HP SlateBook x2 Tegra 4 tablet launched

After waiting for a few months, its finally here. HP‘s SlateBook x2 has appeared early in the company’s US sales website. The SlateBook x2 is HP’s entry into the Android convertible market that is currently dominated by ASUS.

Although listed as a “PC” with the model name HP SlateBook 10-h010nr x2 PC, the tablet is definitely an Android device. Running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, the SlateBook x2 is packaged with a decent set of specifications. It is powered by Nvidia’s latest Tegra 4 quad-core processor, a 16 GB SSD drive, and 2 GB of RAM. It also has a 1920×1200 resolution packed in a 10.1 inch display, giving it a rather impressive pixel density.

The SlateBook x2′s special feature, however, is a keyboard dock that magnetically attaches to the tablet, giving a full laptop-like experience. The keyboard also houses an additional battery that gives the device an extra dose of life for prolonged usage. This puts the SlateBook x2 head-to-head with ASUS’ Transformer line. Based on our hands-on test, the device is indeed quite competitive.

The SlateBook x2 was rumored to hit European markets this month, with a US release seen in late August. It seems that the US market is bound to get an early treat with this $479 convertible. The device is also set to launch in Japan on Monday.

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HP develops next-gen 3D mobile display, no glasses required 

HP has developed a 3D screen for mobile devices that requires no glasses, and will be revealed in the Scientific Journal Nature on March 28. 3D hasn’t caught on like electronic manufacturers would have hoped for, a big problem being that many users experience headaches.

Here is how this new screen from HP works: with traditional 3D mobile displays, the user has to be directly in front and center in order to see the effect. However, HP has created a way where you can still see a 3D effect with the display and user at as much as a 45 degree viewing angle.

To pull this new display off, HP is using nanotechnology which involves multiple circles with tiny grooves etched into the glass, allowing for up to 64 different points of view. The grooves bend light and allow the user to see two points at one time, one with each eye, creating the no-glasses 3D effect. There are no details on when this display will make its way to phones or tablets, but HP may finally have a nice 3D solution for future mobile devices.

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