HP is returning to the tablet game with a low-cost seven-inch Android device. The company’s HP Slate 7 will sell for US$170 – that’s NZ$200. HP says it goes on sale in April.
This is not the first time the troubled computer giant has tried its hand at making tablets, the ill-fated HP TouchPad went on sale briefly in 2011 before being withdrawn. After cutting its price just $99, the devices flew out the door with punters queuing to get their hands on the bargain basement tablets.
The Slate 7 offers two features not seen elsewhere. It has a stainless steel case and features Beats Audio. There’s a 1.6GHz Arm dual-core processor and 3 megapixel camera on the back and smaller camera on the front. HP hasn’t made the screen resolution public yet.
HP appears desperate to have a credible tablet line. Weakness in this area is hurting profits, worse, without decent tablets the company could quickly become irrelevant
Since the company came close to unloading its PC business in late 2011, PC sales have continued to fall with the consumer PC business down a whopping 13%. HP also seems to be keen on supporting a variety of operating systems, has Windows PCs, Chromebooks and now Androids.
Related articles
- HP introduces first Android tablet: The $169 HP Slate 7 (liliputing.com)
- HP Slate 7: the company’s first Android tablet arrives in April for $169.99 (theverge.com)
