Close Menu
TechCentralTechCentral

    Subscribe to the newsletter

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube LinkedIn
    WhatsApp Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentralTechCentral
    • News

      South Africa begins complex job of overhauling media laws

      13 July 2025

      Nvidia CEO to hold high-stakes media briefing in Beijing

      13 July 2025

      Blue Label Telecoms to change its name as restructuring gathers pace

      11 July 2025

      Get your ID delivered like pizza – home affairs’ latest digital shake-up

      11 July 2025

      EFF vows to stop Starlink from launching in South Africa

      11 July 2025
    • World

      Grok 4 arrives with bold claims and fresh controversy

      10 July 2025

      Bitcoin pushes higher into record territory

      10 July 2025

      Cupertino vs Brussels: Apple challenges Big Tech crackdown

      7 July 2025

      Grammarly acquires e-mail start-up Superhuman

      1 July 2025

      Apple considers ditching its own AI in Siri overhaul

      1 July 2025
    • In-depth

      Siemens is battling Big Tech for AI supremacy in factories

      24 June 2025

      The algorithm will sing now: why musicians should be worried about AI

      20 June 2025

      Meta bets $72-billion on AI – and investors love it

      17 June 2025

      MultiChoice may unbundle SuperSport from DStv

      12 June 2025

      Grok promised bias-free chat. Then came the edits

      2 June 2025
    • TCS

      TCS+ | MVNX on the opportunities in South Africa’s booming MVNO market

      11 July 2025

      TCS | Connecting Saffas – Renier Lombard on The Lekker Network

      7 July 2025

      TechCentral Nexus S0E4: Takealot’s big Post Office jobs plan

      4 July 2025

      TCS | Tech, townships and tenacity: Spar’s plan to win with Spar2U

      3 July 2025

      TCS+ | First Distribution on the latest and greatest cloud technologies

      27 June 2025
    • Opinion

      In defence of equity alternatives for BEE

      30 June 2025

      E-commerce in ICT distribution: enabler or disruptor?

      30 June 2025

      South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

      17 June 2025

      AI and the future of ICT distribution

      16 June 2025

      Singapore soared – why can’t we? Lessons South Africa refuses to learn

      13 June 2025
    • Company Hubs
      • Africa Data Centres
      • AfriGIS
      • Altron Digital Business
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Altron Group
      • Arctic Wolf
      • AvertITD
      • Braintree
      • CallMiner
      • CambriLearn
      • CYBER1 Solutions
      • Digicloud Africa
      • Digimune
      • Domains.co.za
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • Incredible Business
      • iONLINE
      • Iris Network Systems
      • LSD Open
      • NEC XON
      • Network Platforms
      • Next DLP
      • Ovations
      • Paracon
      • Paratus
      • Q-KON
      • SevenC
      • SkyWire
      • Solid8 Technologies
      • Telit Cinterion
      • Tenable
      • Vertiv
      • Videri Digital
      • Wipro
      • Workday
    • Sections
      • AI and machine learning
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud services
      • Contact centres and CX
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Electronics and hardware
      • Energy and sustainability
      • Enterprise software
      • Fintech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Lifestyle
      • Motoring
      • Public sector
      • Retail and e-commerce
      • Science
      • SMEs and start-ups
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
    • Events
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home » Gadgets & Reviews » HP ElitePad 900: not quite the business

    HP ElitePad 900: not quite the business

    By Craig Wilson23 May 2013
    Twitter LinkedIn Facebook WhatsApp Email Telegram Copy Link
    News Alerts
    WhatsApp

    Elitepad-640

    Tablet computers running full versions of Windows 8 were, at least according to Microsoft, meant to provide the portable computing power business users demand. Unfortunately, Hewlett-Packard’s Elitepad 900 fails to live up to that promise because of a lack of processing clout, a hefty price tag and the need for “optional accessories” if you want USB ports, a card reader or an HDMI port.

    The ElitePad 900’s aluminium-clad rear, Corning Gorilla Glass screen and physical buttons all suggest it’s a premium device. Any doubts about its positioning at the top-end of the market are removed by its eye-watering local price tag of R11 999. And then you’re going to have to fork out a little more to get the full functionality of this 10-inch tablet.

    Aside from a poor proprietary connector in the middle of the bottom of the tablet, the only ports on the ElitePad 900 are the Sim and microSD slots hidden beneath an aluminium panel on the right-hand side. An adaptor that converts the proprietary connection into a USB port is included, but it’s baffling why HP took this route rather than simply building a dedicated USB port on the tablet itself as Microsoft has done with its Surface range.

    In order to rectify this shortcoming, HP has released a range of “smart jackets” — cases that include two USB ports, an HDMI port and a MMC/SD card reader slot. As pleasing as the added ports are, not only do the jackets make the tablet larger, they necessitate forking out even more money — at least another grand.

    An HP Elitepad expansion jacket
    An HP ElitePad expansion jacket

    For something that’s meant to be a dedicated, top-end business tool, the ElitePad 900 could have done with a little more time on the drawing board.

    If you don’t demand much of its 1,8GHz Atom processor, the ElitePad 900 is great. Performance is speedy, despite the “Windows Experience rating” of just 3.3, and it’s certainly novel having the full Windows 8 Pro — complete with a full desktop — on a tablet. The problem is with its crummy specifications and limited on-board storage (32GB, of which 25GB is usable), any hopes of running processor intensive applications or replacing one’s laptop with the ElitePad are misplaced.

    On the core specifications front, the ElitePad 900 fares tolerably well against the competition. The 8-megapixel rear-facing camera and 1080p front-facing one are excellent, the 1 280×800-pixel resolution display is bright — albeit lower resolution than we’ve been conditioned to expect from contemporary slates — and the stereo speakers on the bottom of the device make for better sound than the single speakers many rivals opt for.

    On paper, the HP ElitePad 900 isn’t intended to compete with Apple’s iPad or Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 but rather to fill the enterprise-shaped gap in the market HP is suggesting exists.

    The argument goes something like this: only a Windows 8-powered tablet can run the sort of software used in the modern workplace and properly mimic the desktop experience.

    Elitepad-front-640

    There are two flaws in this line of reasoning. The first is that the ElitePad 900 doesn’t have the processing power to handle full-blown desktop applications anyway, and the second is business users on iPads and Android tablets seem to get by quite happily.

    There’s no doubt Windows-powered tablet computers will continue improving, and there will be those for whom the option to run Microsoft Excel is an imperative, but the only people we can envision using the ElitePad 900 are those upon whom it is foisted.

    Why anyone would buy the HP ElitePad 900 instead of a laptop is beyond us, particularly given the additional outlay on accessories required to make an already costly device a meaningfully useful one. And for those wanting a tablet with USB ports, there are plenty of alternatives.  — (c) 2013 NewsCentral Media



    Elitepad 900 Elitepad 900 review Hewlett-Packard HP HP Elitepad 900 HP Elitepad 900 review
    Subscribe to TechCentral Subscribe to TechCentral
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email Copy Link
    Previous ArticleGSMA chooses Kenya for Africa office
    Next Article Smart ID cards here in July

    Related Posts

    Datacentrix Showcase 2024: journey into the future of technology and sustainability

    1 August 2024

    Apple sees big jump in Mac shipments

    10 July 2024

    TCS+ | Yesh Surjoodeen on HP’s Amplify Partner Program

    26 June 2024
    Company News

    $125-trillion traded: Binance redefines global finance in just eight years

    11 July 2025

    NEC XON welcomes HPE acquisition of Juniper Networks

    11 July 2025

    LTE Cat 1 vs Cat 1 bis – what’s the difference?

    11 July 2025
    Opinion

    In defence of equity alternatives for BEE

    30 June 2025

    E-commerce in ICT distribution: enabler or disruptor?

    30 June 2025

    South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

    17 June 2025

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    © 2009 - 2025 NewsCentral Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.