HP SlateBook x2: An Android Notebook With Sweet Tegra 4 Guts

On the heels of its very first Android tablet after a long affair with webOS, HP's just announced its second device running the Google operating system, and it's ushering in that Android notebook fad we've all heard whispers about. Enter the SlateBook x2, the first Tegra 4-powered, 10-inch Android convertible.

We only got to spend a little time with the SlateBook x2, but enough to see that everything ran plenty smooth on top of that supercharged quadcore Tegra 4 and the 1920 x 1200 IPS display was crisp and clear. Though having a keyboard sitting in front of your Android tablet is admittedly a little weird, but we could get used to it. Maybe.

Just like the Slate 7 tablet, HP's SlateBook x2 will be rocking an almost pure version of Android. Its Jelly Bean 4.2.2 base will be augmented with just a few extra apps, but some pretty useful ones like a file explorer, a text editor, and some stuff that HP hopes will help bridge the gap between tablet and notebook mode.

Squirreled away inside the keyboard base, there's a second battery to both help extend the battery life and weight down the otherwise top-heavy little rig. You'll also find a touchpad on there, so you aren't stuck with just touch in notepad mode. It weighs in at 2.8 pounds and has two USB ports with its dock in tow.

Alongside the SlateBook x2, HP is also rolling out the Split x2, a Windows 8 convertible. With its 1366 x 768, 13.3-inch IPS display, it's a bit bigger than its Android twin, and takes after last year's slightly smaller Envy x2. The tablet itself has an SSD, with an option for 500 GB more hard drive space in the keyboard, if you want it. And like the Envy x2, it's got Intel guts?your choice of a Core i3 or i5?but we're talking Ivy Bridge, for the first run anyway.

Both the convertibles are due out this August, with the SlateBook coming in at $480 and the Split at $800. HP's already jumped into the cheaper end of the Android pool with its budget $169 Slate 7, but the SlateBook x2 looks like that high-end HP tablet we heard rumors about. So who knows, maybe that phone is real too.

Source: http://gizmodo.com/hp-slatebook-x2-an-android-notebook-with-sweet-tegra-4-505963207

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