HP announced on Wednesday that its new ultra-slim pseudo-ultrabook, the Envy 14, is officially available for pre-order and will begin shipping on February 17. Reports indicate that HP showcased this notebook last month at CES, where it made a strong impression and was widely hailed by foreign media as a competitor to the MacBook Air.
The Envy 14 is considered a pseudo-ultrabook because it does not meet the pricing requirement of being under $1000; its initial retail price is set at $1400. However, in terms of hardware, the Envy 14 largely aligns with ultrabooks, featuring a 14-inch screen with a resolution of 1366x768 pixels and a low-voltage Core i5 processor running at 1.6GHz.
Key specifications also include 4GB of RAM and a 128GB solid-state drive. Consumers can opt for a Core i7 processor running at 1.8GHz for an additional $200, or choose a Core i7 paired with a 256GB SSD for an extra $300.
Notably, the Envy 14 is one of the first notebooks to feature Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, predating its adoption by Intel's ultrabooks. The NFC technology on the Envy 14 is similar to Android Beam and includes desktop applications that allow users with NFC-enabled devices to share web links and other content.