News: British supermarket giant Tesco has followed up its Hudl device – one of the first "affordable" Android tablets – with a second model by product designers Chauhan Studio, which goes on sale today.
Chauhan Studio worked with Tesco's hardware product development team to design the Hudl2, which the supermarket says is "bigger, better, faster" than its predecessor whose popularity appeared to take Tesco by surprise, selling out twice within four months of launching.
"The [Hudl2] project was conceived by Tesco to deliver a truly holistic user experience, encompassing industrial design, an intuitive software experience and great, easy-to-use services, for a broad audience," said a statement from Chauhan Studio.
The new tablet retails at £129 or £65 for Tesco Clubcard customers and features an Intel Quad Core processor, Dolby sound and an 8.3-inch high-definition display – larger than the seven-inch screen of the first Hudl design launched last year.
Like the original, the first serious foray into tablet design from a brand more usually associated with food shopping and household products, Hudl2 runs on Google's Android operating system and features built-in Wi-Fi. The model offers two gigabytes of RAM and up to eight hours of battery life.
A range of colour options for the case, which has rounded edges and corners, include black, white, red, blue, orange, pink, purple and turquoise. A subtle pattern on the back is formed by the circular details of the camera and speaker.
"We wanted to create a beautiful object that conveyed confidence and communicated the Hudl2's technical acumen, whilst being friendly and accessible for a broad audience," said Chauhan Studio creative director Tej Chauhan. "Our goal was to create an object that people will want to pick up."
Also integrated is Tesco's Blinkbox entertainment service, which allows users to rent or buy books, movies and music.
The product launches in Tesco stores across the UK and online today, along with a range of specially designed accessories like cases, screen protectors, headphones and a stylus.