Looking like the previous version, Slate 2, featuring an 8.9- inch screen, is upgraded with Intel Atom Z670 processor to deliver faster boot times and improved battery life up to six hours, said HP.

　　It also has a Bluetooth keyboard dock and Swype keyboard which allows users to enter words by sliding a finger or stylus from letter to letter, lifting only between words.

　　The device will be available to customers worldwide for 699 U.S. dollars later this month, according to HP.

　　Slate 500, Slate 2's previous generation running Windows, was introduced last October and sold exclusively to businesses for 800 dollars upon launch.

　　HP said in a statement that the Slate 2 tablet provides instant deployment for business and vertical markets such as education, healthcare, government and retail, where jobs frequently take users away from a traditional desk.

　　The company on Thursday also announced HP 3115m, a new notebook PC targeting business, education and government customers. The notebook will be available in the Americas only next Friday with prices staring at 429 dollars.

　　HP's consumer-oriented tablet TouchPad was killed off in August before former chief executive officer Leo Apotheker resigned. A dropped price from 499 to 99.99 dollars has made the unpopular device sold out in stores across the U.S. and Canada in days.

　　Last Thursday, HP announced it will keep its PC business, saying it will build tablets running Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 system in 2012.