HP Officially Drops Plans For Android Phones and Tablets

In case HP’s acquisition of Palm and its critically acclaimed webOS software wasn’t enough of a hint, HP today went and spelled out the obvious: it will not be manufacturing any phones or tablets running the competing Android OS. (And no, the detachable tablet that comes with the Photosmart eStation doesn’t count, mostly because it was in development before the Palm acquisition.)

The decision isn’t surprising, particularly as HP already announced it had no plans to make a phone running Windows Phone 7. However, the company still plans to sell that slate that Steve Ballmer was waving around back at a CES in January. Albeit, only business customers will see that still-unnamed slate.

Meanwhile, it looks like we could soon see a webOS-based tablet. HP’s Jon Rubenstein, who was CEO of Palm before HP bought it, confirmed that we’ll see a webOS tablet in early 2011. And although HP hasn’t made any announcements, it did register the name PalmPad, and HP EVP Todd Bradley dropped the moniker in an earnings call. For now, we know it’s coming and that an HP Android tablet, well, isn’t. Carry on!