The world has known for a while that HP’s CES 2011 announcements would include at least one notebook sporting Intel’s new Sandy Bridge CPUs, but as it turns out, that’s just scratching the surface. On Tuesday, the company whipped the curtain off an entire lineup of new portables featuring the both Intel’s new architecture and AMD’s Fusion chips.
Getting sandy
As expected, both the Pavilion dv6 and dv7 will get Sandy Bridge CPUs and AMD Mobility Radeon graphics, along with the option of Beats Audio and HP’s Triple Bass Subwoofer on the dv7. They’ll be available on January 9 starting at $899.99 and $999.99, respectively.
HP’s Envy 17 will get the same treatment, and besides stepping up the next generation of AMD graphics, they’ll be switchable this time, allowing users to choose between battery consumption and raw power. The upgraded Beats audio package that appears as an option on the dv7 will be standard on the Envy 17, and possible storage capacity from the factory will reach a whopping 2TB. HP also claims its new CoolSense technology will keep the performance notebook cool even under load.
Forging a middle path with Fusion
Besides the trio of Sandy Bridge upgrades, HP will also embrace AMD’s new Fusion platform with the Pavilion dm1, which HP promises will deliver notebook performance in a netbook-sized package. Specifically, that will mean enough power for 1080p playback, 750GB of storage, 11.6-inch screen, an optional GPS and Blu-ray disc player, and even 10.75 hours of battery life. Dimensions, meanwhile, remain a netbookish weight of 3.5 pounds and thickness just under one inch. Price follows suit: HP will offer the Pavilion dm1 for $449.99 and up starting January 9.
The plaidberries taste like plaidberries!
Though the dm1 will fill the role of upmarket netbook, HP will retain and its traditional netbook models, too… but it’s reskinning them more than truly revamping them. The HP Mini 210 will now be available in two flavors of plaid: iceberry and raspberry. The iceberry must be tastier, though, because HP will actually charge $20 more for it ($349.99) when it debuts the finish on January 9. Raspberry will debut two weeks later on January 23 at just $329.99.
