The folks at GearLive have published some hands-on pictures of the Voodoo Envy 133 notebook. This is one sweet Windows system - a thinner notebook than the Apple MacBook Air mind you. In case you forgot the specs, they are as follows:

• Intel Core 2 Duo running at 1.8GHz (or 1.6GHz)
• Intel GMA X3100 graphics
• 64GB SSD or 80GB HDD
• Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth
• 2GB RAM
• 13.3 inch WXGA HD widescreen display
• Measures 12.65 x 9.04 x 0.70 inches (yes that’s thinner)
• Weighs 3.373 lbs
• Touchpad with multi-finger tracking
• LED backlit keyboard
• Slot loaded eSATA SuperMulti Drive
• 34mm ExpressCard
• HDMI output
• Dolby Sound Room audio
• Carbon fiber casing

If I only had money to spend.. I’d totally consider getting this system .. although I’m pretty darn happy with my new Sony VAIO notebook also.. (although it’s twice the weight, twice the thickness.. blah blah blah)

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Technorati Tags: HP, Voodoo PC, Voodoo Envy 133, Hands-on

HP aims to bring workstation performance at PC prices with the introduction of the new HP xw4550 Workstation system. For as low as $599, you can get a system which features:

• Second Generation AMD Opteron processor Model 1212 running at 2GHz
• 2 GB RAM
• 160GB 7200RPM SATA HDD
• NVIDIA Quadro FX 290 graphics
• 16X SATA SuperMulti LightScribe DVD burner

On the higher end, for $1349 you get a system which features:

• Second Generation AMD Opteron processor Model 1220 running at 2.8GHz
• 4GB RAM
• 250GB 7200 RPM SATA HDD
• NVIDIA Quadro FX 570 graphics
• 16X SATA SuperMulti LightScribe DVD burner

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: HP xw4550 Workstation, Opteron, AMD,

Here’s an interesting news blurb for all you HP Mini-Note fans. the Fresno United School District is apparently deploying more than 7,000 HP Mini-Note PCs to their K-12 students. Yes.. it’s a good time to be a student there isn’t it? According to Kurt Madden, Chief Technology Officer of the Fresno United School District, “The HP Mini-Note is a powerful laptop that is small enough to fit on students’ desks along with their textbooks and papers, allowing them access to the Internet and educational content from around the world without leaving their seats”. Wait a second.. a school district has a CTO?

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Technorati Tags: HP Mini-Note, Fresno United School District

For all you Windows Home Server folks out there - a couple of interesting tidbits. First off - know that  the Windows Home Server team is now running a public beta of Power Pack 1 for Windows Home Server. Folks trying out the public beta are from the original beta testers for Windows Home Server and yes the public beta does include the file corruption fix. No word on when exactly the public beta will be released into actual release code but I’m sure it’ll be relatively soon.

The second tidbit - if you’re an owner of an HP MediaSmart Server, then you’ll be interested to know that Microsoft and HP are planning to hold a series of webcasts (webinars) on how to do more with the HP MediaSmart Server. Topics will range from how to extend the Windows Home Server with Add-ins, to digital photography, and to mobile warriors. The first webinar will take place on June 25th and will feature special guest star Terry Walsh of “We Got Served!”. Check out http://www.windows.com/hpmediasmartwebinar for more information.

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HP has announced that their upcoming HP MediaSmart Connect device is now available for pre-order at various retailers including Amazon.com and Newegg for a suggested retail price of $349. The MediaSmart Connect was introduced at CES 2008 as a way to bring HP MediaSmart TV technology to non-HP HDTV sets. With the MediaSmart Connect connected to your HDTV and your home network, you’ll be able to stream digital content from your computers straight to your HDTV set. In addition, MediaSmart Connect features Extender for Windows Media Center technology which allows you to access Windows Media Center enabled PCs remotely over the network.

The HP MediaSmart Connect is able to connect to other UPnP and DLNA compliant devices as well as products from their MediaSmart product line including the HP Media Vault and the HP MediaSmart Server.

The technical specs are as follows:

• Supports 720p/1080i
• HDMI out, Component out, Stereo analog out, Digital audio out, 2 USB ports
• HP Pocket Media Drive Bay
• Wi-Fi - 802.11 a/b/g/n
• 10/100 Ethernet
• Photo - JPEG, BMP, GIF, PNG
• Music - MP2, MP3, WMA, WMA-Pro, AAC(m4a)
• Video - MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MP@ML, MPEG-2 MP@HL, MPEG-4 ASP, DivX, WMV, WMV-HD, DVR-MS, H.264 (MP4)
• DivX certified
• Supports Snapfish, CinemaNow, Live365, YouTube(coming soon)
• Supports Windows Media Player 11, UPnP, and DLNA compliant systems
• Piano Black finish
• Gloss with Zen pattern
• Includes HDMI cable
• 5 device universal remote
• Measures 8.5 x 8.5 x 1.8 inches and weighs 3.5 lbs

The MediaSmart Connect can be preordered starting today for $349 at Amazon.com, BestBuy, CircuitCity, and Newegg.com. The device includes an HDMI cable, a learning remote control and a $20 dollar CinemaNow movie certificate.

It’s a shame that the MediaSmart Connect only supports 720p/1080i and not 1080p. Also - at $349 - it’s a bit expensive for a Windows Media Center Extender - especially without a built-in DVD drive.

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Technorati Tags: HP, MediaSmart Connect, Extender for Windows Media Center

AVING USA has some sweet stills of proof-of-concept HP computers on display at the HP Connecting Your World conference in Berlin. Enjoy and check out AVING for additional pics.

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Technorati Tags: HP,

HP is introducing what it calls the world’s first blade server designed for 24/7 “mission critical computing” in the form of the HP Integrity NonStop NB50000c BladeSystem. According to HP, the NB50000c combines the high availability of the HP Integrity NonStop with the efficiencies of the HP BladeSystem. Features and benefits of the new HP NB50000c include:

• Roughly double the processing power in half the physical footprint thanks to multi-core technology and HP BladeSystem
• Reduced administrative costs with enhanced system management including Integrated Lights-Out 2 (iLO 2), HP Systems Insight Manager, and the Onboard Administrator for HP BladeSystem
• 24/7 fault-tolerant software

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Technorati Tags: HP Integrity NonStop NB50000c BladeSystem

HP has announced the shipment date of the upcoming HP Business Messenger 3G smartphone. According to AVING USA, the Business Manager will be available worldwide starting on June 30th with actual shipping dates varying by region.

This Windows Mobile 6.1 based Smartphone features the following:

• Integrated QWERTY keyboard
• Listen and reply to email hands-free with Cyberon Voice Commander and HP Voice Replu
• Marvel PXA270 processor clocked at 416MHz
• 128MB SDRAM memory
• 256MB Flash ROM
• Integrated Microphone
• microSD slot
• 2.46 inch transflective color TFT 320 x 240 touch screen with LED backlight
• 3 megapixel CMOS image sensor with auto focus and 4X digital zoom
• Scroll wheel and stylus
• Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g with WPA2 security)
• Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
• Tri-band UMTS/HSDPA
• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
• Multi-nodal GPS navigation
• Removable and rechargeable 1940 mAh Li-Poly battery
• Measures 2.5 x 0.6 x 4.5 inches and weighs 5.4 oz

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Technorati Tags: HP iPAQ 910c Business Messenger

Do you work in a color critical environment? Need your monitor to produce the most vivid and accurate colors? Then you’ll want to check out HP’s new DreamColor LP2480zx Professional LCD display based on HP DreamColor Engine technology. The 24 inch display, developed in conjunction with DreamWorks Animation, utilizes a 30 bit LCD panel capable of reproducing over one billion active colors. That’s 64 times the colors supported by traditional LCD displays.

Features of the LP2480zx include:

• 30 bit panel
• Super IPS panel technology
• Tearing-free film and 50/60Hz video playback
• Set the white point precisely with the RGB LED backlight
• Choose factory calibrated color spaces with the touch of a button including sRGB, Adobe RGB, Rec. 601, Rec. 709, DCI-P3 emulation, and full gamut
• HP Night Vision user interface with on-screen button tags and auto-fade backlit bezel buttons for easy control in bright and dark work environments
• DisplayPort 1.1, HDMI 1.3, (2) DVI-I, analog, component, S-video, and composite inputs
• HDCP support
• Built-in 4 port USB hub
• 250 cd/m2 maximum white luminance
• 0.05 cd/m2 black luminance
• 12 ms response rate
• 1920 x 1200 resolution
• 178 degree viewing angle
• 1000:1 contrast ratio
• 0.270 mm pixel pitch

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Technorati Tags: HP DreamColor LP2480zx Professional LCD Display

A couple of reviews are already available for the new HP Pavilion dv5t Entertainment Notebook PC announced earlier today. The first review comes from PC Magazine here and here’s the blurb:

The HP Pavilion dv5 features a frameless widescreen and built-in HDTV tuner.

The second review comes from LaptopMag here. The publication gives the new notebook an Editor’s Choice award and had this to say:

This is a worthy sequel to the dv6500t and one of our favorite 15.4-inch notebooks.

[Check out PC Magazine Review]

[Check out LaptopMag Review]

Technorati Tags: HP Pavilion dv5t, PC Magazine, LaptopMag, Review