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Hands-On with HP's Envy 13 and 15 Notebooks

Norman Chan — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:00:00 -0500

If the Voodoo Envy was HP's answer to Apple's Macbook Air, than the just-announced Envy 13 and 15 laptops are diect responses to Apple's Macbook Pro lineup. Sacrificing edgy styling and ridiculously-thin dimensions (seriously, who cares anymore?), the new Envys are built more for performance to meet the demands of the high-end market. These are definitely not underpowered thin-and-lights -- the 13.1-inch model packs a 1.86GHz Core 2 Duo, 3GB of DDR3 memory, and an ATI Radeon HD 4330 discrete graphics card. The 15.6-inch model is even more powerful. And both support an innovative battery slice add-on for prolonged use.

Envy 13

Full specs:

12.59" x 8.46" x 0.8"
13.1" LED Widescreen Display (1366x768)
1.86GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor SL9400
1066MHz FSP, 6MB L2 Cache
3GB DDR3 System Memory
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330 Graphics
250GB 5400 RPM SATA Hard Drive
Brushed Aluminum with Metal Etching and HP Webcam
Intel WiFi Link 5100 AGN
2-in-1 integrated Digital Media Reader
Beats Audio
2 USB ports, HDMI, RJ-45
Weight: 3.74 pounds

One thing we noticed was the exceptionally bright screen of the Envy 13. The WXGA LED-backlit display has an 82% color gamut and 410 nit brightness. When paired next to a Macbook Air with the same image on both, the HP's rendering looked more vibrant and full.

Battery Slice

The base of the Envy houses a 4-cell lithium-ion polymer battery, which is good for 7 hours of battery life. But included in the box is a thin battery slice, which extends the battery life to 18 hours (HP's estimates). The battery slice is surprisingly thin, adding less than half an inch of additional thickness when magnetically latched to the bottom of the laptop. Its beveled edges make it non-intrusive, and it has a small button on its base to indicate remaining juice.

The base of the Envy 13 -- note the small magnetic connector for the battery slice.

Size Comparisons

Envy 15

The 15.6-inch model is more than just a supersized version of the Envy 13. It has a different laser-etched design all around the magnesium alloy unibody, housing an Intel quad-core (which looks to be the not-yet officially announced Core i7 part). Other specs include an ATI 4830 graphics chip with 1GB of video memory, up to 16GB of system RAM, and two hard drive bays (no internal optical drive). The Envy 15 has its own battery slice, as well, which adds to it's relatively slim 1-inch thickness and 5.18 pound heft.

One thing we noticed was that the resolution of the Envy 15's screen is the same as that on the Envy 13 -- 1366x768. Hopefully, HP will offer a higher-resolution option.

The system properties window indicates that the Envy 15 is using an Intel Core processor, model Q820.

This label confirms that the CPU is indeed a 1.73GHz Clarksfield part, which Intel is rumored to officially announce at IDF.

HP Lowers Prices on Envy and Blackbird

Paul Lilly — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 14:13:22 -0600

Back when boutique OEM system builders operated as standalone entities, owning a custom built rig by the likes of a Voodoo PC often required a hefty investment up to several times more than what you could expect to pay if going the DIY route. This scenario has changed somewhat in recent years thanks in part to falling hardware prices and acquisitions by mainstream OEMs. Such is the case with Voodoo PC, who was acquired by HP back in 2006. More recently, HP decided to merge its Voodoo PC unit with its consumer business unit, a move that Raul Sood, CTO for HP's Global Gaming Business, said would "ultimately mean that Voodoo and Voodoo-influenced products will be easier to buy, faster get, they will feature local service, and they have the full power of HP's marketing and sales channel behind them."

Fast forward to today and HP is making good on Sood's promise. Effective immediately, the price of the Voodoo Envy 133 drops a couple of C-notes from $2,100 to $1,900. As an added bonus, each Envy shipped will also include a second battery at no additional charge, an offer that stands until November 30. On the desktop side, the HP Blackbird 002 also gets a price cut and can now be had for $1,800.

Could the days of high-priced boutique builds be nearing an end? Probably not, but gamers on a budget who aren't interested in building their own machine have more options today than in year's past. In addition to HP's price cuts, Alienware (a Dell acquisition) this week announced an affordable dual-GPU CrossFireX gaming notebook.

Image Credit: Raul Sood

Take That, Jessica Chobot and Olivia Munn! Maximum PC Scores Voodoo Envy Hands-On and First Licking (Size Comparisons Too)

Norman Chan — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 11:00:59 -0500

Just call us licky. We mean, lucky. You've seen the official super-hot photos of the Voodoo PC's Envy laptop, but we got our hands on one and were able to take tons of close-up photos of the as well as try out the highly touted instant-on feature. Our initial impressions: the laptop is really light. HP claims the laptop (it was the SSD version) weighs three and a half pounds, and even though we didn’t have a scale in our messenger bags, it sure felt about the same weight as the Macbook air, power supply notwithstanding. Stacking the Envy against a Macbook Pro and Thinkpad X300, Voodoo’s pricey portable was both smaller and slimmer, though it sports a 13” screen.

With the instant-on function, Voodoo claims the Envy boots from the BIOS to a simplistic GUI menu in three seconds, though our test clocked the boot-up at four seconds. Launching the pre-installed Linux kernel took another six seconds (you have the option to just launch Windows), which is pretty handy if you just want to surf the web or run an instant messenger client. The custom Linux build lets you surf the web with Firefox, browse photos (which have to be stored in specific folders), listen to music, instant message with Pidgin, or even chat with Skype. Voodoo chose all of these apps because they were open source. The UI menu looks simple and can be configured to dock to any side of the screen. The look of the Linux UI still isn't final, so what customers will see might look a little different from our photo.

We like the Envy’s slim design and light weight, though the lack of an onboard Ethernet port and optical drive are unfortunate sacrifices. The square-ish (yet still thin) power brick didn’t look too cumbersome to inhibit portability, and includes an Ethernet port to broadcast wi-fi to the laptop. The shiny carbon fiber weave surface looked really stylish and sleek, though this was a pre-production model, which explained why it had a few scratches and signs of wear. Our fingerprints were also immediately noticeable after handling the laptop for a few minutes, so wiping the surfaces down with the included soft microfiber sleeve is probably recommended.

Once our hands-on time was up (our review unit is coming later), we (meaning Norm) decided to make his mark on the Envy with a slobbery lick. So what did Voodoo’s Macbook Air killer taste like? Says Norm: “ a single plum floating in perfume served in a man's hat.”

(edits made to clarify the pre-production nature of the unit and Linux UI)

Continue to the next page for more photos and a truly terrifying image.

Nightmares courtesy of Maximum PC.

Voodoo Envy Comes Dressed to Impress

Paul Lilly — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 10:45:16 -0500

Buyers who can't wait to unbox their swank Envy 133 notebook might find themselves taking pause for the occasion. And to ensure they do, Voodoo's Raul Sood plans to give the high-end laptop the white-glove treatment. Inside the box (which Sood likens to one you'd get from shopping at a Tiffany & Co.) the Envy will come wrapped in a microfiber polish sleeve stamped with the company's logo. Underneath, an assortment of accessories includes:

Voodoo Aura power connect with an additional removable cable (should the original fray over time)
HDMI to VGA Presentation Adapter
ESata optical drive with hideaway cable

Sood also includes a few more close-up shots of the carbon fiber Envy in his package-pimping blog, which show a pre-production engineering sample. Shipping Envys will trade the red logo for one in silver and chrome. You can order one now, and if HP Live Chat operator iCrzyMonkey isn't flinging poo, expect it to ship in August, bodacious box and all.

Image Credit: Raul Sood

Voodoo PC's Envy Lives Up to Name, Flaunts Custom Paint Job

Paul Lilly — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 11:09:12 -0500

Move over MacBook Air, and make room for a sexier, slimmer model. Rahul Sood, founder of VoodooPC and CTO of the HP Voodoo Business Unit, is showing off a pre-production Envy 133 notebook, and if looks could kill, we'd all find ourselves in a world of hurt just for peeking. Sporting a gorgeous Scuderia Red paint job with Italian racing stripes and finished off with a custom laser engraving, the carbon fiber Envy 133 looks poised to win accolades for both inner and outter beauty. Weighing in at a scant 3.4 pounds and measuring just .70 inches thick, the new Intel Centrino-powered Envy boasts a backlit keyboard, instant-on technology for quick access to the web and Skype, and USB, eSATA, and HDMI ports. Just don't expect to do much gaming on the integrated Intel GMA X3100 graphics.

Image Credit: TheNextTestbench.com