*HP ENVY 14 & ENVY 14 Beats (2XXX series) Owners Lounge*

HP unveils the Pavilion dv4, Envy 14 with Sandy Bridge, and a redesigned Mini 210 -- Engadget

Yes, I have had a horrible experience with HP. Loved the laptop, hated their customer service. I've been waiting for a laptop that could par with the Envy 14 that I had before I shipped it in for repair...no luck. I think I'm gonna give HP one more shot because I miss my Envy 14.

 

OH MY GOD YES.

I mean...nothing mind blowing, and almost certainly no radiance...but at least we finally have a release date.

 

Pretty much what I expected. They definitely lost touch of what the envy is supposed to be IMHO. Unless this thing gets a realistic 6hrs of battery and the trackpad is much improved I would get the discounted current gen envy.

 

Agreed completely. Plus lose my Radiance?!

They do mention "an improved touch experience" so hopefully they did something with the clickpad.

 

If the only change was to throw in SB, add a blue USB port, and play with the touchpad drivers, I have no idea why we're waiting until June for this refresh.

This machine needs either (1) a high-res screen option, or (2) hardware upgrades on the Clickpad front. Including one might save this generation, but lacking both would be a disaster. Sadly, I'm betting on "disaster."

 

I wonder if SATA III will be supported. That's really the only reason I was waiting. I have a Sandy Bridge 17" for any heavy lifting I need the processor to do.

 

Does this means they will discontinue beats edition? It does say that it offers "Beats Audio for fuller, more detailed sound."
Also does this mean that the older versions will get huge discounts or would they just discontinue it after june 15th?

 

Actually the article does say that the touchpad will now use optical sensors to analyze multitouch gestures, so there are indeed improvements on the hardware front. Hopefully there will be some tangible benefits to these improvements.

 

Hopefully they'll use the same connectors and attachments as the current clickpad so we might be able to swap ours out for the improved one.

 

I hope they implement a better trackpad with good multitouch features. That would at least half-compensate the unavailability of Radiance display.

If this 'trackpad that uses optical sensors to analyze your multitouch gestures' sucks then, no update for me.

Any news regarding the BEATS edition as well? Are they just updating the HP envy regular? Or would the BEATS come later like in September as they did the last time.

 

What are my chances of getting a replacement Envy 14 with Sandy Bridge if I have accidental damage protection? My Radiance screen has been broken for half a year. If I were to simply get it repaired, I feel like there should be compensation for the worse screen, so a replacement is hopefully justified.

Also, if I do get a replacement, what are the chances of HP transfering my 160 GB SSD to the replacement laptop? I don't think they offer it anymore and I'm 100% sure they won't give the 256 GB one.

 

It seems crimsoned got a similar deal on a replacement for his Envy 14, so you could potentially get the 256 GB SSD in an SB replacement if you talk to the right person in the right way.

I looked through the CNet and Engadget press releases for this and got hopeful when they didn't mention the screen on the Envy 14 (i.e. no boasting, but not outright saying it would be stuck with the Brightview), then I saw the actual HP press release and realized that they specifically mention the Brightview screen. Serious ball droppage there - they've known about Radiance supply problems for at least 6 months now - you'd think they could have gotten their stuff together by now for a good screen option - I mean, this is the company that offers Dreamcolor 2 for goodness sake - we're not asking for the stars, but the Brightview resolution is simply too low for a 14.5" screen.

As for the touchpad, it sounds like HP's trying to get into the hardware game themselves there, rather than going with the latest generation from Synaptics. Probably a good long-term decision for the industry as a whole (though I wonder what an "image-sensing" touchpad is going to look like - I imagine some kind of light source and lots of finger smudges, but I'm probably just imagining things), but I'm going to bet that it's not that great, since one would assume that this is the first consumer generation of the technology so it's sure to have some major bugs to work out. Of course, I could be wrong, I only have a very shaky grasp of this stuff, after all.

 

no radiance / high res means the dv4 is actually a better deal since it has the same screen. Though it may not be as durable and well built as the envy.

 

I checked HP's website earlier to try to find more info on what the new Envy 14 will have graphics wise. I visited this page and noticed that the Radiance display is mentioned, but only refers to the brightness. Also, when I was on there earlier, they listed the graphics card as the Radeon 6850. That seems to be gone now, however.

 

Can you get the dv4 with a 1600x900 display? Pretty sure you can get that on Envy 14 just not with the crazy NITs the radiance have

 

I just hope I can compete with dm14x, if not wearing a gpu as 6770, I will have to discard it and go for dm14x or dv6t...

 

So this posting mentions HP using Synaptics new Clickpad in the refreshed 14, which is good. It has no chance of being "great" and renewing its reviewer accolades from last year without a high-quality screen option, but a decent touchpad experience might indeed save it from being a total flop.

Doesn't the Elitebook 8440w have a 1600x900 screen? It's no Dreamcolor (and if HP is listening, I'd definitely pay for that upgrade), but c'mon HP, I don't think I'm reaching for the stars here.

Oh well, the Sony SA should be out soonish.

 

Are you all 100% sure there will be no 1600x900 display ? I been waiting for the envy 14 for quite some time now and if it does not release with a resolution bigger than x768 im sadly going to have to get the new sony.

 

LoL 6 months for this. Glad I got my Radiance when they had that tiny stock.

 

"...high-end Envy 14 with Sandy Bridge CPU options and USB 3.0. It also promises an improved touch experience -- something we bemoaned in our review last year -- with a trackpad that uses optical sensors to analyze your multitouch gestures. That will go on sale June 15 for $1,000 and up."

They're finally listening to the touchpad complaints. I've been the most vocal critic of the touchpad. Gosh darn it, they're finally listening.

 

seems that way.

still, I'll be keeping my radiance version for two more years and it's iffy touchpad (that's gonna take a bit to get used to again..just got my computer back)

 

Check the datasheet under '11 Lineup at hp's page..

http://www.hp.com/united-states/personal_again/datasheets/envy14_17_ds.pdf

It says

Display
14.5” diagonal HP Radiance Display
• 350nit brightness, 82% Color Gamut, Wide Viewing
Angle
• HD+ (1600x900) Resolution

 

you do know that's the 1st generation envy 14s right? with arrandale and clarksfield CPU, 5650m gfx?

 

That looks like a datasheet of the current models...

 

Ah, maybe a bit too fast there, sorry for the inconvenience.

 

yeah those data sheets are the current envy 14 and envy 17 (well not current 17, since 17 is at sandy bridge and 3D sandy bridge)

 

Well this website that someone already posted says that there's a Radiance display. It just doesn't say the resolution. There's still a little bit of hope!

This is the 2011 lineup:
HP - Everybody On - New HP Products, News, Events

 

I'm happy with reil's touchpad mod as it is. I disabled tapping in his program and enabled it in Synaptic's program so that I can disable the touchpad before activing my exam software. Haven't had any serious complaints about it since then. My i5 Arrandale and the 5650 will be good enough for most of my tasks for the foreseeable future.

 

OP: All due respect, thanks for posting this thread and the link. But you could've made the title a bit more dramatic. Something along the lines of "You have been patient" or "The answer to what is the meaning of life!"

 

It also says the Beats will come with the 5650.

 

Don't think they updated any descriptions on the ENVY 14 series.

 

According to DigitalTrends.com, the Envy 14 will continue to sport a crappy 1366 by 768 display, but it also mentions a Radeon HD 5850... This can't possibly be true (39 watts vs 5650's 15-19 watts of power consumption), so I'm hoping that the entire article was written by a moron who doesn't have his facts straight, including this proposed screen resolution. *Crosses fingers*

Heres the -iffy- article: HP launches new Envy, Pavilion, and Mini notebooks

 

More likely to have a 6770M as other users have said.

 

I sure hope so...

 

This to me is all good news. It shows me that the PC industry will have a Macbook competitor in 2013 when it's time for me to upgrade.

 

I've been lurking around this place since December looking forward to a refresh of the Envy line. Unfortunately, this latest "update" has left me with a sour taste in my mouth and prompted me to comment on it.

As HP's "premium" machine, I fail to understand why so little time and effort has been put into this refresh. On top of waiting an extremely long time for the refresh to even be announced, customers are now left with an unsatisfactory machine.

To begin with, the "premium" Beats Audio is no longer exclusive to the Envy line - which is not a bad thing, I firmly believe that introducing Beats Audio to the Pavillion line was an excellent move on behalf of HP. Unfortunately - with that working against the Envy line in terms of exclusive or premium features, HP should have severely upped its game with this refresh.

In addition to being a "premium" machine without exclusive premium audio features, we're now left with an archaic display that would better suit a machine I was likely to purchase in 2005 than in 2011.

Concluding, a decent trackpad and USB 3.0 do not make a machine a premium one. Unfortunately, there isn't much worth paying for in the Envy 14 that can't be better spent on a higher quality machine. Mediocre graphics, shabby screen and the long wait were not a good presentation package. The aesthetics of the Envy line will always be important, but not to the extent that hardware and updates can be ignored as a result. I'm glad I held off on purchasing an Envy for six months only to decide against purchasing one in the end.

What a letdown and a smack in the face from HP.

 

Ya, competition always benefits us in the end.

 

I've been watching notebooks evolve for at least 10 years. I used to complain that notebooks, especially the thin/light ones, were too deficient for serious notebook gaming. But putting a 5650 into a thin/light form factor with decent cooling IMO was a nice feat on HP's part. Not revolutionary, but it still required some serious engineering work as thin/light form factors often leave less ventilation space available for air to flow through. In 2011, they've just kept up with that trend. Putting a midline GPU into a thin/light notebook ensures the notebook won't overheat and/or the GPU won't melt. It's the same reason I believe Apple doesn't put high-end GPUs in its Macbook Pros. The one other limiting factor besides the thin/light form factor is the DVD drive. The Envy 14 only has 2 fans to cool the entire system. Otherwise, if this were like the E15 with no optical drive present, a 58xx series GPU would've been possible. [Note: HP had to go through a lot of trial/error to get the 5830 to work inside even a 3-fan thin/light system like the E15]

The screen is a legitimate issue--and IMO the result of HP not taking the risk to just make the 1600x900 display standard and use the bulk order to shave off some of the cost.



Overall, if they got the touchpad right, I give HP a tentative kudos. I dunno how optical sensors will be any different, but if it's HP's own proprietary technology and not something borrowed from Synaptics, I give them a single thumbs up for at least trying to break out of the traditional touchpad mold. I truly hope they've used their lessons from the past to improve upon it. I was so impassioned with this issue that I described the touchpad issues in the post-card they included in my E14's packaging a year ago and mailed it.

 

(continuing from this) My biggest concern is if HP will even give me a replacement Envy at all or simply repair the screen. I'm going to try my luck and try to get a replacement come June 15 though.

What I really want to ask is if anyone has ever gotten a replacement laptop (after a considerable amount of time, a month or more) from HP at all in exchange for a laptop that had only damage to a part that is interchangeable.

 

I'm fairly excited for this update, but it would have been far more beneficial to me if HP didn't even introduced the Envy 14 line, and instead, maintained the Envy 15 line. There would be no radiance display shortage issues, as 15" displays are by far, easier to acquire/produce in larger volumes, and without an optical bay that most consumers use far less than they actually realize, more effort could be put into cooling a laptop with a greater opportunity to fit in larger, more powerful components. I'm not saying that The Envy 15 didn't have heating issues initially, but that it is possible to make a very well rounded laptop in a 15" size... Look at the second generation of the Envy 15, or the Macbook Pro, for instance. It's a great piece of hardware, the only flaw being it's ridiculous price tag.

But I guess some would prefer the form-factor of a 14" laptop more than me...

 

I wheel my backpack around, so I would've preferred the 15.6" real estate with just an optional USB optical drive.

 

Seriously though. In between my job and Guild Wars, I'll be looking forward to reviews on the E14 2nd gen come June. I'll be scouring the web for tech blog reviews and coming here occasionally to peruse user reviews.

 

Portability isn't a huge problem with me, and the difference between carrying a backpack with a 14.5" laptop to a 15.6" laptop inside is barely noticeable. BTW I can't really tell if you're being sarcastic or not.

 

Ah the sarcasm is now more apparent.

 

After hearing the disappointing update, (no 1600x900), they really have not changed much. I have a bad feeling they are going to be releasing it with a 6650

Edit: Also, have any user's here posted about the battery life of the dm4, I would think it to be similar to the new Envy, I just hope it can get 5 hours out.

 

No, not being sarcastic, it's the truth. The E15 and the E14 weigh almost exactly the same! Yes, you read correctly. The E14 weighs nearly the same because extra parts and mass are dedicated to accommodate an optical drive. The E15 doesn't face these restrictions and as a result leaves more room for a more powerful GPU and one additional fan. The 0.1 more extra weight is especially insignificant for me as I wheel my backpack around most of the time.

So what's not to like besides not having an internal optical drive? Not much. The keyboard layout's going to be slightly wider, but with the E15, you had a 1920x1080 screen. I saw my friend's E15's screen and while the color reproduction wasn't as great, the pixel density was nice to have. Good for multitasking between webpages and Word 2010 without needing to zoom in/out as much.

 

Case in point: The Acer TimelineX series nailed the 5650/Core i5 combo way before the Envy with its 4820TG and 3820TG. They were even thinner and lighter than the Envy and sported a non-nerfed switchable 5650 with even better battery life, albeit with a standard run of the mill plastic casing and a standard screen. It just shows that it is quite possible to stuff a 5650 (which frankly is only a midrange card) and Core i5 into a thin and light chasis, even for a cheap $800 laptop that Acer mass produces like it's an afterthought.

That being said, I refuse to cut HP any slack for not even matching the performance of a cheap Acer with its "premium" line. Simply refreshing with Sandy Bridge and a new touchpad does nothing to increase its competitiveness. In fact the Envy stopped being a competitive MBP alternative the moment they stopped offering the Radiance screen. So unless they bring back the Radiance screen, I fail to see how the Envy series can differentiate itself among the mass of standard affair consumer laptops you find at best buy and staples.

BTW if we apply the same lazy hardware standards that Apple does over the years to HP, then we have sunk really really really low with our expectation. This is a company that had never put anything more powerful than a midrange 330m in a $2000 laptop and charged $1200 for a core 2 duo machine up until this march. HP can do better.

 

I can definitely confirm that. Especially if you have a later revision of E14 which HP put on extra weight to reinforce the keyboard flex, and even more so if you have the 5.7lb E14 Beats Edition.

However, the 3 fan design of the E15 is kind of an oddity, since they use two to cool the CPU and only 1 to cool the GPU. If it was the other way around I'm pretty sure they can throw in a more powerful graphics card.

 

Wait so you actually do wheel you're backpack around? Might as well get the Envy 17 or the Dell XPS 17

 

well we could all be like "screw it" and get a 15.6 inch sager or something.