HP’s huge Envy Curved PC raises the bar on immersion
LAS VEGAS -- If you want people to fall in love with your curves, you better make them clean.
More than a year ago, HP introduced a giant, 34-inch curved-screen all-in-one Windows 10 PC. The "ENVY" was stunning for its audacious design, but also a bit clunky. The screen rested on two large chrome feet and the rather wide 4K display was flanked by a pair of ugly speakers.
This year, HP went back to the design drawing board and refashioned the computer into something you might actually envy. The company unveiled the new HP Envy Curved AiO 34 on Tuesday at CES.
Gone is the ugly bezel and speakers. Instead, all you see is a floating, curved screen, held up by a stem that connects gracefully to a nearly full-width, yet low profile base. HP smartly moved the motherboard and all the ports to that base, putting most of them within arm’s reach on the back of the right side (a handful are also on the front). Included are USB 3.1 ports, USB-C Thunderbolt and HDMI-out.
The speakers are now hidden behind a mesh on the front of the base. That base also houses a wireless charging pad near the left side.
Without all that technology inside it, the curved 4K (3440x1440) screen is just 16.9 mm thick. It can also adjust from a 0-degree tilt to a 25-degree one. It is not, however, a touchscreen.
The HP Envy Curved AiO 34 does include a camera, but it’s hidden out of sight on the top until you push on it to pop it up. HP told us they do this for privacy. The screen’s built-in IR camera and microphone also turn off when you push the camera back into the screen.
The system is backed by 7th generation Intel Core i5 and i7 CPUs, an optional NVidia GFX GPU and can support up to 256 GB SSD and a 2 TB HDD.
HP plans to start selling the 34-inch all-in-one PC on January 11 for a starting price of $1729.99.
Sprout Grows
HP also took the redesign brush to its immersive computing system, the HP Sprout Pro.
An unusual computer hybrid that combines touch screen, touch mat, projection and 3D scanning and manipulation technology for an “immersive” computing experience, the new HP Sprout Pro G2 takes that original idea and refines it in several crucial ways.
First of all, the design is cleaner, sharper and, thanks to the darker colors, more professional looking. HP also replaced its original Workspace Software with WorkTools. This is an important change because it does away with the Sprout shell and replaces it with a suite of tools running in the more familiar Windows 10 operating system desktop.
The 20-point Touch Mat is now, at just 2.2 mm thick, significantly thinner than the original touchpad. HP told us they’ve also improved the scanning technology
HP made only small adjustments to the specs. The 10-point touch screen is slightly larger (now 23.8 inches) and the graphics are now powered by an NVidia GTX 960M GPU. Backing that is an Intel Core i7 CPU, 8 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD.
The Sprout Pro G2 will ship in March. Pricing has not yet been set.
Lance Ulanoff was Chief Correspondent and Editor-at-Large of Mashable. Lance acted as a senior member of the editing team, with a focus on defining internal and curated opinion content. He also helped develop staff-wide alternative story-telling skills and implementation of social media tools during live events. Prior to joining Mashable in September 2011 Lance Ulanoff served as Editor in Chief of PCMag.com and Senior Vice President of Content for the Ziff Davis, Inc. While there, he guided the brand to a 100% digital existence and oversaw content strategy for all of Ziff Davis’ Web sites. His long-running column on PCMag.com earned him a Bronze award from the ASBPE. Winmag.com, HomePC.com and PCMag.com were all been honored under Lance’s guidance.He makes frequent appearances on national, international, and local news programs including Fox News, the Today Show, Good Morning America, Kelly and Michael, CNBC, CNN and the BBC.He has also offered commentary on National Public Radio and been interviewed by newspapers and radio stations around the country. Lance has been an invited guest speaker at numerous technology conferences including SXSW, Think Mobile, CEA Line Shows, Digital Life, RoboBusiness, RoboNexus, Business Foresight and Digital Media Wire’s Games and Mobile Forum.
