As per the report, HP(NYSE:HPQ) has come up with a SlateBook PC that runs on the Android platform. The laptop will start at US$399 and be available in August.
The device boasts a 14-inch touchscreen and displays images at 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution. HP has added tools so Android apps will stretch out to the full 14-inch screen size. The SlateBook PC weighs about 1.7 kilograms, is 16 millimetres thick, has 64GB of storage, 2GB of memory, and a fully-charged battery can run for nine hours. The laptop runs on an Nvidia Tegra 4 processor, which is used in HP's SlateBook tablets. The Nvidia chip has 72 graphics cores and can handle 4K video playback.
HP chose Android over Chrome for its Slate 21 Pro all-in-one, partly because Android was heavily customizable as an open-source OS, while features in Chrome OS were controlled by Google. HP also said that Android was cheaper to implement than Chrome OS, which had to comply with specific hardware requirements.
Mike Nash, Vice-President, HP, said, “Both Chromebooks and the SlateBook PC are meant for those who do most of their computing on the Internet, but there are differences. Using a browser on the Android laptop isn't as good as on Chromebooks, which are more like desktops in that regard. But Android is used by millions of people and some want it on laptops.”
SlateBook will support applications such as Skype and printers better than Chrome OS.The laptop is expected to be showcased at Computex in Taipei.
