The HP ENVY 13 and 15 combine voodoo magic with Apple Macbook Pro design

There's just no denying that the new HP Envy 13 and 15 look like an HP-ified Apple Unibody MacBook Pro. Even the trackpad is a single, large glass button that supports gestures, thanks to third-party software. I'm not saying it does doesn't look good, but seriously, someone copied Steve Jobs' test. It's a good thing these notebooks seem to have the power and balance to be considered HP's flagship.

While the Apple MacBook Pros are milled from a single block of aluminum, the HP Envy line takes a similar but different approach. These notebooks are made from magnesium and then coated with aluminum, giving it a very MBP look and feel, but technically not is that solid.

The Envy 13 is equipped with a discrete Radeon HD 4330 GPU powering the 13.1-inch WXGA display. An Intel Core 2 Duo powers the rest, while the optional Slim Fit extended-life battery provides a lifetime of up to 18 hours, while the standard makes up for it with around 7 hours. (wow) However, the small size brings with it some compromises. The Envy 13 has neither an optical drive nor an Ethernet port. Both are of course optional Accessories available.

However, the Envy 15 lacks nothing. In fact, it has pretty much everything a user could want from a high-end notebook: a Core i7 CPU, up to 16 GB of DDR3 RAM, space for two SSDs, a 1 GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4830 GPU, 15.6-inch LED-backlit display, VGA webcam with night vision, all in a 1-inch thin, 5.18-pound package.

Let's hope you didn't think these high-end HP notebooks wouldn't hit MacBook Pro prices. They do. Envy 13 and 14 will be available on October 18th, starting at $1,699 and $1,799, respectively .

Precision-engineered, high-performance notebooks are light, thin and deliver a superior experience

HP is redefining the premium notebook PC experience today with the launch of the HP ENVY sub-brand, offering customers precision-engineered, high-performance models with HP metal etching and concierge service and support.

The new HP ENVY 13 features the brightest display in its class, and the HP ENVY 15 is the company's fastest consumer notebook PC ever.

"HP ENVY incorporates the latest materials and technologies inside and out, pushing the technological and performance boundaries of what's possible in thin, powerful, and light notebook PCs," said Ted Clark, senior vice president and general manager, Notebook Global Business Unit, Personal Systems Group, HP."Demanding consumers will get a premium experience and performance."

At HP ENVY, the focus is on designing a complete premium experience to satisfy the most demanding customers - from products to packaging to service and support.

Groundbreaking HP metal etching on the lid and palm rest of the ENVY 15 and on the palm rest of the ENVY 13 discreetly signals luxury. The combination of materials ensures exceptional mobility and a convincing metal look and feel with energy-saving production.

The HP ENVY product line - building on the Voodoo ENVY heritage - includes leading-edge components optimized for performance and performance. To offer consumers the best audio experience available on a notebook PC, HP has teamed up with Beats™ by dr Dre™ teamed up to create a one-of-a-kind, powerful audio software solution. Exclusive to the HP Envy, Beats Audio offers users playing music or audio through headphones or external speakers the optimal sound experience - just as the artist intended.

The light heavyweight: ENVY 13The ENVY 13 combines style and substance. Carefully crafted details inside and out will satisfy the desires of demanding mobile customers.

The HP Radiance Display is twice as bright as other notebook displays in its class - 410 nit (a measure of display brightness) - and offers an exceptional movie and photo experience even in high ambient light conditions. With 82 percent color gamut (compared to standard 45- 60 percent) photos appear richer with amazing color depth. In addition, with a fast response time of 8 milliseconds, customers can watch movies with TV-like performance.

The ENVY 13's powerful performance comes in a small package—less than an inch thin and weighs 3.74 pounds.1 The aluminum and magnesium exterior construction offers durability in a sleek design.An etched metal palm rest elevates the PC further from others, and a low-light optimized VGA webcam3 is also included.

HP put the same focus on design with the optional Slim Fit Extended Life Notebook Battery. Shaped like a "slice," it maintains the sleek looks of the ENVY 13 while offering the user up to 18 hours of battery life with the Extended Life Battery .2 The standard battery is user replaceable.

ATI Switchable Graphics technology dynamically switches between the discrete ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 4330 graphics card and the integrated Intel® graphics processor for either powerful graphics processing or low power consumption for long battery life without starting the notebook Intel Core™ 2 Duo processor offers the performance of two processing cores while offering longer battery life when the notebook is not connected.

Designed with the most demanding mobile user in mind, the ENVY 13 Notebook's premium AC adapter is small and light. It consumes minimal power, has built-in surge protection, and includes a rubberized band that organizes cables and keeps the adapter from slipping off a smooth surface.An optional HP USB Ethernet Adapter is also available.

The performance powerhouse: ENVY 15This sleek, mean dream machine is HP's fastest consumer notebook. The all-metal chassis features a sleek, subtly finished metal laser-etched design on the lid, which is repeated on the palm rest. The magnesium-alloy chassis offers lightweight durability in a 1 inch thin, 5.18 pound package.1

With the future Intel Core i7 processor4 and up to 16 gigabytes (GB) of DDR3 1066MHz system memory in four SODIMM memory slots, customers get maximum speed and mobility. Versatile storage options include the ability to use two solid state drives in a RAID -0 configuration to improve the overall speed of the ENVY 15 while providing excellent hard drive performance. Creative users will appreciate the performance of the ENVY 15 notebook and the full versions of Corel® Paint Shop Pro® Photo X2 and Corel VideoStudio® Pro X2 for Appreciate creating photo and video content.

Power users and gamers can take advantage of the premium graphics performance of ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4830 graphics with 1GB of dedicated video memory for visually intensive applications, DirectX® 10.1 gaming and high-definition video playback.

A choice of two high-resolution 15.6-inch HP Brightview LED-backlit displays, including the full high-definition LED HP Ultra BrightView widescreen display with up to 300 cd/m² brightness, offers an excellent viewing experience for a notebook in this class .The HP ENVY 15 comes standard with a night vision VGA webcam optimized for low-light or no-light conditions and includes an infrared LED that assists the webcam3 by providing the necessary illumination in dark environments.

The ENVY 15 features an optional Slim Fit Extended Life Notebook Battery that provides users with up to seven hours of battery life.2

Shaping the ENVY experienceThe HP ENVY line includes a 360-degree approach to product design—from products to packaging:

Building on HP's success with Instant-on Technology, HP QuickWeb enables customers to access essential applications without starting their PC. In less than 30 seconds, users can access the Internet, music, videos and photos, and email. 3HP ClickPad integrates the buttons into the touchpad, allowing for fluid movement while users can disable the clickpad if they wish. Action keys (as opposed to typical function keys) give users quick access to commonly used commands like print and volume adjustment. Minimal desktop clutter and trial software contribute to notebook simplicity. An optional external optical drive complements the ENVY design, giving users the flexibility to carry the extra weight only when needed. Two USB ports also convert the drive into a dock for additional functionality. The ENVY 13 and 15 are presented in streamlined paper boxes with minimal ink consumption. Included in the box is a simplified setup poster and documentation on an SD card.

Concierge Service and Support The ENVY experience extends to premium service and support through the award-winning HP Total Care program. This includes knowledgeable agents who answer ENVY customers' questions via phone, online chat and email , as well as next day shipping for hardware customer service.

Pricing and AvailabilityThe HP ENVY 13 and ENVY 15 are expected to be available in the US on October 18th with a starting price of $1,699 and $1,799, respectively.5