In addition to business-oriented notebooks, Hewlett-Packard today took the wraps of a selection of new notebooks aimed at consumers, including updated versions of the Pavilion dv4 and the HP Envy 14. And HP still thinks there’s some life left in the netbook market, introducing the Atom-powered HP Mini 210 “companion PC.”
First up, the revised HP Envy 14 picks up new second-generation “Sandy Bridge” Intel Core processors, with both Core i5 and Core i7 options available. The Envy 14s still sport a 14.5-inch 1,366 by 768-pixel display, driven by ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5850 discrete graphics with 1 GB of video memory. The system sport 4 to 8 GB of RAM, with a standard hard drive from 500 to 750 GB or a 256 GB SSD option; there’s also a SuperMulti 8× DVD±RW drive, 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless networking, HDMI and MIni DisplayPort output, an integrated webcam, a multi-format memory card reader, HP Beats Audio, USB 3.0, and what HP promises is an improved trackpad experience. The HP Envy 14 should be available starting June 15 for prices starting at $999.99.
Next up, even though tablets might be all the rage in portable computing, HP thinks there is still some life left in netbooks—or “companion PCs.” The HP Mini 210 offers an Intel Atom processor (single and dual-core options available) with 1 or 2 GB of RAM, an optional embedded GPS module, 250 to 500 GB of hard drive storage, and a 10.1-inch display: customers can choose between 1,024 by 600 resolution or 1,366 by 768 resolution. There’s no optical drive, but it the Mini 210 does sport a webcam and a mic, along with 802.111b/g/n Wi-Fi and a Bluetooth option, three USB ports, and a VGA video output. The HP Mini 210 also features HP QuickWeb, enabling users to get on the Web within seconds of powering up, so they don’t have to wait for Windows to load. The HP Mini 2010 is less than an inch thick, offers up to 9.5 hours of battery life on a singe charge, and will be available in five colors: it should be available June 15 for prices starting at $299.99.
Finally, HP has also announced the Pavilion dv4 notebook, with few details other than it will sport a 14-inch display, be available in black and blue, and sport HP’s CoolSense technology “for a notebook that feels noticeably cooler,” along with HP SimplePass that creates one-time passwords connected with individual users’ fingerprints. The Pavilion dv4 should be available beginning May 18 for prices starting at $599.99.
