HP Announced Its First Android Tablet: The HP Slate 7
It was only a few weeks ago that HP introduced its first laptop running Google’s Chrome operating system, and now we have HP’s first tablet running on Google’s mobile OS.
Unveiled today at Mobile World Congress, the HP Slate 7 is a 7-inch tablet running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and integrated Beats Audio technology.
The tablet runs on an ARM dual-core 1.6GHz processor and has a 3-megapixel camera on the back and a VGA camera on the front for Hangouts and Skype. There’s 1GB of RAM, 8GB of solid state storage (expandable via microSD), 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, and 1024 x 600 resolution FFS+ LCD touchscreen display, which HP says will boast wide viewing angles and perform well in low light. There’s also a set of stereo speakers, with Beats Audio processing to give them a little extra oomph, and all of that fits in a stainless steel frame that’s 10.7mm thick and weighs about eight-tenths of a pound. HP says the battery is good for five hours of video playback.
The small sequel to the ill-fated PlayBook opts for Android, running on a dual-core processor. The big selling points appear to be a stainless steel shell and the inclusion of Beats Audio.
Starting at $169.99, the new device will launch this April with a fairly unimpressive set of specs.
Also taking into account HP’s Pavilion Chromebook and its Envy X2 Windows 8 tablet, it is clear that HP is hedging its bets in both the tablet and notebook spaces. A major question now is which platform the company chooses for its smartphone strategy, which CEO Meg Whitman hinted at last year.