14-Inch HP Envy m4 Windows 8 Notebook Keeps Things Level

Microsoft will launch the Windows 8 operating system four days from now, by which time all makers of devices capable of running the OS will need to have their product lines ready, HP included.

True to form, Hewlett-Packard, even as it lost its position as top supplier of PCs in the world, has been developing everything from notebooks and tablets to desktops and workstations.

The device we are talking about this time is the Envy 14, a laptop measuring 14 inches in diagonal and which is supposedly already available for pre-order.

The price is of $829.99, which means that the European price will be of 829.99 Euro as well, not 635 Euro as exchange rates would suggest, for various reasons that apply to most every product launched both in the US and in the old continent.

At any rate, the notebook is a fairly standard design, although its CPU is definitely on the high side, belonging to the Core i7 series.

More specifically, the quad-core CPU is called Core i7-3632QM, has a base clock speed of 2.2 GHz, Turbo Boost technology (dynamic overclocking when needed) and integrated HD graphics.

8 GB of DDR3 RAM (random access memory) assist the CPU in whatever endeavors owners of the PC subject it to.

Meanwhile, files of all sorts are stored on a hard disk drive of 1 TB, while a DVD writer allows new data to be added and older one to be written on compact disks.

The specifications sheet goes on with Beats Audio, an HDMI output (for when the 14-inch HD, 1366 x 768 screen is just not enough), Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, an HD webcam, USB 3.0 (two ports) and stereo speakers+subwoofer.

Shipments will begin, as we said before, on October 26. We will have to wait and see if sales turn out to be even mildly decent now that notebook sales, in general, are weak enough to cause year-lasting concerns.