After more than three years of perfecting its imprinting design—made up of patterns beneath a glossy plastic layer—HP decided that its premium brand deserved something more in line with today's trends. The Envy line, as you may recall, was a synonymous with Voodoo PC—a custom PC builder that HP acquired several years ago. The Envy moniker reemerges under new direction, starting with the HP Envy 13 ($1,899 direct, as tested)—a sleek 13-inch ultraportable with switchable graphics, excellent battery options, and a fantastic resolution. HP is also firm about leaving the past behind, recasting the internal optical drive, an Ethernet port, and VGA-Out as external attachments. Only an unenviable price and couple of minor feature miscues, stand in the way of true greatness.
Hewlett-Packard Company
http://www.hp.com
- Price as Tested: $1,899.00 Direct
- Type: Gaming, Media, Ultraportable
- Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional
- Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo L9600
- Processor Speed: 2.13 GHz
- RAM: 3 GB
- Weight: 3.7 lb
- Screen Size: 13.1 inches
- Screen Size Type: widescreen
- Graphics Card: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD, ATI Mobility Radeon 4330
- Storage Capacity: 250 GB
- Networking Options: 802.11n
- Primary Optical Drive: External
