Images out of FCC have revealed a tablet in development by HP, variously called HP Zeen and HP eStation Zeen. Speculation has it that the tablet will be e-reader focused, and will run the Android 2.1 operating system, with some HP customization. This is a step that most of the industry didn’t predict, after Todd Bradley – HP’s VP for Personal Systems Group – openly relegated the Windows version of HP Slate to the enterprise/corporate sector, and dismissed Android and Windows Mobile as HP’s future mobile platforms.
The Zeen will apparently also be able to connect to certain HP printer, acting as its interface, without requiring a computer as an intermediary. Other rumoured specifications include capacitive touch buttons, video support, webcam, and an SD card slot. As an e-reader, the Zeen will supposedly feature a tie-up with the Barnes & Noble bookstore and ecosystem, similar to the Android-based Nook, with the major difference being the ability to print e-books in addition. Anything could happen it seems, and webOS is still a possibility as the Zeen’s OS. However, if numerous sources are to be believed and the Barnes & Noble e-book ecosystem is truly what HP desires, then Android 2.1 (and very possibly 2.2 by launch) certainly looks like a good choice as an operating system.
As for pricing, not much is known for now, except the possible price of a Zeen Zeus printer bundle (the Zeus being the above speculated Zeen-supporting printer, featuring a basic interface that’s meant to work in conjunction with the Zeen) pegged at $399. Standalone prices are still unknown.
We’ve all been wondering about how exactly HP plans to use Palm and its webOS technology for a while now. Recent statements revealed that HP would definitely use webOS for its future phones, vehemently disregarding Windows Mobile (or Phone 7) and Android as possible platforms. However, this does not limit the application of webOS to just phones, and when we spoke with Raj Kumar Rishi about using webOS for web-&-touch-enabled printers, we were told anything is possible.
Well, now HP’s CTO, Shane Robison, has publicly praised webOS as a “modern, Web-oriented, connected operating system” which he believes will be a major component in many of his company’s future products. He went on to speak of how future web-connected printers will share a common webOS-based interface. That’s great, but doesn’t tie up with what we’ve heard about the Zeen! What about netbooks you wonder? Mr. Robison had an answer for that as well, one that will definitely appease the recently estranged Microsoft, saying that Windows will remain the primary platform for HP’s netbooks, as they’re “not trying to wreck the market we’ve already got.”