If you've been kept awake at night wondering when the HP Envy 17 3D laptop would finally be available for purchase, well you'll have sweet dreams tonight. HP's officially thrown this bad boy up on its website for all those out there whose laptops are just too two dimensional. If you've forgotten, the Envy 17 3D boasts a 17.3-inch 3D Ultra BrightView display, packs AMD's 3D tech, and it comes with active shutter glasses. Specwise, you get a choice of Intel Core i7 processors, ATI Mobility Radeon graphics, a wide range of hard drive options and Windows 7 operating systems.
As if the premium build of the Envy 17 weren’t enough, HP is making the system even more compelling by adding 3D technology. Curiously, it’s ATI who’s supplying the specs and tech, as it looks to compete with solutions from Nvidia and TriDef that are already on the market. Similar to Nvidia’s solution, ATI uses active-shutter glasses and a 120-Hz display.
Design
The Envy 17 3D shares the same minimalist-chic design as the smaller Envy 14, including a rock-solid taupe chassis made of aluminum and magnesium. A few touches, such as a paisley-esque pattern of raised bumps on the lid and palm rest and HP's glowing logo on the lid, mark this as a premium laptop. Between the machine's durable feel and details such as quiet keys (more on that later), the Envy 17 3D feels like a luxury laptop.
At 7.5 pounds, the Envy 17 3D is a reasonable weight for a notebook this size, but you likely won't carry it often (and then, you'll need the AC adapter, as you'll see in the battery section). With a maximum height of 1.5 inches, the Envy 17 3D also feels thick, especially compared to Apple's 17-inch MacBook Pro, which is just 0.98 inches.
3D Envy, at a price
Specs wise, you can choose from a variety of options of Intel Core i7 processors, ATI Mobility Radeon graphics and a wide range of hard drive sizes and Windows 7 operating systems
It all depends what your budget is, really. But it better be a healthy one, even if you are opting for the lowest specced 3D Envy from HP, because pricing starts at £1559 in the UK, and $1599 in the US.
We knew the exchange rate was bad, but we didn't realise it was that bad! Now we will almost definitely have to make that Xmas shopping trip to NYC
