, just announced the Envy x2, an 11-inch tablet that comes with a keyboard dock. And while that form factor may already seem tired, HP is dressing it up with some higher-end features, including an aluminum build, NFC, pen support, Beats Audio and a 400-nit, IPS display. (The resolution is 1,366 x 768, as is the case for many of these 11-inch Windows 8 hybrids.) The tablet itself measures about 8.5mm thick and weighs 1.5 pounds, while the dock weighs 1.6. Unlike competing products, the device combines magnets and a mechanical latch to keep the tablet from falling out of its dock (watch us manhandle the x2 in the video below to see what we're talking about). All told, we were impressed by how surprisingly light the tablet and dock feel -- given the metal armor encasing it all, it's easy to assume otherwise. Under the hood, the x2 runs an Atom-based Clover Trail processor. Though HP isn't ready to talk battery life, we've noticed that every other OEM releasing a Clover Trail device is promising between nine and 10 hours of runtime, so we expect the x2 to deliver comparable performance. What's more, the dock has a built-in battery of its own, so you'll definitely have some reserve power there. Poke around on the dock and you'll find two USB ports, HDMI output and a full-size SD slot. The tablet itself is home to an 8-megapixel rear camera and microSD slot, in case the 64GB of built-in storage isn't capacious enough. Right now, it's unknown how much the x2 will cost, or when, exactly, it will go on sale, except that it's expected to arrive in time for the holiday shopping season. For now, feel free to poke around our hands-on photo gallery, and avail yourselves of our walk-through, embedded just past the break. %Gallery-163587%
HP updates Envy 15, 17 and 17 3D to Ivy Bridge, game and media fans rejoice
HP has been very eager to take the Envy line in an Ultrabook direction, leaving performance hounds a bit wanting. Much to their (and our) relief, the full-fat Envy 15, Envy 17, and Envy 17 3D have all made the leap to Intel's latest round of Ivy Bridge processors. Along with the 2.3GHz to 2.7GHz quad Core i7 chips we all know and love, the Envy 15 and regular 17 can get a dual 2.5GHz Core i5 to keep the price slightly closer to Earth. All of them ship with equally upgraded AMD Radeon HD 7750M or 7850M graphics to give games that extra jolt of energy, and you won't find one with less than 6GB of RAM and a 750GB hard drive. Should you like the Envy's current formula and just wish it had that much more oomph, you can pay a post-discount $1,100, $1,250 or $1,530 to bring one to your door. [Thanks, James]
Editorial: Thin laptops are the new mainstream, but what about battery life?
Bandwagons, trains and Tranes. Can't say that these three have a heck of a lot in common in most regards, but one thing's for sure: trying to stop this trio would be a Herculean task. And so it goes with laptops -- once upon a time, it was good enough to have something that resembled a portable tower, but these days, the ability to even see the chassis at all feels like a negative. I exaggerate, of course, but the proverbial race in the laptop world is hardly about price; it's about thinness. Intel's unstoppable quest to plaster the Ultrabook term as far and wide as possible has led to a change in the way consumers are viewing portable machines, and Apple's devilishly thin MacBook Air certainly played a role, too. What we're left with is a very curious priority list, and I'm wondering if too many OEMs have stopped to wonder if the "obvious" is indeed the "right." I'll be the first to confess that I love the look of thin. Samsung's Series 9 and Acer's Aspire S5 might just be two of the sexiest machines to ever be built, and Dell's original Adamo was primarily of interest due to one thing: its jaw-droppingly thin frame. But there's some saying about putting form before function that seems to apply here, particularly when keying in on battery life. I've no doubt that the marketing and research teams for PC makers far and wide understand the realities of the market place, and perhaps the average consumer really doesn't need more than four to six hours of life on a single charge. Five years ago, squeezing that much life from machines under an inch thick would've required some sort of wizardry that exists only in a rarely visited corner of West Hollywood. But today, I'm a dreamer. And I'm dreaming of a laptop with "all day battery life" -- something that could be screamed from the rooftops, and honestly, something that could probably be accomplished tomorrow if our laptop options weren't on such a diet.
HP teases new Envy all-in-one printer, glass and metal dotted all over (video)
We all love teasers, so it's rather swell that HP decided to tease its next Envy-branded all-in-one printer at the Global Influencer Summit in Shanghai -- almost two years after introducing the Envy 100. As you can see in the above slide and the extremely brief video teaser after the break, this time round the design will feature a glass control panel, as well as a metal scan bar and a metal hinge under the scanner's see-through lid. Pretty hot, we'd say, and looking back at the Envy 14 Spectre which shares similar elements, this certainly sets a good example of how the new Printing and Personal Systems Group is already bringing a better design consistency across what used to be two different groups. For now, stay tuned for more info.
