Event Coverage

Engage, Excite, Experience - HP's Regional Press Summit

By Vincent Chang & Andy Sim - 21 Sep 2008

Engaging HP's New Lineup

HP's New Consumer Notebooks and PCs

Building on their "Engage, Excite and Experience" theme, HP unveiled a slew of devices constructed around this premise for their consumer range. The latest line of HP consumer notebooks and desktops computers will feature top of the line components, while special attention is also placed on their aesthetics to cater to consumers with a need for articulacy.

The latter factor is evident in HP's four new imprints aimed at their range of entertainment PC and notebooks. The designs are christened as Fluid, Intersect, Renewal, and Intensity imprint finishes. Each pattern will match the principal focus of the product, for example, the Intersect imprint will go with the Pavilion notebooks while the titanium Fluid imprint will correspond with the HDX's liquid metallic design.

 The Intersect imprint as seen on the HP Pavilion dv3500. HP is attempting to steer away from somber black hues tied to notebook impressions over the years.

The HDX series first made its rounds nine months ago with the introduction of the HDX20 notebook, also known as 'The Dragon' to many. To augment this legacy, HP has added to its collection a premium performance HDX 900 Desktop PC and two entertainment notebook models, the 16-inch HDX16 and 18.4-inch HDX18. These notebooks will tout a 1080p display as well as video-upscaling to enable viewing of standard DVDs in high-definition.

 The HDX16 entertainment notebook will feature an Intel Centrino 2 platform, T9600 2.8GHz processor, and a discrete NVIDIA 9600M GT GPU based on its finest configuration. It also packs an integrated HDTV Hybrid Tuner and DVB-T/Analog TV Tuner, making it an extremely enticing package in all.

 You can say that the HDX18 is fundamentally the HDX16's bigger brother, given its 18.4-inch screen size and similar specs. Both models will fall under the entertainment and desktop-replacement category as opposed to the more portable Pavilion series. Rolling out from September onwards, the HDX16 and HDX18 are priced at US$1399 and from US$1699 respectively.

 The HDX 900 PC rig supports the latest slew of Intel Core 2 Quad Q6700/Q9450 and Extreme processors, holds four internal HDD bays, and carries a Blu-ray drive on top of that. There's no word from HP as to when it will reach our shores, but the HDX is going for US$1,899 in China as we speak (or type).

 A closer peek at the HDX 900's 'gear driven' bi-fold door and their Wave imprints. Perceptibly, two bays are allocated for the 3.5-inch Pocket Media drive.

 The HP ScrollSmart Remote Control card is bundled along with their HDX notebooks for lazy bones out there to manage the multimedia controls. As usual, indolent wielders can tuck the flat wand away into the PC Card slot when it's not in use.

Originally intended to embody elements of an ideal PC archetype for kitchens and bedrooms, HP has decided to tweak its direction with the new TouchSmart IQ800. Their latest offering now flaunts an improved and speedier touch interface, and carts a wider 25.5-inch screen size compared to its IQ500 predecessor that's three inches smaller in the display estate. Being wall-mountable, the IQ800 also packs a Blu-ray drive and HDMI output, making it a living room friendly piece for HD fans as well. Consumers can expect a shelf tag of US$1,799 for the new TouchSmart and it should be retailing across the Asia Pacific from October onwards.

 Come on, come on touch me, baby! Consumers can expect the new TouchSmart IQ800 to carry a Core 2 Duo Processor (T7250 or T8100), topped with an NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS HD/9600M GS HD GPU with 512MB of dedicated video memory. HP considers the IQ800 to be the second generation of the TouchSmart family since the previous IQ500 model is deemed as just an extension of the IQ700.

Join HWZ's Telegram channel here and catch all the latest tech news!
Our articles may contain affiliate links. If you buy through these links, we may earn a small commission.