More coverage at the source links. Via: The Verge, AllThingsD, Image credit: Giz

As for current webOS users: you’ll need some hacking skills to make these developer tools work on your Touchpad, however HP is looking into ways of making the Pre, Pixi, and Touchpad compatible with the upcoming Open webOS — all they need is time. Via: HP webOS Dev Blog

This is HP’s awesome 3.9 pound and 20mm thick ultraportable with a scratch-proof design: the Envy Spectre 14. Base specs include a 14-inch, 1600 x 900 Gorilla Glass Radiance Display (huzzah!), Core i5-2467M CPU, 4GB of RAM, a 9-hour battery, backlit keyboard, carrying case and — hold it for a second — an NFC chip built into the palm rest for transferring URLs from your phone’s browser, which HP says will work first with Android phones. Not only does the $1,400 get you all that, but an Intel Wireless Display chip, HP’s CoolSense technology, Beats, HP Wireless Audio, full copies of Photoshop and Premiere Elements and a two-year subscription to Norton Internet Security. That’s epic. Upgrade options include 256GB SSD and an extra 4GB of RAM, but that’s not even really important considering how awesome this hardware is already.

The Spectre goes sale in the United State starting on February 8, continuing towards Canada, the UK, Switzerland, Germany, Australia, Japan, Singapore, Chile and Mexico in March. Full PR after the break.

HP Unveils Premium Ultrabook with Extraordinary Glass Design – the HP ENVY 14 Spectre
PALO ALTO, Calif., Jan. 9, 2012 – HP today revealed the HP ENVY 14 Spectre, a premium consumer Ultrabook PC that commands attention with its unparalleled use of glass and stunning performance.

“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.”

Tough yet beautiful, the HP ENVY 14 Spectre uses lightweight, scratch- resistant glass on the lid, display, palmrest and HP ImagePad – an industry first. A full 14-inch screen inside a 13.3-inch body means customers can get more enjoyment from their entertainment.
The HP Spectre’s high-definition (HD) HP Radiance Display offers higher resolution, richer color, better brightness and wider viewing angles than traditional notebook displays.

Equipped with a matching audio-grade speaker mesh and Beats AudioTM, an exclusive, high-performance technology developed by HP and Beats by Dr. Dre, the HP Spectre boasts an aluminum analog volume dial that acts as a visual design cue and works seamlessly with Beats Audio Manager to precisely adjust audio levels.

Built-in HP Wireless Audio turns any home into a concert hall, allowing users to stream uncompressed audio to up to four external devices or directly to any KleerNetTM-compatible device.

An HP Radiance Backlit keyboard provides outstanding illumination using individual LEDs dedicated to each keycap. The keyboard works with an advanced proximity sensor to intelligently sense a user’s presence, lighting up when a user approaches and dimming down after he or she leaves.

Uncompromising performance
The HP Spectre is blazingly fast, stunningly sleek and boasts up to 9 hours of battery life.
Powered by the latest Intel® CoreTM processors, the 20-mm-thin HP Spectre weighs less than 4 pounds and includes up to 256 gigabytes (GB) of storage. Intel Rapid Start Technology and support for two ultrafast mSATA solid state drives allow for quick boot and resume times.
The HP Spectre also comes loaded with HP exclusives, such as HP CoolSense technology, which automatically adjusts performance and internal fan settings for a noticeably cooler PC. In addition, the HP ImagePad provides precise multifinger touch navigation and the HP TrueVision HD Webcam provides brighter, cleaner HD images.

Eliminating the need for external dongles, the HP Spectre features a full array of advanced input and output options, including Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0, HDMI and Mini DisplayPort.
Additionally, the Spectre offers a performance-tuned software image, full versions of Adobe Photoshop® and Premiere Elements, two years of preinstalled NortonTM Internet Security(6) and a concierge phone line for technical support that is dedicated exclusively to HP ENVY users.

Pricing and availability
The HP ENVY 14 Spectre notebook PC is expected to be available in the United States on Feb. 8 with a starting price of $1,399.99.

The HP Spectre will also be available in early March in additional countries, including Canada, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Germany, Australia, Japan, Singapore, Chile and Mexico.
Additional information is available at www.hp.com/go/spectre or by calling the HP “Reserve Now” line at +1 888 291 7996.

Darn yes. Finally a corporate decision that makes sense by HP. Via: HP, The Verge

HP CEO Meg Whitman states that in the coming weeks they will decide whether or not to keep webOS, and that if they do it will be in a big way. But to give you a little excerpt from yesterday’s investor call, below you can see how much money HP lost on the webOS experiment — $3.3 billion when it failed to absorb its fall, and $1.2 billion to buy it in the first place. Ouch.

First, we took a total charge to operating income of $788 million. This was associated with the wind down of our webOS device business. This charge included a net revenue reduction of $142 million related to the sales incentive program, $548 million in costs of sales due to supplier-related obligations and inventory reserves, and $98 million in operating expenses and restructuring charges. Second, as a result of our decision to wind down webOS devices, we have taken an impairment expense of $885 million against the carrying value of goodwill and purchase intangible assets related to the acquisition of Palm.

Via: MarketWire