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Hewlett-Packard is bringing an Android-based all-in-one PC to the commercial space, part of a larger rollout of systems during the first day of the International Consumer Electronics Show 2014 in Las Vegas.
The Slate21 Pro AiO is part of HP’s larger strategy to offer a wider range of operating systems on their PCs and other devices. The company began looking at other OSes beyond Windows and Linux, and Android was a good option, according to Ann Lai, director of HP’s commercial displays business. The operating system is easy to use, and people were increasingly familiar with it through their use of Android-based smartphones and tablets, Lai told eWEEK.
HP has offered Android on consumer devices and now is moving it into the commercial realm, she said. The push is coming from workers, who continue to have a growing influence in driving other technology trends, including bring-your-own-device (BYOD).
“A lot of IT is being pulled by employees who want to use [such technologies as Android],” Lai said.
HP isn’t the only PC vendor with a new Android-based AiO: Lenovo unveiled its ThinkVision 28 AiO Android display, aimed at the consumer market.
The Slate21 Pro will come with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, which was released in July and offers a range of new developer and security features, including a guest user log-on and restricted user profiles that help IT departments control who gets access to certain apps. The system also can integrate with Android-based mobile devices via auto-syncing and Google Cloud Services, and users can gain access to manageability tools and more than 1 million apps through the Google Play app store. It runs local productivity apps, such as the Kingsoft Office Suite, and cloud-based apps, such as Google Docs, Google Drive and free 50GB of Box.com cloud storage.
The 21.5-inch Slate21 Pro, which will be available in March starting at $399, is powered by a quad-core Tegra 4 processor from Nvidia, offers 802.11 a/b/g/n dual-band wireless capabilities and comes with Citrix Systems support, including Citrix XenMobile4 preinstalled and virtual workspace capabilities with Receiver5. Video conferencing comes via an integrated high-definition 720p Webcam, microphone and speakers, as well as preinstalled collaboration tools like Google Hangouts, Skype and HP’s MyRoom8. The XenMobile technology enables companies to manage apps and secure the Slate21 within a corporate environment, according to HP officials.
Employees also can work on their Windows content by connecting a Windows PC to the Slate21 with an HDMI-in connection and included USB upstream cable, Lai said.
She said the Slate 21 Pro will be useful not only in office environments, but also in such verticals as education and health care as well as retail stores and kiosks.
HP also unveiled another AiO, Windows-based ProOne 400 G1, which not only gives SMBs productivity and security features, but also touch-screen capabilities. The HP 205 AiO is another Windows-based PC that can handle everyday computing tasks, according to company officials.
HP’s X1 G2 is an AiO workstation that includes a 27-inch display and comes with Windows 8 Touch and Intel’s Thunderbolt 2 connectivity technology.