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Combo Power [Financial Express (India)]
[January 04, 2013]

Combo Power [Financial Express (India)]


(Financial Express (India) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) The laptop that doubles as a tablet. It's the perfect travel companion too It's time to leave your old laptop at home. With Hewlett-Packard Envy x2, customers can have it all-a laptop and a tablet in one! In today's world where people have more than one device for their many needs, HP's new convertible will help reduce the need for several devices. And it's ultra-thin and super-light too, designed to go wherever you go.



For the not-so-tech savvy reader, Windows 8 is the latest operating system of Microsoft that can run on mobile devices, tablets, and laptops.

Importantly, it has been the catalyst for the introduction of a wide variety of touch-screen devices. The Envy x2 is one such device that has the best of both worlds-the traditional keyboard as well as a touchscreen. It is targeted at those high-end customers who want the power of a notebook and the comfort of a tablet in one device. The device is able to serve the needs of touch applications and typing applications in just one package, instead of carrying both a tablet and a laptop when going out.


Last week, we finally managed to get our hands on the new Windows 8 device (Envy x2 PC 11-g004TU) from HP for a review. I didn't have much time to play with the device yet I was impressed with its brisk performance. The test-unit came across as a stylish piece of hardware, fit for everyday smart computing. Basically, it is sleek and slim and comes across as a high-end machine with an aluminum finish. It offers full high definition display, Beats Audio (more on it later), 64 GB SSD storage with two batteries. It is available for R62,307.

The power and volume buttons on the back of the display distinguish this convertible from other devices available in the market. There are no sharp edges too, which makes the experience of holding the tablet a smooth affair. On the camera front, the Envy x2 has two cameras. On its front panel there is a 1080p high definition Web camera and on the rear there is an eight megapixel camera with LED flash. Both the cameras are capable of video recording and their output quality is really good.

As far as the innards of the device go, great things appear to be in the pipe. The Envy x2 utilises a new power-efficient dual-core Clover Trail Z2760 system-on-a-chip created by Intel, allowing the device to run the full 32-bit Windows 8. It is backed by 2 GB of RAM and 64 GB on board memory.

The device is powered by an 1.8 GHz processor, with the detachable 11.6-inch screen sporting a pixel resolution of 1366 x 768. This means one can see everything in bright, vivid colour on the device's diagonal high definition display. Ultra-wide viewing angles help you see clearly no matter how you hold it. It sports an in-plane switching (IPS) panel, which aids viewing the display at different viewing angles and is visible even in sunlight.

That's not all. Slide a latch and the anti-glare LED IPS display can be easily detached from the keyboard. Thus the x2 can operate as an independent Windows 8 tablet. Unlike competing products, the x2 combines magnets and a mechanical latch to keep the tablet from falling out of its dock. The tablet itself measures about 8.5 mm thick and weighs 690 grams, while the dock weighs 1.39 kg.

There's an optional stylus too. This means you can enjoy the freedom to work your way. Write, draw, and navigate in more detail without leaving fingerprints or smudges. With Beats Audio and dual speakers, the x2 is designed for rich audio available on a laptop. A full-size keyboard with a trackpad dubbed the 'Imagepad' is included, as is ports for USB, HDMI and SD card slots. For connectivity, the device supports Bluetooth, NFC and Wi-Fi. One can even connect a data card through a USB port. Overall, I was impressed with the build and performance of the device.

My takeaways: The new HP Envy x2 gives you the power of two devices in one. A Windows 8 notebook with a bright, vivid HD touch display. And a tablet that slides off for those times when you want to carry even less.

SPeCS * Display: 11.6 inch LED Backlit Widescreen * Resolution: 1366 x 768 HD, 720 pixel * Processor: Intel Atom Z2760 processor (1.80 GHz) * Operating system: Microsoft Windows 8 * 64 GB Solid State Drive * Memory: 2 GB LPDDR2 * Hard Disk: 64 GB eMMC NAND Flash * Camera: Front-facing HP TrueVision webcam / 8.0 MP rear facing camera * Connectivity: Wireless LAN 802.11 a/b/g/n, integrated Bluetooth 4.0 Estimated street price: Rs.62,307 Copyright 2013 The Indian Express Online Media Pvt. Ltd., distributed by Contify.com Credit: Sudhir Chowdhary (c) 2013 The Indian Express Online Media Pvt. Ltd., distributed by Contify.com

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