HP's VoodooPC challenges MacBook Air on thinness

Well, Apple can still claim the MacBook Air is the skinniest laptop currently available - for the moment. The machine that beats it, VoodooPC's Envy 133, isn't due to debut until 20 June.

The HP subsidiary's laptop is just 1.75cm thick. The Air is 1.90cm thick.

Not a lot in it, then, but enough to send Apple's engineers - and its marketing team - back to the drawing board.

Like the Air, the 133 has a 13.3in, 1280 x 800, LED_backlit screen, but despite being thinner than the Apple machine, its angular casing packs in an ExpressCard 34 slot and an HDMI port.

VoodooPC's Envy 133: thin stuff

When it comes to other ports, VoodooPC's spec sheet is vague. It refers to a USB 2.0 port and a combo eSata/USB 2.0 connector, but these appear to be implemented on the laptop's AC adaptor, not on the machine itself.

The adaptor's portage provides a way to connect the bundled external multi-format DVD writer, but at least the Envy has Bluetooth and 802.11n built in.

Users will need to carry the AC adaptor around: VoodooPC admitted the 133's battery is only good for 3h 45m - less than the five-odd hours Apple claims, with some justification.

The 133 uses Intel's GMA X3100 integrated graphics and will be offered with a choice of 80GB, 4200rpm hard drive - as per the Air - or an 64GB solid-state drive. It'll come running Windows Vista.