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HP launches its first Ultrabook, calls it the Folio 13

by Parm Mann on 16 November 2011, 11:19

Tags: Hewlett Packard (NYSE:HPQ)

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Ultrabooks are shaping up to be hot property this Christmas, and now that HP has decided to continue making PCs, the company is hoping to take its slice of the Ultrabook pie with the launch of the Folio 13.

Announced as the manufacturer's first crack at Intel's ultra-thin form factor, the Folio 13 is aimed at mobile professionals and is described as a "business Ultrabook" that features "a thin and light design, strong security options and a responsive solid state hard drive for the ultimate mobile experience."

Not a bad feature set to have, and one that's equally attractive to the everyday consumer.

Speaking of attractive, we're liking the Folio 13's understated aesthetics, a lot. The sleek design is very easy on the eye, and at less than 18mm thick and just under 1.5kg in weight, it's very much an ultra-portable.

Inside, HP will equip the Folio 13 with a second-generation Intel Core processor (the dual-core Core i5-2467M looks set to be the default option), 4GB of memory, integrated Intel HD 3000 graphics, and a 128GB solid-state drive.

The strong selection of internal components is accompanied by a 13.3in BrightView display with 1,366x768 resolution, a backlit keyboard, multi-touch trackpad, HD webcam and Dolby Advanced Audio. Certain models will include a TPM Embedded Security Chip to give piece of mind to those with sensitive data, and there's no obvious shortage of connectivity options. By default, the Folio 13 provides HDMI output, Ethernet, both USB 2.0 and USB 3.0, and an integrated card reader.

A price tag of $899.99 US dollars puts it right up against Toshiba's Portege Z830 and Acer's Aspire S3, and HP has confirmed that the Folio 13 will be available to US consumers beginning December 7. There's no mention of a UK launch just yet, but a quick dollar-to-pound conversion suggests a price tag of just under Ā£700 including VAT.



HEXUS Forums :: 7 Comments

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“13.3in BrightView display with 1,366x768 resolution” Bah. Humbug. More crappy television resolutions. They could have at least gone 1600x900.
^ This is incredibly annoying.

You need around 1000 vertical pixels to do anything reasonably productively. I'd love to see a return to 15" laptops with 1920x1200 screens. It's really the only thing putting me off buying a laptop/tablet soon…
I don't know really if I agree, my HP Probook has the same resolution and I don't have any problems being productive and I use mine both in the office, in PABX rooms and at customer sites. Does me just fine, I think a bigger resolution is more suitable on a bigger display.
digit
Does me just fine, I think a bigger resolution is more suitable on a bigger display.
It's not more pixels as such, more so the way they are arranged - the vast majority of users need/want more vertical pixels, not less. 1280x800 would be OK on a laptop of this size.
Have to agree that 768 vertical pixels is extremely limiting in terms of productivity. Had to resort to moving my taskbar to the side on my laptop just to get a few extra vertical pixels - which is annoying since a surprising number of programs (most notably iTunes) refuse to acknowledge that the taskbar could possibly be anywhere other than at the bottom of the screen.

Anyway, back on topic, this is a really good-looking laptop with a nice spec and (assuming there's not too much dollar-to-pound conversion creativity) a sharp price. I initially had a very ‘meh’ reaction to the whole ultrabook ‘brand’ concept, but it looks like it's going to give us some nice hardware at good prices so why complain?