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HP intros Envy 100, Android-powered Photosmart eStation AIO with Yahoo widgets (update)
We're not sure where CNET's getting its information, but we're liking what we see -- a streamlined HP Envy-branded printer with a 3.45-inch touchscreen for apps, games, scanning docs, and yes indeed, occasionally affixing dye to pressed wood pulp at 30 pages per minute. It reportedly has a pair of mechanical paper trays that open and close like a CD drive, and CNET says it'll ship October 4th for $249. Before you take those figures verbatim though, know that they might not be quite right, as the publication also says the $399 Android-powered HP Photosmart eStation C510 (aka Zeus with 7-inch Zeen tablet) is coming September 13th -- a day when, we're sure you'll agree, the printer failed to arrive. Also apparently slated for September 13th is the HP Officejet Pro 8500A Plus, a full-size all-in-one inkjet model with a 4.3-inch touchscreen, now imbued with HP ePrintCenter apps. Why sit and talk to co-workers around that boring water-cooler, when you can play with your office's printer instead? Two more pictures of the Envy 100 after the break, which is apparently badass enough to come with its own tote bag and 802.11n WiFi. Update: We're waiting for the HP IPG summit news conference to begin and, well, three guesses what that is hanging out on stage (pictured above). There's a second shot after the break, with a Yahoo search widget clearly on display. Update 2: Now official, dubbed the Photosmart eStation AIO, and unless our eyes deceive us, we definitely spotted an Android lock screen and status bar. All for $399. There's a partnership in place with Yahoo, including numerous widgets (we've spotted search and weather so far). Something tells us there won't be another search option, but we'll find out for sure and let ya know. It's currently being demoed live on stage. Google Calendar is there, as is a web browser. Update 3: Hands-on! %Gallery-102759%
The HP eStation Zeen, the Zeus printer, and everything we know about them
We've been flooded with a deluge of tips about the HP Zeen ever since we posted those first FCC images of the tablet device this morning, and it's actually a little surprising at how perfectly everything aligns. We've now had multiple tipsters confirm that the Zeen is an e-reading-focused Android tablet with the unique ability to connect directly to an HP printer and function as its interface without the need for a computer. But that's not all -- here's everything else we know: The Zeen is a capacitive tablet running a HP skin on top of Android 2.1 -- it won't get shifted to webOS, and it's not clear if it'll get upped to Froyo before launch given the development time required. It has capacitive touch buttons, a SD card slot, video support, and at least some prototypes have cameras with a special webcam app installed. The goal is for the HP home screen and skin to be the only home screen available, but that hasn't been fully implemented yet. E-reading is a major focus, and the Zeen has "significant" integration with the Barnes & Noble Nook bookstore and ecosystem. Makes sense, as the Nook itself is based on Android, and being able to print e-books from the Zeen would be a huge differentiator -- and a great way for HP to sell more ink. The Zeen will come in two configurations: a $399 bundle with a new printer called Zeus and as a standalone unit for an unknown price. The Zeus has its own "basic" control setup, but when the Zeen is docked it provides a rich interface to the printing functions -- presumably a web-connected interface like the one HP's been moving towards with other printers. Despite the CQ model number, the Zeen is a straight HP product, with a laser-etched logo on the back. So that's what we know about this enigmatic product. It certainly adds up -- HP has long said one of the reasons it bought Palm was to use webOS as a consistent interface to other connected devices like printers, and it only makes sense that the company was working on executing that strategy with an OS like Android long before Jon Rubinstein and company joined the team. Besides, how better to sell more ink than by making it easy for consumers to hit Facebook and print pictures without having to use a computer at all? It's certainly interesting -- we're waiting patiently to see when and where the Zeen next appears.
