GeekSugar

HP Envy 14 Spectre Gets Priced at $1,400

Kristy Korcz — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:47:38 PST

The HP Envy 14 Spectre was arguably the most fetching ultrabook at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, and we finally know how much damage it will do to our bank accounts. The HP Envy 14 Spectre will be available Feb. 17 and priced at $1,400 to start.

The base model Spectre comes stocked with a 14-inch HD+ Radiance Infinity LED-backlit display and backlit keyboard, a 128GB SSD hard drive, Bluetooth connectivity, a TrueVision HD webcam, Gorilla Glass top fused to a black-and-silver aluminum body, and 9.5 hours of battery life. Supported ports include mini-DisplayPort, HDMI, USB 3.0, and an SD/MultiMediaCard reader. HP also developed HP CoolSense, which keeps your machine running cool even after long hours of use, so you won't suffer from the dreaded laptop burn on your legs.

What do you think of the HP Envy 14 Spectre - worth the price tag at first glance?

CES Gadgets For the Stylish Geek

Kristy Korcz — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 04:25:36 PST

The Consumer Electronics Show is still in full force in the Las Vegas desert, but we've already seen so many gadgets that we can't wait to get our hands on when we get back to the real world. Keep in mind that these products have yet to announce their prices and release dates and just dream about holding them in your hot little hands for now. Check out a few of our favorites here and don't forget to tell us which ones you have your eyes on in the comments.

Ooh La La: Get Excited For the HP Envy 14 Spectre

Kristy Korcz — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 06:41:00 PST

It's like no other ultrabook you've seen at CES so far: the attractive HP Envy 14 Spectre's top shell is made of black, scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass. No kidding. Although the Spectre is on the heavier side of the ultrabook norm at four pounds (which is to be expected, I suppose, with a glass shell), it remains light enough to transport with ease.

The Spectre boasts nine hours of battery life, Beats Audio technology, a full back-lit keyboard, and built-in HP Wireless Audio that allows you to stream uncompressed audio to up to four different devices. One interesting addition is the analog volume slider dial on the side that controls your tunes. It was added in as a "visual design cue," but I'm wondering how sensitive it will be.

The HP Envy 14 is quite the looker, but will set you back $1,400 when it hits the streets on Feb. 8. Check it out for yourself in these pics!

Get a Closer Look at the HP Folio 13

Kristy Korcz — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 12:23:54 PST

HP announced the Folio 13 earlier today, a slim and trim ultrabook that can move seamlessly from the home to office thanks to a lightweight package and security features. The $900 price tag makes the Folio 13 a well-placed laptop for holiday purchases when it drops on Dec. 7, so if you're itching to get a closer look at the Folio 13, check out these images in the gallery!

HP Folio 13: Will Get the Job Done (Stylishly)

Kristy Korcz — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 09:46:11 PST

HP announced its entry into the ultrabook space, the HP Folio 13, this morning, and it's quite fetching with its cool brushed metal casing. Coming in at only 18mm thin, weighing 3.3 pounds, and stocked with a 13.3-inch HD Briteview display and 128GB hard drive, the Folio 13 also boasts rapid start and boot times and a whopping nine hours of battery life.

There are plenty of ports on the Folio 13 as well (unlike the thinner MacBook Air): USB 3.0, USB 2.0, Ethernet, HDMI, and an SD card reader. A backlit keyboard helps you work in low-light conditions (like on a plane perhaps?), while HP's CoolSense technology keeps the machine running at lower temps so you don't burn your legs. Bonus - there's a feature called TPM Embedded Security that protects the data found in your emails and info on your hard drive from hackers, thieves, and prying eyes, which will make the Folio 13 an easy choice for business types.

As for the price, $900 undercuts most of the ultrabook competition, and while it's not as sleek-looking as the MacBook Air or Asus Zenbook UX31, it's a nice all-around slim and light laptop for all your work and personal needs. Expect the HP Folio 13 to hit on Dec. 7.

Would You Print Your Favorite Magazines at Home?

Kristy Korcz — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 12:19:25 PDT

HP and Condé Nast are teaming up for a new initiative to fight declining sales: print your own magazines at home. The digital service, which will require an HP web-connected printer, delivers subscription magazines like Wired, Allure, and Glamour straight to your printer for instant printing whenever you want. Additionally, HP is rolling out an Instant Ink service, which automatically delivers ink to your home each month (in place of that magazine that used to get delivered to your mailbox) for prices ranging from $6 to $11 per month.

The downside to these programs? You'll spend way more on paper and ink than you would have for a yearly subscription to all of those magazines combined.

Would you print your own magazines at home instead of subscribing to them the "old fashioned" way?

HP Celebrates Its Retro Calculations

Kelly Schwarze — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 14:37:31 PDT

HP celebrated the 30th birthday of one of their most iconic pre-personal computer designs this week, their financial calculators. To commemorate the anniversary of what is now ubiquitous in businesses and classrooms, the company is bringing back the calculator, along with a scientific version, in their original, limited-edition designs.

The retro style 12c financial calculator was the first to use the landscape layout and tiny replaceable batteries to let the device fit in a shirt pocket. Though it's currently available as a mobile app, the 15c scientific calculator is also making a comeback. The vintage look remains, but with a processing speed 100 times faster than the old version. The financial calculator is available for $80 and the scientific is $100. Sure, you can use the calculator on your phone or computer for graphing homework and finances, but those are so boringly modern.

Getting to Know the HP Veer 4G

Kristy Korcz — Wed, 04 May 2011 10:45:21 PDT

AT&T announced that it would be carrying the HP Veer 4G on its network starting on May 15 for the low, low price of just $99 with a two-year agreement. This tiny phone, which runs webOS, packs some nice specs in such a small package. Get to know the HP Veer a little better in this slideshow, where we discuss features, size, and function.

HP's Pavilion g6 Is Pretty Fly

Kristy Korcz — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 05:03:10 PDT

Sometimes you gotta give it up for eye candy. Take for example, the HP Pavilion g6. Sure, it's packed with a 15.6-inch HD display, up to 6GB of RAM, 750GB of hard drive space, and Intel dual-core and Core i3 processors for maximum speed and storage, built-in WiFi Wireless-N for fast web browsing, but let's be real - what gets you at first are the colors.

Coming in five fantastic color options - charcoal grey, luminous rose, pewter, pacific blue, sweet purple - and starting at $429, it's easy enough to buy one for yourself or splurge on a loved one by giving it as a gift. Mother's Day is right around the corner, you know. Other features include a web cam, SD card reader, and speakers with SRS Surround Sound. The only downer? The six cell battery that gives you around four and a half hours of juice. That aside, the g6 is looking mighty fine as a great all-around machine for work or play. Check out more images in the gallery!

Did You Catch HP's Big Time Grammy Debut?

Kristen Hawley — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 06:00:23 PST

Last year's Grammys may have been all about tech, but this year's awards were a solid nod to awesome music. (Did you catch Arcade Fire's awesome helmet cam?)

Interspersed into great music, though, were ads for HP's newest line of products, and they spared no expense to promote their new line of tablets. Alicia Keys signed on as a spokesperson for the new TouchPad, which was announced to much fanfare without a release date or pricing information.

Ads for HP flanked many segments of the popular awards show, featuring HP's TouchSmart technology and Beats Audio with glimpses at the brand new, iPad competing tablet. While the commercials didn't reach Super Bowl proportions, it was great exposure for the brand new tablet and technology. What did you think?