Finally, HP , one of the leading brands in the PC sector, is venturing into the tablet market. The launch of this device had been circulating in the media for some time; it was unusual that one of Microsoft's closest allies hadn't joined the company in its first foray into a field previously unfamiliar to them, a field currently dominated by a traditional rival of both companies, Apple, with its iPad. Hewlett-Packard has just unveiled the HP ElitePad 900 , a tablet that comes with a wide range of accessories designed to combine the advantages of PCs with those of mobile devices.
HP was one of the players sorely missed in the tablet sector. The company has played a major role in the PC market, being one of the most sought-after brands and best associated with Microsoft among those operating in that arena. However, what awaits both partners now is not easy , as they find themselves arriving late to a very different sector, one dominated by a powerhouse like Apple. The roles have thus been reversed , and now it is up to Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard to innovate and present alternatives to the established order.
At the beginning of August, we showed you the first image of this new HP tablet, which at that time was known as the HP Slate 8. Now, however, it has been officially launched as the HP ElitePad 900 and will be available starting in January 2013. The specifications that have been revealed are as follows: a 10-inch IPS screen with a resolution of 1280 x 800, a thickness of 9,2 mm and a weight of 680 grams, an Intel Atom Clover Trail processor , 2GB of RAM and 32 or 64 GB of storage, depending on the model, plus a microSD card slot, 3G connectivity, and, of course, Windows 8 as the operating system.
Furthermore, as we mentioned, the tablet is perfectly equipped to function as a PC, thanks to its wide range of accessories : keyboards, stands, cases, styluses, and more. In fact, HP emphasizes that the primary use of this device will be professional . We've included this video of the device's presentation in Madrid so you can appreciate its design in more detail.