The HP Folio 13 is no simple ultrabook. I have looked at them all, and used several. So, I feel it is fair to say that it takes a lot to stand out in the crowded world of ultrabooks, but this one has definitely caught my attention.
The newly announced HP Spectre is the most glass-covered laptop in the business. I’ve seen glass-heavy smartphones like the iPhone 4, but not so much in laptops…until now. At CES 2012, we got a good close-up look at HP’s bold Envy redesign.
The Spectre is HP’s first consumer-oriented ultrabook (the HP Folio 13 released last year was technically HP’s first ultrabook, but targeted at small business), and the differences between the Spectre and Folio couldn’t be greater. The HP Folio 13 is a model of restraint, practicality. The Envy 14 Spectre is about flash and gloss, most markedly via its all-glass lid and palm rest. At a CES devoid of many eye-popping laptops, the Spectre could be the most stylish of the bunch.
While having glass all over the display, lid, palm rest, and touch pad might seem to invite danger, HP boasts that using Gorilla Glass will make the laptop more scratch-resistant. That may be true, but there’s likely some concern about shattering. Then again, if you dropped any laptop on a hard surface, odds are you wouldn’t be happy with the outcome.
Compared to thin 13-inch ultrabooks and laptops like the MacBook Air, the Envy 14 Spectre is no lightweight. The 20mm-thick, 14-inch ultrabook fits within the size guidelines for the newer class of 14-inch ultrabooks we’ve seen at CES, but that also means it’s heavier and thicker than other ultrabooks, including the HP Folio 13. Nevertheless, the Spectre is still lighter and thinner than mainstream laptops like the MacBook Pro.
Well, give it a look. I think I will be looking again myself
Johnny Smoes
