HP demonstrated to us the previously-announced business class EliteBook Revolve and ElitePad 900. We got a chance to check them out in person, which you can see in the video below.
The EliteBook Revolve 810 is the upcoming replacement for HP's last Windows 7 convertible tablet, the EliteBook 2760p. When the other EliteBook models where refreshed to the Ivy Bridge powered xx70p series in the middle of last year, a 2760p was not replaced, since HP was waiting until the launch of Windows 8 to announce a totally redesigned convertible model, which is the Revolve.
The EliteBook Revolve is an 11.6" pen (optional) and multitouch-enabled convertible notebook, specifically designed for Windows 8 Pro, but which also still supports Windows 7 Pro for organizations still using this older OS on their corporate tablets.
It has a thinner (22.2 vs. 32.3 mm) and lighter (3.1 vs. 3.97 lbs.) design than the outgoing 2760p model, with an all-magnesium chassis, and a 1366 x 768 Gorilla Glass 2 covered screen. It with be available with up to a Core i7 Ivy Bridge CPU, up to 8GB of RAM, and up to a 256GB SSD. It also has an Ethernet port (yay!) and user-replaceable battery, both features you won't find on any consumer-grade Windows 8 convertibles. Since it is a business class machine, it has an embedded TPM chip for h/w data encryption and supports enterprise-class docking capabilities.
The Revolve is scheduled to be launched in March 2013, and no pricing has been announced yet, but you can expect it to start at a similar price point to what the 2760p started at, which was $1,100.
The ElitePad 900 is HP's third (or fourth, if you count the TouchPad) attempt at a business-grade Windows tablet, after the poorly received Slate 500 and Slate 2 Windows 7 tablets. With the ElitePad 900, HP is using Intel's 1.8GHz Z2760 dual-core CPU, running Windows 8 Pro. It has a 10.1" multi-touch 1280 x 800 screen (that also supports pen input with the optional 'HP Executive Tablet Pen'), 2GB of RAM, and 64GB of eMMC SSD storage. Since it is part of HP's Elite range of business PC's, it is made from premium materials such as Gorilla Glass and machined aluminium for the casing, and weighs 1.5lbs and is 9.2mm thick. It has business-grade security features like full drive encryption.
While all the above specs are comparable to other Windows 8 Pro business tablets, such as the Dell Latitude 10 and Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2, the ElitePad 900 does have a few unique tricks up its sleeve to differentiate itself from the competition. The ElitePad can be docked with a separately sold 'Expansion Jacket' (which you can see in the video), that adds additional USB and connectivity options. You can also add an optional 'Jacket Battery' to the jacket to boosts the tablet's battery life from up to 10 hours to up to 18 hours (!!). The ElitePad is also self-serviceable by corporations enrolled in HP's Self Maintainer Program, where with a specialized tool the screen , that is held in place by magnets instead of screws, can be removed so the ElitePad can be upgraded and serviced.
The ElitePad 900 is expected to go on sale starting at $649.
