I’ve had a chance to look at the HP Elitepad Smart Jackets and they’re not bad. They’re rugged, provide some good features and help to set the Elitepad apart from the rest of the Clovertrail Tablets.
First of all we’ve got the expansion jacket which offers 2x USB, HDMI and an SD card slot. You can also add an additional battery in the jacket.
There’s the productivity jacket which includes the keyboard, stand with adjustable angle, 2XUSB and full SD card slot. It makes a nice case for the Elitepad too.
Finally there’s the desk dock with power, Ethernet, VGA and HDMI out, 4XUSB, Kensington lock and line-out.
According to a couple of online source the HP Envy X2 should start shipping soon. An offer starting in Japan today promises delivery starting from the 27th December (some reports say 21st) and in Germany a couple of retailers have listed the same timeframe.
Surface is out and the reviews are in. Most reviewers seem impressed; Many worry about the lack of apps.
From tomorrow you’ll be able to fill that app-gap with a product sector that I’m more excited about than a Chromebook on ARM, a Nexus 7 3G or a convertible Ultrabook.
Atom-based PCs don’t exactly bring up images of advanced computing but since the netbooks died a few important things have happened. A very new and very advanced power engine, a new operating system and a break-out from the rather restrictive specifications, prices constraints and designs of the simple netbook category.
HP have confirmed that two Windows Touchscreen Ultrabooks are coming. Starting with the $799 HP Envy Touchmart Ultrabook 4 and going up to the 15.6” HP SpectreXT Touchsmart Ultrabook starting at $1399
The HP Envy Touchsmart 4 is already available to order with Core i3 or i5 and RAM up to 8GB, Hybrid HDD up to 500GB. The SpectreXT, (first announced at end of August) should be available to order soon and could be something of a challenger for that entry-level MacBook Pro Retina. A 15.6” fullHD screen, thunderbolt, Beats audio SSD and RAM options and a weight of 4.7 pounds are attractive features. We’re looking out for the fine specs – especially that battery which we hope HP haven’t cut corners on.
You know what’s coming? The biggest personal computing fight, ever.
Windows 8 and the expansion of the laptop into smartbook territory will go head to head with an important launch in the handheld computing space the iPad Mini. Following that, Windows Phone 8 and a non-desktop Windows tablet, Microsoft Surface with Windows RT, will start shipping. There has never been a month in history where the personal computer has had such an upheaval. No-one really knows what’s going to happen.
Some of these products could fail showing us again that what people want is not always what the manufacturers think. Touch-enabled sliding and convertible Ultrabooks is one of those risk areas. Windows RT, I believe, is another, at least for the time being but I think there’s a product category that has fantastic change. The SmartPC, Smartbook could finally succeed with Windows 8 on Intel Atom.
A number of companies are now betting on hybrid computers to be the next big thing with Windows 8. We’ve seen the Duo 11 from Sony, the Samsung ATIV, Asus TaiChi and Transformer Book — all hybrids — and now HP is announcing the Envy X2 with Windows 8 and touchscreen. The X2 takes on the familiar ‘transformer’ form-factor which is outwardly a standard laptop form-factor but the screen can be detached and toted around as a tablet. The question remains whether Windows 8 will provide a sufficient touchscreen experience, or if all of these hybrid devices will be used as standard laptops more often than not.
Today HP is announcing a new variant of their premium Ultrabook, the Spectre XT TouchSmart. With the addition of a Thunderbolt port, a larger 15.6″ full HD IPS touchscreen, and Windows 8, HP is bumping the price up from the $999 Spectre XT to $1,399 for the Spectre XT TouchSmart. The Ultrabooks are nearly identical aside from the additions and change to the price. It would appear as though HP will be selling them concurrently.
