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HP's new Android tablets land a little late, but with budget prices intact
Hewlett Packard's Slate line of Android tablets just barely missed their November deadline for retail launch. The company's latest take on tabs are finally here, however, and all you have to do is head over to its product page to order one. There, you'll find the seven-inch Slate7 Plus and Slate7 Extreme going for $150 and $200 respectively, while the eight-inch Slate8 Pro is $330. Why the differences in price? Well, the Slate7 Plus gets by with an NVIDIA Tegra 3 powerplant and a paltry 8GB of storage, while the Slate7 Extreme packs Tegra 4 silicon and 16GB inside. Naturally, the Pro provides extra screen real estate plus the same Tegra 4 and 16GB of internal storage. The extreme 7-incher is already out of stock, though, so you might want to jump on the other two lest those follow suit.
Is HP showing the Slate 8 in its latest commercial? (video)
HP has acknowledged that it's been working on a Windows 8 tablet; it just hasn't mentioned whether or not the rumored Slate 8 is part of its plans. Imagine our surprise, then, when we're told that HP's 60-second "Make It Matter" commercial ends with an unannounced yet familiar-looking tablet right at the 56-second mark. There's only a fleeting glimpse, but it shows a metallic-looking body with a large black antenna window -- the combination of which would fit in with the Slate 8's purported aesthetics. We've asked HP whether or not this is a clever teaser for a real product or just as conceptual as the rest of the ad, and we'll let you know if we hear back on the subject. In the meantime, you can inspect the video evidence for yourself after the break. [Thanks, Brian]
Visualized: the HP Slate's new job
Wondering where your HP Slate has been all these weeks since you ordered it? Well, at least one of those precious Windows 7 tablets has taken a little detour from its supposedly enterprise-centric destiny to make a cameo appearance... as a dashboard infotainment system. HP, in its inimitable wisdom, has decided to grace the opening of its Vancouver store last month with a customized GMC Yukon Denali truck, which is where we find the company's Slate casually showing off its Acrobat Reader and other big boy OS advantages. We wouldn't really say embedding the Slate into your dash is the worst idea in the world, though the rest of the characterful customizations to this Denali just might be. [Thanks, lmwong]
HP Slate orders still delayed, still blaming 'high volume of orders'
Oh sure, it looks like some glorious Palm / HP Web OS tablets are headed our way (even if we are hearing it won't be until late summer / early fall), but you know what has been supposedly headed our way for over two months now? The HP Slate 500. Yep, HP's seemingly-abandoned Windows 7 tablet is still suffering from major delays, and according to our sources and an HP customer support rep, a "material shortage" combined with a "high volume of orders" are causing these tablets to be held up. We don't have any real details on the numbers -- although, last month we had heard they received about 9,000 orders thus far -- but we do know that our very own HP Slate, which we ordered back on November 9th, still hasn't shipped and is now slated to ship out on January 22nd. And we're definitely not the only ones still patiently waiting -- a look through the TabletPC Review forums reveals that a number of irate customers are still longing for their 8.9-inch, Atom-powered tablets -- although, many of them were offered a $100 discount in exchange for not having their tablets in time for the holidays. We've reached out to HP for further comment on this, but in the meantime, we'll be refreshing our account page and hoping our Slate finally ships out before the end of the month or, you know, at least before HP starts announcing new ones in early February.
Three HP Slate-like webOS tablets coming at CES? We're not so sure.
Well, this is certainly an interesting, if not bewildering rumor. Obviously, we've heard that HP is working on webOS tablets for 2011 -- it's planning to double down on Palm OS, remember? -- but our friend Clayton Morris at Fox News has heard that some of these PalmPads could be coming as early as CES in just two weeks. So, what's said to be coming? Apparently, HP will introduce three tablets based on webOS 2.5.1, but the very puzzling part is that they will be "spin-offs" of the HP Slate, and as you can see in the image above, are said to look almost identical to the current Slate. Yeah, it even seems like that Ctrl + Alt + Delete button and slide-out certification tab are still present, though we're told there's also a Pre-like "multi-switch." We're highly skeptical of that image being a true render of the hardware since it's exactly the same as older HP Slate service manual line drawings (check one out below), but according to the report, the trio of PalmPads will be thinner than the iPad with rounded edges, pack Sprint 4G connectivity, weigh 1.25-pounds, have both mini-HDMI and USB 3.0 ports, and at least one will have a 9.7-inch display. Also, just like the HP Slate, there'll be two cameras -- a front-facing 1.3 megapixel lens and a 3 megapixel rear-facing unit. Lastly, there's said to be a straggling fourth tablet aimed at university students, though it apparently won't be on hand at CES. We're obviously very intrigued by the specs -- USB 3.0, really?! -- and the fact that HP may not change the look and feel of the Slate all that much, but we'd be very very surprised if this were all to happen at CES. Firstly, we've heard a number of times that HP wasn't planning to release a tablet until later in 2011, and to wait this long to simply slap webOS into the HP Slate's shell seems almost foolish. What's more, repurposing the Slate means HP either ported webOS to Intel and threw battery life out the window, or completely swapped out the Slate's Intel-based internals for an ARM chipset without changing the exterior design at all. Needless to say, both options seem like completely inefficient and muddled ways to get a tablet onto the market. On top of all that we feel obligated to point out that we've yet to receive an invitation to any sort of HP / Palm event at CES -- in past years, we've received invitations to both Palm and HP events long before the middle of December -- and we've been reliably informed that HP's floor presence at the show is smaller than in recent years. That just doesn't seem like you'd blow out a huge four-device tablet launch, does it? Rest assured that we'll clear our schedules for an HP / Palm event in a second, but something about an early January reveal just isn't adding up right now. Nilay Patel contributed to this post.
Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide: Tablets
Welcome to the Engadget Holiday Gift Guide! The team here is well aware of the heartbreaking difficulties of the seasonal shopping experience, and we want to help you sort through the trash and come up with the treasures this year. Below is today's bevy of hand curated picks, and you can head back to the Gift Guide hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the holiday season. You didn't think we'd let the holiday season go by without an official Engadget Tablet Gift Guide did you? Hey, give us more credit -- we know it's not 2009 anymore! The past year has seen an explosion in the tablet category, and while the iPad may still be the market leader, there's no shortage of Android and Windows 7 alternatives out there that let you surf the web, read books, and watch videos with just a flick of a finger. Sure, more are on the way, and all signs point to Apple updating the iPad in early 2011, but if you've got to have a touchscreen slab before the end of the year, we're here to lend a helping hand. Hit the break for a rundown of the best choices by price category.
HP Slate beginning to ship?
We've got word from one loyal reader that his HP Slate is en route from Shanghai, and he even provided us PDF proof of that fact, just to quell any doubts. We're not sure if that's some little slip on HP and FedEx's part, or a sign of larger things to come (be sure to let us know in the comments if you've received similar notice), but for now all we know is that something enterprisey is scheduled to show up on one Dave P.'s doorstep on December 6th. Godspeed, dear tablet. Godspeed. [Thanks, Dave P.]
HP Slate 500 sees 'extraordinary demand,' experiences six-week shipping delay (update)
Yes, the HP Slate 500 is officially backordered, less than a month after its enterprising debut, and Hewlett-Packard claims it's because of "extraordinary demand," a phrase that's presently not quantifiable. The long and short of it, though, is that you're not getting one by Yuletide if you purchase the pricey portable today, as you'll have to wait six weeks until they're ready to ship out. Still, if your budding business bought in on day one, there's still a chance it might arrive in time -- ours is due to our door in early December, if that gives you any idea. We've pinged HP for comment, and hope to hear back soon. We'll be sure to let you know just how "extraordinary" those sales numbers might be. Update: We've yet to hear back from HP proper, but a trusted tipster with a contact inside HP spun us a very interesting tale -- HP reportedly only ever planned a limited production run of 5,000 units, and received orders for 9,000 instead. When demand outstripped supply, HP apparently had to re-hire production workers just to get the presses printing out tablets again, and are presently placating angry customers by offering them over $100 off their $800 purchase as apology. [Thanks, Dan]
N-Trig: 'the most useful Android slates will be pen-enabled'
Sure, N-Trig's DuoSense combined pen / capacitive touch technology has become a household name when talking about Tablet PCs, and most recently has popped up in the HP Slate, but as you may expect the company is planning on pushing into other tablet territories. N-Trig's VP of Marketing Gary Baum told us earlier today that the Israel-based company will certainly support other operating systems (flavors of Linux, such as Ubuntu, etc.) and is in fact working with hardware partners on Android tablets. That means those latter slates would have capacitive touchscreens that support both pen and finger input -- something we haven't yet seen on any other non-resistive Android tablets. It's certainly a differentiator, and Baum wasn't shy about stating that "the most useful Android slates will be pen-enabled." (Funny enough, he told us the guys at N-Trig call the other contenders out there "JAAS," or "just another Android slate.") However, like us, you're probably thinking: what about the apps? Considering there are very few (if any) Android apps that take advantage of pen input, it's an question mark, and though Baum wouldn't comment on any specific upcoming stylus-optimized programs / software, he hinted that they'd come. Curious about availability and partnership? We hear ya, but unfortunately, that part of the equation is still missing.
HP Slate 500 finally (finally!) official, rings up at $799
Nope, you're not dreaming, but feel free to pinch yourself, rub your eyes or take a cold shower! You've read right -- the HP Slate is finally official, and after all the teasing, back and forth, and (very recent) leaks, the Atom-powered, Windows 7 Slate will finally see the light of day -- though in a different way than originally intended. While the first videos released by HP may have made it seem like it would be for consumers, HP's tactfully changed its tune (don't forget it's got Palm / WebOS tablets on the way) and is now aiming the Slate at the enterprise and business market. Still, it will be available on HP's site for $799 to anyone who wishes to purchase one. So, what does $800 of your hard earned cash buy you? Well, in addition to the dock and case, which are included in the box, the tablet packs pretty much everything we'd heard over the last year -- it's powered by a 1.86GHz Intel Atom Z540 processor, 2GB of RAM, 64GB SSD and packs Broadcom's Crystal HD accelerator for handling 1080p video. (The included dock has an HDMI-out port if you want to hook it up to the big screen.) Obviously, the 8.9-inch capacitive touch Slate runs Windows 7 Professional, but it's got a Wacom N-Trig active digitizer for taking notes, which certainly sets it apart from the other Win 7 tablets we've seen over the last couple of weeks. Oh, and don't forget its front facing VGA cam and 3 megapixel camera on its back. We got a chance to finally grope the tablet earlier this week, so hit the break for our early impressions and a short video. %Gallery-105701% %Gallery-105726%
HP Slate 500 unicorns its way into e-tailers with product code, leaked documents
We'd heard the HP Slate finally had a date with destiny (and corporate pocketbooks) sometime this fall, and it's looking like the device is nigh -- a number of boutique online retailers are taking orders for an HP Slate 500, which purportedly comes with an Intel Atom Z540 CPU, 8.9-inch WSVGA LED-backlit screen, 2GB of DDR2 memory, a 64GB solid state drive, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, a webcam, a two-cell battery and Windows 7 Professional installed, all for somewhere around the vicinity of $800 to $900. What's more, CNET's just stumbled upon a document that apparently details the same, plus an HP Slate Digital Pen (no doubt for those who abhor sausages) and a rear-facing 3 megapixel camera. We'd chalk up the CNET leaks to old prototype documentation and the e-tailer product listings to wishful thinking if either appeared on their own, but together we have to imagine there's some sort of wind a' blowing.
HP Slate prototype gets yet another guided tour, this time with HDMI-equipped dock (video)
Remember that HP Slate prototype video we happened upon just yesterday? The owner, who goes by the name x313xkillax on YouTube, is back with over eight more minutes of footage, including the packaging. According to the back of the box of this self-proclaimed business model, here's the official specs we're looking at: a 1.86GHz Intel Atom Z540 with GMA500 and Broadcom Crystal HD Enhanced Video accelerator, 8.9-inch WSVGA screen, 2GB DDR2 RAM, about 60GB storage capacity, Windows 7 Home Premium, 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth, SD card reader, and a 2-Cell 30WHr Lithium-ion Polymer battery. There are two cameras here, one in front and one in rear. As shown via MS Paint, the screen can detect at least four fingers at a time. The browser is a bit laggy but does do pinch-to-zoom -- again, he calls it a prototype, so it may be better in the final production model. Also in the packaging? A handy dock for keeping your Slate comfy and upright -- it's even got kickstand, two USBs, and HDMI out. But hey, we're wasting your time, and you're the kind of person who wants to see this enterprise-bound tablet in action. Don't let us get in your way, it's just after the break. Update: Surprise, the original YouTube video was pulled. When will companies learn that the Internet is like one big redundant disk drive? New source embedded after the break. [Thanks, Kim L]
HP Slate prototype caught in the wild, booted to Windows 7
HP has done plenty of its own teasing of the HP Slate, but in-the-wild spottings are few and far between. Now our favorite YouTuber and yours, x313xkillax, has a video of an HP Slate prototype. (There's some speculation that this is a fake, but from everything we know about the tablet we're pretty sure this is the real deal.) The hardware looks similar to what we've seen before, though perhaps a bit further along than version Conecti.ca "reviewed" back in April. We're pleased with the boot time of the device and seemingly fine Flash performance, and x313xkillax calls the touchscreen very responsive, but as you can see in the video after the break, Windows 7 still isn't really designed for finger operation. Just like HP seemed to realize when it bought Palm and bumped this tablet from a consumer launch to a niche enterprise product. Update: And just like that, the YouTube video vanished into thin air. Fear not, though, as we now have a backup clip embedded right after the break.
HP confirms webOS tablet for 'early 2011'
We'd heard HP's Todd Bradley had confidentially told employees that a webOS tablet would arrive in Q1 2011, but now the man's gone on the record in the company's Q3 2010 earnings call. "You'll see us with a Microsoft product out in the near future and a webOS-based product in early 2011," he told investors and analysts in response to a direct question about tablets this afternoon, adding that potential slates were part of the reason HP bought Palm in the first place. Now, we're not financial experts, but we've heard it's typically a good idea not to promise things to your shareholders if you don't intend to deliver. In other words, there's a good bet the PalmPad is actually not an imaginary friend our subconscious created after Mark Hurd's hateful words in June. [Thanks, Robert]
eStation Zeen is HP Slate? Update: Or a Compaq Android tablet for printing?
Reach deep into the grey matter and try to recall a little post we did back on December 30th of 2009. That's the day we learned about HP's filing for the "Zeen" trademark on a "portable handheld device." Now here we are today, eight months and one major acquisition later, with an FCC filing for a very tablety device with 802.11b/g/n WiFi. The name? HP eStation Zeen. Unfortunately, that's all we know due to the short-term confidentiality request put in place until December 31st. Still, product CQ720A looks very much like the mythical HP Slate don't you think? It's definitely a tablet of some kind. Now if only we knew the chosen OS, price, ship date, consumer or business focus, and about a dozen or so other details. Baby steps, people, baby steps. Update: This is crazy, but we've now gotten multiple tips claiming that the Zeen is actually an Android-based tablet with e-reader functionality that can also dock with an HP printer and become its interface. E-reading, Zeen, magazine -- get it? Based on HP's repeated previous statements about webOS hitting printers and tablets, we'd assume the Zeen has since been shifted over to Palm's OS, but we can't be sure, as that would undoubtedly add development time and we're told this thing has been kicking around for months. Whatever this is, it appears HP still has some work to do: one of our sources described the Android-based prototype as feeling like a "brick" and being "extremely unpolished" with poor battery life. It's also been pointed out in comments that the CQ in the product number typically indicates a Compaq device, so that could eventually be the branding. We'll see what's real soon enough, we suppose.
Engadget Podcast 206 - 07.24.2010
This is an incredibly well-rounded and insightful double podcast. It is so well-rounded and insightful that it looks like it might turn into a triple podcast and is, quite frankly, the best podcast the Engadget Podcasters have ever seen. Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul MillerProducer: Trent WolbeMusic: Double Rainbow 00:02:33 - Panasonic's new Lumix lineup: LX5, FZ40, FZ100, FX700, and TS10 all official00:06:52 - Canon developing smaller DSLRs to compete with mirrorless cameras?00:07:00 - Nikon planning "new concept" mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras with enhanced video modes00:21:12 - New Xbox 360 4GB ships August 3rd for $199, Kinect standalone priced at $149, bundle coming this holiday for $29900:30:48 - webOS 2.0 coming 'later this year,' says HP's Rubinstein00:30:58 - HP Slate no longer a consumer product, will arrive for enterprise this fall00:31:24 - HP files for 'PalmPad' trademark -- a webOS tablet, perhaps?00:31:35 - HP Slate 500 with Windows 7 surfaces on HP's site00:31:54 - HP confirms that Slate is still kicking, 'next steps' being determined00:41:52 - HP CEO: Palm could end up a 'sub-brand' of the company00:46:41 - Samsung Galaxy S review shootout: Captivate for AT&T and Vibrant for T-Mobile00:48:14 - Dell Streak review redux: thoughts from the New World00:48:41 - Nexus One is sold out in Google's store -- forever00:56:32 - Motorola mini Droid slider caught by Mr. Blurrycam00:59:07 - Droid 2 being prepared for launch, set to arrive August 23rd?01:00:29 - Apple posts record $3.25b profit in first full quarter of iPad sales, says more 'amazing products' coming this year01:00:48 - Apple begins iPhone 4 Case Program: apply for your free case or Bumper now01:01:26 - Apple delays white iPhone a second time, won't ship until 'later this year'01:03:08 - Apple starts refunding Bumper purchases automagically01:07:45 - AT&T announces 26 percent earnings growth for Q2, $4b profit01:16:28 - Droid X users gobbling up 5x the data of other Verizon smartphones01:18:00 - Microsoft reports $4.5b in profit, a record $16.04b in revenue01:18:30 - Steve Ballmer feeling pressure at Microsoft for stagnating share price?01:18:48 - Kin listed as at least $240 million writeoff in Microsoft earnings report01:21:44 - Microsoft to employees: 'everybody gets a Windows Phone 7!'01:21:50 - Microsoft wants employees to code Windows Phone 7 apps 'in their spare time'Hear the podcastSubscribe to the podcast[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC).[RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically.[RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator.[Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune MarketplaceDownload the podcastLISTEN (MP3)LISTEN (AAC)LISTEN (OGG)Contact the podcast1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com.Twitter: @joshuatopolsky @futurepaul @reckless @engadget
HP not making Windows Phone 7 devices, focusing on webOS instead
No big surprise here, but HP Personal Systems Group VP Todd Bradley just flat-out confirmed to CNBC that HP will not be making any Windows Phone 7 devices, preferring instead to focus on the newly-acquired webOS for its line of smartphones. Here's the entire exchange: Q: Can you make webOS successful with developers when you're selling Windows Phone 7, maybe Android or Linux at the same time? A: We continue to be Microsoft's biggest customer, and we continue to believe we will drive innovation with Microsoft. At the same time, I think it's clear to say, that we're very focused on the customer, and giving the customer the experience that's important to them. We won't do -- will not do a Linux / Android phone. We won't do a Microsoft phone. Q: So no Windows Phone 7? A: We will continue to more broadly deliver the webOS-based phones that are in the market today, and Jon and his team have driven a strong roadmap for the future. Q: So does that mean you're going webOS only for phones? A: For smartphones it does. Our intent is to focus those resources and really make webOS the best OS it can be. That's a big ouch for Microsoft -- it has to sting when your biggest customer turns its back on your fledgling mobile efforts -- but we can't exactly see HP spending a billion dollars on Palm only to turn around and support multiple platforms. There is a small silver lining for Microsoft, though -- Bradley also reiterated that HP's tablet plans aren't so locked in, and once again hinted that the Windows 7-based HP Slate has become an enterprise product, which is at least better than being killed off entirely. Lose some, lose some slightly less, we suppose. Full video after the break -- the good bit starts around 5:20.
HP Slate no longer a consumer product, will arrive for enterprise this fall
We've sensed that something's been up with the HP Slate for a while now, and it looks like we've finally gotten the first solid confirmation that the Windows 7 tablet as unveiled by Steve Ballmer at CES in January won't hit the consumer market as planned -- speaking at the Fortune Brainstorm Tech conference, HP Personal Systems Group VP Todd Bradley just said that the Slate will be "more customer-specific than broadly deployed," and that it would launch the Microsoft-based tablet "for the enterprise" in the fall. That fits right in with HP telling us the other day that it was in "customer evaluations" as it prepared for the "next steps," and based on followup comments from Bradley and Palm head Jon Rubinstein, it certainly sounded like the company will focus Windows tablets at the enterprise and develop a variety of webOS devices for the consumer market. Of course, there's no official announcement yet, so we'll see what happens -- the only thing that we can confidently say is that the HP Slate has definitely succeeded the iPad as the tech industry's favorite vaporware tablet.
HP confirms that Slate is still kicking, 'next steps' being determined
We were quite surprised (to say the least!) to see the original Windows 7 HP Slate 500 appear yesterday on the company's site, and HP officially confirmed this morning that the product is still very much in the works. The outfit's not sharing much, but a spokesperson from its Personal Systems group did tell us that they're "in customer evaluations now and will make a determination soon on the next steps." It all seems very vague and mysterious at this point, but the evidence is surely mounting that we'll be seeing HP join Microsoft's "hardcore" tablet push.
HP Slate 500 with Windows 7 surfaces on HP's site
We can't say we know exactly what's going on here, but it does appear that the HP Slate still lives in all its Windows 7 (and Intel Atom) glory. Yep, the guys at IDG News spotted the good ol' 8.9-inch HP Slate -- now apparently the Slate 500 -- hanging out on a rather hidden HP.com page. The details are few and far between, but they do seem to coincide with all that we originally had heard about the tablet -- it runs Windows 7 Home Premium, has "exclusive" HP software and two cameras. And that's not all, the chaps at IDG also noticed that the Slate 500 was Energy Star certified, and a listing for the same product on Energy Star's site confirms that it will have a 1.6GHz processor. That too seems to line up with what we had heard about the Slate having a 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z530 CPU. We know, it's all a bit surreal considering we just got word yesterday that HP had filed a trademark on the term PalmPad, and we figured the Slate may have seen its day. There's no telling what will happen next, but it sure is looking like a HP Win 7 and WebOS tablet may just live in harmony.
