HP ENVY X2 for $599 from Amazon!

[woodbane]

Just a heads up guys'n'gals. You can currently snag this wee beasty from Amazon for the AMAZING price of $599 currently. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUwpUvbUpU1910637

I personally think this is the best of the current gen Atom Win 8 convertible tablets - it really does perform rather well.

Some of it's biggest plus points IMHO:

1. All aluminum construction - people WILL think this is a Mac Book Air at first glance - it's beautifully constructed.

2. MicroSD on tablet AND SD slot on tablet both support sdxc protocol allowing for some serious expansion. I currently had both slots occupied with 64GB cards set up with VHD's so Windows sees these as fixed drives. I've increased my storage from the 64GB shipped to 192GB! (Well, I know it's a bit less with recover partition on C Drive and formatting meaning less than actual but hey - it's still pretty darn good)

3. SUPERB battery life. I mean insane. When this is docked it will run for 12 hours easy.

4. Keyboard dock is actually very usable - I know some people have complained about double spaces or random letters but honestly it's easily remedied by turning up palm rejection sensitivity in settings so track pad is not registering brushes while typing. I think I can almost certainly say that double spaces/letters is directly related to how hard you type. If you're a keyboard hammerer you're gonna have a lot more errors on this keyboard. Type softly and it's all good.

5. Last but certainly not least - IT RUNS FULL WINDOWS! Yes folks, this really does give it a huge leg up compared to RT tablets and I know as I had a Surface RT for a while. For this price point - why the **** would you opt for RT over this other than purely aesthetics? And TBH, I'm not even sure that argument flies with the Envy X2 as it is simply gorgeous. The thing only weighs a smidge over 3 pounds with the tablet AND dock. Tablet alone is about 1.3 pounds - very light in the hand. It blows the Samsung Ativ 500t out of the water I'm afraid.

Anyhow - just thought people might like to know and may be interested in a few user points from someone that has one.

If you have any other questions then feel free to ask.
Sent from my Windows 8 device using Board Express Pro

 

[longcipher]

Staples, my friend: HP ENVY X2 Intel Atom 12" Convertible Laptop for $525 + free shipping - C2K61UA#ABA

 

[woodbane]

Staples, my friend: HP ENVY X2 Intel Atom 12" Convertible Laptop for $525 + free shipping - C2K61UA#ABA

LOL, I was also going to add I popped in to my local brick and mortar Staples to find they had reduced it to $599. Seeing as this is where I bought it for $699 last week, the credited me back $100.

Do you think if I went back with the coupon code they'd give me another $75 off?

**EDIT UPDATE - called the store and politely asked a manager if they would honor this - they said it shouldn't be a problem!! :grin: That means a TOTALLY AWESOME PRICE OF $525 for this device - snap one up while they're hot peeps!**

 

[longcipher]

Good for you! Glad the store is being cool about this. I am going to snap one up tomorrow for $525.

 

[longcipher]

One last thing I've discovered: Staples currently has this promotion going as well: https://tradeuptotouch.com/tablet/qualifying-tradeins

So, if I can buy Envy x2 for $525 and then trade my old Core i5 laptop in for a $300 gift card, I will essentially have purchased my x2 for $225.

 

[jhoff80]

So, if I can buy Envy x2 for $525 and then trade my old Core i5 laptop in for a $300 gift card, I will essentially have purchased my x2 for $225.

And you'll only have downgraded in performance by a factor of like.. 4. (in CPU-intensive tasks. GPU-intensive stuff could be even worse).

 

[Ruined]

And you'll only have downgraded in performance by a factor of like.. 4. (in CPU-intensive tasks. GPU-intensive stuff could be even worse).

Performance is subjective. His battery performance will have increased tenfold or more. And, in terms of portability likely a huge performance increase there as well.

In the end, if you don't need the power you might want the portability instead... The Atom is nice because you can still run legacy apps if need be unlike arm.

 

[woodbane]

One last thing I've discovered: Staples currently has this promotion going as well: https://tradeuptotouch.com/tablet/qualifying-tradeins

So, if I can buy Envy x2 for $525 and then trade my old Core i5 laptop in for a $300 gift card, I will essentially have purchased my x2 for $225.

That's an awesome deal.

I just wanted to let you all know that I just got back from the store and they did indeed honor that $75 coupon code 'longcipher' mentioned a few posts up.

Not only, that, it actually rang up as $150 instant savings instead of $75!!

The manager actually did a double take, LOL. He asked if I got the code in my email, of course I said yes so he said they'd honor it this once.

End result - HP Envy X2 for grand total of $449. Pretty frickin' good if you ask me!

Also - I wish people would stop harping on about the performance of this device. Unless you get one in your hands and still think it's sluggish then SHUT UP!

Having used this for the better part of a week I've been nothing short of amazed by it. I went in with REALISTIC expectations of what it was going to do and have thus far been incredibly impressed.

People that buy these are NOT buying them for GPU performance or Core I-7 levels of speed or multitasking ability. They are buying them for the incredible portability, stonking battery life and the fact they can run MOST legacy apps (that normal people use). Cap that off with performance that is really OK for the vast majority of users and I don't see much to kvetch about.

I mean, it's been demonstrated that this thing will in fact run Photoshop and do light photo editing - that's pretty amazing in my book. I can honestly say that so far I haven't been disappointed in any way whatsoever.

Just as an example - I'm writing this reply on it, while listening to Slacker Radio (snapped interface - SO COOL!), syncing about 3GB of Sugarsync Storage and with multiple IE tabs open in the background and no lag - nothing! It came off charge at 8AM this morning with 100% battery and has been used so far today for about 3 hours - battery life currently at 81%. Extrapolate out and you're talking real world battery life of anywhere from 12-15 hours!!!!!!
Sent from my Windows 8 device using Board Express Pro

 

[jhoff80]

Also - I wish people would stop harping on about the performance of this device. Unless you get one in your hands and still think it's sluggish then SHUT UP!

(...)

People that buy these are NOT buying them for GPU performance or Core I-7 levels of speed or multitasking ability. They are buying them for the incredible portability, stonking battery life and the fact they can run MOST legacy apps (that normal people use).

Except the guy I quoted plans on replacing a Core i5 with one. If you do that, you're doing to be sorely disappointed in the performance; it's not even in the same ballpark.

 

[woodbane]

I'm pretty sure he realizes that though - don't you think? :straight:

 

[longcipher]

Yes, of course I realize that an Envy x2 won't be as powerful as my 3-year-old i5 laptop, but I rarely use that big beast anymore. My freelance work has grown exponentially over 3 years and I now have a workstation to handle all of my video editing. So, the Envy would be for email, media consumption and showing videos to clients. I doubt I'll spend a lot of time in the desktop side, although it'll be nice to have access to VLC. Woodbane: can you tell me about the performance of Fresh Paint on the Envy x2. On the RT tablets I've seen, Surface included, it loaded slowly and lagged. On the Surface Pro, it was smooth and fast. I'm wondering how it behaves on an Atom.

 

[nottechsmart]

Fresh Paint worked good for me on the Envy X2. I thought it was gonna be an app I deleted but it was actually kind of fun. It also worked good on the Ativ 500T with the pen which also has the Atom.

 

[woodbane]

Just tried Fresh Paint as well - loaded fast and no discernible lag. Would undoubtedly be better with a stylus though.
Sent from my Windows 8 device using Board Express Pro

 

[Ruined]

It also runs Cubase with quite a few VSTs

 

[longcipher]

I picked up the Envy x2 today from Staples, it was too good of a deal to pass up. I have owned a Surface RT since launch day, so this mini review will compare the experience.

First things first, the hardware is just luscious. My only issue with the hardware concerns the hinge. I don't know if I have a defective item, but there is a little jiggle when the tablet is docked. It's definitely seated very tightly and I can pick it up by tablet, but the tablet has a little bit of travel in the dock. I was hoping it would be seated very tightly and not even jiggle. Can anyone confirm that there unit does the same thing.

Ok, onto the software. I spent a good hour or so updating all of the drivers, then applying firmware updates and finally app updates. Once all that was installed, I put the x2 through its paces. After 3 or so hours of usage, I can honestly say this is way better than the Surface RT. I realize now how laggy Windows RT is. Every Metro app opens quicker and just seems to flow smoother. Windows and x86 just play much nicer than Windows and ARM, at the moment. I am going to heavily use the x2 for 5-6 days and, if it doesn't fail, will sell the Surface RT.

Atom... I have no complaints. I won't be editing video and RAW camera files on here, but I never intended to. I loaded up my DAW and played around with mixing some music, just for fun. The x2 performed admirably. Normal usage is perfect -- no lag, no hiccups, nothing. I am streaming music right now + have about 5 other apps open as I type -- no issues.

Wifi... my biggest fear going in. All over my house I get 5 bars. I haven't seen it dip below 5 yet. Currently, my router is upstairs and I am as far from it as I can be in my house and I have no problems. I also updated my Netgear router's firmware today.

So yeah -- I see myself loving this little hybrid for quite some time. I will definitely check out Haswell when it debuts, but for now, I think I've found my daily driver. Anyone want to buy a Surface RT with a white touch cover? =)

 

[woodbane]

I picked up the Envy x2 today from Staples, it was too good of a deal to pass up. I have owned a Surface RT since launch day, so this mini review will compare the experience.

First things first, the hardware is just luscious. My only issue with the hardware concerns the hinge. I don't know if I have a defective item, but there is a little jiggle when the tablet is docked. It's definitely seated very tightly and I can pick it up by tablet, but the tablet has a little bit of travel in the dock. I was hoping it would be seated very tightly and not even jiggle. Can anyone confirm that there unit does the same thing.

Ok, onto the software. I spent a good hour or so updating all of the drivers, then applying firmware updates and finally app updates. Once all that was installed, I put the x2 through its paces. After 3 or so hours of usage, I can honestly say this is way better than the Surface RT. I realize now how laggy Windows RT is. Every Metro app opens quicker and just seems to flow smoother. Windows and x86 just play much nicer than Windows and ARM, at the moment. I am going to heavily use the x2 for 5-6 days and, if it doesn't fail, will sell the Surface RT.

Atom... I have no complaints. I won't be editing video and RAW camera files on here, but I never intended to. I loaded up my DAW and played around with mixing some music, just for fun. The x2 performed admirably. Normal usage is perfect -- no lag, no hiccups, nothing. I am streaming music right now + have about 5 other apps open as I type -- no issues.

Wifi... my biggest fear going in. All over my house I get 5 bars. I haven't seen it dip below 5 yet. Currently, my router is upstairs and I am as far from it as I can be in my house and I have no problems. I also updated my Netgear router's firmware today.

So yeah -- I see myself loving this little hybrid for quite some time. I will definitely check out Haswell when it debuts, but for now, I think I've found my daily driver. Anyone want to buy a Surface RT with a white touch cover? =)

Welcome to the club! It's a great little machine isn't it?

Regarding the hinge/wobble you are seeing - it's actually NOT the hinge, it's the tablet rocking back and forth ever so slightly in it's "cradle" for lack of a better term. If you think about it, the tablet has two sockets that the "pins" on the dock slide in to. There is just a little play in those sockets I believe and that is what causes the slight wobble.

With the particular design HP have gone with it must be very hard to get the tolerances so tight that there's no wobble. Personally, it doesn't bother me - it doesn't wobble when it's docked and I touch the screen - now THAT would be annoying.

I'm actually amazed at how good the docking system is, very little effort required to click in place and like you said, once locked you can pick it up by the screen and it's not going to come apart. Not that I'd recommend that as you'll probably stress the hinge.

I was a bit worried about the Wi-Fi as well after reading some of the reviews but I also haven't had any issues since upgrading my router. I find I typically get one bar less than other devices but it doesn't seem to affect the speed - I'm getting 20MB/s down and 6MB/s up with Comcast so I'm pretty happy.

I'm loving this thing more and more each day I use it. Today - I loaded up Steam and downloaded and installed Braid as it's the deal of the day at $2.49. Forcing it to run in 800 x 600 mode and it's running fine.

I think I mentioned before - I have expanded my storage quite a bit with a 64GB microSD in the tablet and a 64GB SD in the dock, both set up as VHD's so Windows sees them as on-removable storage and I can store my music collection on them and the Libraries see it all just fine. I've got the tablet one set to auto-mount the VHD at startup and I figured out how to get the one in the dock to auto-mount every time the tablet is reconnected to the base. Sweeeeeeet! :grin:

I also just ordered a decorative skin for the back of the tablet from www.skinit.com. They were the only place I could find that currently do skins for the X2. I love the brushed aluminum but it does surprisingly attract finger grime and I also want a little scuff protection. Plus, it just personalizes it just that bit more.

Seriously happy with this device currently!

Sent from my Windows 8 device using Board Express Pro

 

[Ruined]

Question about the keyboard dock to Envy X2 owners.

The switch on my dock is tough to move with one index finger, unless I get a nail under it. It works great with a thumb and a forefinger - or even just the left thumb - but if I just use say the index finger of my right hand it often won't budge unless I get a nail under the side of it. Is this the intended operation? It's fine I just want to make sure my switch is not stuck. Thx.

This computer has far exceeded my expectations!!

 

[woodbane]

Question about the keyboard dock to Envy X2 owners.

The switch on my dock is tough to move with one index finger, unless I get a nail under it. It works great with a thumb and a forefinger - or even just the left thumb - but if I just use say the index finger of my right hand it often won't budge unless I get a nail under the side of it. Is this the intended operation? It's fine I just want to make sure my switch is not stuck. Thx.

This computer has far exceeded my expectations!!

I can move mine with one index finger, but I do have to place my finger on the side of the switch push to do so. the top of the switch isn't really grippy enough to just get your finger stuck to it. Still, I have to use very little pressure, it really unlatches very easily.

 

[Ruined]

I can move mine with one index finger, but I do have to place my finger on the side of the switch push to do so. the top of the switch isn't really grippy enough to just get your finger stuck to it. Still, I have to use very little pressure, it really unlatches very easily.

Hmm, mine I have to use some slight pressure, enough that I need to use the nail of my index finger to move it. Just trying to put my right index finger on the side and pushing it slips off without moving - either too tough to move or not raised high enough.

But, if I use the nail of my right index finger or if I use my left index finger and thumb it works fine. Still not sure if this is working as intended.

 

[woodbane]

I think it probably is just a factor of design intolerances that some will be easier to slide than others. Ultimately, if you're not happy with it, exchange it if you can within the return period.