Tesco to launch own brand Tablet, known as the Hudl

Supermarket behemoth Tesco has today announced that it is to start selling its own tablet, known as the Hudl.

The device, a 7″ HD screened tablet is to ship with Android 4.2.2 (Jellybean), will sport a 1.5Ghz Quad-core CPU and will have 16GB onboard storage which will be expandable up to 48GB.

It will be available in blue, black, purple and red and will sell for £119 both instores and online.

The tablet will run what looks like stock android and will have access to the full suite of Google services.

Tesco will hope that the budget tablet will become a content delivery system providing access to their Clubcard TV service as well as the Blinkbox video and music streaming service that they acquired last year.

Tesco Chief Executive, Philip Clarke said

Hudl is a colourful, accessible tablet for the whole family to enjoy. The first stage in our tablet offering, it’s convenient, integrated and easy to use with no compromise on spec. Customers are quite rightly very discerning about the technology they buy so we knew we had to be competitive on all fronts.”

Being online is an increasingly essential part of family life and whilst tablets are on the rise, usage is still quite limited. We feel the time is right for Tesco to help widen tablet ownership and bring the fun, convenience and excitement of tablets to even more customers across the UK. The digital revolution should be for the many, not for the few.

The full specs are as follows:

7” 1440 x 900 HD screen
Android Jellybean 4.2.2
16GB storage which can be expanded to 48GB with microSD cards.
Quad-core 1.5GHZ processor
9 hours video battery life (Conditions may vary dependent on video format and content, audio volume, screen brightness and processor load)
Micro-HDMI port
Bluetooth 4.0, GPS
Dual band Wi-Fi for a more stable connection
Access to over a million apps via Google Play™
Comes in 4 colours: black, blue, red, purple
Wi-Fi only
Sleek, high-quality design, with a durable, matte, soft-touch back for better grip
Scratch resistant touch screen
‘Getting started’ app that offers tips and guidance

Show Press Release (488 More Words)

Tesco today launches Hudl, a new 7 inch HD tablet that aims to open up a world of entertainment and connectivity to all. It has been designed by Tesco for its 20 million customers and more, focusing on accessibility and convenience.

With super-fast 1.5GHz quad-core processor and dual-band Wi-Fi, users will find Hudl a great companion for their needs, from films, music and TV through to staying in touch, learning new things, shopping and playing games. The scratch-resistant HD display screen is beautifully clear and with 243 pixels per inch, it’s perfect for enjoying HD movies in 16:9 widescreen. It has up to 9 hour video battery life and 16GB of memory which can be extended to 48GB.

Hudl combines the best of Tesco with the Android Jellybean 4.2.2 operating system meaning that customers can access everything on Google and over a million apps.

Tesco designed and built the tablet from scratch, tailoring it around customer needs and ease of use. Hudl users can enjoy instant access to Tesco’s full range of digital services, all in one place, through a convenient, dedicated launcher button. These include blinkbox movies and TV, music and Clubcard TV (which offers free films and TV programmes exclusively for Clubcard holders), banking and of course shopping for groceries, clothing, homeware and more.

Hudl comes in four colours and will be available to buy in store and online (on Tesco.com and Tesco Direct sites) from 30 September and will retail at £119. Hudl is about making Tesco customers’ lives easier, so Tesco Clubcard holders will be able to buy it at an even better price. Hudl will be available on Clubcard Boost* where customers can double the value of their vouchers, meaning many will be able to buy it for less than £100.

According to OFCOM, three quarters of UK households do not have a tablet. Tesco’s research found that many feel that the technology is too expensive or intimidating. So Tesco has entered the market to change that.

Tesco Chief Executive, Philip Clarke, comments, “Hudl is a colourful, accessible tablet for the whole family to enjoy. The first stage in our tablet offering, it’s convenient, integrated and easy to use with no compromise on spec. Customers are quite rightly very discerning about the technology they buy so we knew we had to be competitive on all fronts.”

“Being online is an increasingly essential part of family life and whilst tablets are on the rise, usage is still quite limited. We feel the time is right for Tesco to help widen tablet ownership and bring the fun, convenience and excitement of tablets to even more customers across the UK. The digital revolution should be for the many, not for the few.”

The move is part of Tesco’s multichannel strategy, ensuring that customers can shop whenever, however and wherever they want. It recognises the increasingly important role that smart phones and tablets are playing in people’s lives and how they can make things easier.

Comments (12)

weirdstuff

Decent screen resolution for a ‘budget’ tablet…
Buggerlugs

This is a Tesco announcement written by a Tesco employee. Conflict of interest.
- Kurt House
  
  Not really. This is exactly the type of news I’d expect to get on this web site.
  
  Most if not all other tech sites I read have covered it as well. At least this way the information is probably accurate. Would it really have made any difference if Gears had just gotten someone else to post the story?
  
  Or maybe they should just not report stories of interest to their readers if anyone on the team works for anybody involved?
  
  Now if someone here worked for say, Spec Savers and there was a random article advertising that, I could see your point.
  - Buggerlugs
    
    Being paid by the companies doesn’t mean they’ll be more honest it means the likelihood of reporting negative news is reduced because they’ll probably be sacked from their real jobs.
    - Kurt House
      
      Who said anything about honesty? I don’t see any grounds here for questioning anyone’s moral standing. The article is mainly list of facts about specs, as per most of the others. I expect we’ll see more once people have had a chance to go hands on with the tablet. When it comes to opinions then you may have a point but I’m sure you will have plenty of other places to read reviews with opinions as well.
Bggerlugs

Simon is a Tesco employee. This is a conflict of interest. Don’t delete this, I’ve screenshotted
- Dave
  
  Wow you’ve really got it in for them.
  - Buggerlugs
    
    All I’m saying is the writers biased. Theyve got guys who get paid by the networks as well. I didnt know that until today either. I was quite shocked. Is this common knowledge?
    - Simpleton
      
      What’s going on? Is any of this true Gears?
      - Simon Allum
        
        Simpleton, its true that I am a Tesco employee. Its also true that we have writers who work for the networks.
        
        Regarding bias in the article, it is simply a news post, there is no opinion or recommendation in it.
        
        The guys who work for networks actually rarely / if at all post about their own network as we are acutely aware of conflicts of interest and is something that we discuss on a regular basis.
      - Simpleton
        
        Thanks for clearing that up Simon. Would be nice if you guys added this info on your bios, don’t you think? I think you all do a good job generally because when Gears has asked for contributors in the past I’m sure those who have complained about the site haven’t volunteered. I was just a bit surprised having followed this site from inception, I guess one has to survive.
- Simon Allum
  
  Please explain this conflict of interest? This is merely a post regarding the announcement, not a product review or recommendation. I’m not understanding your issue here.