I’ve always rather admired HP’s Slate tablets. Traditionally aimed at the enterprise market, these were full Windows tablets. Despite being saddled with an operating system that wasn’t touch-intuitive, HP lavished the industrial design on the Slate line that the lamented TouchPad lacked.
While consumer tablet production halted a year and a half ago, HP made it clear that it intends to return to that market segment. HP has combined the Slate design ethos and the Android OS to create the Slate 7, a mid-range 7″ Android tablet with Beats Audio (hence option of a red backside), a solid metal design, and integrated printing (because duh, HP). Impressively, it’s reported that HP has decided not to bog down the Android OS with a custom skin, a huge departure from most of the tablet makers out there and a welcome change. Considering the current User Experience mastermind at Google came from HP/Palm, it’s also rather apt.
One thing HP has clearly learned from the TouchPad debacle is not to price a device out of the market. At $169, the Slate 7 is cheap enough to consider as an alternative to the Nexus 7, the obvious competitor. The Slate 7 may be less expensive than the Nexus, but the Nexus has a kick-rump screen, and reports of the Slate 7’s screen are so far mixed. When we get a change to go hands-on, we’ll be sure to add our two cents.
Another nice change from the days of webOS is availability. Instead of a vague “Coming Soon”, HP has already let potential users know they can get their grubby mitts on the Slate 7 in April.
Mobile World Congress has several days left, and it’s more than possible that there will be other tablets announced that will be just as impressive, but right now the Slate 7 is certainly one to watch.
I already have an all HP computer setup (monitor, CPU, and scanner/fax/printer) so I’m pleased to see that they are going to have a reasonably priced tablet that might actually be worth the money.