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HP announces the ElitePad 900, a business-friendly Windows 8 tablet arriving in January
Remember those hazy days of summer when HP ran an ad during the Olympics, slipped in a a shot of an unannounced tablet and thought we wouldn't notice? (P'shaw!) Well, you can finally lay your speculation to rest, as HP just formally unveiled the mystery tab, along with a slew of accessories. It's called the ElitePad 900 and, as rumored, it's a 10-inch Windows 8 slate meant for business users, with features like pen input, drive encryption and optional 3G / 4G. Like HP's high-end EliteBook laptops, the ElitePad has a premium look, marked by a machined aluminum back cover and 400-nit IPS display coated in Gorilla Glass. Also similar to the EliteBooks, it meets the military's MIL-spec 810G durability requirements, and can withstand three-foot drops, among other accidents. All told, it weighs 1.5 pounds and measures 9.2mm thick. Going by weight, that's more along the lines of what you'd expect from a larger, 11-inch tablet, but 1.5 pounds is still manageable, especially considering how armored this thing is. On the inside, it runs an Atom-based Intel Clover Trail processor, buffered by up to 2GB of RAM. Like so many other systems with this kind of chip, it promises about 10 hours of runtime -- a clear improvement over similar devices packing Core i5 CPUs. Storage-wise, you'll have your choice between a 32 or 64GB SSD eMMC. The screen has a resolution of 1,280 x 800, making it the one feature likely to disappoint power users. Take a tour around the device and you'll find an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 1080p shooter up front for video chats. Hidden behind a service door on the back are two slots: one for microSD cards, and another for 3G / 4G SIMs. And how 'bout those accessories? In addition to the tablet, HP will be selling two so-called SmartJackets, cases that do a little more than just shield the device from wear and tear. One of them, for instance, has two USB ports, HDMI output, a full-size memory card slot and room for an optional battery slice. That battery, by the way, has a capacity of about eight hours, so while the case does add some heft it could be worth it if you need a PC that will last through a flight from New York to Tokyo. As for the second case, its defining feature is a built-in keyboard, which plugs directly into the tablet. Though HP announced the ElitePad 900 today, the tablet won't go on sale here in the US until January. Hopefully we'll also get a final price as we get closer to that launch date. Luckily, we've already gotten a chance to play with it, so meet us after the break for hands-on photos and a short walk-through video detailing our first impressions.
HP planning to launch an enterprise-friendly tablet 'soon'
Buried in its press release announcing new laptops, desktops, monitors and accessories, HP made an interesting admission: it's not done yet. At the tail end of the PR, even after it broke down the various prices and shipping dates, the company added: "An enterprise-ready tablet will be announced soon." No hint at the specs, though we have to wonder if it's the rumored Windows 8-powered "Slate 8" tablet we've heard about in the rumor mill. And now that HP has announced most of its fall products, we're wondering if that slate is actually the same tablet that made an appearance in those ads that ran during the Olympics this summer -- after all, HP's yet to acknowledge the thing with an official name. We suppose we'll find out soon, whenever that is.
Dell Latitude ST tablet gets official with vague press release, dead links (video)
Remember that Latitude ST that Dell gave us a sneak peek at earlier in the week? Well it's slowly inching its way towards an official release, appearing on Dell's Corporate Blog early this morning. The Windows 7-based enterprise tablet is powered by an Intel Atom processor and includes a 10-inch multi-touch display with stylus, WiFi, mobile broadband options, front and rear webcams and a mic. There are also durability features like Gorilla Glass and a rubber bumper, enabling it to survive violent impacts with plush office carpeting. Port details are rather vague in the PR, though USB, HDMI and an SD card reader get their 15 seconds of fame in the promo video. There are also security features, like remote hard drive wipe, Microsoft Bitlocker support (this is a Windows 7 tablet, after all) and a Kensington Lock slot. Pricing details are absent and the product page isn't live quite yet (though that didn't stop Dell from linking to it from the blog post), but it looks like we could see these ship as soon as November 1st. Ready to get your tap and sketch on? Jump past the break for an enterprise montage, complete with doctors, educators and suit-sporting business pros. Update: Looks like the specs have leaked out overseas, so we're guessing it'll get official soon enough. Update 2: And here come the unboxing videos! Update 3: And Dell's business page is up! Thanks, One Love!
NEC's VersaPro VK15V/TM-C looks like a tablet, runs like a netbook
If you've been looking in vain for the right Windows tablet, you might want to have a gander at NEC's VersaPro VK15V/TM-C, a pad that looks like the slate it is, but packs some netbook-like specs -- namely, a 1.5GHz Intel Atom Z670 processor, Win 7 Professional, 2GB of RAM, HDMI-out, and an SDHC slot. And while it's 10.1-inch (1280 x 800) display is par for the course among Windows tablets, its 64GB SSD storage bests some other slabs on the market. No word on price -- or how much battery life that Oak Trail CPU promises -- but it's expected to go on sale in Japan this summer.
HP intros the ProBook 5330m, EliteBook 2560p, and EliteBook 2760p tablet
After announcing a trio of consumer laptops, you didn't think HP had forgotten about its business line, did you? The company also trotted out three lightweight models for the corporate set, including the 12.1-inch EliteBook 2760p convertible tablet, which has been rearing its head around the FCC as of late. Although it's an update to the current-generation 2740p, it sticks with its tried-and-true metal design. But -- surprise, surprise -- it steps up to Sandy Bridge Core i5 and Core i7 CPU options, promises 5.5 hours of battery life with the standard six-cell, and will be one of several models compatible with HP's newly minted (optional) prepaid data service, DataPass. Is this the Windows 7 tablet you've been looking for? It's on sale now starting at $1,500 -- stylus included. Next up is the EliteBook 2560p laptop, an update to the 12.1-inch 2540p. This one, too, has a tough aluminum-and-magnesium-alloy build, but it gets the good ol' Sandy Bridge treatment and also shifts to a 12.5-inch display -- a screen size that's rarely stretched to 16:9 proportions. And, HP claims it's the only laptop of its size with a built-in optical drive, if sacrificing optical discs isn't a compromise you're willing to make. Look for it on May 23 with a starting price of $1,100. Lastly, there's the ProBook 5330m, a 13.3-incher that's trying hard to win over Generation Y-types just dipping their toes into the workforce... and who will call in sick if their work machines aren't trendy, or something. In addition to a dual-tone aluminum chassis, it plays cool with a backlit keyboard, Sandy Bridge Core i3 and i5 CPU options, and Beats Audio -- a first for an HP business system. On the inside, meanwhile, it offers TPM circuitry and optional Intel vPro processors -- perks for the IT managers likely to buy these in bulk. These are on sale now, starting at $800. %Gallery-123019% %Gallery-123013% %Gallery-123014%
Motorola to begin beta testing rugged Android tablet, steps up enterprise efforts
We've been keeping our eyes on Motorola's plans to sink its claws into the enterprise market for at least the past couple of months, and it looks like the company is ramping up its efforts with a rugged Android tablet fit for the workplace. A presentation provided to us by a helpful tipster outlines Moto's plans to be the "first physical embodiment defining Android for the Enterprise," with a Gingerbread-equipped tablet entering beta testing this October. As you can see from the slide above, the slate will sport both a 1.3MP front-facing camera and an 8MP rear-facing camera "with illumination and aiming" for barcode scanning. It's also carrying a dual-core 1GHz OMAP 4 CPU, 1GB RAM, 8GB NAND, a 7-inch LCD display, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, 802.11 a/b/g/n WiFi, and USB connectivity. It should also pack enough juice to supply five and a half hours of streaming video, and should be able to withstand a four foot drop, extreme temperatures, excessive dust, and splashing water. From the look of things, this tablet's going to be more at home in the workshop than the boardroom, but we'll just have to wait and see what becomes of it once the thing makes it out of beta. [Thanks, Anonymous]
Fujitsu's 10-inch Stylistic Q550 tablet to sport Oak Trail, Windows 7
We knew good and well that Fujitsu's Stylistic Q550 was en route, but now we're learning a few more dirty details as its official launch day draws ever nearer. Reportedly, the business-oriented slate will be fully revealed at CeBIT next month, with Fujitsu being one of the only outfits out there eager and willing to take a chance on both Oak Trail and Windows 7 Professional. Our experiences with existing Win7 tablets haven't been stellar, but it's possible that the added power in Oak Trail will cut down on the lag and make things a bit smoother to operate. We're told to expect a 10-inch LED touchscreen, smartcard slot, fingerprint reader, trusted-platform module (TPM), front and rear cameras, a 32GB / 64GB solid state drive, USB socket and an optional 3G module. Most impressive, however, is the claimed eight hours of battery life, which we'll quite honestly have to see to believe. If all goes well, it'll start shipping this April to European nations, but there's no word yet on how badly it'll hurt your wallet (or when it'll grab a passport and head to other continents). As you'd expect, we'll be live from Germany digging for more just as soon as the show floor opens. A brief introductory vid is just past the break.
