By integrating the printer, HP could offer a tablet with stronger printing capabilities than Apple's iPad. That could make it easier to print pages from e-books, for example, King said.

The device could be tied to HP's plans to incorporate printing-by-e-mail capabilities, said Roger Kay, president of Endpoint Technologies. The company wants to give each printer its own e-mail address, and a document would be printed when sent to a printer's e-mail address. That capability should remove the need of drivers for printers, and make it easier for mobile devices to print documents.

The Zeen may also be one of the first portable devices based on WebOS, a mobile OS that HP acquired when it bought Palm earlier this year for US$1.2 billion, Kay said.

HP has said it wants to make tablets, printers and other Web-connected devices based on the WebOS. The company has already applied to trademark the term PalmPad, which could be used for a tablet based on WebOS.

It is also possible that the device will be based on the Android OS, which already has traction in the tablet space, King said. HP offers the Android OS in a low-cost Compaq AirLife laptop, which is sold only in certain countries in Europe.