HP's Envy 14 Spectre Sports Unique Glass Design

HP has kicked off its week at CES with the launch of a laptop with a unique glass design.

Remember that intriguing video that HP leaked to the media last week? The one that apparently showed a super sexy and super slim Ultrabook of some kind? At the time, the device was thought to be the Envy 14, but the video itself called the device the Spectre. This week, thanks to the wonders of CES, HP has revealed a little more information about the laptop we now know to be the HP Envy 14 Spectre.

The notebook showed up on stage last night at Microsoft's keynote and was then officially announced by HP. The most notable thing about this laptop is probably its glass design. HP is touting this notebook as a 'premium Ultrabook' and it certainly looks the part. It might not be the slimmest Ultrabook around (it's 20-mm at the thickest point), but its crisp design, softly rounded corners and glossy glass finish definitely give it a premium feel.

"Sleek, midnight black glass on the outside and stark contrast silver glass on the inside make Spectre extraordinary, defying conventional notebook design," said Eric Keshin, senior vice president, Strategy and Marketing, Personal Systems Group, HP. "We chose the name for our first Envy Ultrabook to evoke mystery, and we packed it with the best in entertainment technology to satisfy those who expect the unexpected."

So, we know it looks lovely, but what's it got going on under the hood? Well, for a start, as the name would suggest, it's packing a 14-inch display, but HP claims that this is crammed inside a 13.3-inch chassis. Engadget's Dana Wollman got some alone time with the device and was able to get a more complete list of specs than what HP is dishing out via its official release. According to Wollman, this Ultrabook is running on a Core i5-2467M CPU, 4 GB of RAM, WiDi, Beats audio, and HP Wireless Audio. It also boasts HP's CoolSense technology, full copies of Photoshop and Premiere Elements, a two-year subscription to Norton Internet Security, and a nine-hour battery to keep the whole show on the road. Interestingly, the Spectre apparently has support for NFC, a feature oddly absent from the press release.

The HP Envy 14 Spectre is expected to be available in the United States from February 8 with a starting price of $1,399.99. Launches for additional countries, including Canada, the UK, Switzerland, Germany, Australia, Japan, Singapore, Chile, and Mexico, are scheduled for sometime in March. International pricing has not yet been mentioned.