Rumor has it that HP is secretly cooking a new product to join its mobile family. However, it will be far from what HP got its customers used to: no superior computing power and no big display. On the contrary, the new device will be more of an ultra-mobile computer than a notebook, and chances are that it will strikingly resemble Asustek's Eee PC.

The Eee has become long since a reference point in the UMPC world, and there is a plethora of system builders that attempted to get some of Eee's glory with their own models. The rumors of HP readying an ultra-mobile PC come directly from the company's executives. According to the reports, HP's device will hit the market in late spring.

The technical specifications are still a mystery, and the company refused to disclose anything at all. However, the new UMPC is expected to come with a competitive price tag, that would make it an efficient player in Asustek's Eee team. "You won't even need to consider this purchase. You'll buy it like a handphone without a thought," claimed sources inside the company. If this is true, then the company's sub-notebook is far from any convertible tablet PC, such as the LifeBook U1010.

According to the company, the device will fix some glitches that are crippling most of the ultra-mobile PCs on the market. The most important improvements will aim at increasing the battery lifespan, but the Hewlett-Packard did not detail upon any further specifications.

The company executives also mentioned that the new device would be able to integrate into the user's world as a lifestyle accessory, which means that it will be extremely portable, and will be targeted as young people and professionals. Its size is expected not to exceed 25 centimeters, and the company may be working on some skins for the device.