HP has announced a trio of new Windows 8 running ultrabooks, called the Envy 17, the Spectre 13 x2 and the Spectre 13 Ultrabook.
The former laptop is the world’s first with Leap Motion-controlling,
the second one is the world’s first Haswell laptop without a fan while
the last comes with a huge trackpad.
HP Envy 17 with Leap Motion
Motion-controlled laptops are an unpopular idea as of now but it
feels good to see HP incorporating the technology in its machines. HP
Envy 17 is in fact, just a regular Envy 17 laptop with this technology.
HP Envy 17 comes with an Intel Core i5/i7 processors, AMD Radeon HD
7750M/7850M Graphics, 6 GB RAM and 750 HDD storage. And as the name
indicates, it comes with a 17 inch touchscreen display and with up to
Full HD resolution.
Just in case if you are unfamiliar, leap motion — not a very new
technology — helps you to navigate through various apps and software by
just moving your hands.
The small sensor, mounted below the keyboard, uses two cameras and
three infrared LEDs to track the movement of any object. You can simply
move your hands to scroll the images or to forward a movie. Play games
just by gestures instead of a controller.
Users can even hold a pencil, and the system is accurate enough to track fingers.
Leap motion is set to do further wonders in the coming days.
The Leap Motion, in HP Envy 17, can toggled on or off and when turned
on, you can use your game or swipe through Windows 8 using hand
gestures.
There are currently around 100 applications making full use of the
technology. HP Envy 17 will start at $ 1,049 when it launches in
mid-October.
HP Spectre 13 x2
The HP Spectre 13 x2 is the second system of the trio and is the
world’s first laptop without a fan, despite having Haswell under the
hood. The hybrid boasts a large 13.3 inch detachable display with Full
HD resolution.
On the inside, it comes with a 4th-gen Intel Core i3 or i5 processor,
along with up to 8 GB RAM. Storage options are set at either 64 or 128
GB.
For connectivity, the tablet only has a microSD card slot for memory
expansion. The keyboard, does however, add 2 USB 3.0 ports, HDMI port
and an SD card slot.
The aluminium machine will be available from $ 1,099 onwards from the mid of October.
HP Spectre 13 Ultrabook
This ultrabook is the more modest of the two. Having a 13 inch
display with touchscreen and a ground-breaking resolution of up to 2560 x
1440 pixels, it comes with a Core i5 or i7 Intel Haswell processor
under the hood. It also comes with 512 GB of SSD storage.
Lacking bells and whistles of this brethren, the Spectre 13 still
comes with an ultra-wide Synaptics touchpad with “Control Zones” on
either side to facilitate you in registering Windows 8 swipes.
It will be also be available from mid-October onwards, but from $999 for the base model.
HP has currently experiencing worsening times, so its good to see it
doing some serious effort in getting back its top PC-maker, an honor
which it only recently lost to Lenovo.