Report: HP Plans To Make Android-Based Tablet, Smartphone

Android-based tablets would be an extension of HP's growing relationship with Google. Earlier this month, HP announced its first laptop based on the Google Chrome operating system, the HP Pavilion 14 Chromebook, which offers a 14-inch screen and starts at $329.99, according to HP.

According to ReadWrite, HP's Android tablet will be powered by an Nvidia Tegra 4 chip, and the company is also exploring the launch of an Android-powered smartphone.

[Related: Smartphone Invasion: Texting Scams, Spam, Phishing Are Tops ]

HP declined to comment on the report.

HP CEO Meg Whtiman told CRN last fall that she did not expect the company to release a smartphone until at least 2014 but that HP would be a major force in the tablet and mobile PC markets.

HP wouldn't be the first vendor to market an Android tablet, but the company's market share and PC dominance could make it an instant competitor.

The tablet world is heating up in general as new Windows 8 and Windows RT devices also hit the market vying for customer mindshare.

PUBLISHED FEB. 15, 2013