HP Introduces New x2 Detachable PC Powered by Tegra 4

News
By
Published

HP has expanded its x2 detachable PC line with new Android and Windows 8 models.

13

Latest Videos FromTom's Hardware
Kevin Parrish
Kevin Parrish
Contributor

Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.

13 Comments Comment from the forums
  • cknobman
    Sooooooo do these things come with the base?
    If not $479 for an Android slate can kiss my nuts cause that is way too high.
    Reply
  • BringMeAnother
    Are they planning a refresh for when Haswell comes out? It's hard to get excited for an Ivy Bridge tablet when the new generation is coming out.
    Reply
  • damianrobertjones
    "HP Introduces New x2 Detachable PC Powered by Tegra 4"
    Why isn't the Windows 8 version mentioned in the title?
    Reply
  • mstavrev
    I wonder, why non of the major computer makers hasn't yet come up with a combined Windows/Android device. The idea I have is an ultrabook chassis build on Intel ivy bridge or haswell and a detachable display that is actually a fully functional Android tablet on its own. When the tablet is attached at the device you may have the option to use it as a display for the x86 machine build into the base, or use the keyboard and other I/O for the Android tablet.
    The devices can share the combined battery power when attached to each other.
    Reply
  • chumly
    I'm not paying $500 for a big phone with a keyboard dock.
    Reply
  • WithoutWeakness
    It looks like they come with the keyboards in the box according to HP's page. The Android version has a 1080p IPS screen. Tegra 4 should bring some solid graphics improvements over Tegra 3.
    Reply
  • burkhartmj
    10816357 said:
    I wonder, why non of the major computer makers hasn't yet come up with a combined Windows/Android device. The idea I have is an ultrabook chassis build on Intel ivy bridge or haswell and a detachable display that is actually a fully functional Android tablet on its own. When the tablet is attached at the device you may have the option to use it as a display for the x86 machine build into the base, or use the keyboard and other I/O for the Android tablet.
    The devices can share the combined battery power when attached to each other.

    I guess if you're using Win7 this would make sense, but Win8 is perfectly at home in either form factor so Android would be kind of redundant and limited in its function compared to a full Win8 intel machine. I have the HP Envy x2 that these will be accompanying in the x2 line, and even on an Atom Z2760 it is a pretty snappy device since Win8 runs so light.

    Can't speak for everyone, but for me Android feels odd on a large tablet. It's my OS of choice for phone and it works great on smaller tablets, but Win8 is much better in my experience for larger tablets .
    Reply
  • vmem
    hmm, tegra 4, I want to see battery life tests on this thing... especially compared to haswell products coming soon
    Reply
  • goodguy713
    10816357 said:
    I wonder, why non of the major computer makers hasn't yet come up with a combined Windows/Android device. The idea I have is an ultrabook chassis build on Intel ivy bridge or haswell and a detachable display that is actually a fully functional Android tablet on its own. When the tablet is attached at the device you may have the option to use it as a display for the x86 machine build into the base, or use the keyboard and other I/O for the Android tablet.
    The devices can share the combined battery power when attached to each other.

    That's because android is not ported to intel processors there might be an emulator but its mostly modified and designed to be used on ARM processors like the ones samsong and qualcom make.
    Reply
  • epobirs
    Actually, Android is available on x86. Intel has invested a fair bit in getting people to make use of it, especially in phones and low-end tablets. See http://software.intel.com/en-us/android for more info. When Intel talks about $200 notebooks, they mean running Android.
    Since most Android coding isn't done in a processor specific way, porting apps can be a pretty straightforward task. Stuff like Blue Stacks already does pretty well at running existing Android apps on higher powered x86 systems. But as for doing a system that runs both Android and Windows, well, they already exist. Sort of. Those machines with an instant-on mode for letting you check messages and other basic tasks in a minimal way usually use something based on a minimized Linux kernel to do the job.
    Providing a full on Android system, though, is increasingly pointless. Intel and Microsoft are moving to give portables that same capability with Windows alone. Throw in the previously mentioned Blue Stacks for accessing the Android library and becomes increasingly hard to make a case for a full on Android/Windows box. Far too many consumers would just say 'Why?' instead of 'I want!'
    Reply