HP TouchSmart Blog

[#1]

We have been bombarded with requests for more information on the slate HP previewed at CES 2010. As you might expect, we won’t reveal the details until it is officially announced and available later this year. What I can tell you is more about our vision for the product and the development process behind it. I cover some of the story in the video below, but I’ll tell you more of it here.

The slate is not new to the HP family. It has existed, in one form or another, behind closed doors for about five years. The original concept was an e-reader device, which I showed off in 2007. During testing, we shared the prototype with 60 customers, and their feedback had a huge impact.

The feedback shared a common, emphatic message: text is not enough. The e-readers of the world, while loved by some, do not give people a rich, multimedia experience. People want to read text plus watch video, see news and magazines in color, access social media content online…you get the picture. The feedback didn’t exactly send us back to the drawing board, but it did make us broaden our vision.

The slate essentially represents a brand new product category that sits between smartphones and netbooks, which we call minis. The only devices currently in this gap are e-readers, which are too focused to support the needs of users who want to enjoy the wide range of rich media available. Slates will be thin, light, touch-enabled multimedia devices with a screen size somewhere between 6 and 10-inches. Think of something the size of a magazine – but better than just a tablet PC with the keyboard removed. More on the new category here.

But why now? A favorite saying of mine is, “The difference between a good idea and a great one is timing.” We could have released a slate two years ago, but it would have cost somewhere around $1,500. Since then, chip and screen advancements have given us the ability to create a product that can hit a size, weight, battery life and price point that will make this product a mainstream offering.

Of course, good hardware is only half the battle; success also depends on great content. Details on content partnerships -- plus information on pricing, configuration, availability and even the name -- will have to wait for another day. I can say that we are working on content partnerships that I think you’ll find exciting. I can also confirm that you will see a slate from HP this year. Stay tuned!

[#2]

I'm looking forward to hearing who the content partners will be, ...oh, who am I kidding all I really want to know is where is the line for this thing.

[#3]

Excellent - for years i have had an HP something in front of me... from the 45 i had getting my 2 Master's at WPI to the Scopes i used at Eaton and Raytheon ( when everything eles is broken and dusty, the HP stuff is still there, still working, survived 25kva picosecond spiked plasma measurements i had to make )  to the fantastic hp Touchsmart 600 i have right now. 

Kudos again on the 600 - i just realized the ringing in my ears was the cooling fans of the computer it replaced.

I love the touch paradigm so much i started writing for it and for the Hp 600t ( using flash since i can do more there ) www.lookbookhd.com is the kitchen-sink demo you can go touch and play now.

Just watched a bunch of youtube video featuring Phil, i wish i had known about this guy sooner, brilliant, complete reasoning prevails. we need more like him.

I really would like to do my demos for the digitalmedia publications, touchscreen magazines if you will,  to heavy hitters, using win7 on the slate.

The iPad is nice but they left the door wide open for a better device to enter this market, iPad = no flash, no camera, no multitask, bad browse, closed eco-system - really gaping functionality holes.

Also - is there  a way to have applications tighten the touch detect loop in the 600 and get better performance? like lets say a mouse mode that has instant response? really would prefer a zero-latency sense to the touch response.

I tried to signup to this forum but the Register link went to an unresponsive server.

Regards,

Jeff at CTNDIGITAL dot com

[#4]

I hope the HP slate will be price competitive with iPad and comes with a pen / stylus for text entry (using hand writing recognition) instead of on screen keyboard.

There is just no low cost tablet with a stylus that can do hand writing recognition stuff for notes taking and drawing. HP Please! Please! Please! Make one...

[#5]

Hi, I watch this interview video and I pretty much like it. As Im a HP fan, I have done the Chinese Subtitle and I would like to share it to Taiwan, Singapore, China...etc all Chinese people. Might I?

[#6]

Just wanted to let you know how psyched I am about this product. I don't think I've ever been this excited about a PC before. With Apple fallling flat on their face with the iPad and seeing the full Windows 7 OS you guys are putting on the slate and all the features - WOW.

Can you give us a rough estimate as to when we should camp out in front of best buy for this device?

Way to go Microsoft/HP !

[#7]

PLEASE HIGHLY CONSIDER THIS. I think the HP slate is a lot more impressive than the iPad, but there are a few things needed to convince me to buy it: -Stlyus Pen -A keyboard that is actually portable, not like Apple Dock! -make a 9"-10.5" keyboard made of flexible silicon technology that is highly portable and durable, released already by many companies in a larger size -digital media card reader (SD/....) -A built in pop-out stand for the HP Slate like the Archos 9 (so that it can be viewed on a table tilted) -Special redesigned multi-touch applications such as internet browsers, windows explorer, photo gallery, etc. -Fast boot up and shutdown as windows 7 may take long -3G internet connectivity will make this Slate productive Optionally: -Should have it a dual boot between Win7 and Android OS so that those who want to just enjoy can use Android (probably faster as well) and those who want no limitations and want to use if for productivity there is windows 7 -built in optical drive

[#8]

I think the HP slate is a lot more impressive than the iPad, but there are a few things needed to convince me to buy it:

-Stlyus Pen

-A keyboard that is actually portable, not like Apple Dock!  -make a 9"-10.5" keyboard made of flexible silicon technology that is highly portable and

durable, released already by many companies in a larger size

-digital media card reader (SD/....)

-A built in pop-out stand for the HP Slate like the Archos 9 (so that it can be viewed on a table tilted)

-Special redesigned multi-touch applications such as internet browsers, windows explorer, photo gallery, etc.

-Fast boot up and shutdown as windows 7 may take long

-3G internet connectivity will make this Slate productive

Optionally:

-Should have it a dual boot between Win7 and Android OS so that those who want to just enjoy can use Android (probably faster as well) and those who want no limitations and want to use if for productivity there is windows 7

-built in optical drive

[#9]

I have been postponing purchasing an e-reader precisely because e-readers are so uni-dimensional. This product's design is surely well executed as it can be placed on a flat surface without a lot of acrobatics. Form factor is perfect too. Windows 7 and Atom is probably not the best choice but there is no competing product on the market place with this combination and form factor. The iPad is really a glorified iPhone with a closed iTunes and a DRM book store. Now if only the Apple fanboys knew what an open eco-system meant. (I personally own an iMAC but have stopped using it after realizing how limiting the platform really is). I really wish Microsoft released a true touch enabled OS and maybe Windows 7 mobile is the answer. What am I going to do with my ePubs and mobipockets and PDFs with the iPad. Even with the Windows 7 and Atom (of course battery life begins its downhill journey right here) the mere combination of Adobe Digital Editions + Kindle for PC and you have the most compelling eReader platform ever, period. Flash + web is an added bonus. The biggest deal with this device is that its probably going to be an open device. I am disappointed that it isn't running Linux (even android would be great), because if HP could support the slate with a Linux based OS running on an Nvidia tegra or Qualcomm snap dragon, it would be stunning. Lenovo is precisely going down that path with its Skylight OS + Snapdragon. Its a good first step. I would like HP to stick to at the most a couple of platforms and not fragment it. Hopefully they look at using great tech out there like the Pixel Qi screens and use chips like the Nvidia Tegra or Snapdragon. These are going to be killer mobile computing platforms of the future. Atom isn't the answer. Hopefully Windows 7 is just one of the slate OS's and consumers are given a choice with ARM based platforms in the future running Linux, that would be sweet. Having said that I am waiting for the slate to come out to buy one and hopefully with a nice EPP deal :-) Sunil

[#10]

PLEASE KEEP BLOGGERS IN MIND!!!!!!!!!!! PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE!

[#11]

I just hope the User Interface is smooth, a laggy interface would destroy the whole interface, I bet most people agree with me.

[#12]

There are a number of tech news sites posted articles today regarding that the HP Slate running Windows 7 is now cancelled.  Can you confirm this?

[#13]

HP, you have outdone yourselves.

The HP Slate with Window's 7 is pure GENIUS!

I am definately going to buy one when they are released! 

Can't wait to get one!

[#14]

When can we see an end to the FUD regarding the Windows 7 slate?

The slate running win 7 with USB ports will be excellent for field work as opposed to using a notebook/netbook, most of the apps will be Windows so dropping Win 7 totally & just going with Web OS will lose a number of potential buyers.

I'm just waiting on an official announcement from HP as opposed to all the conjecture in the IT press

[#15]

I need one of theses now! Windows 7 on the slate is a match made in heaven. When will these be available?

[#16]

Win 7 on the Slate seems the best combination. its possible to become a beta tester? im a at tech support for hp in germany and searching for some contacts.

im on making music and plan to build a application for open sound control use...

thanks a lot

TM