HP/Voodoo takes on MacBook with 13-inch Envy laptop
The Voodoo Envy 133
(Credit: HP/Voodoo)We've previously taken notice of Voodoo founder (and current chief technology officer of HP's Global Gaming Business) Rahul Sood's playful birthday video, where he cut a cake with a MacBook Air and said, "Well, I wouldn't be needing this notebook for long anyways." Now we know exactly what he was talking about, with the new announcement of the Voodoo Envy 133.
We actually got to take a peek at one of these in person a few weeks ago, and we were impressed with the slim, attractive design. At around 3.4 pounds, it falls somewhere between the traditional MacBook and the lighter MacBook Air (it's nearly as thin, at 0.7 inch)--it might be best compared with Lenovo's 13-inch X300.
Voodoo is not into soft, rounded corners.
(Credit: HP/Voodoo)One particularly smart innovation we hope other laptop makers will adopt is what the company calls "Voodoo Aura PowerConnect." That simply means the Ethernet jack is located on the power brick, so you don't have to fit the jack into the system itself. Plus, the power brick will act as a point-to-point Wi-Fi connection, so you can unplug and move around without being tethered to your Ethernet cable in those rare situations where you have wired Internet access, but no Wi-Fi router (which actually happened to us in a hotel recently). There's also an Instant-On menu that gives you access to a Web browser and even Skype, without booting into Windows.
Unlike the Air, the system has HDMI and multiple USB ports, but it does have a few Mac-like touchpad gesture controls (such as pinching to zoom in on photos). We saw it in white, but the Envy 133 will be available in a variety of colors and custom graphic finishes.
The Envy 133 will start at $2,099, and be available "starting this summer," according to HP. Other highlights include:
- Starts at 3.4 pounds, 0.70 inch thin, 9.04 inches deep, and 12.65 inches wide.
- A carbon fibre casing with custom microweave design. The 13.3-inch backlit LED screen is covered with a durable fused composite glass.
- Voodoo IOS - gives road warriors instant access to Skype and an Internet browser.
- Voodoo Aura PowerConnect - users can plug an Ethernet cable into the jack located on the power brick. A point-to-point Wi-Fi connection is automatically established, between the RJ45 and the notebook.
- Multiple gesture touchpad - features scroll and pinch options.
- Standard integrated Webcam
- Wireless connectivity - includes integrated wireless 802.11 ABGN + Bluetooth.
- Ports - headphone/microphone, HDMI, USB 2.0 (1x) and a shared e-SATA/USB (1x).
- Backlit keyboard
- Proximity sensor - This system recognizes when fingers are on the keyboard and turns off the touchpad to avoid any accidental movement of the cursor.
- LED display - 13.3-inch LED WXGA (1,280x800) screen covered in high-quality fused composite glass that runs from edge to edge.
- Ambient sensors - adjusts the display brightness according to its surrounding environment.
New York native Dan Ackerman, a former radio DJ turned journalist, has written about technology and music for publications including Spin, Blender, The Hollywood Reporter, and USA Today. He hosts the weekly Digital City podcast and the New York edition of Editors' Office Hours. Dan's new album, Tales Out of Night School, is available now. E-mail Dan. 
P.S Nikon Is Awesome! :D
Oh, one more thing. The biggest news for Tuesday, is still what Apple did yesterday.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLIrgQHV5aU
Check this out
Wow! That was great. And the audience was totally impressed. You could tell, because they were told to applaud. It's good to see HP ripping off everything Apple has done over the last four years and then adding a few features to make it their own.
So I guess your question is.. Carbon Fiber, the stuff that the drivers from Fast and the Furious put on their cars or the stuff that is utilized in most military and stressful commercial environments.
Nevertheless, they both stuck unless your absolutely need a light weight and portable laptop. I would still with a 15/17 inch laptop, preferably the Macbook Pro.
how unfortunate.
i don't understand why any computer company would ever get flack for designing a super thin and sexy laptop. sure apple did it first but so did Ford. it makes sense that people are going to copy and improve on a good idea. frankly, unless you want to stay in the past you can just accept that there will be products made in the next year that will blow what apple has done so far out of the water.
i'm not a fanboy of any company. i have an ipod touch, and i'm typing on my vaio. so, i believe that i can recognize when a good idea has been improved upon.
The whole idea of access to certain functions without booting to Windows -- and with other HP computers -- and adding a new interface on top of Windows shows how the market is still pushing away from Vista. Regardless of whether it is a horrible as people say, the general consumer will still stray away from it as far as possible.
I stick with Apple for the operating system and quality of hardware. HP customers that are used to the quality of hardware may find refuge with Apple and it's superior OS while avoiding Windows Vista on these otherwise beautiful computers.
- by IIVVII August 2, 2008 6:32 PM PDT
- HP always makes pretty things, but for however pretty and light this new notebook may be it is still running windows which will be its major downfall. The reason why the Macbook Air is popular is because its both glamorous and functional, two qualities that HP and Windows fail to accommodate at the same time. If you are going to drop over $1500 for a lap top you will be getting a better machine if you by a mac, and now that apple is putting better graphics cards in their computers, there is really no reason to buy a P.C.
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