Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

[Merged] Voodoo Envy, New Ultrathin Notebook

evirob

evirob

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 31, 2008
71
0
Sunny Singapore
ModNote: Merged thread for discussion of the Voodoo Envy, an ultrathin Windows Vista notebook from the specialty PC manufacturer that is now a part of Hewlett Packard. Briefly, the Envy is a 0.7" thick, ~3.4 lb notebook with a power supply that also doubles as a WiFi access point. Please continue discussion of the Envy in this thread instead of creating new threads. Thanks! --mkrishnan

Hi Guys,

What do u think of this?

http://www.electronista.com/articles/08/06/10/voodoo.envy.133.and.omen/
 
Lunja

Lunja

macrumors 6502
May 15, 2005
273
0
Lincoln UK
Those are some stunning looking PC's!!

The 7in screen at the front is a neat idea, although I can't see a real need for it, unless it it used to display activity monitor-type info...
 
R

Roller

macrumors 68030
Jun 25, 2003
2,956
2,171
Pros: Removable battery, extra USB/eSATA port, security slots

Cons: No OS X

It's not as good looking as the MBA, and I suspect that the glossy surface will pick up fingerprints more easily. Although I wouldn't buy one, I give them credit for overcoming some of the MBA's shortcomings, though.

It's interesting to note that the SSD and HDD options are identical to Apple's. I suspect that if there were something better out there, it would have been available. I guess that means no refresh for the MBA in the short term.
 
S

SimD

macrumors regular
Apr 15, 2008
151
0
BongoBanger said:
That must be why Windows is used by about ten times as many people as OSX then. :rolleyes:

These machines are beautiful.
Click to expand...

Ignorance/lack of motivation to have to "learn" a new OS (even though it takes what? 10 mins?).. well atleast for the general Windoze population.. there are the genuine reasons of course..

I'm not a fan of HP and I personally find it to be a complete rip off of both the MBA and Intel's new laptop.. whatever it's called.. oh well..
 
bigjnyc

bigjnyc

macrumors G3
Apr 10, 2008
8,298
7,664
Glossy exterior aside, those look more like the macbook than the MBA.
 
wordmunger

wordmunger

macrumors 603
Sep 3, 2003
5,124
3
North Carolina
I like their solution to the ethernet problem -- ethernet port in the power brick. That said, the photos don't show how big the brick is. One of the huge pluses of the MBA is its tiny power brick. It's not even really a brick, more like a briquet.

Also, it's 3.4 pounds, not 3.0. Not sure this is the best compromise between size and power.
 
S

Sound Evolution

macrumors 6502
Oct 30, 2007
414
0
Netherlands
Wow! Really nice laptops! They steel from apple though. The screen hinge for example. The MBA still look more sexy and classy in design, but I have to admit the Vodoo Envy is the sexiest PC laptop I've ever seen.

With kind regards,
Bas
 
H

Heavenkittykat

macrumors regular
Jan 6, 2008
149
0
I don't know about you guys but I think my MBA still looks better than that notebook.

1. I mean it doesn't even look that thin because the the 0.7 inch thickness is even all around the computer while the MBA looks thinner because it tapers on its side.
2. Plus I think the MBA made a cleaner and simpler, and has more elegant look without it's ports, fan, etc being exposed on the sides. Also, I still prefer aluminum than carbon fiber any day.
3. The sensors sound pretty cool but since it doesn't run OSX I don't even consider buying this thing.
4. Looking at all the specs of the laptop here http://gizmodo.com/395419/voodoos-e...ook-alive-based-on-intel-metro-concept-laptop. I .
somehow felt like they are REALLY trying hard to beat the macbook air like those companies that manufacture "ipod killer" and "iphone killer" products
5. I don't know if people can notice this too but it also lacks ports like the air, As far as I know it only has 1 USB port.
 
S

SodiumBenzoate

macrumors regular
Feb 10, 2008
123
0
NT1440 said:
whats up with that dotty trackpad thing?
Click to expand...

A lot of HP's newer trackpads are like that. There's nothing really strange about it, they just incorporated the trackpad into the case and that's how they decided to show you where it is. It's also a "multi-gesture" trackpad. It'll be interesting to see if it's true multitouch (3+ points of contact) and, if it is, if their drivers can be used with the MBA to improve some of the trackpad issues MBA users have had while running Windows.

This laptop is about as close to a direct MBA competitor as it gets. Similar size, similar feature set.

VooDoo/HP chose a user-replaceable battery that gives up about an hour's worth of power to the MBA. Interesting decision.

Heavenkittykat said:
5. I don't know if people can notice this too but it also lacks ports like the air, As far as I know it only has 1 USB port.
Click to expand...

It has two USB ports. One of the USB ports is inside of the eSATA jack.

It also has an Ethernet port on the power brick, which, in my opinion, is a pretty creative decision. People don't often use Ethernet without a power brick, so it makes sense.
 
wheezy

wheezy

macrumors 65816
Apr 7, 2005
1,280
1
Alpine, UT
For once someone (other than Apple) made a laptop without bumps all over the place... and it looks good! The ethernet in power brick is also creative... kudos to HP. That looks so much better than the VAIO... if I had to get a PC Laptop I'd consider this one quite a bit.

Thankfully I don't have to buy a PC, or use Windows... so my not as ultra but still portable white Macbook will suit me just fine.
 
S

Shotgun OS

macrumors 6502a
Dec 18, 2006
505
4
Ohio
It's a nice looking PC. Better than most I've seen. But it still doesn't look as nice as a Mac, and it still doesn't run OSX. If I were in the Windows world, I'd prolly buy that (if the specs are decent.)
 
mkrishnan

mkrishnan

Moderator emeritus
Jan 9, 2004
29,776
15
Grand Rapids, MI, USA
SodiumBenzoate said:
Sarcasm, I hope? :confused:
Click to expand...

No... it weighs almost twice as much as what I own now. :eek: Granted, it is more featureful and faster, but 3.4 lbs is too much. I guess it's not that large for a notebook with a 13" screen, but again... I'd rather they made it with a 12" screen (or even smaller) and it weighed half a pound less....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom