Computer maker Hewlett-Packard—who, let’s not forget, has unseated Dell as the top PC manufacturer on the planet—has taken the wraps of several new computers for the important end-of-year buying season, including new thing-and-light notebook computers, a stylish new netbook, and a new all-in-one PC designed for general-purpose computing in the home. And—as one might expect for a bunch of PCs due to launch in late October—the bulk will be pre-installed with Windows 7.
First up, the HP is introducing a new sub-brand within the HP family: Envy, epitomizing high style and high performance—and a premium computing experience that comes with HP concierge service and support. The line builds on the legacy HP acquired from the Voodoo Envy series, and starts off with the Envy 13 and Envy 15. The 13 spots and Intel Core 2 Duo processor, both powersaving Intel integrated graphics and performance-oriented ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330 graphics, an etched metal palm rest, a VGA webcam, and (HP claims) up to 18 hours of battery life. The 13 weights only 3.74 pounds and is less than an inch thick; HP also says it has by far the brightest display in its class, offering 410 nits of brightness, an 8 ms response time, and an 82 percent color gamut. The Envy 15 will be HP’s fastest notebook system, sporting a Core i7 processor (we aren’t making that up!), up to 16 GB of RAM, support for two SSD drives (RAID configurable), ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4830 graphics with 1 GB of video memory, and a 15.6-inch display—customers can choose a full HD HP Ultra BrightView Widescreen display if they like. The Envy line will offer optional external optical drives—that’s one way they’re keeping the weight down), and the Envy 13 even outsources Ethernet to an external module. The Envy line should ship in the U.S. on October 18, with the Envy 13 starting at $1,699 and the Envy 15 starting at $1,799.
HP has also introduced what it’s describing as the world’s thinnest “full performance” notebooks, the HP ProBook 5310m and the HP Pavilion dm3. The 5310m offers a 13.3-inch HD display and will be available with either Intel Core 2 Duo or Intel Celeron dual-core processors—HP claims the systems get up to 7 hours of battery life. The Pavilion dm3 will be available with either Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Neo Dual Core processors, either ATI or Nvidia discrete graphics, and option WWAN for mobile broadband connectivity—other options include an external Blu-ray drive, The ProBook 5310m is available now in the Asia-Pacific region running Windows Vista starting at $699; it should launch in North America, Europe, and other markets in late October with Windows 7. The Pavilion dm3 should launch October 22 with Windows 7, with pricing starting at $649.
Folks looking for style over power—and portability over lug-ability—might check out the new HP Mini 110 by Tord Boontje, a new netbook offering a 10.1-inch display, a 92-percent full-size keyboard, and the industry’s first 3D PC surface technology…on the lid. The top of the PC features a new multiple layer system that lets the notebook’s custom art appear to float on the surface of the computer’s lid while throwing shadows into the lower layers. Under the hood, the unit is the same old HP Mini 110, although it will sport Windows 7—and it’ll carry a $399 pricetag when it ships on October 18. HP also unwrapped the HP Mini 311, which will feature Nvidia Ion graphics driving an 11.6-inch display for performance…well, more in line with a traditional notebook computer. The Mini 310 will ship on September 23 with Windows Vista; a Windows 7 version will go on sale October 18.
Finally, HP also took the wraps off its new HP Pavillion MS200 consumer desktop PC, a new all-in-one unit intended to handle basic everyday computing tasks—email, Web browsing, social media, calendars, syncing, etc.—in a convenient and inexpensive form factor. The MS200 features an integrated 18.6-inch high-definition display, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, webcam, optional Nvidia 512 MB discrete graphics, and integrated stereo speakers—although the AMD Athlon dual-core processor won’t have the system winning any performance awards. The Pavilion MS200 will start at $599 and go on sale October 18 with Windows 7 Home Premium pre-installed.
