Since Intel has released its latest Z-series system-on-chip devices, and ASUS is getting ready to release the Fonepad tablet (just confirmed), the ones on the other side of the fence are acting as well. The small tablet that has fallen in our sights this time around is called HP Slate 7 and, as far as names go, isn't exactly the most original.
Still, the moniker does, at least, reveal what size the liquid crystal display is: 7 inches.
There is only one feature here that deserves a special mention: the “Field Fringe Switching” display, which improves viewing angles, even in direct sunlight.
The rest of the hardware is mediocre though, which makes sense for a gadget that emphasizes cost accessibility.
Indeed, the HP Slate 7 tablet will sell for $169, which corresponds to 128 Euro according to exchange rates, though the real EU price will probably be closer to 169 Euro.
That means that, while the central processing unit isn't too bad (dual-Core Cortex A9, based on ARM architecture, clock speed of 1.6 GHz), there are other concessions.
The storage, as one might expect, is the biggest one: HP included 8 GB of ROM, instead of 16 GB or 21 GB NAND Flash memory.
Fortunately, the microSD card slot was not taken out of the blueprints, so it should be possible to add 32 GB or so.
As for the display itself, it will make do with a native resolution of just 1024 x 600 pixels. A far cry from the 1280 x 800, 1366 x 768 or 1920 x 1080/1200 pixels of high-end slates.
Fortunately, Hewlett-Packard did, at least, install the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system, so the software is as good as it could possibly be.
Amazon’s Kindle and Google’s Nexus 7 will be the biggest competition to the HP Slate 7.
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