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I've said it dozens of times, but I'll say it again: there aren't enough eight-inch Android tablets. When the iPad Mini was announced, I assumed more manufacturers would jump on the form factor, but nope â there still aren't that many. Needless to say, when HP announced the Slate8 Pro, I was intrigued. It's an 8-inch tablet with a 4:3 aspect ratio, which treads directly on the iPad Mini's territory. Of course, we have to be realistic here â it's an HP tablet, and so far there hasn't been anything really remarkable coming from them.Still, I kept an open mind when I cracked the box open. The 4:3 aspect ratio is surprisingly refreshing and not at all difficult to adjust to. In fact, I believe I prefer it over 16:9. The build quality looked good, and the snow white back was a breath of fresh air for an HP tablet. It looks really good. Classy.Of course, the real test is using it. So I did that for a few weeks. I initially really liked the device, but then discovered one fatal flaw.[reviewupdate]
HP's efforts in the Android tablet space haven't been all that inspiring so far, but they're hoping to change that with the late 2013 line. If you've been waiting on the HP Slate 8 Pro or the Slate 7 Extreme, it looks like Best Buy is the first American retailer to get its hands on the new tablets. You can pick them up for 9.99 and 9.99, respectively.
To put it simply, HP isn't the most sought-after name in the tablet game. The company's first real Android tablet, the Slate 7, didn't work out quite like expected, while the recently-released Slatebook x2 managed to miss the mark when it came to the display. They say the third time's a charm, so HP decided to go all out with its third tablet announcement and drop four new Android-powered device on the world. Say hello to the Slate7 HD, Slate10 HD, Slate8 Pro, and the most notable of the bunch (no pun intended), the Slate 7 Extreme.