HP Envy breaks cover

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By Barry Collins

Posted on 14 Sep 2009 at 17:25

HP is launching a stylish rival to the MacBook Air and the Dell Adamo, dubbed Envy.

The ultrathin Envy will come in both 13in and 15in models. The all-metal casing (magnesium and aluminium) follows the blueprint laid down by Apple and Dell, but unlike its rivals the Envy will sport a removable battery.

The larger 15in model will also have an optional "battery slice" that slots neatly into the base of the laptop, which will boost battery life from six to 12 hours, according to HP's figures.

The 13in envy is only 20mm thick and weighs a mere 1.7kg. The 15in model is a little thicker at around 1in (25mm), and tips the scales at 2.4kg.

The device will sport a 400 nits "radiance display", which is around 50% brighter than the average laptop screen.

HP is yet to confirm the exact specification of either machine, although the 15in device will support a quad-core Intel processor, room for up to two hard disks and four DIMM slots. The high-end model will also offer hybrid discrete graphics that only kick in when 3D horsepower is necessary, saving battery life.

The company is also putting a lot of effort into the Envy packaging, with the laptop arriving in a smart sliding box and felt bag. All the manuals will be delivered on an SD card to keep packaging to a minimum.

HP will offer a set of matching external accessories, such as an optical drive with USB hub.

HP is set to deliver official specs and pricing on the Envy laptops later this week. The laptops are expected to launch with Windows 7 in late October.