Waiting for Envy 17 3D SB thread

thats a great question; I only suggested a "summer" Envy 17 because of how quickly they refreshed the DV7 (announcements one month apart). So they can do it; whether or not they choose to do it or not is another matter!

hmmm -- ClickPad IS Series 3, now thats worth a look. .... I do a LOT of touchpad work when I edit photos. for those who want to know more, check out this article:

The Windows PC ClickPad finally improved? Synaptics ClickPad IS Series 3 preview -- Engadget

that would be enough for me to wait until the Envy has this....

 

outstanding. so thanks to the tip from StrikeSaber47 you can have your cake and the dlleno plan too!

 

Yes I have a valid Key.

I installed Windows 7 fresh on my current laptop. My current laptop was having issues so I sent it to HP. They erased Windows 7 and put BACK the original horrible Windows Vista on my laptop.

So for now I'm suffering with Vista until I can get it replaced....

So my key should be good right? or do I need to call MS just to make sure my Key is fine. Cuz I did activate a while ago when I first got it and installed it.

 

Oh if you are going from VISTA to 7, then no. You need to fully reinstall. This trick only works if you are upgrading within Windows 7 Editions.

 

No I'm saying they will replace my current laptop with one of the newer ones according to the rep I'm dealing with.

They are going to call me to spec it out so of course the new one will have Windows 7 on it.

I'm just wondering/worrying about whether my activation of my W7Ultimate will be a problem later on down the road if I upgrade whatever laptop they give me...

 

It shouldn't. As long as the key is valid (I just double-checked that it can be both a retail upgrade or full serial key), just pop that key into the Wizard and the magic will happen. It is that simple. However, do check first with Microsoft that your key you are going to use is valid and good to go to be used for the Upgrade Anytime Wizard.

 

The new Samsung 9-series laptop most probably has the new touchpad: Samsung 9 Series: Hands On With the Macbook Air Wannabe | News & Opinion | PCMag.com. As can be seen in the pics, there are no dedicated zones in the touchpad for clicking. We could be expecting a refresh quite soon.

 

The wait gets harder the closer February 27th approaches...

 

UGH! You're killing me... I know.... I can still laugh though. I feel in the last few months I've been on a roller coaster.


KJ

 

You two have been waiting for like almost two months long. That is dedication!

 

Lol pretty much....patience is a virtue so they say.

Plus in the meantime I'm saving up money for other stuff and paying off some other bills.

 

I was going to get the Vaio if Envy wasn't out by February 7th (the day Vaio orders were supposed to open). But Vaio is delayed as well now, so it doesn't matter what I choose, it will still take ages.

 

A bit more than that I think.... not sure if you know my story...but I first found out about the Envy 17.... after seeing some vids on YouTube I "saw" my name written all over it. Went to HP website, configured it, called to get the best deal.... then what? Yeap, I was so excited I went back to YouTube, and also Googled it to see reviews,etc... Guess what I found?

Yeah, that HP was coming out with the Envy 17 3D! Within 30 minutes of ordering my Envy 17 I called HP and cancelled my order. I explained that I did not realize there was a 3D model coming out soon.... so I was able to cancel it since it was only 30 minutes since my order. I asked to be placed on the reservation list.

Kept checking Google daily, YouTube, and HP.com..nothing. After a couple weeks of this I got tired of it....went on with my life.... then I googled once more...guess what then? Yeah, Google search showed some link to a weird site called NBR that had something about a $400 coupon for the Envy 17 3D!!! Well, I clicked that link, and it brought me to yes, NBR! I found out that HP had a $400 coupon off the Envy 17 3D and I missed it! WHAAA?@#@@ I was mad, yes. HP had me on the list, released the Envy 17 3D and I was never informed about it, and lost out on the $400 coupon because I snoozed on the deal. HP said it was not their fault and would not honor the coupon. Best I could do was just get a $150 off. I still ordered it.

Loved it very much. But of course I noticed like many the "defective" metal casing around the top of the keyboard with the sloping metal. I returned it within a few days (wish I kept it a bit longer to play with) and soon someone found the reason was HP over tightned the screws in the battery compartment which kind of sucked the metal downward...anyway, loosening the screws fixed the majority of that issue.

Got my second Envy 17 3D, loved it once again.... but of course what do you know? I found out the darn thing could not output 3D through the HDMI 1.3, sad, ugh. Also, HP announced the SB edition of the Envy 17 3D, so of course had to return this.... yes I know, its exahuasting.

So here we all wait, and now you know my story....

Just went back to HP's site and this does not look so promising...

HP® Official Store —Buy HP Laptops, Notebook PCs, Printers, Desktop Computers, Handhelds, Scanners, Monitors, and Calculators direct from HP

Why is the Envy 17 3D SB edition missing from this page? If you guys recall the recent one they took off had our Envy 17 3D SB edition on it for preorder, now its gone... What does it mean?

KJ

 

Either they are still working on the Envy series replacements or (hopefully not), sacking the Envy line and rework the elements into the Pavilions? I doubt the latter though, but looks like they are going spend their precious time getting the next Envy series out with full swing.

Also, I know you went through two Envy 17's. but I never understood why you returned the 2nd one. I thought you found more defects but either way, looks like you are giving the Envy another shot with Sandy Bridge. Still, that is dedication. I would of moved on to another brand at this rate lolz...

 

StrikeSaber47, If you have been "following" my little saga then you are also aware I'm not without a laptop at the moment... cough costcocough. That holds me until HP decides to release what we've been waiting for...

P.S. I do hope HP does not drop the Envy line...in fact, I'm going to call them right now and find out....


UPDATE: Just called HP, they assured me that the Envy 17 3D SB edition is still coming out, but its on hold a bit due to the Intel nonsense....I should have known. Still not sure why the DV7t quad is up there...

KJ

 

Gotta love them *cough* Costco *cough* I mean. I presume you are using one of their HP Pavilion DV7's at the moment?

 

Yeap, dv7-4183cl. They already have the dv7-4283cl or something like that... those of you who go to Costco will notice, at least with mine, their laptop shelf is almost empty I presume due the the Intel fiasco, but I'm sure new systems will be in Costco soon enough.


KJ

 

At the moment there is a global laptop shortage due to Intel's fiasco. Stores are either selling the rest of the Capella-based systems they got left or having gaps in their lineup waiting for Cougar Peak's fixes to be completed.

 

My theory on why the DV7 is up and the Envy is not...

HP likes to make a big deal about the Envy line, with good reason...cause it's their flagship. I have a feeling there may be a few more perks to waiting as far as specs/changes to the Envy line than they have let on.

Or at least that's my optimism talking. Any other theories on why the Envy isn't even available for "pre-order" even with an extended build date like the DV7?

 

I like what you're suggesting. Please be true. The only concern here I have is that we've been hearing the Dv7t will be available for ordering in March....so..... doesn't it lead us to believe then the SB edition of the Envy 17 3D will now be delayed until late March or April when it was supposed to released late Feb?

KJ

 

Don't ya just love marketing departments? I'm still going to buy into the theory that it will be released for "pre-order" around the end of this month, but maybe build dates will be pushed into later March? This is fine for me, since I've waited this long I can wait a month longer but hopefully at least know what I'm waiting FOR! HP probably wants to wait and see what the other big laptop makers are doing for as long as they can hold out so they can hopefully one up a handful of them. Also they may still be doing a few last minute tests and tweaks so they can avoid a recall if they can help it. I think the big companies are probably dealing with a larger amount of customers like have been described on here (returning some laptops for the hope for better future upgrades) than they care to deal with and want to unveil something that customers will want to keep.

Again this is all wishful thinking. A man can dream right?

 

I too have theorized that HP would still make the SB Envy available before the newest Dv7 refresh -- and that has not been disproven yet. I just find it interesting that HP is drawing attention to the new Dv7 reservations when there is no ship date, and yet the SB Envy has all but disappeared from the limelight. no, there's no chance Envy is going away, but something is fishy here: if the SATA disease was really the only factor behind all of these intro delays, then HP would have the same confidence in the SB Envy as they do with the Dv7 -- and clearly that is not the case because they are splashing the dv7 and silent on the Envy (at this time). That said, over the coming days HP could lay to rest a whole bunch of theories with a SB Envy announcement!

So -- I'm wondering if there is another factor beyond the Intel chipset thing -- what if the touch/click pad is the other monkey in the soup here. Whether they are testing the market or just have more confidence in the new dv7 touchpad, I wonder if HP might be considering a change to the Envy's clickpad -- or otherwise reluctant to release it with the planned one. Something to me just feels like HP likes the new touchpad in the dv7.

As much as I greatly favor the "SB envy train has already left the station" theory (no spec changes since the Jan 4 announcement), its possible that a serious enough late discovery could delay the release further -- and they are just making good use of the forced SATA delay to make another change. If that theory holds, I'd suggest there isn't time to re-design the MB for 16G RAM, but there might be time to change the touchpad.

Its certainly a wild theory, becuase I think it is very difficult to make a spec change this late in the product cycle, but who knows... its the only thing that explains to me why SB Envy has dropped off the planet, so to speak. There have been no leaks, no one has found any drivers on the HP site for the new Envy. nothing.

But -- the last half of February is coming, and we will soon know if the above is just a bunch of hooey. I for one am perplexed by the recent stirr over the touchpad / clickpad thing (Synaptics series 3 clickpad, and HPs recent Dv7 pad), and await with great anticipation to see what solution will emerge on the SB Envy. touchpad behavior is quite important to me, and Im not about to lay down $2K for something that won't work for me without an external mouse (in my photo editing I'm pretty handy with the traditional touchpad). The Synaptics series 3 clickpad does sound promising, as does the new, more traditional touchpad on the Dv7 -- I wonder which solution will appear on the Envy?

 

It's a little maddening thinking of all the possibilities...isn't it?!

I think I'm gonna walk right into their corporate office and into their marketing department and demand answers! *slams down 6th beer*

Ok maybe not, but maybe like you said they'll come out with some fancy pictures and specs to hold us over on the quick...don't they know what they are doing to us???

 

I mean whichever comes out first I'm gonna jump on it I'm thinking.

The only thing I'm really worried about is the display at this point. If the 1600x900 looks bad to me then I'll def return it. I might have to go Best Buy to take a look at one in person...

 

You're talking about the DV7t?

KJ

 

HP's 1600x900 display is quite good, in its own right. but your test suggestion is excellent -- take your favorite Blu-ray disk or other entertainment media and compare it with another 1080p display there in the store. unfortunately BB doesn't carry the Envy but they're bound to have another 1080 display in the store.

 

Sandy Bridge rumor roundup 2/10

Its been awhile so I thought another summary would be in order. And its also iphone day at Verizon so I needed an excuse to pay attention to something more compelling . Anyway, the weight of evidence so far points to "end of Feb" orders with actual shipments delayed into March or even April. The delay has also sparked some speculation that HP could be using the "extra time" to add something new to the SB Envy.

I have also neglected to track one rumor, stating that HP would use the Palm press release event to reveal something about the SB Envy. That one is busted now

credible: the information makes sense and the source appears credible
plausible: emerging information that may strengthen in credibility over time
not credible: the information is inconsistent, no references have been cited, and/or the source has not demonstrated credibility
busted: The weight of evidence indicates that the information is false

dlleno and Kill Joe have suggested, based on the strength of facebook comments by Molly Athp, those coming from the HP Sales call center, and based on how the Dv7t-quad was introduced, that we should hear from HP on or before 2/15 and that products could be available in some U.S. retail stores by the following weekend and available for online order by February 20. status=credible

timcfox reports that a sales rep has scheduled a purchase callback for February 27, which implies that the SB Envy introduction could occur over that weekend instead. status=plausible

several NBR members have speculated that the SATA disease will not affect the ability to order a SB Envy by end of february, but that delivery may be pushed out. status=credible

NBR member andyguk has learned from the HP Store UK that they do not expect an SB refresh "within the coming weeks or months". and also mentioned that the U.S market is "more advanced in trialing newer products". The implication here is that some countries may lag the U.S. in new product intros and that the non-US countries may in fact be later than February. status = credible

charlesspivak and dlleno have speculated that HP might add features (maybe a new click pad?) to the Envy 17 beyond those announced on January 4 – perhaps by making use of the forced delay relating to the Intel SATA disease status= plausible. This could be, although adding features this late in the product cycle is difficult.

some NBR members speculated that HP would use the much-hyped WebOS tablet/smartphone press event on February 9th, to also announce some Sandy Bridge Envy availability information. status=busted The WebOS event has come and gone without any such announcement [/b]


an unknown source on NBR postulated that HP would make an announcement on January 24 and even promised to order a Dell if there was no HP announcement by this date. This date seemed to catch popularity but has no basis other than someone's opinion. status=busted

jeff5886 joined the forums to tell us that he has a friend who is an HP sales rep -- who tells of an HP internal sales team conference call on Thursday January 20 8pm (no time zone given), and promises to give Jeff5886 any new information. status: busted.

NBR member husky55 reports from the dv7-quad forum that, on the strength of HP reps' comments on the HP forums, that HP "will announce very shortly their policy re the Intel SB design flaw, possibly today". status=busted no announcement was made at that time

 

with apologies if this has already been posted -- here's additional evidence that the Intel issue is the common denominator behind the delay of both the newest DV7 refresh and of the SB Envy

HP ready to launch laptops, but Intel chips are in short supply | VentureBeat

and lest we forget the virtues of Sandy Bridge we are waiting for, this article reminds us of some real-world examples, such as 833% faster than 1st gen chips for Excel spreadsheet work, 333% faster for slideshows, and integrated graphics that are better than 40-50% of the discrete solutions on the market today. I wonder when Intel will support DX11 on chip...

 

I agree with your post dlleno. I think all of the SB laptops are going to start shipping around the same time when Intel starts making the chipsets available. To be fair, I don't think they'll give it any one vendor before another. That means we'll get to decide between Envy 17, M17xR3, and possibly M18xR3 for gaming laptops - each has its own pros and cons.

 

Ok, tomorrow is February 14, 2011. It so happens to be Valentine's Day.... So, HP, you think you could give us a Valentine's Day gift...and by "gift" I mean news of when the Envy 17 3D SB will be released. Please. Thanks.

In all seriousness, I plan on writing some emails to the HP staff who bring us the HP news releases on HP.com. I will do this tomorrow night if we don't get news by the end of the day. I might as well start figuring out what I'm gonna write. Maybe they can give us a heads up....

KJ

 

Just to update you I did go to BB and I looked at several 1600x900 displays and while they were "aight" (as you had said) they didn't quite seem as clear as my current laptops display. The colors didn't pop out as much. So I'm thinking if the new dv6/dv7 don't over the full HD display (1920x1080) then I'm dead set on getting SB Envy refresh....

Any new updates to report?

 

nice info, TheAtreidesHawk many thanks. thats where I'm at as well -- its all about the display

 

It has been THE source of my frustration for quite some time already: BestBuy DOES NOT have any 1080 laptops in the store. Fry's, however, do have some but none that can be compared to the Envy 17 3d's screen. Seriously. And I'm typing this on M17xR3 1080 that'll soon go back to mothership (ordered my 3rd Envy 17 3d today)

 

no 1080p external monitors attached to desktops?

 

Didnt' want to wait for the Sandy Bridge version? Ugh I understand though....I've been waiting for evaaaaaaaa.....kinda wonder how much longer I can.....

P.S. I will be writing HP.com an email tonight as to the release date. Hope they respond....


KJ

 

To answer dlleno's question I don't think they have a single 1080p monitor or display when it comes to computers.

The guy I spoke with said there was an asus that has one but of course the asus was dead....

And he was like the "high end" display would be the 1600x900 at least for the store lol...

Anyways so close but so far away....just need to focus on work to keep me busy...

 

Unfortunately, BB only showcases monitors connected to a single source in huge bunches. With pictures way off of the native resolutions. Those that are indeed connected to desktops directly are NOT worth showing off. I never understood the reason, though.

 

Like you I returned 2 envies already but I need a laptop for work and I want it to be perfect so I went through like 10 of them (different models and makes but with some repetitions like envy) since my MacBook pro died. Last one was the alienware's latest but it has proven to be difficult to fast type on (the keys are a bit mushy compared to MacBook pro and envy) and a bit too thick for wrist comfort while typing for long. So I went again with 17 3d hoping to either wait it out with the current model until ivy bridge comes out or, if SB model gets released finally while I'm still within return period - early adopt again.

Forever hopeful...

 

As above.........

 

As promised, I just sent an email to: Sheila Watson, who writes up the news releases for HP.com. Her email is: [email protected]

I have no idea if she will even bother to write me back, much less read my email. I can't see any harm if you guys want to send her a quick email too. If I get anything back from her or her associates I'll be sure to let you guys know.

P.S. Hang in there, can't be much longer now

KJ

 

Nice...perhaps email that conrad person that jon mentioned as well? Couldn't hurt....

 

Oh I plan on it! I'm not going to bombard them all at once. I have another HP.com news person, then if I still don't hear anything, I'll try this Conrad guy.


KJ

 

keep at it Killa; today is the date by which you and I expected to hear something from HP, with the possibility of pre-orders being allowed by this weekend for delivery in late March or even April. anxious to see if I have to call this one confirmed or busted!

 

btw I emailed Sheila Watson back on Jan 5 and haven't heard back... maybe you will have better karma

 

Funny you should mention. I got an "auto" email form her a couple days ago saying she is out on vacation for the day and to email her associate. I resent Sheila the original email and her associate this morning. I'll wait for a response by tomorrow evening. If nothing, then Friday morning I may have to email Conrad.

KJ

 

Was I right or was I right?

 

well its really too soon to tell. The only thing that "didn't" happen is that we didn't hear from HP yesterday 2/15. To prove Mary the Sales rep wrong, HP would only have to make the Envy 17 available for ordering any time prior to April and there's plenty of time yet for that to happen To prove Mary right, HP would have to allow no ordering until April 1.

To bust the rumor I mentioned (that came from me and Killa) HP will need to stay silent through this weekend. I'll updated the rumor roundup early next week.

 

Honestly I'm waiting for February 27th. If we haven't heard anything or the website isn't up with the new models for us to customize to order I'm calling my case manager and that's that.

As for the red5 post (which I can't see the original) I haven't heard of this Mary person and I find it weird that she gave up that much information given the previous trend we've all experienced...

 

I'll try to make my post clearer. This is the original and first NBR post by red5standingby:

to which I replied the following:

others joined in to point out that HP reps are not a reliable source of information about the future.

A lot later in the thread, I posted that the 2/15 date (which originated from Killa and myself) had come and gone without word from HP. then red5standingby made his second NBR post:

to which I replied:

You are quite right, TheAtreidesHawk, to point out how odd it was for Mary the HP rep to give out information that we know is not shared with the HP reps. To me, its not credible information.

 

Lol, yeah. I thought we sort of agreed "off the books/records" that we were waiting for Feb. 27th to hear something. I think its a fair date. HP should give us an answer regardless of date or in the worst case scenario they should let us know if they are scraping the whole Envy 17/3D and moving to a new machine (of course I doubt this since it was announced in CES 2011), but of course crazier things have been known to happen.

KJ