HP showcases its fastest, thinnest, coolest laptops and netbooks

When it comes to portable computing, Apple pretty much ruined it for everyone with the cult-inspiring design-focused MacBooks, and the rest of the Windows laptop world has been playing catch-up. First, Dell released the Adamo. Now HP's is preparing to unveil the HP ENVY, previewed before a gaggle of regional press, including CNNGo, at a HP media event.

In a nutshell, the HP ENVY is the company's fastest consumer notebook PC ever. 'ENVY' is the new branding for the line of ultra-performance, silvery etched super laptops and envy is what they hope to inspire among techheads and vain office executives.

I got my hands on the ENVY briefly felt something primal stir in my nerd cortex. It's sleek and classy with metal etchings on the lids, lightweight at 1.69kg (starting weight), comes solidly built with an aluminum and magnesium chassis and an absolute burner with the future Intel Core i7 processor chip. But I couldn't help thinking this was as close as HP could get to cloning a MacBook Pro without the Apple logo on the lid. It's a great effort regardless. It's art.

Yes, I wanted it and badly, but it also came with a starting price of US$1,699 and won't be available until October 22nd.

HP also lined up other new products over which for the press to drool, including new mini notebooks and ultra-slim laptops. Here's a quick -- yet tasty -- look at a couple of them.

These were the next generation netbooks from HP. Designers and arty types would love the Studio Tord Boontje version -- it's designed by world-renowned

The HP Mini by Studio Tord Boontje features a 10.1-inch LED display and 92% full-size keyboard, making it great for traveling.

Dutch industrial designer Tord Boontje and features patterns of flora and endangered animals.

The partnership follows in the footsteps of HP's earlier collaboration with fashionista Vivienne Tam and along HP's new strategy to align with leading designers who have a unique point of view on design and technology.

The HP Mini by Studio Tord Boontje uses a three-dimensional (3D) PC surface printing technology called HP Imprint 3D to add a unique effect to Boontje's designs. The price starts at a cool US$499 for the basic HP Mini 311 and at $549 for the limited edition Studio Tord Boontje version.

Not to be outdone by Apple's MacBook Air series, HP also showcased the HP ProBook 5310m, one of the world's thinnest full-performance notebooks, which comes in at an anorexic 0.93 inches in thickness (or thinness).

Designed for mobile professionals, the HP ProBook 5310m starts from 1.72kg and measures 0.93-inches thin.

The notebook combines durable, black anodized aluminum with a magnesium frame and a 'soft touch' paint coating that HP promises to deliver "unrivaled performance in a thin and sleek notebook."

While there's still some way to go before anyone else achieves the flatness of the MacBook Air, this is still a decent, good looking machine that offers up to eight hours of battery life (with the optional high capacity battery.)

The price for thinness starts at US$699 onwards, which is very reasonable if you're looking for sleek and light.