By After we figured HP was just about done with Android after their acquisition of Palm (which gave them full access to webOS and tons of neat software patents), rumors began swirling that those earlier suspicions were a tad bit preemptive and that HP still had plans to bring out an Android tablet. That tablet would be known as the HP Zeen C510 and Engadget‘s gotten first shots of what’s in store for anyone willing to buy.
The device was seen in China, apparently, but that’s irrelevant. (Sort of. Doesn’t HP do all of their bidding – manufacturing or otherwise – on American soil?) Anyway, what we see here is a heavily-customized Android experience – not surprising considering HP’s MO here. Before webOS, this was their goto OS (they dropped WinMo like a bad habit and didn’t look back) and they needed something to call their own.
The name of the UI is TouchSmart and it completely does away with the traditional home experience we’ve come to know and love on Android (yes, that means you can’t add your own widgets to the home screen). Some preloaded apps include Facebook, Yahoo apps (Daily Digest, Mail, and Messenger), a browser, HP’s gallery app, and an email client. Also on the home screen (and not surprising) is a Barnes & Noble recommendations widget – a confirmation that this will be aimed at the eBook lovers.
There’s also built in printing functionality with the same PhotoSmart eStation c510 printer we’ve heard of before, though we’re still not sure if you’ll be able to interface with other wireless printers. That won’t matter, however, as this device might not be getting boxed up all by its lonesome: it’s said HP dropped plans to provide the tablet separately in favor of a $399.99 C510 printer and tablet package. None of this is still confirmed, but Engadget was right the first time. I won’t doubt the possibility of them being right again.
and it will fail.
what’s with the cencoring on the photo?
Most likely private information that might lead to the tipster getting caught.
This will be bundled with the eStation printer for release this holiday season…I’m am a retail rep and we just received a brief overview of this in a training (though they didn’t have details like os version and such)…no plans to release it standalone…at least not yet…
i’m looking forward to seeing what HP comes out with. But the “slate” prototype was much better than this model. The name..sucks. its not easy to remember or conversate about. The use of Android but diablement of widgets weaken the offering further. The price point is horrendous. At that price, people will buy an iPad (printer included or not). Few people are going to buy a tablet with plans for heavy print use. I get it…it’s HP’s strength area, but they need to look at the market. Fit the solution to the need, not the need to the solution. Probably a fail.
Can’t add widgets? = DISQUALIFIED!
This article and other articles like this have the wrong story and are merely repeating the wrong story throughout the web.
I will tell you, with inside information, what this product is and what it does and why you need it… This product is a component of a printer. That is right. This is a printer that comes with a detachable LCD that also functions as a really basic cafe-web-surfing tablet.
This product is going to be the new step up from the inkjet HP Photosmart Touchsmart Web printer. The aforementioned printer already has various WebOS apps that allow reading the news and browsing snapfish right from the LCD panel. This new printer’s LCD is going to be bigger, android based, and detachable — which, if you ask me, is absolutely genius.
This is not meant to be a PC. This is not meant to be a desktop replacement or the future of computing. It is meant to be a web surfing tablet that you use in addition to or conjunction with a laptop and a desktop PC.
Read it and weep, apple fans.
Response to coder:
Also, responding to the idea that the name is terrible: Tablets are used for reading articles comparable to what you’d find in a magazine. magazeen. zeen. … Get it?
Response to chris:
The Slate is a product with tons of money spent in R&D with the hope of producing a viable WebOS. The WebOS idea for the slate was abandoned and they are just going to slap a hefty price tag and Windows 7 on it. Expect an unreasonably heavy price tag that attempts to recuperate the (wasted) money spent on experimenting with a custom OS… The slate will be nothing more than a touchscreen version of the HP Mini. In either case though, the Slate and Zeen will not be competing products. The Zeen is a websurfing-tablet printer while the slate is a tablet PC. Maybe that is hard to distinguish for some, but with the product in your hands you will totally understand the difference.
My husband and I just bought one and love it!
I LOVE MY ZEEN!!!! The main purpose of the Zeen is to surf the web and be able to print from anywhere. I bought mine to assist me in placing my customer orders as I received them. It works great!!! And to top it off it fits perfectly in my purse (very light) and even in my back pocket. Prints are beautiful!!!
OK. I bought the eStation which comes with the tablet. The tablet is quite heavy and thick (not sure what KRose is referring to but find it hard to believe it is a zeen) but certainly gives the impression it is well built. Response time of the zeen is sluggish. Also, limited options for personalizing apps and no way that I could find to remove the Barnes and Noble screen which takes up 1/2 of the screen. The AIO front panel is behind the zeen which is a bit inconvenient. Also, no options to adjust settings that I could find other than picking to photocopy in black/white or color. I paid $250 for my unit after reductions due to… a sale, coupon, and turning in an old printer. Otherwise, I would not have bought.