*HP ENVY 14 (1XXX series) Owners Lounge, Part 1*

No point subscribing IMO. Just assume there's a new post every few min.

 

What is the material made of that is flexinggggg is it plastic or is it thin metal sheet?

 

Plastic. They went with a plastic keyboard that is replaceable instead of the ones they used in the 13 and 15

 

I'm sorry if this sounds ignorant but are laptops assembled by machines or humans?

 

humans treated like machines.

Bronsky

 

Terminator: I'm a cybernetic organism. Living tissue over a metal endoskeleton. My CPU is a neural net processor; a learning computer.

 

Firstly, Barry Farris is the HP Premium Consumer product line marketing manager, not a software engineer, I have some coorespondence from him, with his full title on letterhead somewhere at my office ( I may have his mouthfull of a title a little off).

Second, to clarify, the envy 15 is 100% magnesium alloy, top, bottom and keyboard / palmrest. This was known a month before the product release, from the leaked FCC filings you mentioned, they have full enclosure drawings and material listings for all the components and surface materials and finishes. This is why Barry's post about a 'unibody aluminum' chassy was so funny, he posted that 2 months after the specs from the FFC filing had been circulating around and were 'common' knowledge.. The magnesium case was a big concern for the FCC and UL/CSA etc. since raw magnisum is extremely flammable, and once ignited it burns extremely hot and cannot be easily extinguished, water just spreads the burning material around... So the 'alloy' had to be fully tested for flame retardancy be it got agency approvals...

Here is the materials drawing for the 'keyboard deck' (as they call it):

 

Im trying to catch up on this blog.... HOLY CRAP! Those photos you took are great, but I dont like the subject matter at all! LOL

My new mantra is past is not a predictor of future.

HP will make everything perfect real soon.

Premium Pfft!

 

From my vantage point it does. I know me personally, I spend about a split second on a single key when I type, which would reduce pressure, thus reduce keyboard flex. Whereas in your video, you're holding down each key you press like you're playing a forte note in beethoven's fur elise.

 

For all you people who don't have theirs yet: Relax, take a deep breath, and be optimistic. Mine is FANTASTIC. I am the one reported case of cpu whine with the 450, but you cant even hear it unless you put your ear to the keyboard. This has to be a different whine then the 520's have. I am also 20 years old and have good ears.

The only problem with my Envy (which I dont even consider to be a problem) is the keyboard flex. I have messed with lots of laptops in my day, and the flex on the Envy14 is not that bad. With regular typing, you should not even notice. Its pretty hard to make a laptop keyboard that doesnt move at all when pushing down on it as hard as you can.

So to recap, don't worry until you get yours. Plus with people in general, negativity is more audible then praise. The perfect Envys like mine may seem like the minority on here, but in reality, I doubt they are.

 

Really? how many people got their envy 14's? What % have the issues listed? Please do not confuse reports of issues on a forum as a representative sample.

If there really is a systemic issue with QC here, it will be sorted out, and will cost HP money to deal with and fix. And if it pisses off enough people they may even switch to another machine.

But keep one thing in mind, the reasons people chose to go with this machine over others don't magically disappear because some of the machines are lemons. But if the fear of a lemon so paralyzes some of you into a cold terror, then feel free to take the lesser fruit, by your own standards.

And god help you if that comes out less than perfect (and for some, it WILL, there is never a guarantee on anything), what happens then?

MAN UP PEOPLE !!!!!

Some of you get far too spooked. If something is wrong, send it back, you get fed up, get something else. But this idea of being so fearful you can't even bear to give the model a chance?

 

hmm... definitely sounds like you got a lemon. RMA? I hope HP doesn't eff me either.

 

Im with you man! Im reading and reading and saving pics and reading and dismay sets over! Its like Im reading the Envy 15 and Envy 17 blogs all over again.

So your telling me that your "dv2610 does not flex whatsoever"? How can HP's best line of consumer laptops be worse construction type than than its little sister?

Well said dookie11.

HP: wa da fu yo?

 

LOL maybe he got promoted? and yeah aluminum and magnesium are 2 of the main ingredients in thermite

 

lol I did that so you guys could see the keys, if i had my whole hand their typing you wouldnt see the flexing because my hand would block the camera. I was pressing the keys about has hard as I press them when I play COD or CS. Obviously I wouldnt use the p button in that case but that should give you an idea of how hard I was pressing them.

 

I've never pressed on my keys like that until after watching the vid. Turns out my 3-4 year old Toshiba flexes as much as that e14. Never knew I had an issue!

 

Ok thanks MagusDraco!

Im honestly not sure what to think right now, so I'll reserve the right to say what may or may not bother me. I think Im verrrry ________ ?

He he!

 

Anybody else notice that you can't ALT+F4 anymore?
I used that combo a LOT.
Now it has to be Alt + Fn + F4

):

 

in bios u can change it so you dont need to do that.

 

Gotcha. Thanks for your honest opinion 2.0.

I hate thought of being a "beta tester", sinister is a good word for this scenario! LOL.

 

If you go to your bios you can turn off the automatic key functions, so that when you press fn it will does the sound and brightness function and when you don't it will do the fkeys like normal.

 

Here's the video where barry says he is a software guy but his onscreen title says he is in marketing, jeez he is a habitual liar now... 7 hour battery, $999 price, and now this

YouTube - Meet the Team: HP Envy

 

Overall, I am very pleased with my laptop. I just hope the second one is this good.

 

Though I've never met the guy. I really do think he's a chump. I would never introduce him to any of my clients at the Senior Center.

 

LOL, I forgot to mention that part. So I was going to include that the 'alloy' probably does not have a lot af aluminum in the mix... I'm getting punchy just trying to keep up here when I check back every 15 minutes or so...Whew!

 

Hey guys. With all the complaints about the problems of the E14, how does HP handle exchanges? I mean, I don't believe that I can find a better computer at a lower price, so if there's something really effed up with my E14 when it gets here, can I just exchange it? I'm asking mostly cause if I return it and order another, I'd lose out on the 30% BCB which was one of the reasons I was able to buy this.

 

Huh... thats interesting. Can you post the link to these type figures? Id be very interested to see how it all shapes up. I considered HP's brief foray into the pseudo luxury market was all about Apples margins, but Im scratching my head (no offense to you of course) considering Apple makes tons of money from a tiny market share (although I read somewhere that Apple has a 10% US stronghold now. 4 years ago it was like 4%). Thats growth!

Can you point us to another market leader with the capability of Square Trade? Im curious, but have not found anything substantial. Help!

What?! Are you kidding me? I know the Envy 17 has a plastic keyboard tray. If this is true, it looks as if the 2nd Gen Envy 15 is the only true attempt at a Premium laptop! At least its all metal!

Ok I laughed at your post in conjunction with your user name. Priceless!

:wink:

 

i placed my order the 12th but i want to add a second battery (i am going to be a college student and idk if 4 hours will be enough) so can i just call and add on a second battery. it shouldn't change my sku much. i have a bing cashback so i dont want that to be interfered with.

 

ooo WoW looks pretttttyyyyyy and I can see for miles!

 

The return policy that the hp customer service person told me is I order another and return this one with 20 days to get a refund. Which I found stupid since I have to pay for 2 laptops, however they might allow a direct exchange if you don't ask to keep this laptop while you wait for the next.


I really don't know what im going to do anymore, I like the looks and feel of the laptop, not the biggest fan of the touchpad but the battery life seems to be worse then both the n82jv and timelinex. I don't know if I should wait for those to become available in the US or just get a replacement one of these and try my luck again. 4 hour battery life is REALLY dissapointing though I was hoping for like 6 :/.

 

Will this void BCB?

 

If they ask you to reorder and return that one it will but if you get a direct replacement and just ship this one back and wait for them to make you a new one I don't think it will.

 

Anyone else willing to shed some light on this issue? Sorry, but the Quasi-thread is emptying fast with no one really able to answer this question. Are HP reps willing to give replacements as long as we return the unit we receive first?

 

Your gonna "sell the retarded one back to them"! Love it!

Does HP get a 21 day return policy from your "sell" back to them?



Edit: I wonder if Giz, Engadg, NBR, and such receive hand picked laptops from HP, or is it random?

 

I get the info from the annual reports they send me as a stockholder and articles my broker sends. It would be a pain to A) try to find the reports (they make good firestarter material) and B) then I would have to scan the pages.

I'm sure there is a lot of the data availble on any investment website and / or finacial news site.

Edit: here is a link to HP's 1st quarter report (raw data): http://phx.corporate-ir.net/External.File?item=UGFyZW50SUQ9NDY3NDB8Q2hpbGRJRD0tMXxUeXBlPTM=&t=1

Not as detailed or 'polished' a as the annual one... I'm sure Apples is online also... What you really need to see is the market analysis breakdowns from an investment research company, that is where all the estimated gross margins and cost of sales comparisons are calculated.....

 

im pretty impressed with my Envy so far. i only got to play with it for a few hours (since i just HAD to go watch Inception in IMAX with a bunch of friends ). so far i made recovery disks and removed HP bloatware to my hearts content. i will finally connect to the internet tomorrow when i get up and completely tweak/set it up with the programs. Ive been dying to start a new campaign on DAO and test my new laptop

 

As to some of the concerns...

I have no "whine", I'm curious as to what some other people are referring to.

My keyboard also doesn't flex when I'm typing, only when I actually press the key farther down than the keystroke. I don't see any real world issues with the problem. Compromise for having back lit keys I guess.

Those are the only two "real" issues. The battery life isn't stellar but a solid 4 hours under light use is fine with me anyways. (Turn Bluetooth off if you don't use it!)

 

Ahh thats cool, thanks for the link. I'll have to resume my research later when the city is not calling for me.

To all the lucky(?) Envy 14 owners, have fun and thrash those things and provide some feedback on battery life, temps, etc. Thanks for your notes here today!

We'll, I feel the need to drink copious amounts of Premium beer tonight, so off I go. Have a good night everyone! *

* Keep em in line 2.0!

 

So how would you rate your new 1600 x 900 RADIANCE screen compared to IMAX?

 

No one knows whether it's easy to replace/exchange easily?

 

I'm sorry to hear that you got lemon E14, seems to me that the worker that assemble it accidentally drop it on the side and pick it up quickly before any of the coworker/floor manager can notice it. He/she probably trying to keep the job but honestly, this is a premium laptop. they should have better QC, yours shouldn't even pass QC. Who makes Envy anyway?Foxcon or Quanta?

I havent got mine and worried about BCB since I called in for 10% off and the rep put it as Academic discount, even though I didnt use HPA when I ordered it. If I didnt get this cleared by HP..I might just return it once I get it. This is not worth $1700+ charged to my credit card.

 

Can't tell if you're mocking or praising me,
but my sell i mean return.

They extended my return period to 30 days.
I will be using this until my new unit arrives.

 

Well, as per the suggestions of this forum (ironic!) I went out and bought a decent set of IEMs. (Klipsch s4)

Came home, plugged 'em into my ipod, and wow! I had no idea those little things could do something like that! I got all excited and plugged them into the Envy and ......

As soon as I plugged them in, all I hear is a nasty hiss....like white noise, or the sound you get when you see 'snow' on the tv. I've tried muting and unmuting the system audio, and it doesn't change. Sure, things sound good when I play something (ninja tuna yay!) but even during quiet parts of games or music, the hiss is distracting...is this normal? How do I fix it? I've already turned off the 'listen to this device' options in the recording devices...

I'm at a loss

 

This. I have the same question too. will this guide suffice?

 

Crysis was pretty

I am having some software based issues with my wi-fi presently. It will randomly lose it's signal, a little experimenting shows that it is definitly software, so nothing long term.

Edit: Still using the out of box Win7 install, removing a few peices of bloat here and there, although my restore disks are done and a win7 home premium ISO is downloading on my mac.

 

Okay is anyone getting the problem where the wireless shuts off and you have to restart the computer for it to come on again? Troubleshooting says that the wireless adapter is off and to turn it on, anyone?

 

I decided to exchange mine, due to the gap on one side of the top and the misaligned hinge. Not as bad as the guy who got the total lemon, but it would have annoyed me. The return process was easy and took about 20 minutes on the phone.

By the way, for the bad rap HP's customer service gets, they've been extremely helpful and accomodating every time I've called. They gave me $30 when the CPU price decreased and a $100 rebate when Bing 30% cashback was live so that I wouldn't have to reorder.

All the reps I've spoken to have been awesome, including the lady today who worked out my exchange. I will be dropping off this Envy at Fedex tomorrow with a prepaid shipping label from HP. I'm hoping it doesn't take too long for a replacement, and that the body is flush all around on the next one. It's a minor issue, but I'd rather be 100% satisfied and wait a little longer. If HP can't come through the second time around, I'll go for a cheaper laptop to tide me over until the right thing comes along.

On paper, the Envy 14 is ideal for me, so I really hope it works out... the size is great and that screen is gorgeous. I had a lot of keyboard flex, but if this is the only compromise I'm willing to deal. Didn't notice any excessive CPU or fan noise.

 

I'm that lemon man.
You and I have the same opinions bro. I love this laptop. It's ideal. It has everything I ever wanted in it.
-Good battery
-Lightweight.portable
-Somewhat sexy
-HD
-Backlit keyboard
-CD/DVD drive, not bluray which makes laptop a lot expensiver and i hate bluray
-etc etc

I WANT TO KEEP THIS LAPTOP.
Im just mad annoyed by the crippled status of my envy.
I want a new one in perfect condish. That's all. Not too much to ask if you ask me.

 

I am! Let's work together on this one? For starters I can tell it's software. Just go into device manager and tweak pretty much any unimportant setting on your intel 6200 and BAM connection is back. For a while.

*edit* If this persists I'll just do a win7 reinstall. Gut instinct tells me that will perma-fix it, without actually having to figure out whats wrong.

**edit** I'm just leaving device manager open until I resolve it. Just takes a few clicks to get it back online.

***edit*** This hadn't occured all day. Only just started happening around 1:00 am here in eastern time. It was good all day downloading stuff from steam...

 

I forget did you do a clean install?

Try going to the speaker icon in taskbar, click it and then click the speaker picture at the top, the speaker properties opens > enhancements tab > check disable all > Tone controls > reset to zero > advanced tab > select 24 bit 96Khz > click apply and close. Now plug in headphones > click speaker on taskbar again, then click 'mixer' at bottom of slider now click the drop dowm arrow below speaker picture on left > select independant headphones > the picture changes to headphones and click it > headphones properties opens up > disable all enhancements > 24bit 96Khz > apply and close.

Now open the beats control panel (hidden icons arrow, beats logo) > settings > select set as default palyback device > the click setup > click test speakers -- If hisses in each ear and no noiese after you should be good Then to check out put click the 'jacks' 'HP' symbol (the little circle on right) and make sure it says 'device hedphone' (click that text). You should now have clean sound , you can now choos equalization options in beats panel and have fun.....