HP it seems is now banking big on Android, if the latest news coming in over from Italy is true (and we have no reason to doubt it much), HP is readying its first ‘Androidbook’ – a standard notebook computer which runs on Android. The HP Slatebook 14 is unique in that, unlike the Slatebook X2, this device is not a hybrid, for a recap the HP Slatebook X2 belongs to a line that HP calls as “detachable PCs”, so you basically have an Android tablet which can be detached or attached to its own keyboard unit and used as a notebook. The Androidbook 14 is a standard notebook computer which runs on Android 4.2.x Jelly Bean and provides access to all standard Google Apps and Android apps via the Google Play Store. In terms of design philosophy, the HP Slatebook 14 is seemingly targeted at the uber-cool youth segment, the device in the demo video shows off a polycarbonate/plastic body with sunshine yellow accents around the edges. We can safely assume that HP has allowed users to have a choice of multiple colors when it comes to these accents – though we have not seen any other in the demo video.
In terms of hardware, we have a product demo/video tour to go on, from which we have deduced the following. The notebook will be powered by a quad-core NVidia processor – possibly the Tegra 4 however it could even be the newer Tegra K1 – coupled with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage, which is expandable thanks to the built in MicroSD card slot. The device bears a full-HD 14 inch screen which offers a 1920 x 1080 pixels and there might just be a non-HD variant as well. In terms of connectivity, we have support for the Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n standards as well as Bluetooth. The Slatebook 14 shares the Beats Audio speakers’ technology with the Slate 7, and for connectivity we have 3 USB ports, an HDMI port, power connector and audio jacks. For the occasional video call, the Slatebook 14 offers a webcam though we do not know what its configuration is as of yet. The device also supports HP’s DataPass service, thanks to the SIM card slot, which means that you can use the HP Connection Manager to manage various broadband connections and to switch over to other carriers as and when needed.
As of yet the pricing and availability of the Slatebook 14 is unavailable, however we can assume it to be competitively priced and shouldn’t burn a hole in your pockets. Another aspect which also needs to be seen here is what direction Google wants to take with such devices – after all the ChromeOS running Chromebook line already gives access to Google services and in-the-cloud storage. However, any new device is an interesting thing for us. Do let us know if you’re as excited by this news as we are, our comments section awaits.
