After much speculation and assurances that the mistakes of the Palm acquisition won’t be repeated, Hewlett-Packard is once again trying its luck in the mobile space with two new phablets for Indian consumers. The company is looking to establish solid footing before venturing back into the more mature markets of North America and Europe, where intense competition from the likes of HTC leaves little room for newcomers.

Explaining the rationale behind the hybrids, Ron Coughlin, the senior vice president of HP’s Consumer Personal Systems, said that “consumers are looking to consolidate their phones and tablets, which is propelling the voice tablet market.” Microsoft is also targeting this segment with Windows Phone, but the software giant’s primary focus seems to be avoiding the competition. Nonetheless, Coughlin believes that “this is an exciting new category that represents a meaningful growth opportunity for HP.”

The two new models run Android 4.2, confirming that Hewlett-Packard is sticking with Google’s operating system rather than gambling on an emerging platform like the buzzed-about Firefox OS. Both feature the same unspecified quad-core processor and include 16GB of internal memory with a MicroSD card slot that can support an additional 32GB. The devices come with voice calling functionality built-in, a 2-megapixel front-facing camera for video communications and a 5-megapixel version with flash, plus a pair of stereo speakers.

The six inch HP Slate6 VoiceTab sports a 1280×720 IPS display while the HP Slate7 VoiceTab ships with a slightly bigger seven inch screen featuring a resolution of 1,280 by 800 pixels. Measuring nine millimeters thick, the Slate6 is half a millimeter thinner than its larger sibling. The phablets are expected to launch in February, but pricing has not yet been disclosed.

Image source HP