We just had a feeling that HP wasn't going to be able to keep quiet about the Slate while the
iPad hogged the limelight this weekend, and like clockwork it's released another rendered teaser video of its Windows 7-based tablet. Unfortunately, the clip reveals nothing about pricing or availability (though we have heard
rumors of June), but there are some exciting quick demos of the Slate's cam and video conferencing skills. Take that, iPad! We actually happen to be most interested in the brief glimpse you get at the touch UI -- the icon-based interface looks similar to past TouchSmart software and seems to hide Windows 7 quite well, but it's so obviously mocked up we can't get a real sense of how it'll work. It looks like you will be able to hook it up to a HDTV with some sort of dock and expand the storage space through an SD card slot, all of which makes sense given that it's running Windows. Unfortunately, that's really all you get, but see it all for yourself in the 30 second video after the break.
P.S.- Interestingly, the USB cable shown looks like it's from Apple, and it's being plugged into a Slate running iTunes, presumably to demonstrate that it can sync with iPod and iPhones. But now we're obviously just wondering what would happen if you synced an iPad with the Slate -- explosion? Confusion? Confusion explosion? We'll find out soon enough.
posted April 5th 2010 12:50PM
One thing I'll give apple least when they announce the iPad it was real. Come on HP give us the slate in real instead of the computer touch up stuff!
It supports Flash, and since it's Win 7, I can install iTunes for Windows and there you go, I have all my music and YouTube. And an inward facing CAMERA! And an outward facing one, too! And it has USB ports! And a card slot! Wow, THAT is what I wanted in the iPad, but no. What was Apple thinking not putting a camera and USB in?
Can't wait for the Slate.
@Slevine They were thinking why ad things that are useless on a tablet.
@DoctarPeppar
Windows Mobile do support Flash, USB HCI, etc though you still have a good point.
Soooo what exactly makes the slate any different from a touchscreen netbook? Outside of the few touch apps that HP will come up with you're still stuck running windows on a slow CPU/gpu and a tiny screen that also happens to be lower res than iPad. Oh did I mention that OS 4 will most likely be out by the time this thing launches? Total fail confirmed.
-typed on my iPad
@alex2792
Well a few things make it different from a touch screen netbook:
1. Rear facing camera
2. Smaller lighter and more portable than a netbook (1.5lbs)
3. Orientation sensor
4. HP Touchsmart software and apps
5. GPS
Other then that it is basically a touch screen netbook running Windows 7. Personally I don't see what is bad about that at all.
@alex2792
Oh and did I mention that 40 million netbooks were sold last year. People must really hate netbooks.
I thought the steel bezel design was patented by Apple?
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/03/30/apple_granted_ownership_of_iphone_steel_bezel_design.html
Seems to have nevertheless found a home on HP's prototype also...
stop the video! i dont even know if i want this or an ipad yet.... by the way anyone else see the hand puting in the sd card it looked so fake........
@techwhoregalore look if you want a giant iPhone, then get an iPad.. If you want an actual Slate Tablet Computer with a full blown Windows 7 OS, then the HP slate is for you. It kills the iPad in all specs.
@deepen03 its not the specs im concened about really its more about do i get windows 7(which i havent used yet) and then ill have to load it with expensive $300 and up software or the ipad which has deep apps that are worth spending like $20 autodesk makes good az software there app looks sweeet!!!!!!!
mark my words. the iPad is done when this thing comes out. unless someone mods the iPad to run MacOSX, the Slate will destroy it.
@deepen03
Just like the Motorola Droid was going to supposed to destroy the iPhone??
@bmc205 obviously not. I am a proud iPhone owner, and the DROID may have more features but it sucks compared to the iPhone. the droid feels like a cheap piece of plastic with a keyboard and touchscreen. but the HP Slate is something else. it has everything the iPad has, plus more.. it is the perfect complement to an iPhone. The iPad is just a giant iPhone or iPod Touch, aka a waste of a product. And don't get me wrong, it is a great idea, but it just doesn't sell for me. What apple should have done is ported Mac OSX to it and also give the IPhone OS built into that.
Like with the HP tablet, they have Windows 7, but they also have the HP touch software optimized for the tablet. so it basically has two OS's, which is great.
@deepen03 Your words are marked as an epic failure. Some news for you.It probably has been cancelled. http://techcrunch.com/2010/04/29/hewlett-packard-to-kill-windows-7-tablet-project/
Why does everyone think that the inclusion of USB ports is such a great thing? What do you plan to do with those USB ports? Attach a mouse and keyboard? Attach a printer and scanner? If you want to do that, what's the point of having such a portable device!? Your average user simply isn't going to use those USB ports.
In regards to the SD card slot...big whoop! How many devices do you have that use SD cards? I personally have one, my digital camera, which I personally would have no need to copy photos directly to a Slate/iPad device anyways. Maybe you have a phone that does too, but again, what are you going to want to get off that SD card that you can't more easily email to yourself or something like that. Again, I point out that an average user simply won't use an SD slot. Heck, I have an SD slot on my work laptop (Panasonic Toughbook) that I rarely use, and have only every used it because it was there, not because I had to.
This device will have it's place with people that want all those features, but most people out there want what the iPad provides: a simple, clean user interface and hardware.
@bmc205 so you want a simple clean interface of the iPad? its just a magnified ipod touch! you gotta be kidding me. the iPad is the biggest waste of technology. Apple has just brainwashed dumb Apple fanboys into buying their crap. And this is nothing against Apple. I am a proud iPhone owner and think that it is the greatest invention in human history.
But the iPad just isn't good enough for me. They should have put Mac OSX on it and everyone knows it. they took a shortcut by using an already known iPhone OS. Instead, the windows tablets take hard work to get a full-blown windows 7 OS.
@deepen03
The fact that I would agree that it is a big iPod Touch has nothing to do with whether the interface is clean and easy to use! As an iPhone owner/user, I would be really surprised if you would argue that it isn't. Regardless, so what if the iPad LOOKS like a big iPod Touch?? On the outside, it does, but on the inside it definitely has much better hardware driving it. That's no different than saying that a Mac Pro is a magnified Mac Mini!
At first, I was disappointed that the iPad was not run by OS X, or at least some stripped down version of it. The more I thought about it though, the more it made sense for Apple to run the device on the iPhone OS. Millions of people already know how to use it (many more than know OS X), it's simple, and on top of all that, it will run well on a small screen. Do you really want to use OS X on a
This is going to be mind blowing if it comes with the dock. No dock = uber fail on consumer likability. Buying more peripherals is a pain in the but, just throw the dock in HP, and everyone will love this to bitties, except the iCattle.
For god sake, launch this already!