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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!
HP announces two affordable thin-and-lights, including one with a touchscreen
Geez Louise, folks. HP's notebook lineup is starting to get confusing. So confusing, in fact, that we feel compelled to offer a little primer before we get to what it is the company announced today. Rewinding to sometime last year, the company came out with its first Ultrabooks. Then it unveiled so-called Sleekbooks, which basically hold the same promise as Ultrabooks, except that for whatever reason (AMD processors, a too-thick chassis) they don't meet Intel's official Ultrabook requirements. Still with us? Alrighty. Well, since then HP has released Sleekbooks under its mid-range Envy brand, and also its lower-cost Pavilion line. That's a lot of thin-and-light laptops that aren't technically Ultrabooks. Anyway, flash back to the present and we've got two new Pavilion Sleekbooks, one of which has a touchscreen. They're officially called the Pavilion TouchSmart Sleekbook and the Pavilion Sleekbook and, well, you can guess which is which. Regardless of the model, some key features remain the same: both have 15.6-inch (1,366 x 768) displays, replaceable batteries and numpads, along with trackpads that support Windows 8 gestures (that's true of most new laptops, actually). Both make use of the company's CoolSense technology, which we can easily vouch for by now, having tested so many HP notebooks. As for design, these look more or less like the Pavilion Sleekbooks announced back in September, with three color choices and HP's Imprint finish, whose in-laid pattern does a good job hiding fingerprints. It's in the spec department that these two laptops start to differ. Though both models will be offered with AMD Trinity processors only, the TouchSmart starts with an AMD A8 chip and 6GB of RAM, while the non-touch version starts with an A6 APU and four gigs of memory. The hard drive capacity varies, too: the non-touch one starts with 500GB of space, while the TouchSmart has 750GB. As you can imagine, the touchscreen version is thicker, but only slightly: it measures 23mm thick, versus 21mm. Look for the non-touch Sleekbook to go on sale this month, starting at $499. The TouchSmart will land in February, priced from $699. In the meantime, we've got hands-on shots of both waiting for you after the break. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
HP takes Open webOS 1.0 live, shows it supersized on a TouchSmart (video)
WebOS loyalists have been waiting a long, long time for HP's September launch of Open webOS, but the company has made good on its promise with not a moment to spare. Open webOS 1.0 is now available with core browser and e-mail apps, the Enyo 2.0 framework and enough hooks to allow porting to a platform of choice. To prove this last point, HP has gone so far as to port the software to a TouchSmart all-in-one -- a device just a tad larger than a Veer 4G. Lest anyone be hasty and get visions of developing a custom build for the TouchPad, though, they'd do well to remember both HP's disclaimer ruling out legacy support as well as word of the holes that exist in the current Open webOS release. The company needs time to offer open-sourced media support, a Bluetooth stack, advanced network management, faster rendering and newer versions of both Qt and WebKit. The curious can nonetheless try the OS in an emulator today, and intrepid developers can start building their own projects with the code and tools found at the source link.
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?
Visualized: HP's all-in-one PCs over the years, one from 1983
HP's TouchSmart sub-brand and its other AIOs should be no stranger to many PC advocates, but in case you've never come across one before, the company's laid all of them out on one side of its Global Influencer Summit in Shanghai. Models range from the TouchSmart IQ770 launched back in 2007, all the way to the recently shipped Z1 workstation and even the just-announced t410 Smart Zero Client; but the real gem of the booth is that little beige HP 150 right in the middle -- it's one of the first-ever touchscreen PCs, dating back to 1983, powered by an 8MHz Intel 8088 chip, ran MS-DOS and cost a mere $3,995. Whilst on the topic, HP's Vice President of Industrial Design Stacy Wolff shared some interesting stats: his team found that much like laptops, there are very different screen size preferences across different regions, with the US showing strong interest in 20-inch and 23-inch HP AIOs, whereas China much prefers 20-inch over 21.5-inch and 23-inch. With the big jump in AIO market penetration in each region between 2008 to 2012 (almost doubled in Japan and the US; and an even bigger leap for other markets), HP predicts that these machines will continue to steadily increase market penetration across more price points -- this was illustrated with what it conveniently calls the "AIO wedge" on a chart. Feel free to take a gander at our gallery for more tidbits.
HP redesigns its Magic Canvas software, plans to install it on all desktops (even non-touch ones)
Though HP announced two desktops today, the most interesting tidbit might not be the computers, but the software installed on them. As the company releases new hardware, it's also rolling out a revamped version of its Magic Canvas UI (formerly known as TouchSmart). Now, it'll work even on PCs without touchscreens, and it's going to ship on every HP tower and all-in-one, including already-announced models like this. The most significant improvement is that you can now access the Start Menu and all your Windows apps, even when you're immersed in this UI that frankly looks more like a mobile OS than Windows 7. (If all this reeks of bloatware, you can uninstall or choose not to launch it.) As for that mobile-inspired experience, we're talking about those widgets and large, finger-friendly shortcuts, sure, but also the fact that you get an unlimited number of home screens for pinning notes and leaving documents open. Forget where you left your 15-page term paper? You can right click to bring up a search screen (we're not clear if there will be a keyboard shortcut for that). As we said, you can expect this to become ubiquitous on HP's desktops but if you want to see it in action now, you can head past the break for a short promo video.
HP announces an avalanche of all-in-ones, slims down its TouchSmarts (video)
At some point earlier this year, all-in-one desktops became a thing. Companies like Toshiba that had never before taken an interest in the space suddenly started selling 'em, beefing up a market that HP, Dell and Apple had owned for years. You could tell what HP executives were thinking. Months earlier, the outfit had announced its TouchSmart 610 -- you know, the one with the sprawling, tilting display. It's as if the company had to prove it's the real deal when it comes to all-in-ones -- or, at least, that it could come up with something that'll eat up less desk space than the 610. Okay, we just put a lot of words into HP executives' mouths, but really, what else could this deluge of all-in-ones mean? The company just spat out seven new models for the US market, the highest-end of which have a markedly more minimalist look. The 20-inch TouchSmart 320, 21.5-inch 420 and the 23-inch 520 all boast the kind of free-standing display display you see in that photo up there -- a screen that tilts 30 degrees, and leaves enough space underneath for you to stow the wireless keyboard. The lot have starting prices ranging from $600 to $800, with the highest-end 520 matching the 610, which will still be around for the foreseeable future. Moving along, HP also trotted out the similar-looking 7230, its first TouchSmart for the small business market, along with the Pro 3420, a non-touch model. That will start at $600, with the touchscreen pushing the 3420's price northwards of $850. And, just to make sure it had its bases covered, the company introduced two plain-Jane models, the 20-inch Omni 120 and the 21.5-inch Omni 220, which steps up to Beats Audio, Sandy Bridge processors and a more striking design. These will each be available before the end of the month, starting at $400 and $800, respectively. Oodles of glossy press shots below and a short video after the break. %Gallery-132815% %Gallery-132817% %Gallery-132819% %Gallery-132821% %Gallery-132822% %Gallery-132824% %Gallery-132814% %Gallery-132816%
Slim new HP TouchSmart AIO highlighted in leaked promo video
A tipster sent in what looks to be a video of a forthcoming HP all-in-one. The TouchSmart 520 is a slim device, propped up by two "sweeping support arms," which allow the PC to be adjusted, much like in past models. Not a lot of specs to go on at this point, though the system does sport a "high definition display" and souped up audio courtesy of Beats. Enjoy the rendered slickness in the video after the break.
HP TouchSmart 610 review
Is it just us or do all-in-ones seem to be having a moment? Over the past two months, we've seen Toshiba make a belated jump into the market, while Lenovo went and added one to its family of Think-branded laptops and desktops. And that's not even counting models by old-timers like Apple, Dell, and MSI. And then there's HP, which has been making touchscreen all-in-ones for three years -- long before they were a thing. The company's had plenty of time to fine-tune its finger-friendly TouchSmart software, and now, its newest model, the TouchSmart 610 ($899 and up), ushers in a fresh design, highlighted by a hinge that allows the display to slide down and lie nearly flat. Although it's been shipping since this spring, it's only been available with Sandy Bridge for about a month now. We took one of these tricked-out beasts into our living room and got reacquainted with the comforts of not-so-mobile computing. At the risk of spoiling everything, we think this should be on your shortlist if you're considering an all-in-one, especially one with a big 'ol touchscreen. Read on to find out why. %Gallery-127193%
HP gives TouchSmart 610 a second crack, this time with Sandy Bridge CPU options
HP may have announced its TouchSmart 610 all-in-one just a shade too soon for it to ship with Core 2011 processors, but that doesn't mean the company was above pushing out a refresh just a few months later. Now, this 23-inch beast is on sale with a variety of quad-core Core i5 and Core i7 Sandy Bridge CPUs. To recap, what makes the 610 special is its rigid hinge, which allows the 1080p display to slide down so that it's face-up, and nearly flat at a 60-degree angle -- a more ergonomic position for poking 'round the TouchSmart software while standing. Like pretty much every other HP computer on the market, it comes standard with Beats Audio and, depending on how much money you're willing to shell out, you can trick it out with up to 16GB of RAM, 2TB of storage, and your choice of NVIDIA or ATI graphics with up to 2GB of video memory. Those Sandy Bridge models are available now starting at $1,100, though as always, you can get an entry-level configuration with quad-core AMD innards for $900 and up. %Gallery-124132%
Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide: Desktops
Welcome to the Engadget Holiday Gift Guide! The team here is well aware of the heartbreaking difficulties of the seasonal shopping experience, and we want to help you sort through the trash and come up with the treasures this year. Below is today's bevy of hand curated picks, and you can head back to the Gift Guide hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the holiday season. Desktops don't get much love these days, what with newfangled "laptops" hogging all the spotlight, but it's still an incredibly vibrant category, full of cutthroat competition, insanely powerful computers, and superfluous LED lighting. The result is tons of hot deals, particularly if you don't mind bringing your own monitor, wrangling wires behind an entertainment center, or being chained to a desk. In return you'll get performance that simply isn't possible on a laptop, expandability should you choose take advantage of it, and so many hot deals. Follow along after the break as we show you some of our favorites.
HP announces TouchSmart 310 and Omni100 all-in-one PCs
It's not just oddly random Android tablet-based printers for HP today -- the company also announced two new all-in-one PCs, the TouchSmart 310 (pictured above) and the Omni100. The TouchSmart 310 is obviously the latest in the TouchSmart line, with a 2.8GHz Athlon II 240e dual-core CPU, 4GB of RAM, Radeon HD 4270 integrated graphics, a 1TB drive and a 20-inch 1600x1900 touchscreen running the latest version of HP's Windows 7 touch overlay with custom interfaces for Facebook, Hulu, Netflix, Twitter, and HP's built-in HDTV tuner. Not bad -- but we'll see how much all those options cost above the $699 base price. On the non-touch front, the Omni100 also has a 20-inch 1600x1900 display, but it's running HP's MediaSmart Windows 7 overlay on a 1.8GHz Athlon II 260u with 3GB of RAM, a 500GB drive and the same Radeon HD 4270 integrated graphics. It's also cheaper, starting at $499 -- we're definitely a little concerned that HP's cheaped out on display quality at those prices, but we'll have to see things in person first. We'll find out soon enough -- both of these hit on the 22nd. %Gallery-102785%
HP intros Envy 100, Android-powered Photosmart eStation AIO with Yahoo widgets (update)
We're not sure where CNET's getting its information, but we're liking what we see -- a streamlined HP Envy-branded printer with a 3.45-inch touchscreen for apps, games, scanning docs, and yes indeed, occasionally affixing dye to pressed wood pulp at 30 pages per minute. It reportedly has a pair of mechanical paper trays that open and close like a CD drive, and CNET says it'll ship October 4th for $249. Before you take those figures verbatim though, know that they might not be quite right, as the publication also says the $399 Android-powered HP Photosmart eStation C510 (aka Zeus with 7-inch Zeen tablet) is coming September 13th -- a day when, we're sure you'll agree, the printer failed to arrive. Also apparently slated for September 13th is the HP Officejet Pro 8500A Plus, a full-size all-in-one inkjet model with a 4.3-inch touchscreen, now imbued with HP ePrintCenter apps. Why sit and talk to co-workers around that boring water-cooler, when you can play with your office's printer instead? Two more pictures of the Envy 100 after the break, which is apparently badass enough to come with its own tote bag and 802.11n WiFi. Update: We're waiting for the HP IPG summit news conference to begin and, well, three guesses what that is hanging out on stage (pictured above). There's a second shot after the break, with a Yahoo search widget clearly on display. Update 2: Now official, dubbed the Photosmart eStation AIO, and unless our eyes deceive us, we definitely spotted an Android lock screen and status bar. All for $399. There's a partnership in place with Yahoo, including numerous widgets (we've spotted search and weather so far). Something tells us there won't be another search option, but we'll find out for sure and let ya know. It's currently being demoed live on stage. Google Calendar is there, as is a web browser. Update 3: Hands-on! %Gallery-102759%
How would you change the HP TouchSmart tm2t?
If you're looking for the quintessential tablet experience, but aren't so fond of giving up the small luxuries that come with owning a laptop, HP's TouchSmart tm2t was probably high on your list once it was introduced earlier in the year. Boasting a 12.1-inch capacitive touchscreen, a swivel option for converting it into a tablet and plenty of power for the Average Joe / Jane, it looks -- on paper, at least -- that this guy is the definition of 'striking a balance.' For those that plopped down the coin to bring one home, we're interested to hear how it has or has not lived up to your expectations. Is the note-taking experience up to snuff? How's that touch response? Would you want to have resistive instead? Bumped up the CPU a notch or two? Don't be shy down in comments below -- we need more oddballs like this in the world, and we need 'em to be done right.
HP TouchSmart tm2 gains Core i5 CPU option, a whole new level of respect
Don't you just love it when a plan comes together? Or when a rumor plays out perfectly? We're looking at a case of the latter here today, as HP's oh-so-lovable 12-inch TouchSmart tm2 is now available to order with a Core i5 processor. Just months after gaining Core i3 support, the convertible tablet can now be ordered with a 1.2GHz Core i5-430UM (capable of hitting 1.73GHz with Turbo Boost). Said CPU can be paired with integrated Intel graphics or with a discrete ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5450, and 4GB of DDR3 RAM is standard on either configuration. Hit the links below to investigate further, but be sure to keep your plastic far, far away unless you're kosher with impulse buys of a rather significant caliber.
HP's $950 TouchSmart tm2 surfaces at Amazon with Core i3-330M
Don't you just love it when a plan comes together? Just a week after hearing that HP would soon be refreshing its TouchSmart tm2 convertible tablet with Core i3 and Core i5 options, in flies this: an Amazon product page confirming as much. The 12.1-inch, 4.72-pound TouchSmart tm2-2050us is currently in pre-order status, rocking a 2.13GHz Core i3-330M processor, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, a 640GB hard drive (5400RPM), Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit), a WXGA LED-backlit display, Intel's integrated graphics set, Altec Lansing speakers, a 5-in-1 card reader and gigabit Ethernet. You'll also get a brushed aluminum finish, inbuilt webcam and fingerprint reader, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth, a trio of USB 2.0 sockets, HDMI / VGA outputs, audio in / out and a battery good for around four hours of use. You can get in line now in exchange for $949.99, and if we were the betting type, we'd surmise that a Core i5 version was just around the bend. [Thanks, Daniel]
HP stuffs Core i3 / i5 into TouchSmart PCs, gently revamps other desktops
Down for a solid spate of updates? Wipe that sleep from your eye and listen up, then. HP's pushing out a list of updates tonight across a rather strange combination of desktops, so we won't waste any time breaking it down. The standouts of the bunch are the revamped TouchSmart PCs, with both the TouchSmart 300 and 600 getting a dose of Core i3 / i5, some sort of "Beats Audio" inclusion and a suite of software that you may or may not wish to keep loaded on. Starting tags on these are listed at $799 and $1,099, respectively. Moving on, there's the All-in-One 200-5020, a $699 (and up) machine with a 21.5-inch 1080p display, Windows 7, built-in WiFi, an optional keyboard / mouse, DVD burner, integrated webcam and MediaSmart software bundle. For the suits in attendance, there's the HP Compaq 6005 Pro Ultra Slim, which measures 10-inches high and 2.6-inches wide, includes ATI's Radeon 4200 GPU and sports a $599 starting point. The whole lot should be available by the month's end if you find something you like. %Gallery-91290%
HP TouchSmart 600 Quad series does the Core i7 thing
What? Did Intel release a new processor or something? HP is just the latest PC vendor to make the Core i7 jump as it plans to put its new TouchSmart 600 Quad series up for sale starting today. The beefed up 23-inch all-in-one starts at $1,699 with options for a 1.6GHz Core i7 720QM or 1.73GHz Core i7 820QM Intel quad-core processor. Otherwise, the rest of the specs remain unchanged for this Windows 7 AIO. Still, if you've been waiting to pull the trigger since hearing about this update from our December leaks, well, keep refreshing that source link boy, it'll be available shortly. Update: It's live.
HP's TouchSmart tm2 gets exhaustively unboxed on video
We heard that HP's recently unveiled TouchSmart tm2 tablet would begin shipping immediately, and given that said "unveiling" happened just last week, well... you know we couldn't lay off the first unboxing video that we've seen. One particular user decided to bless us (or harass us, depending on perspective) with five full minutes of YouTube footage dedicated to the device's unwrapping, which even includes a breathtaking view of the owners manual being glanced right over in favor of that whole "jumping right in" thing. Be sure to hit up the More Coverage link below if you're a to-be owner -- already lots of chatter going on from folks who just landed one of their own. [Thanks, Mike and Andy]
HP brings out TouchSmart tm2 tablet, upgrades dv6t and dv7t with Core i5
And now, for the hopelessly devoted HP homeboy, we present a trio of lust items. The new hotness on the converitble tablet front -- the TouchSmart tm2 -- is ready for shipping in exchange for nearly $950, and will endow your life with a 12-inch capacitive multitouch display, a somewhat senescent SU7300 1.3GHz ULV processor, and 3GB of DDR3 memory. Should you dare to stray into higher price ranges, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4550 discrete graphics and an SU9600 CPU are also available. Alternatively, you can splash $929 on the 15.6-inch dv6t, which now comes with a 2.4GHz Core i5-520M as standard, as well as free upgrades to 3GB of RAM and 320GB in storage. Graphics options here range up to an NVIDIA GeForce GT 320M with 1GB of onboard memory. Finally, the dv7t matches its smaller sibling's upgrades but asks for $999 for the base spec, which includes a 17.3-inch display with a 1600 x 900 resolution. So there you have it, something for pretty much everyone.
