UPDATED 5/5/10: New, earlier ENVY 17 release date, and pictures!
Big news from HP today! They’re introducing major upgrades to their ENVY, Pavilion and Mini lines, meaning there’s something new for just about anyone looking for a new laptop.
First up are the new ENVY 14 and 17, which join the already in-market ENVY 13 and 15. The ENVY is HP’s top of the line and features cutting edge design and materials, like a laser-etched aluminum chassis, high-end Intel processors and ATI Mobility Radeon discrete graphics, and Beats Audio. Unique to the ENVY 14 is a new HD Radiance display that HP claims is almost 59% brighter than a standard laptop display, and a battery that delivers up to 6 hours of performance. The ENVY 17 can be configured with up to 2 terabytes (yes, you read that right!) of onboard storage and features ATI Eyefinity technology to power multiple monitors at once. The ENVY 14 starts at $999 and will go on sale starting June 27th, and the ENVY 17 starts at $1399 on May 26th May 19th.
HP is also refreshing their line of “mainstream” laptops with the launch of the Pavilion dm4, dv5, dv6, and dv7. The dm4 is the new 14” version of the dm3 (which I have and use all the time). It’s only an inch thin and weighs less than 5lbs, which is quick thin and light for a 14” laptop. The dv5, dv6, and dv7 are all available in HP custom “Imprint” finishes and with HP’s SimplePass biometric (i.e., fingerprint reader) security, and offer a range of unique features across the line, like the dv6’s optional multi-touch screen, and the dv7’s Altec-Lansing subwoofer and Beats Audio. The dm4, dv5, dv6 and dv7 are expected to be available in the United States on May 19 with starting prices of $729.99 $649.99, $649.99 and $799.99, respectively.
Last but not least are the new HP Minis. HP has been in the netbook game since the early days, and the new HP Mini 210 does the lineage proud. You can get some of them with HP’s Imprint 3-D technology, which you may have seen on the HP Mini 110 by Studio Tord Boontje. This is a new design process that creates a deep 3D texture on the case back, which makes it look and feel kind of like a topographic map. They feel very interesting and different in your hand which helps to separate them from the sea of “normal” netbooks you’d find at your local retailer. They’re on sale starting at $354 on June 15th. HP also upped the battery life on the Mini 110 to 8 hours via an integrated 6-cell battery. That one is also on sale starting June 15th for $279 and up.
All of these machines reflect HP’s new “MUSE” (materials, usability, sensory appeal, experiences) philosophy – basically, they’ve been designed, engineered and ergonomically tested to look, feel, and perform great. Having used the previous generation of ENVY 13, ENVY 15 and DM3, I can tell you that they’re doing a good job – all of those machines feel good to hold, open, close, type on, etc. They just feel “right”.
I’m looking forward to getting these new machines and doing a full hands-on to see what improvements they’ve made in both performance and aesthetics. Stay tuned for more detailed posts on these new PCs!
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