HP’s notebook updates today included a pair of its Envy notebooks. First is the Envy 17 3D; HP’s first real 3D notebook, it has a 120Hz, 1080p display that works with bundled active shutter glasses to produce a stereoscopic 3D image. It’s seen as a movie-focused system and comes with both a Blu-ray drive and a new version of its MediaSmart app that will play 3D movies.
The Envy 17 has updates for 2D proformance, as well. It has a higher color range than usual as well as a built-in 2.1-channel Beats audio system and up to 2TB of storage across two drives. It will have a choice of quad Core i7 chips and Mobility Radeon HD 5850 video and should ship by the holidays. HP hasn’t stated a price, but it will bundle the special edition with a 3D version of NBA 2010 All-Star Game and a similar upgrade to a trailer for the future Dreamworks movie Megamind.
The 14.5-inch Envy 14 has been given the Beats Edition treatment and comes in the same black-and-red color scheme, extending down to the red keyboard backlight. Appropriately, it comes with Beats audio hardware built-in but also comes packed with Beats Solo in-ear headphones. HP is more detailed with specs on the smaller notebook and gives it dual Core i5 chips between 2.53GHz and 2.8GHz, at least 4GB of RAM, Mobility Radeon HD 5650 video, a 640GB, 7,200RPM hard drive and a battery good for a maximum 6.5 hours of battery life.
Buyers can get the Envy 14 Beats Edition today, with its base version costing $1,250. Retail shops will get the Beats version sometime in the fall.
