ElitePad 900
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HP intros the ProPad 600 tablet, updates the existing ElitePad with LTE and a sharper screen
No, it's not exciting as HP copying Lenovo's Yoga design, but hey, tablet news is still news. In addition to launching a consumer laptop, Hewlett-Packard is using Mobile World Congress to unveil a couple new Windows business tablets. Chief among these is the ProPad 600, a 10.1-inch device intended for the small biz market. HP hasn't revealed the price yet, but it's obviously going to cost less than the company's existing ElitePad 900 tablet -- the move to plastic build materials makes that pretty clear. That plainer design aside, it offers comparable performance, with a 64-bit Intel Baytrail chip, dual 2MP/8MP cameras and a 1,920 x 1,200, optically bonded display that supports pen input. Connectivity-wise, you're looking at micro-HDMI-out, along with a microSD slot and a standard micro-USB port for charging. Really, then, it's not that different from the current ElitePad, except there's no 3G and it's not compatible with HP's so-called Smart Jackets. Again, no word on price, but look for it to arrive sometime in mid-April. Oh, and speaking of the ElitePad 900, HP is refreshing it with some updated specs. Now called the ElitePad 1000, it rocks the same aluminum design as the original, except it steps up to a 64-bit processor and a sharper 1,920 x 1,200 screen -- the same one used on the new ProPad 600. It also has an LTE radio, and trades a USB 2.0 port for USB 3.0. Otherwise, the battery life is the same, at around 10 hours, and it fits all the same optional Smart Jackets as the old model. That's mainly good news for IT guys, who may have already purchased productivity and power covers to issue to employees. At any rate, the tablet should land in March, with a starting price of $739.
HP ElitePad 900 travels to the FCC, brings pros closer to Windows 8 tablet utopia
HP couldn't help but harsh the mellow of cutting-edge workers when it revealed the ElitePad 900 wouldn't ship until January. Still, there's less chance of any setbacks now that we know the FCC has rubber stamped the Windows 8 tablet. The version passing through the agency is a 3G model for mobile road warriors and touts the 850MHz, 1,700MHz and 1,900MHz bands we'd expect to for HSPA on AT&T, T-Mobile and Canadian networks. Few other surprises exist; we're mostly happy to know that NFC exists alongside dual-band 802.11n WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0. No, the approval won't be much consolation to the suits and ties wanting a tablet of their own as of yesterday, but it should be a relief to IT managers planning a much more creative use of the company budget in 2013.
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.
