#249 Android and Window models from HP

When HP announced its first Android tablet, the Slate 7, we were surprised (and a little disappointed) to see the company attacking the low end of the market. Where were the high-end tablets, we wondered, What about some big-screened models Or medium-sized ones Turns out, HP was saving them all for the holiday shopping season. The company just announced four Android tablets, ranging in size from 7 to 10 inches. Two have Tegra 4, two can be had with 4G, and one has a stylus in the box. On top of all that, HP also introduced two more Windows tablets, including a 10-inch slate and an 11-incher with a keyboard dock. All will go on sale in November, though with the exception of one model HP isn't revealing pricing yet. For now, though, best if you study up on the specs: there's quite a bit to unpack here.

Slate 8 Pro:
 As you've no doubt already guessed, the Slate 8 Pro is an 8-inch tablet the first HP has ever made. In particular, with a 7.98-inch display and a 4:3 aspect ratio, it's just about the same size as the iPad mini. All told, it's the closest thing to a flagship of the tablets listed here, what with its Tegra 4 processor and dual 8MP / 2MP cameras. It also has a fairly pixel-dense screen for a tablet this size, with a resolution of 1,600 x 1,200  a clear improvement over the iPad mini. Other specs you might care about: it has a microSD slot, micro-HDMI output and a standard micro-USB socket for charging.

Slate 7 HD and Slate 10 HD:
 The Slate 7 HD and Slate 10 HD deserve to be lumped into the same paragraph: they share the same industrial design, along with the same specs. Both tablets have 1,280 x 800 IPS screens, a nine-hour battery, an unspecified dual-core processor, Beats Audio and optional 4G connectivity, courtesy of T-Mobile. Again, no word on pricing, though HP did give us a hint about the Slate 7 HD: it won't be replacing the original Slate 7, so expect this new one to be priced a good deal higher.