By
Philip Wong, CNET Asia
17/09/2008
URL:
http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/notebooks/0,39050495,62046085,00.htm
HONG KONG--It was all about style and entertainment at the HP Engage Excite Experience media summit yesterday. On showcase at the event was the Palo Alto company's latest range of Pavilion and gen-two HDX consumer laptops. For those seeking a large screen experience over mobility, it further lined up an upgraded TouchSmart PC and HDX desktops assembled from nifty and impressive hardware. Here's our onsite report of the key home computing highlights at the regional event.
Latest 2008 HP imprints.
(Click for larger images)
Vivienna Tam-designed imprint on a prototype Netbook. Psst, it's a 10-inch mini****.
(Click for larger image)
Following the decorative dragon imprint for its original HDX dragon laptop, HP is stepping up the selection in 2008 with four refreshingly new and elaborate designs. Adorning the top cover and palm rest of its new HDXs, Pavilion DV3500 and special-edition DV4/DV5 entries are the Fluid, Intersect, Intensity and Renewal imprints, respectively. This is aside from the one-of-a-kind red flora imprint from New York-based fashion designer Vivienna Tam on an HP Netbook prototype.
These stylish and intricate patterns complement other aesthetic touches such as a seamlessly flat LCD bezel, chrome accents, metallic surfaces and illuminated HP logo to deliver an even more dramatic statement, according to its spokesperson. To better market these products, HP is increasing its regional presence by tying up with new partners such as Electronics Art. The Palo Alto giant also plans to set up 200 HP experience stores manned by trained staff across Asia in selected retail channels.
Making a comeback, albeit in 16- and 18.4-inch form factors, are the
premium HDX16 and HDX18 mobile entertainment powerhouses. On the visual department, both these models are well-equipped with a movie-centric 16:9 display and an HDMI 1.3 output for large-screen video playback. To ensure proper reproduction of the explosive sound effects, there is also an inbuilt HP triple bass subwoofer and Dolby Home Theater for a virtual surround sound experience.
Additionally, there're value-added analog and digital TV tuners, bundled mobile ScrollSmart remote control to facilitate movie playback, and a 512MB Nvidia GeForce G9600M GT discreet graphics card. While this mid-tier graphics processor unit loses out to other G9800M class chips in raw gaming power, the higher-end HDX18 does offset this shortfall with a full-HD screen, Blu-ray drive and dual hard drive support for a whopping combined storage capacity of 800GB.
Consumer laptops
The Pavilion DV3500 may lack some of the enhanced audio-visual capabilities present in the HDX series, but is still a worthy entertainment workhorse with a 512MB Nvidia GeForce 9300M GS discreet graphics card and 13.3-inch 1,280 x 800-pixel screen. In addition, this thin-and-light has a good balance of weight vs. performance, beginning at only 1.87kg. The special-edition DV4 and DV5 have identical hardware configurations with their existing regular counterparts, complemented by the new HP imprints.
| Model name |
In a nutshell |
|
Notable features:
Up to Core 2 Duo 2.8GHz processor
Intel PM45 express chipset
Up to 16-inch 1,920 x 1,080-pixel display
Up to 8GB RAM
Up to 400GB harddisk
Up to Blu-ray reader/DVD writer combo drive
Nvidia GeForce 9600GT 512MB graphics
Analog and digital TV tuners
Altec Lansing speakers and HP subwoofer
3.205kg
Windows Vista Home Premium
HP Fluid imprint
Availability: End September (Asia)
Price: US$1,399
|
|
Notable features:
Up to Core 2 Duo 2.8GHz processor
Intel PM45 express chipset
18.4-inch 1,920 x 1,080-pixel display
Up to 8GB RAM
Up to dual 400GB harddisks
Blu-ray reader/DVD writer combo drive
Nvidia GeForce 9600GT 512MB graphics
Analog and digital TV tuners
Altec Lansing speakers and HP subwoofer
4.06kg
Windows Vista Home Premium
HP Fluid imprint
Availability: End September (Asia)
Price: US$1,699
|
|
Notable features:
Up to Core 2 Duo 2.53GHz processor
Intel PM45 express chipset
13.3-inch 1,280 x 800-pixel display
Up to 8GB RAM
Up to dual 400GB harddisks
DVD writer
Nvidia GeForce 9300M 512MB graphics
Bundled multimedia remote control
1.87kg
Windows Vista Home Premium
HP Intersect imprint
Availability: End September (Asia)
Price: US$1,299
|
|
Notable features:
Up to Core 2 Duo 2.8GHz processor
Intel PM45/GM45 express chipset
14.1-inch 1,280 x 800-pixel display
Up to 8GB RAM
Up to 400GB harddisks
Up to Blu-ray reader/DVD writer combo drive
Intel GMA4500MHD or Nvidia GeForce 9200M GS 256MB graphics
2.17 to 2.53kg
Windows Vista Home Premium
HP Intensity imprint
Availability: End September (Asia)
Price: From US$1,099
|
|
Notable features:
Up to Core 2 Duo 2.8GHz processor
Intel PM45/GM45 express chipset
15.4-inch up to 1,680 x 1,050-pixel display
Up to 8GB RAM
Up to 400GB harddisks
Up to Blu-ray reader/DVD writer combo drive
Intel GMA4500MHD, Nvidia GeForce 9200M GS 256MB or GeForce 9600GT 512MB graphics
2.65kg
Windows Vista Home Premium
HP Renewal imprint
Availability: November (Asia)
Price: From US$1,149
|
Consumer desktops
Moving beyond the mobile space into the desktop domain is the HDX 900, its latest top-of-the-line desktop PC for home power users. This full-tower box is dressed sexily in black and features an alluringly bluish interior illumination and gear-driven bi-fold doors with Wave HP imprints. Hardware-wise, it supports the latest Core 2 Quad and Extreme processors and has integrated Blu-ray drive, Wi-Fi and Nvidia GeForce 9600GS/9800GT discreet graphics as standard.
For an all-in-one alternative, HP has the second-gen TouchSmart IQ800 PC that comes with the same user-friendly touch interface and an upgraded 25.5-inch full-HD screen. This sleek wall-mountable entertainment center can playback TV programs and HD blockbusters through its inbuilt TV tuner and Blu-ray drive, while peripheral and network connectivity are taken care of via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. The original package also comes with a low-profile wireless keyboard and mouse to minimize clutter.
| Model name |
In a nutshell |
|
Notable features:
Core 2 Quad Q6700/Q9450 and Extreme processor
3.2GB RAM
Up to dual 500GB harddisk
Blu-ray reader/DVD writer combo drive
Nvidia GeForce 9600GS/9800GT graphics
HP Media Drive bays
Integrated memory card reader
Integrated Wi-Fi
Up to 700W power supply
ATX form factor
Wave HP imprint
Availability: Now (China)
Price: US$1,899
|
|
Notable features:
Core 2 Duo 2.16GHz processor
25.5-inch 1,920 x 1,080-pixel display
4GB RAM
Up to 750GB harddisks
Blu-ray reader/DVD writer combo drive
Nvidia GeForce 9300GS HD or GeForce 9600M GS 512MB graphics
Integrated TV tuner
Integrated memory card reader
Integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
Windows Vista Home Premium
Availability: October (Asia)
Price: US$1,799
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