After HP had a bit of a fire sale with its webOS-based TouchPad tablet last year, many folks snapped the device up in the hopes of loading up Android on the device, like the Cyanogenmod port that's currently available. However, new reports claim that HP is currently busy crafting an actual Android tablet of its own that could be announced soon.

Two sources speaking to ReadWrite claim that HP's Android tablet has been in the works since before last Thanksgiving and that the device will be powered by NVIDIA's quad-core Tegra 4 processor. The Verge has since chimed in on the report, saying that it's own tipster has confirmed that an HP Android tablet is coming, but that the details of the device are not yet concrete.

We haven't heard much about HP's mobile plans since it announced that it would be open-sourcing webOS. Creating an Android-powered tablet could be a good way to help HP to get its name back out in the mobile world, as Android is already a widely-used, established mobile OS and tablets are continuing to grow in popularity.

Considering HP's previous products and its recent silence in the mobile space, it'll definitely be interesting to see what kind of Android tablet that HP is putting together and how the company plans to attack the likes of the iPad and Samsung's Galaxy lineup, which are the two big names in the tablet market right now. If the device is indeed announced soon, it could be one of the first products to market with a Tegra 4 processor, which would likely help it to gain some attention from consumers.

Along with this tablet, ReadWrite claims that HP is "exploring" the possibility of releasing an Android-powered smartphone. HP CEO Meg Whitman recently said late in 2012 that we shouldn't expect any new smartphones from her company in 2013, and while it's not clear if the company actually plans on sticking by that statement, I wouldn't be surprised if HP tried to get a smartphone out quickly if its tablet did well enough. How many of you would be interested in an HP-made Android tablet or smartphone?

Via ReadWrite, The Verge