Photos: HP Pavilion HDX9000 Dragon steals 20-inch crown
More awesomeness from HP's explosive shindig in Noo Yoik -- this time we got our hands on a 20-inch 'laps-top' that looks set to redefine the, er, enormous portable PC market
Crave is out in New York, New York, fiddling with a load of HP kit, including a hot new 20-inch 'laps-top'. Colloquially known as 'Dragon', the Pavilion HDX9000 is inspired by equally ginormous offerings from Dell and Acer.
Whereas its rivals were an acquired taste, the HDX9000's gorgeous chassis is instantly likeable. Curvy chassis? Check. Piano-black finish? Check. Squiggly-line 'HP Imprint Finish'? Yup. Aluminium detailing? You betcha. Everything about it screams 'premium'.
The most significant inclusions are a 20.1-inch WSXGA+ screen and a dual-hinge mechanism that lets you adjust the height, angle and position of the display. They're actually quite similar to those on the XPS M2010, but unlike the briefcase-esque Dell, it won't make police think you're carrying a bomb.
The Dragon is designed as an alternative to a desktop PC. It comes with a choice of Intel Core 2 Duo CPUs, up to 2GB of RAM, up to 500GB of disk space across two drives, and a pretty decent graphics card -- the ATI Mobility Radeon X2600 XT.
It has a decent number of ports -- four USBs, one HDMI, one eSATA, and there's even an Altec Lansing sound system with integrated subwoofer. We laughed when we heard about it, and even harder when we switched it on -- but it's the thought that counts. Arguably the best inclusion, though, is the remote control that clips into place next to the keyboard. This makes it easy to flick through TV channels provided by the built-in tuner.
Ultimately, the HDX9000 is sleeker, better looking, and better equipped than the other 20-inch laptops on the market. It should be available to buy any day now for a street price of €1999 (£1,350). Watch for a review soon, or click the 'Next Photo' link to have a closer look at it.
Update: A full review of HP Pavilion HDX9000 is now available. -Rory Reid
Excuse the quality of the image (the lights were dimmed for the party, and who were we to argue), but here you can just about see the 'HP Imprint Finish'. This particular set of squiggly lines illustrates a dragon, hence the laptop's nickname. It actually looks quite good -- it's just a shame the laptop's too heavy to show off on the train.
A closer look at the keyboard reveals a clip-on remote control. This can be removed and used from distance, then reattached to the HDX9000 in order to reduce the likelihood of it being lost. The power button lets you switch the laptop on and off and control the TV tuner, images and music, using HP's own media-management software.
The HDX9000 uses Windows Vista Home Premium Edition, but also ships with HP's own media management software. This quickly lets you switch between the digital or analogue tuners, your Slingbox, Internet TV stations, or anything else you might have hooked up to the laptop.