HP slides Slate into iPad slipstream
Color me Pink
Hewlett-Packard is riding on the back of Apple's iPad by touting features of its planned Slate rival, which runs Windows 7.
The company has released a video that demonstrates at least four features not included in Steve Jobs' iPad: two cameras - one for photos and one for video conferencing on Skype, a USB port to connect to other consumer and computing devices, and an SD card to expand the onboard memory and share content with devices like mobile phones also using SD cards.
The thirty-second, Euro-house pumping video also demonstrates Apple's iTunes running on Windows.
The HP Voodoo Blog playing the video also highlights the fact the Slate will work with Adobe's Flash and the Flash-based Air. Apple's chief executive and i-everying creator Steve Jobs recently slammed Flash for being a "CPU hog" and full of security holes.
The PC maker said on its blog: "Take a look at our newest video. As you'll see, we're putting a lot of thought into the design to make sure we deliver an optimal mobile experience."
HP's video comes just days after Apple launched the iPad, and is clearly timed to ride the meme of coverage on Jobs' latest creation powering through the internet's news sites, and generate greater interest and "excitement" in HP's Windows-powered tablet push.
When it was unveiled by Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, HP released no details about the Slate. Ballmer also showed off Windows-powered tablets from Pegatron and Archos at CES.
All we've known so far is that HP's Slate will run touch APIs found in Windows 7. Before Windows 7, HP used touch APIs in Windows in its Touch Smart PCs.
Meanwhile, Microsoft has also jumped on the iPad wave to promote a forthcoming launch of its own. The company is reported to have invited press to an event in San Francisco, California, on April 12 with a cryptically worded offer that said "It's time to share". The invite is understood to refer to the launch of Pink, Microsoft's social networking service for mobile phones. ®
COMMENTS
Hey!
What's wrong with this comment thread? Too many reasonable and respectful comments, arguing points and counterpoints? What the hell!? This is not only the Intertubez, but El REG, FFS! Where are the flames, the blood, the tears, the gnashing of teeth, etc., etc.? Is a bloody article on Win x Apple, on top of it all.
Disgusting, let me tell you, how standards are so easily corrupted and traditions lost...
Revolutionary
So, do I want a large iPhone without the phone capability, or a small Windows laptop with the keyboard removed and a touchscreen instead?
Um - I'll stick to my widescreen, DVD writing laptop with a keyboard.
Feature checklists
The grist for the PC industries mill.
HP can tick as many checkboxes as they like, but while the slate is running Windows, it will be a FAIL.
I fully expect that sales of the ipad will eclipse those of the slate, and then some.
@Chris 19
"The ipad, love it or hate it, will at least work 100% of the time with a touch interface."
True, and that's a good point, but it's also the iPad's Achilles heel - open most desktop apps (take OpenOffice or Photoshop, for example) and you'll notice that they pack features into a few rows of tiny icons or drop-down menus at the top of the screen. With a mouse or a stylus, these are easy to access. But with a finger, the input is "fuzzier", and using these tiny icons and menus is less easy. As you point out, this means that desktop software won't work that well with Win7 capactive touchscreens, but the reverse is also true - iPad software is finger-oriented, which requires bigger on-screen menus, so it can't pack in nearly the same feature content in the available screen area (unless you want to scroll for ever and ever and ever and ever and ever.... to find the function you're looking for.)
In my view, the option to use finger input for some things and a stylus for others would be the perfect blend - browsing the net or reading a book is something I would prefer to do with just my fingers. Using Dreamweaver or Excel is something I would prefer to do with a stylus (Wacom if possible).
