CES 2012: HP takes wraps off 'premium' ultrabook

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 last month's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, HP unveiled the Spectre with officials focusing largely on its sleek good looks.

At the annual ShowStoppers event durign the show, 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 in the U.S. on Feb 8 and will ring in at US$1,399 for a standard set of features, weighs in at 1.8kg and is 20 millimetres 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 4GB of RAM but can be upgraded to 8GB.

According to Spier, it also has nine hours of continuous use battery life. The Spectre is HP's second ultrabook - the first was the NZ$1,799 HP Folio 13, which has just hit New Zealand shores - 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."

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