CES 2012: HP unveils glassy Spectre ultrabook

HP has uncloaked an ultrabook PC featuring lightweight, scratch-resistant glass on the lid, display and palm rest, marking what the tech giant thinks is an industry first.

The 14-inch ENVY 14 Spectre comes with an HD display, backlit keyboard and Intel Core processors.

It weighs less than four pounds, comes with up to 256GB of storage and features support for two ultrafast mSATA solid state drives.

We chose the Spectre name to evoke mystery.

"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 of strategy and marketing in the Personal Systems Group (PSG) at HP.

"We chose the Spectre name to evoke mystery, and we packed it with the best in entertainment technology to satisfy those who expect the unexpected."

The Spectre is expected to be available in the UK in early March. It will launch in the US on 8 February.

Ultrabooks were always going to be a big part of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2012, where the Spectre was unveiled.

Chip giant Intel has already shown off two ultrabook prototypes one with a slide-out keyboard, another with a with a see-through panel beneath the keyboard featuring notifications. The panel is touchscreen and lets users interact with tiles.