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The Smart Techie was renamed Siliconindia India Edition starting Feb 2012 to continue the nearly two decade track record of excellence of our US edition.

July - 2008 - issue > Tech Tracker

HP Ends MacBook Ai's Free Time

Christo Jacob
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Christo Jacob
Hewlett Packard (HP) ends the free time of MacBook Air with the launch of a new notebook, Voodoo Envy 133, a high-fashion laptop. The analysts opine that the launch of the laptop marks a shift in how HP is approaching the PC market.

While the new laptop is not as delightfully aerodynamic as the MacBook Air, HP is attempting to overthrow Apple from the market by incorporating features the MacBook Air lacked - two USB ports, an HDMI port, a removable battery, and a feature that lets you plug an Ethernet cable into the power brick and create an instant wireless connection with the laptop. Priced at $2099, it uses a chip from Intel like the MacBookAir.

The new Envy 133 is bulkier than the MacBook Air and weighs 3.37 pounds. Windows comes preloaded along with a Linux Distro that can boot up in less than five seconds to offer a working web browser and file browser. The Envy delivers three-hour battery life within Linux and a 2.5-hour battery life in Windows, not as much as the MacBook Air but it does it out with the removable battery. More than a standard touchpad, the Envy 133 also provides capabilities such as a circular gesture called chiral scroll and pinch options.

Though Envy has yet to prove that it can attract the same crowd as the MacBook Air, it is always a take on for rivals such as Dell, Sony, Acer, Lenovo, and Toshiba.

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