HP introduces four new Android tablets, including a new 8-incher

HP has never had a lot of luck in the tablet world, and that’s why it really came as no surprise that their first Android tablet – the HP Slate 7 – ended up as nothing too impressive or ground-breaking. We have to give HP credit though, as they certainly don’t give up easily.

Since the Slate 7, the company has released two other unique Android devices, the Slate X2 laptop/tablet hybrid and the HP Slate 21 all-in-one PC. Their Android efforts don’t end there either, as the company has now announced four new Android tablets...

Read the full story here... Source: Android Authority

HP and Samsung offer setup-free printing on the Galaxy S 4, with others to follow

As ubiquitous as wireless printing has become, there remains the occasional hoop to jump through for printing from mobile devices if you don't happen to have either a special app or iOS gear that supports AirPrint. HP and Samsung are teaming up to remove many of the headaches for the Galaxy S 4: when the phone launches in April, it should have setup-free WiFi printing to almost 200 HP inkjets and LaserJets, as long as any given printer is either on the same network or is otherwise accessible through direct printing. Don't expect ubiquitous support, though. Beyond being limited to the one phone, you'll have to stick to some of its preloaded apps, including the browser, contacts, email client, photo gallery, Polaris Office and S Note. It's far from a truly universal solution, then, but the two partners are at least promising zero-setup printing on both the Galaxy S III and the Galaxy Note II through firmware updates coming later in 2013. We'll take the approach if it saves time snagging an old-fashioned boarding pass or someconcert tickets.

[Source: Engadget]

HP's Envy 27-inch IPS monitor with Beats Audio features high-quality sound, extremely long name

LAS VEGAS--A monitor's picture quality is its most important attribute, and sound quality (if it actually does sport speakers) rarely factors into the overall rating. That however may change once I get my hands on the HP Envy 27-inch IPS monitor with Beats Audio.

With the Envy 27-inch IPS monitor with Beats Audio, HP not only breaks the record for longest monitor name ever (to be honest, I didn't confirm that), but according to HP, it also marks the first time a standalone monitor has used Beats Audio.

The monitor's built-in speakers are angled upward and according to HP, deliver high-quality midrange and high frequencies as well as rich bass. Monitors with built-in sound don't usually deliver the highest quality sound, so I'm curious as to how this monitor's sound will be any different.

[Source: CNET - Click here to read the full story]

HP's new all-in-one printer adds more to that 'all', turns into a WiFi hotspot

While all-in-one printers usually tote print, copy, scan and fax capabilities, we're hardly ones to complain if we get something more. The aptly-named HP Hotspot LaserJet Pro M1218nfs also crams in a WiFi hotspot -- opening up the world wide web for access on up to eight devices at a time. Other than swallowing a wireless hub, the laser printer also boasts Apple AirPrint along with HP's ePrint and wireless direct for tether-free printing. Out in India for 18,306 rupees ($330), we're awaiting word on stateside availability. Now it isn't really up to us to say if that NFS in its monicker points to speed, but a quick tap on the source link is enough to throw up the full specs.

[Source: Engadget]

HP fills in pricing and availability details for its sprawling Windows 8 line-up

HP has just announced pricing and availability for its burgeoning Windows 8 lineup of hybrid PCs, notebooks, all-in-ones, desktops and business PCs. The company seem to be wooing every niche out there with a huge (and confusing) array of products running the newfangled OS, and though we already knew the score on many, the picture is now (almost!) complete. The 11.6-inch Envy x2 hybrid (shown above), powered with an Intel Clover-Trail flavored Atom processor will come on the scene on November 14th starting from $850, for instance, and we also have the scoop on the HP Envy TouchSmart Ultrabook 4, HP Phoenix h9 desktop PC and HP Pavilion dm1 (with new 4G connectivity) after the break. Finally, HP still hasn't released pricing or details on its once-mysterious ElitePad 900 business tablet, but they did say that customers who nab one early next year will receive a 50GB Box cloud storage account, gratis.

[Source: Engadget]

HP announces Spectre One desktop, three other all-in-ones

Didn't you hear? All of HP's top-shelf product consumer products will henceforth have the word "Spectre" in the name. So, it makes sense that the company would expand beyond laptops and release a futuristic desktop bearing the same branding. Indeed, the company just announced the Spectre One, a 23.6-inch all-in-one with a skinny design and nice-to-have features like NFC.

Though that aluminum frame and tilting 1080p display are pleasing to look at, the real story isn't what the Spectre One has, so much as what's missing. You see, in order to get the system down to 11.5mm thick, the design team had to forgo certain features you might otherwise expect -- features like a TV tuner, touchscreen and even an optical drive. It's a gamble, to be sure, but HP is betting that fashion-forward, tech-savvy users won't really mind. (The jury is out on whether a Windows 8 all-in-one without touch is a missed opportunity.) In any case, HP did include four USB ports (two of them 3.0), HDMI input, an Ethernet jack, Beats Audio and a memory card reader, with optional discrete graphics and SSDs. The components are also easily serviceable via a back door, if tinkering is your idea of fun. Lastly, the One ships with a keyboard, Magic Trackpad-style wireless touchpad and two NFC tags, which can be assigned to favorite websites.

[Source: Read more at Engadget]

Unannounced HP tablet glimpsed in official picture

HP's Make it Matter site features a shot of a medical-type person using a mysterious device that's the spitting image of one we saw in July. While the company's made no secret of its plans for a Windows 8 tablet, it's yet to confirm if this is the Slate 8 or some other unannounced flagship. Given the context, perhaps this is an enterprise offering designed for corporate customers, or it could just as easily be the fever-dream of a Madison Avenue art director. If it's real, we'd expect a release around October 26th along with the rest of the Windows 8 cohort.

[Source: Engadget]

HP, Acer, Lenovo eye Windows 8 tablets

Hewlett-Packard, Acer, and Lenovo, among others, are expected to bring out Windows 8 tablets using Intel's latest system-on-a-chip.

HP and Acer are working on designs, a source familiar with the vendors' plans told CNET. In addition, details leaked today about a Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2, which will also use Intel's Clover Trail system-on-a-chip (SoC).

These Intel-based Windows 8 designs are distinctly different from Windows RT tablets that will use ARMchips. Windows RT devices use a version of Windows 8 that does not offer backward-compatibility with the millions of existing Windows software programs. Intel-based systems offer that compatibility.

And this is likely just a small sampling of Intel-based Windows 8 tablets slated to hit on October 26, when Windows 8 launches. "We are... tracking more than 20 Windows 8 tablet designs based on our low-power and low-cost Clover Trail Atom SoC in addition to a number of core-based tablets," Intel's CEO Paul Otellini said on July 17.

Laptop-tablet hybrids, or so-called convertibles such as Asus' Taichi, are also expected. Taichi uses a faster but less power-efficient Intel Ivy Bridge chip, the same chip that powers ultrabooks and Apple's MacBook Air.

Throw the already announced Microsoft Surface Windows RT and Windows 8 Pro products into the mix, and it's obvious the market will get crowded quickly.

The ThinkPad Tablet 2 will sport a 10.1-inch IPS 1,366x768 display, weigh in at about 650 grams (1.4 pounds), have a thickness of 9.8mm (0.39 inches), and include an HSPA+broadband option, according to Techin5.

HP, Acer, and Lenovo declined to comment.

[Source: cnet]

HP ENVY 14 Spectre Ultrabook Launched

This January, those with an eye for design should prepare to be haunted by the beauty of the HP ENVY 14 Spectre Ultrabook experience – with new jaw-dropping unparalleled use of glass and stunning performance. 
Designed for those that expect the extraordinary, this statement in quality blends together materials on an ultrabook and captures today’s emerging spirit of entrepreneurship, collaboration and strong visual identity.
 “Sleek, midnight black glass on the outside and stark contrast silver on the inside make Spectre extraordinary, defying conventional notebook design,” said Louis Perrin, director, consumer products, Personal Systems Group, HP EMEA. “We chose the name for our first ENVY Ultrabook to evoke mystery and to satisfy those who expect the unexpected.”
Breathtaking engineering and design
One of HP’s most advanced notebooks, the HP ENVY 14 Spectre is 20 millimeters thin and weighs in at just 1.8kg(1). Beautiful yet tough it features lightweight, scratch resistant glass on the lid, display, palmrest and HP ImagePad, a material largely recognised for its use on the screens of smartphones, portable media players and LCD displays.
Featuring the latest advances in display engineering and chassis design, the HP Spectre fits a full 35.56 cm (14”) screen inside a 33.78cm (13.3”) body. It sounds impossible, but looks incredible allowing creatives to stretch content across a phenomenal high-definition (HD) (2) HP Radiance display producing higher resolution, richer colour, better brightness and wider viewing angles than traditional notebook displays.
 
An intelligent HP Radiance Backlit keyboard, using individual LEDs dedicated to each keycap, senses a person’s presence, lighting up when they’re near and dimming down when they’re not – a bright and brilliant idea only from HP that adds greatly to the aesthetic experience.
 
Astonishing Sound
The HP ENVY 14 Spectre creates a sound heaven thanks to the matching audio-grade speaker mesh and Beats Audio™, an exclusive, high-performance technology developed by HP and Beats by Dr. Dre. Its front-positioned speaker system provides pure, unrestrained sound. Whilst the ultrabook boasts an aluminum analog volume dial, giving the Spectre an interesting retro twist, and external sound on/off button, providing precise volume control, even with the lid closed. 
 
Built-in HP Wireless Audio turns any home into a stage by streaming music to multiple speakers. Uncompressed audio can be streamed to up to four external devices or directly to any KleerNet-compatible device.
Uncompromising performance
Blazingly fast, the HP ENVY 14 Spectre is powered by the latest Intel® Core™ processors(3) featuring Intel Rapid Start Technology, 128 gigabyte (GB) of Solid State Drive (SSD) (4) storage and 9 hours of battery life.(5) Eliminating the need for external dongles, the HP Spectre features an array of input and output options, including Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0, HDMI and Mini Displayport. In addition, the HP ImagePad provides precise multifinger touch navigation and the HP TrueVision HD(1) Webcam provides brighter, cleaner HD images.
It offers a performance-tuned software image, full versions of Adobe Photoshop® and Premiere Element and two years of preinstalled Norton™ Internet Security. A world-class design also deserves world-class service, so the notebook comes with a premium phone line for technical support that is dedicated exclusively to HP ENVY users.
Pricing and availability
The HP ENVY 14 Spectre notebook PC is expected to be available at end of March with a starting price of £1,199-(6) through selective distribution in UK.

A message from Paul Hunter, Head of HP PSG UK and Ireland

There’s no denying that it’s been a strange week at HP. I’ve spent 16 years with HP in the UK and I certainly can’t remember a time like it. But change happens, and I fundamentally believe that HP and PSG are stronger following the announcements surrounding webOS and PSG.
 
I’d like to firstly clear up any misunderstanding that has arisen from the earnings announcement around the future of the Personal Systems Group. There have been a number of incorrect stories saying that HP is quitting the PC business.
 
Let me be absolutely clear in saying that at no stage has HP said it is quitting the PC business. Three options are being investigated, and whether the company is spun off, sold or kept in the HP portfolio, the team in the UK remains committed to creating and supporting great products and services.
 
I’d also like to reaffirm our commitment to our UK customers regarding both PC products and those that bought webOS devices. HP is the world’s largest PC manufacturer. We are the number one PC manufacturer in UK and Ireland. HP PSG UK is only going in one direction, forwards and that means customers can have confidence that existing HP products will be supported under the terms of their warranties as will any future purchases. Likewise, all webOS products will be supported and HP fully intends to support the future development of the webOS platform, though again how that will be managed is still under discussion.
 
Obviously the announcement has raised a number of questions outside those mentioned above. We are still working through some of these, but I wanted to try and address as many as I could.
 
Regarding PSG activity in the UK, it’s very much business as usual. Actually, it’s more than business as usual. PSG is a $40B annual business. We operate in 170 countries and have more than 180,000 channel partners. Whatever the future strategy, we have a mission and responsibility to all of our employees, customers and partners to continue to deliver fantastic products. To that end, you will see a ramping up of marketing and advertising activity in the UK as we look to raise awareness of our great products ranges like ENVY and TouchSmart for consumer and Elite and ProBooks for business users.
 
Another obvious question is why has HP decided to stop supporting webOS hardware devices. Due to market dynamics, significant competition and a rapidly changing environment, continuing to execute our former device approach was not in the best interest of HP and HP shareholders. HP is fully committed to the ongoing support and service of customers who purchased webOS devices.
 
I know that questions will remain, and I will do my very best to answer these as and when they arise. I apologize that we have been slow to answer some of the questions around webOS. The sheer scale of interest in the discounted products took us a little by surprise. We are now working on ensuring everyone that owns a webOS device has a positive experience.
 
And that is my focus now; to ensure each and every interaction with the PSG UK business, be that from a customer, reseller, partner or journalist is a positive one. These are changing but exciting times. My UK team and I are fully committed to leading this world class business to a new and prosperous future.
 
Very best regards
 
Paul Hunter on behalf of the UK and Ireland PSG management team

HP Launches the Industry’s First Wi-Fi® Mobile Mouse

HP announced the launch of the industry’s first Wi-Fi® Mobile Mouse. This product was unveiled along with a new line up of accessories at the HP Personal Computing Accessories Forum 2011 in Cannes. The new range, also including top-of-the-line Webcams, features sleek and modern designs to meet the needs of both consumers and businesses.

 

HP’s Wi-Fi® Mobile Mouse represents the industry’s first Wi-Fi® mouse. It has a sculpted shape designed to fit like a glove in your hand. It ranks as a technological revolution because it eliminates wires and external receivers forever, offering total freedom at your fingertips. The state-of-the-art mouse easily connects to your computer’s built-in Wi-Fi® receiver, allowing users to have a spare USB port to plug in other accessories. Its 9 month battery life also equates to 2 times the battery life of comparable Bluetooth®models1.
                                                                                                                          
The new HP Webcam HD-4110 allows full HD video calling in three easy clicks, giving users the best ease of use and video clarity yet. The webcam allows consumers to chat, take clear HD photos, videos and create images and was awarded the CES 2011 (Consumer Electronics Show) Innovations Design and Engineering Awards Honoree. Full HD 1080 autofocus widescreen model can record videos at up to 30 frames per second.

HP’s webcams make the end-user experience simpler and quicker with three buttons to launch end-user preferred Instant Messaging applications (AIM, Window Live, Skype, or Yahoo!), take pictures and record videos. According to HP research, 92% of webcam users participate in video chatting, 42% take pictures and 34% record videos2. The directional microphone filters out background noise, allowing users to enjoy louder and clearer sound.
 
Additionally, the launch of the HD Webcam HD-2200 makes HD affordable for easy video editing, online chatting with friends, and sharing still images – all with an integrated microphone and plug-and-play USB connection.
 
“HP’s new line of accessories work with any computer, offering great consumer choice while delivering intelligent design and unparalleled quality” said Tiago Drummond, VP of Retail Sales, HP Personal Systems Group, EMEA. “Everybody can now explore, travel and connect seamlessly with HP Accessories.” 
 
The full range of new accessories includes:
 
· The industry’s first ever Wi-Fi® Mobile Mouse offers consumers wireless connectivity and impressive battery life. HP’s new Wi-Fi® Mobile Mouse eliminates wires and external receivers, allowing consumers to click and go in comfort and style.
· The HP 2.4GHz Wireless Optical Mobile Mouse is available in seven exciting colours, ideal for the fashion-conscious consumer to match their style and their HP Notebook PC: Butter Gold, Sonoma Red, Pacific Blue, Leaf Green, Sweet Purple, Metal Steel, and Charcoal grey.
· The HP Webcam HD-4110 allows users to auto-focus and take clear, sharp pictures even in poor lighting conditions.
· The HD-2200 achieves crisp images and captures true-to-life sound, offering an impressive host of features at a very competitive price.
· HP Multimedia Speakers 2.0 and HP 2.1 Compact Speaker System deliver high quality sound coupled with a sleek design at a very affordable price.
• HP In-ear Stereo Headset is a new headset ideal for Smartphones, Tablets or PCs with a 4-conductor 3mm audio jack.
· An extension of HP’s successful line-up of retractable-handle and high quality black notebook sleeves, now available in 35.5cm (14”), 40.6cm (16”) and 43.9cm (17.3”) sizes.
• A new 43.9cm (17.3”) HP Urban Backpack, a trusty partner for the road and ideal for those travellers seeking a cool design and robust protection for their PC.
 
 
Pricing and availability
 
HP Wi-Fi® Mobile Mouse: price £39.99 available from May 2011.
HP 2.4GHz Wireless Optical Mobile Mouse. New colours available from July 2011 at £39.99
HP Webcam HD-4110: £59.99, available now
HP Webcam HD-2200: price £24.99, available from May 2011
HP Multimedia Speakers 2.0 price £19.99 and available now
New in-ear stereo headset: price £14.99 available from May 2011
HP Urban Backpack: price £49.99, available now
Retractable-handle black laptop sleeves: price £24.99 available from May 2011
 
Additional information is available here