HP Launches Raft of Mobile Devices Optimized for Enterprise Apps

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Hewlett-Packard this week unveiled a raft of mobile computing devices aimed squarely at enterprise IT organizations, including models designed specifically for health care, retail and education environments.

Michael Park, vice president and general manager for commercial mobility and software in the HP Business Personal Systems Group, says that HP tablets make use of Intel Core M processors and Snapdragon processors from Qualcomm to run Windows and Google Android operating systems that generate much less heat while still providing the horsepower needed to run enterprise applications.

The HP Elite x2 1011 G1 is an 11-inch convertible Ultrabook that runs Windows 8 on an Intel Core M processor, while the HP Pro Tablet 408 G1 is a standard 8-inch tablet based on an Intel Atom processor.

To run Google Android, HP introduced the HP Pro Slate 8 and HP Pro Slate 12 tablets. Those systems can be configured with HP Duet Pen, which HP says enables users to work with a Qualcomm Snapdragon digital pen on both a tablet and regular paper.

To make those systems more appealing in specific vertical industries, HP has created versions of these systems by modifying tablet sleeves and firmware to address specific use cases. The HP ElitePad 1000 G2 Healthcare Tablet, for example, features both a bar code reader and an antimicrobial screen.

The HP Retail Case for ElitePad provides two built-in cradle areas for mounting payment devices and the ability to dock to existing POS solutions. It also comes with both hand and shoulder straps.

Finally, HP also unveiled two ruggedized tablets, one designed for manufacturing environments and one for use in schools.

To make it simpler to manage all these devices, Park says all the HP systems can be managed via the recently launched HP Touchpoint Manager cloud service.

With more businesses than ever adopting a mobile-first attitude to their application environments, tablets that are specifically designed to handle use cases within those environments are likely to have a fair amount of appeal. After all, while interest in mobile computing may be high across all vertical industries, the people who work in different industries likely don’t have that much in common in terms of how they actually use those systems.