HP's 7-inch Android Tablet Now Available

HP has finally launched its 7-inch Android tablet, the HP Slate7, after first revealing the device back in February. The company said it would be an "affordable" Jelly Bean alternative, and HP hasn't backed off on that promise, offering the tablet now for $169.99 USD.

"To address the growing interest in tablets among consumers and businesses alike, HP will offer a range of form factors and leverage an array of operating systems," said Alberto Torres, senior vice president, Mobility Global Business Unit, HP. "Our new HP Slate7 on Android represents a compelling entry point for consumer tablets."

The low price point likely stems from the tablet's lack of proper internal storage: 8 GB. After Google eats up a chunk of that with Android 4.1 "Jelly Bean", users will have around 6 GB to play with. The search engine giant figured out that 8 GB simply wasn't selling the tablet, and HP may face the same issue. However the good news is that the Slate7 has a microSD card slot allowing for up to 32 GB of extra storage (and the Nexus 7 doesn't), so that rectifies the internal storage issue.

In addition to the storage, HP's new 7-inch Android tablet features a Rockchip RK3066 SoC packed with two ARM Cortex-A9 cores clocked at 1.6 GHz and four Mali 400 GPU cores clocked at 250 MHz. The chip is backed by 1 GB or RAM, Wireless N and Bluetooth 2.1 EDR connectivity, and a 3500mAh battery promising up to 5 hours of run time.

On the entertainment front, the tablet's 7-inch High-aperture-ratio Field Fringe Switching (HFFS) panel offers wide viewing angles, multi-touch capabilities and a default resolution of 1024 x 600. A VGA camera is mounted on the front and a 3MP camera on the back. There's also an accelerometer, and Beats Audio.

The tablet weighs 13.05 ounces and measures just 10.7-mm thin.

"HP will provide an array of simple and easy-to-access support tools and resources to help customers take full advantage of all of the features the HP Slate7 has to offer," the company said. "In addition to extensive phone and online support offerings included with the HP Slate7, HP is offering customers the opportunity to add to the standard product limited warranty with its HP Care Pack services. HP Slate7 customers will have the option to protect their investment with a two-year HP Care Pack for $29 or a two-year HP Care Pack with Accidental Damage Protection (ADP) for $49."

To purchase the HP Slate7, head here.