HP ENVY 14 Spectre – The Ultimate Glass Ultrabook

[CES 2012] 2012 is the year of the ultrabook, with Intel and HP leading the way. With tablets competing against mobile computer and offering sleek bodies with enough power to get by the day without recharging, the PC manufacturers have to put more effort in the industrial design than ever.

I am very happy to discover several awesomely designed devices at CES this year, such as the Toshiba Excite X10 and more to come.

HP is delivering a state-of-the-art ultrabook, a.k.a the HP ENVY 14 Spectre, which is 20 mm thin (inch) and weighs 1.8 kg. The beautifully crafted sleek and compact body features a scratch resistant glass finish on the black lid, the frameless 14-inch display and the palm rest.
Just like the rest of the Envy lineup, the Spectre offers Beats audio with the vintage-like aluminum analog volume dial located on the right side alongside the mute control button. The speakers has been placed underneath the unit on the rounded edge to avoid contact with the flat surface while in use and prevent the sound to be blocked.

On the performance side, the HP ENVY 14 Spectre boasts latest Intel® Core™processorswith featuring Intel Rapid Start Technology, 128 gigabyte (GB) of Solid State Drive (SSD)storage and 9 hours of battery life, according to HP. Despite its thin form factor, you will find all the satnadrd ports you need: Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0, HDMI and Mini Displayport.

The HP ENVY 14 Spectre is expected to be available end of March at a starting price of €1,299  in UK, Germany, Switzerland and United Arab Emirates. In the US, the starting price will be $1399. I would not mind paying this premium price to get this highly fashionable powerful notebook.