Will HP’s new effort fare better than their first attempt?
After a disastrous attempt to enter the highly competitive world of smartphones, HP is again looking to re-enter the smartphone market with two new devices – the Slate 6 and Slate 7 VoiceTab. Both devices can be safely categorized as phablets, as both have voice call capabilities despite having humungous displays. If you haven’t guessed already, the Slate 6 has a 6-inch display, while the Slate 7 VoiceTab gets a 7-inch display. HP is also launching the two devices in India first, not the US, which comes as a bit of a surprise. But according to HP VP for the consumer PC business, Ron Coughlin, the move makes sense given India’s growing appetite for smartphones.
“We see a need in India that we can meet,” Coughlin said, speaking to re/code. “Consumers are looking for a way to consolidate devices. We think there’s an opportunity to enter a growing market where there’s an unmet need.”
As far as specifications go, both devices will run on an unspecified quad-core processor and Android Jelly Bean, have 16GB of storage plus a microSD card slot. The Slate 6 will have a display resolution of 1,280 x 720 display, while the Slate 7 VoiceTab will get a slightly higher display at 1,280 x 800. A 5-megapixel camera will take care of the imaging department. HP has not said anything about pricing yet, though has promised that they will be released come February.
