The personal computer market might have been essentially flat this year, but Intel-powered super-thin laptops?commonly called ultrabooks?seem to have definitely clicked with the consumer. Reasons for their rising popularity and modest adoption are not hard to guess: the workforce is going mobile and fast, light and stylish connected devices help workers to be more productive and accessible, even remotely. It is a common sight nowadays to see professionals working from these thin and ultra-fast computers long after they have left the office. In simple words, these devices help you get smart at work.
Industry-specific trade shows can be a great way to find new prospects and reach a large target audience. At Hewlett-Packard?s Shanghai fair in May this year, the Palo Alto, California-based company?s Envy Spectre XT device garnered a lot of interest among the attendees. Now in the market, this Rs 64,990-a-piece HP Envy Spectre XT comes across as a high-end laptop with an all-metal design with a brushed silver finish on the lid and keyboard deck, high-resolution display and brisk performance. To say that great design meets stellar performance in this thin and light ultrabook would not be an overstatement.
The Spectre XT is basically a successor to the HP Folio 13, launched three years ago. The test-unit that came to us definitely looked like a higher-piece of equipment. It packs a powerful processor, Beats Audio, and fast solid state-drive (SSD) into one of the best looking portable computers in my assessment. The brushed metal chassis looks great, as do the ports on the side and the speaker grill that has taken up residence above the keyboard.
Crafted for mobility, the new HP machine measures 14.5 millimeters thin, includes a 13.3-inch high definition diagonal display with a slim bezel line. It also comes with optional backlit keyboards, ideal for computing in low-light conditions. The power jack, a USB 3.0 port, an SD card slot, and a headphone jack reside on the right side of the device, while the Ethernet port, full-sized HDMI port, and another USB 3.0 port are found on the left side.
In terms of hardware, the Spectre XT is powered by an Intel Core i5 processor with Ivy Bridge micro architecture. It also offers an optional 256 gigabytes (GB) of solid state storage and up to eight hours of battery life. It supplies the speed users need, with support of an ultra-fast mSATA solid state drive and Intel rapid start technology allowing for quick boot and resume time from sleep mode. It also includes Intel smart connect technology, which automatically updates email while the notebook is in sleep mode.
If you take your music quite seriously, then the Spectre XT is the machine to go for. It is designed for the best sounding, richest audio available on a PC. There are four internal speakers in all and they manage to do their job decently. The machine provides a battery life of upto eight hours (approx.) which is pretty good. Thus we can use the ultrabook for long hours without charging at regular intervals.
Of the software front, the Spectre XT comes equipped with full versions of Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 and Adobe Premiere Elements 10, which are very nice to see. To help safeguard confidential data and thwart cyber threats, the machine is preloaded two years of Norton Internet Security, and Intel Identity Protection, which provides advanced security. CyberLink YouCam is there if you want to use it with the HP TrueVision HD webcam. You have also got Internet Explorer on board.
There is no doubt that the Spectre XT is a good looking piece of hardware. It is light, easy to carry and allows fast multitasking at a nice speed. In other words, a good tool for mobile workers not only to connect on the go, but to immediately impact the business as well.
SPECS
Dimensions: 12.44 x 8.8 x 0.57 inches (W x D x H)
Display: 13-inch diagonal HD BrightView LED backlit display
Processor: Intel Core i5-3317U
Operating system: Windows 7 Home Premium & Professional 64-bit
Audio: Beats Audio system with four internal speakers and audio playback
Ports: HDMI, Ethernet, and multiple USB ports, headphone-out/ microphone-in combo jack
Battery life: Upto 8 hours
Estimated street price: Rs 64,990
