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HP takes wraps off 'premium' ultrabook

Take a look at Spectre, HP's new fashionable ultrabook (see video below)

January 11, 2012 07:02 AM ET

Computerworld - HP is hoping to grab the fashionable user with its new ultrabook, the Envy 14 Spectre.

Not missing out on bevy of ultrabook computers that have taken the spotlight at this week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, HP unveiled the Spectre with officials focusing largely on its sleek good looks.

HP Spectre
HP's new ultrabook, the Spectre, starts at $1,399.

At the annual ShowStoppers event Tuesday night, HP spokesman Marc Spier, said the company is focused on making high-end machines for users interested in a good looking laptop.

"This is a premium ultrabook. This is slim and beautiful," said Spier. "When we set out to design this, it wasn't just another unit. We wanted to design this for customers uninterested in compromise."

The Spectre, which is set to be available on Feb. 8 and will ring in at $1,399 for a standard set of features, weighs in at 3.97 pounds and is 20 millimeters thick. To be called an ultrabook, the laptop needs to have a fast start but Spier said HP is not yet commenting on how fast this machine boots up.

With a 14-inch screen, the ultrabook also comes standard with an Intel Core i5 chip but it can be upgraded to a Core i7. It's also standard with 4 gigs of ram but can be upgraded to 8 gigs.

According to Spier, it also has 9 hours of continuous use battery life. The Spectre is HP's second ultrabook -- the first was the HP Folio 13, which was released last November -- and the company is focusing strongly on its high-end looks and feel.

The Spectre is built with a good dose of Corning's Gorilla Glass, which is noted for being thin, light and damage resistant. The machine has black Gorilla Glass on the outside and silver on the inside.

"We made this for a very specific user," said Spier. "This is for somebody... looking to impress. It's capable of doing heavy workloads and being a real work horse... This will be executive jewelry."

At CES 2012, HP was showing off its new Envy 14 Spectre, a high-end ultrabook. Keith Shaw gets a closer look at the new notebook.

Want more on CES? See our roundup of everything you need to know from CES and our interactive chart of top CES product launches.

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Sharon Gaudin covers the Internet and Web 2.0, emerging technologies, and desktop and laptop chips for Computerworld. Follow Sharon on Twitter at Twitter@sgaudin, or subscribe to Sharon's RSS feed Gaudin RSS. Her e-mail address is sgaudin@computerworld.com.

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