If you think desktop computers are pretty much ho-hum, Hewlett Packard’s 34″ Envy Curved All-In-One may give you cause to pause. The first thing you notice is that this is large – so large that you may need a bigger desk. The HP Envy’s huge 34″ display is not only large, but actually quite useful. You can take two documents and display them in full size next to each other on the screen. So, let’s say you’re working on your taxes and want to have a spreadsheet on one side of the screen and your bank statement on the other. Now instead of having to switch between screens to move data, it’s a simple copy and paste process. If you are into video editing, this will allow you to work with both source and edited material simultaneously.
As you might expect, the Envy 34″ All-In-One is a real superstar when it comes to entertainment. The display is 3440×1440 pixels with a 21:9 aspect ratio. That makes it very, very wide, but not all that tall. It comes with the latest Intel SkyLake processors, either Core i5 or Core i7. Storage options include traditional hard disk drives or SSDs (solid state drives) in configurations up to 2TB. You can get some upgraded graphics cards that will really make this a standout if you’re into games. But even without the upgrade, movies are immersive and impressive. The system comes with six speakers designed by high end audio maker Bang & Olufsen. And it comes with an SD Card reader and Intel’s RealSense 3D webcam.
For the sake of its sleek design, HP has put all of the computer’s ports on the back and bottom of the chassis, including 2 HDMI ports, Ethernet, and 6 USB ports (two type 2.0 and four type 3.0). Sure looks nice, but not easy to get at. The 34″ Curved Envy’s biggest drawback may be its lack of a touchscreen. The wireless keyboard does not have a touchpad, so you really cannot make use of any pinch and zoom capabilities. My last complaint is pretty minor in the overall scheme of things. In an era when we increasingly use our computers as entertainment devices, there is no optical output that would allow you to pump Hi-Res Audio into a matched music system, allowing you to have audio that would be as impressive as the video.
Price for the Envy 34′ Curved All-In-One begins at $1700. While that’s certainly not cheap, it’s also not exorbitant for what you’re getting – the widest desktop display on he market, great graphics, good sound, and sleek design.
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