HP today began selling its most direct competitor to the MacBook Air, the Envy 14 Spectre. The ultrabook starts at a relatively steep $1,400 with a 14-inch, 1366×768 display, a 1.6GHz low-voltage Core i5, 4GB of RAM, and a 128GB solid-state drive. Options can take it to a 1.8GHz Core i7 and a 256GB SSD.
Its signature feature will be NFC support, which Intel hopes will be widespread in ultrabooks. Similar to Android Beam, a special desktop app will let Android users share web links just by bringing the phone close to the palm rest and tapping a confirmation.
While system stays under .08 inches thick, it is heavier than Intel’s official guidelines for ultrabooks, at 3.7 pounds.