HP Envy X2 part of a touch-friendly trio of Windows 8 PCs
HP has revealed a trio of touch-friendly ultrabooks in time for the release of Windows 8, including a hybrid tablet with a keyboard dock.
It might not be sharing the limelight with Samsung and Sony in Berlin this week, but HP has also chosen today as the time to unveil a range of Windows 8-ready touchscreen PCs.
The Envy X2 is likely to garner the most attention, offering the only convertible hybrid device in HP's line-up. It's comprised of both an 11.6-inch touchscreen tablet and a keyboard dock, which HP will sell as a bundle. The unit makes use of a 64GB SSD for storage, and there is a battery in both the screen and the keyboard dock. The system runs on Intel x86 hardware, but HP has not revealed which chips it will use.
Similar to new smartphones this year, the Envy X2 has near-field communication (NFC) hardware to easily share content, and Beats Audio components. Connectivity is sparse on the tablet, but the keyboard dock offers a decent range of ports, including two USB ports and HDMI out. There are two cameras, as well: an 8-megapixel shooter on the back of the tablet, and a 2-megapixel lens on the front, above the screen.
Two more conventional ultrabook designs will bear the TouchSmart branding: an updated Spectre XT SKU with a 15-inch touchscreen, and the 14-inch Envy TouchSmart 4. Both computers come with the same range of hard-drive options, including both SSDs and 500GB hybrid HHDs with a 32GB flash cache. The Envy 4 comes with discrete graphics, though, making use of a dedicated AMD graphics card.
Local pricing and availability should be known closer to the launch, which we expect to occur shortly after Microsoft officially releases Windows 8 at the end of October.