Voodoo Envy Featherweight a:228

The Envy a:228 is a classy example of how to translate the stylish design of gaming rigs into something you can take anywhere. The raciness isn’t limited to the audacious paint job; this thin-and-light notebook sports AMD’s powerful Turion 64 processor, 1GB of RAM, and the fastest hard drive you can get. The Envy a:228 is slightly heavy for a system with a 12.1-inch screen, but that’s not enough to overshadow what is otherwise a chic and eye-catching notebook.

Voodoo markets the Envy a:228 as an ultraportable, but this notebook tips the scales at 5.2 pounds, at least a pound heavier than competing models from Dell and Alienware. The difference is not immense, but in ultraportables the two most valued characteristics are weight and battery life, and the Envy a:228 is on the heavy side for what it is.

The stand-out feature of this laptop is the glossy exterior. Whereas too many notebooks opt for the anonymous grey-and-silver paint job, the Envy a:228 sparkles with an automotive finish that will immediately grab your attention. Eleven different colors are available, from Bavaria Blue to Talladega Black, and all of them imbue the a:228 with a cachet and swagger that will have your friends asking what you’re carrying.

Luckily, there’s more to this system than looks. For starters, there’s AMD’s 2.2-GHz Turion 64 processor, which is unique in that it’s a 64-bit CPU, unlike Intel’s current generation of processors. To take true advantage of the extra processing capabilities of a 64-bit processor you will need a 64-bit operating system. A 64-bit version of Windows Vista is scheduled to be released late next year, and owners of the Envy a:228 will be glad they won’t have to upgrade their hardware.

The Envy a:228’s MobileMark score of 229 is above average for notebooks in this class, which means that you should expect excellent productivity performance. What’s really important here is battery life, and the three hours that the Envy a:228 registered is about average. It’s enough to squeeze out a DVD on a single charge, but other notebooks in this class offer more endurance.

Multimedia mavens will appreciate the fast 8X DVD burner for making home movies and the 3-in-1 memory card slot for loading pictures from a digital camera. A FireWire port is there for transferring footage from your digital camcorder, and there are three USB ports for connecting your digital camera or other peripherals.

Despite Voodoo’s gaming pedigree, this is not a gaming system. The 3DMark03 score of 939 is relatively unremarkable, and ATI’s Mobility Radeon 200M graphics offer about the same level of performance as Intel’s integrated graphics.

In terms of software you won’t find anything meaningful beyond Roxio’s Easy Media Creator 7.0 (a couple versions behind the current release of 7.5), which you can use to edit music or burn DVDs; and AVG Antivirus, the lesser-known alternative to Norton for sweeping your hard drive clean of viruses. That’s par for the course, and if you want Microsoft Office you’ll have to pay extra for it like any other system.

Considering everything Voodoo crams into this system, the $2,370 price isn’t unreasonable. The Envy a:228 is best for people who want head-turning looks to go along with a speedy processor ready for tomorrow, all wrapped in a package that you can take on your next flight.