‘Ecosystem’ was the word of the day as we went to Dublin’s Aviva Stadium to get an inside look (literally!) at HP’s new ElitePad 900 – a Windows 8 tablet for business customers with flexibility, security and reliability in mind.
The thin and light ElitePad 900 starts at less than 680g and is less than 10mm thick. Available with either Windows 8 or Windows 8 Pro, the tablet comes with a 1.5GHz dual-core Intel Atom processor coupled with Intel Graphics Media Accelerator, 2GB RAM, 32GB or 64GB storage, 1080p front-facing camera for video calls, 8MP rear camera with built-in flash, and NFC technology for quick connections with other devices.
The ElitePad’s 10-inch WXGA display has an aspect ratio of 16:10 – a viewing space that’s not geared towards multimedia consumption, but takes a more business-minded approach with maximum real estate for whatever you’re working on.
Along with the tablet itself, HP unveiled a full suite of accessories for the device, creating what it believes to be a complete ecosystem. As well as a Bluetooth keyboard, digitiser pen, docking station and a smart jacket that extends the device’s battery life, HP is also developing industry-specific software and hardware options – such as rugged cases and attachable straps – that have been tested for compatibility in various working environments.
A number of security solutions – such as HP Client Security HP BIOS Protection and Microsoft Defender – also come built into the ElitePad 900 and, again, the needs of particular industries have been taken into account. “For healthcare, that security is huge,” explained Ben Cranks, pre-sales technical consultant at HP. “The kind of sensitive information I’m going to have on my patients, I can’t afford to risk a device where I can’t prove certain security, or I can’t enable encryption or where manageability isn’t built in from the start.”
And, to ensure the ElitePad is kept in working order, HP is offering three years of next business day on-site repair. “Instead of taking the device away to a foreign repair centre and potentially leaving you without your device for two weeks, we can truly deliver next business day,” said Cranks. “It’s a key product differentiator. It’s not just that this is a device you can get your email on, it’s a device you can rely for years at a time.”
