It shouldn't be any surprise that the
HP Slate supports Flash, since it runs Windows 7, but we've seen so little of the device since Steve Ballmer first waved it around at CES that we're still totally intrigued by this video from Adobe showing it in action. Yep, there it is, playing video, running casual Flash games, and using AIR applications. We also get a quick shot of the on-screen keyboard, which looks like a mildly tweaked version of the standard Windows 7 keyboard. We can't say until we use it, but it certainly doesn't look like it'll be fun to type on. Interestingly, Flash is said to be hardware-accelerated on the Slate, which suggests something other than a bone-stock Atom setup in there -- we'd guess it's an Atom plus a
Broadcom Crystal HD Accelerator, but there's a chance it's something else entirely. HP's also posted up a new marketing video, which bears a striking resemblance to
last night's iPad commercial -- until the end, which frankly makes no sense. Check 'em both after the break.
[Thanks, Rick]
posted March 8th 2010 1:18PM
Looks nice, but give me a Dell Mini 5, and I'm set!
We'll see what consumers want. Do they want a full-fledged, almost limitless, experience, or do they want simplified and extremely limited experience.
that commercial was a bad attempt at being apple esque.
In the second video, at about 0:07, you can see that it was running XP (either that, or I REALLY don't know what Windows 7 Starter looks like), but...why?
My bet is that this device disappears into obscurity along with all other Tablet PCs. The concept of a desktop OS running on a touchscreen tablet device is utterly flawed and I am amazed that HP is trying this again. There is nothing here that is different to what has come before so why they think that this device will suddenly catch people's attention is quite beyond me.
While I remain a firm advocate of the iPad, I do not see this as the only device that can succeed in this category. The Microsoft Courier looks very promising and I see no reason why an Android tablet could work if Android itself stops fragmenting. What is important is that the hardware, OS and applications running on it must be designed for touch and only touch.
@Kelmon Its a shame that they people in big corporations are running the design efforts.. and HP is so conservative, they still haven't figured out what young people want from a Slate.. is not like its that hard to figure out.. a real UI like the phones.. but powerful like computers, but flexible like portable and connected.. and slick looking.. and light weight.. not some boxy rectangle with cheap hardware with outdated software.. I cannot click on some stupid little zuneHD back button to switch screens.. I mean we have large fingers, they better figure that out fast otherwise, FAIL.
3 words, iPad, JooJoo, WP7S.. thats the direction we all need to be going in for UI.
@cuz84d forgot to mention Zune 4 software which it looks like the UI design would make for a great desktop OS UI replacement..
also see Boxee, Miro, Fav4.org, Tivo, Internet TV.. I mean these people are at least innovating in the UI/app launching space.
@pachi72
But it is crippled - some muppet decided that Windows 7 would be a good OS to run on it. The Windows 7 OS may indeed be the best desktop OS but it is a terrible idea for a tablet device because none of the applications running on it will be designed for either touch or the device itself. This isn't rocket science.
The HP Slate is a geeks wet dream come true.
Full blown desktop OS running on a small screen.
Come to think of it, the smaller screen Dell mini 5 might even be more lust worthy as it hasan even smaller screen.
Who care if you need a magnifying glass to see the micro sized window buttons?
Wow. Blows the iPad into the ground! Nice job HP and Flash!
It'd be nice if this was a real demo and not a simulation! (nicely done though unlike "the courier" video.)
Sweet!
http://www.wergadgets.com/
Oh! So much for rejecting iPad on the first place for being "not good enough", now they are trying to reproduce this "not good enough" :-)
So nice, I start that HP actually means "how pathetic"...
I don't understand really why there are so much hate against the HP Slate, or the Apple iPad, or whatever product we are talking about. Guys, we should be all really happy that these big companies have entered in the slate-form-factor tablet market... if you just look at both of them without any fanboysm, you'll see both have their advantages and drawbacks. We can still try to see which one is better, but to hope one of the two will fail because you just hate that company or you are just a fanboy is simply crazy. Grow up guys, enjoy the free world and freedom of choices!
I think the target market for these products is different. iPad is a consumer device, that type you are going to use for seeing movies, listen to your music, gaming, surfing on internet, watching your emails at home and sometimes on the go (but for that I still think a smartphone is a more comfortable and easy-to-carry device).
Ok, about Internet surfing you'll have some shortcomings due to absence of flash, but a lot of will not give so much importance to that.
Not everyone is going to use an iPad to watch Hulu (just think that outside US, you cannot even use Hulu, unless you don't have a specific vpn account).. and for playing games the iStore is still a better solution rather than flash based solution. Sure, there will be also a lot that will give up on iPad due to the flash problem, just because flash lacking is a bigger problem on a device like this one, that should be a total alternative to your home pc for net navigation, rather than on a phone where the screen is so small that you just use it as temporary mobile internet browser and if you miss a page you can still go home and look it on your main pc.
Anyway, a touch optimized phone OS solution with closed store ecosystem is the better solution for a media consuming device. Because it's easy, simple, so stupid that everyone can use it without problems.
So if the Slate is going to present itself as a media consumer device only, will loose against iPad. A real competitor in that market is the Adam from Notion Ink, that use Android as an OS, with almost the same advantages you have on the iPad OS. Plus you have a better hardware. The point is just to see how good will be the Android OS implementation and optimization made by Notion Ink. Sadly, even if the Adam could be better than iPad, will not outsell it, just because Notion Ink cannot face the Apple war-machine-marketing department.
Ok, so I said the Slate will fail in media consumer target, but it's a complete different situation when you come to a business market. Here, the advantages of iPad (closed system, simple phone OS) become shortcomings. I know a lot of you think that if you need a business software, then there will be just a programmer of software house that will make an app for that. But that's not so easy.
you cannot just think that some dude will make an application such as Office (ok you have iworks on iPad, but Office is another beast, if you are using it seriously) or Photoshop, or Lightroom and so on. I know, on a slate PC all these programs will run probably slow, but they WILL RUN. So that if you really need to make something with them, let's say in the middle of a presentation, or while on the go, you still can do it.
Also, to be really productive, you'll need a lot of hardware ports like USB, BT, HDMI... to connects usb keys, hardisk, cameras, projector systems and so on, maybe together sometimes.
So honestly, the iPad will not make (at least as it has been made now) a big difference in business departments. Yes, it will sell something also there, but not so much, just like the Slate will not sell so much against iPad in consumer area.
Some will think that you don't need really a business slate because there are laptops. But laptops are not so easy to carry like a slate, also battery cannot be compared, they are not touch devices except for tablet PC, but the first two shortcomings are still there anyway. Also on a slate you don't need all that power you have on real laptop, just because you'll use it for simple productivity on the go, to show something during a meeting and so on.. so the price can be lower (and price is also one of the main reason why tablet PC did not spread in the past in business market).
About the Courier, all we know it's a concept, that maybe will arrive someday to the market (at least looks like now, considering the last news). Courier is a totally different product. It's a pure productivity device, made so you can just throw away your moleskine. It's targeted to business and education field only in my opinion. If it will have some multimedia features, there will be secondary and most of the people will buy it for its journal style rather than for consumer aspects. But, as I said, this is still just a concept and I can just hope it will come someday on the market..
P.S. and sorry for my english, just improving :P
@zenith601
You make some good points.
The HP Slate needs to define its target market correctly in it's marketing campaign.
Sadly, I feel there has been too many business user aimed tablets before it, so I'm not sure how this one will succeed where the others have failed. I certainly don't see a compelling reason to purchase one at the moment.
I swear a drip of water falls on the HP Slate at 0:35
Do people really need to run a full blown OS on a small tablet device (geeks excluded of course).
The geeks think running a full blown OS on a tablet is awesome which in real speak means it is going to probably fail. Geeks don't care about usability and practicality.
Your regular consumer emails, looks at photos, chats, internet, light email, and music and video watching. They don't give a crap about geeky command line and running Linux and all that juicy geek crap.
@SCXFAN
you're right, but you forget there are also other things you can do with a tablet/slate rather than acting as a consumer. If you want just consuming media, then an iPad or Android tablet is perfect. If you want a productivity device, a full OS is a better choice, even if it comes obviously with some shortcomings.
@zenith601
Well, we don't know what all the iPad is going to offer.
There is the rather impressive iWorks Suite.
I think there will be some pretty good drawing applications.
There will certainly quite a bit more feature rich applications that will be able to be done with the iPad in comparison to the iPhone/Touch.
Too many people call it a large iPhone, the geeks in particular.
Lets wait for it to be out for a few months then draw a conclusion.
Then there is also iPhone/iPad OS 4.0 on the horizon.
MIGHT get even more interesting then.
@zenith601
Without innovation it's hard to consider being productive on anything other than a proper desktop / laptop with a decent keyboard and mouse and perhaps a decent sized display depending on your uses.
Where is the compelling reason to by a netbook without the keyboard which is what tablets essentially are?. Especially so given that netbooks aren't meant to be productivity devices.
N900!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"HP's also posted up a new marketing video, which bears a striking resemblance to last night's iPad commercial -- until the end, which frankly makes no sense"
Hey Nilay, it's only you and other Apple zombies that have a hard time making sense out of it. You've been sucking Apples tit too long and the tech is now over your head.
If it's anything close to the TX or TM series just kill yourself now.
@leykis101 PLEASE THINK BEFORE SPEAKING.... THAT IS ALL....
@leykis101 Lets think about this
EVERY COMPUTER IN EXISTENCE = USB PORT
EVERY CELL PHONE IN EXISTENCE = 0 FLASH SUPPORT
You think that it wont make a diffirence that someone is shopping for a laptop/netbook/computer replacement and it doesnt have a USB PORT?... right....
And you compare the lack of flash on the iPad (a tablet) to the lack of flash on the iPhone A CELL PHONE..... none of which have flash yet whatsoever....
SO YES... people shopping for a COMPUTER (that can handle, and is normally expected to handle flash by 95% of the population) will expect, and be dissapointed by, The lack of a USB port on the iPad... AND im 100% sure there will be many people who buy the iPad only to be saddened when they see Blue lego blocks on every site they go to... although im sure people looking for a media playing, app using, ebook reader, will 100% buy it.
what you just said is like saying "WELL PEOPLE BOUGHT THE ORIGINAL iPhone and IT DIDNT HAVE A USB PORT!"..... thats.....because..... ITS A PHONE!... people dont have expectations for their cell phones to run flash and play farmville on facebook.... they DO for 10" computer replacements that's main pull is browsing the web.
The only question I have is... can it run crysis???
i still do not see the purpose of these pads othe than media, music and internet browsing. if they work with wacom and bring touch to this, its gonna be photoshop heaven. Im waiting for the real thing which is the courier.