HP’s Slate Device Delivers a Holistic Mobile Experience
byPhil
on 04-05-201008:59 AM - last edited on 08-17-201011:02 AM by ShayFan
Up to now, we’ve given you only tiny glimpses of the HP slate device coming out later this year. You saw it first in a video we released during CES and most recently in videos demoing its Web experience and Adobe Flash and Air support. We’ve also blogged about the evolution of the slate category and our history in the space.
So far, almost everything we’ve shared showcases how you’ll consume media with the device. And by media we mean all types of digital content, whether it’s a story from a major news outlet or videos and photos you’ve shot. But we also believe that media consumption is only half of the ideal mobile experience.
Think about the last time you chatted with friends over Skype on your notebook. Or uploaded a picture from your mobile phone to Facebook or Flickr. How about the last time you viewed images or video from an SD card or a USB device. We know that you expect to be able to capture and share digital content on your mobile devices. And the HP slate device excels there.
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.
What did you spot in the video – and what are you looking forward to seeing next? Go on Twitter, YouTube, and our forums and tell us. In the mean time, sign up for updates on hp.com/slate.
And no post would be complete without a word from our friends at the FCC: this device has not been authorized as required by the rules of the Federal Communications Commission. This device is not, and may not be, offered for sale or lease, or sold or leased, until authorization is obtained.
How about this? instead of 30 second teases you actually tell us about the product! Seriously, this is very annoying! One of the things I hate about tech companies is that they insist on teasing consumers about their products. Is it to build hype and anticipation for your product? How does that help me make a purchase decision? Well, not all tech companies play this stupid game. Apple doesn't play this game. They certainly over-hype their products but at least when they introduce a product they tell you when you can buy it and how much it will cost.
Like you wrote, we first got to see the "HP Slate Device" during CES back in January. It is now April and we still don't even know the official name of the device. Why not? We don't know what it will cost. We don't know when we can expect to see it in stores or at online retailers other than "later this year". What the hell does that mean to me when I only have a little money to spend on a device like this and I need a device like this right now? is it reasonable to wait for this device instead of going to an Apple Store or Best Buy and buying an iPad ? Or a Asus T91MT/ T101? Or a Viliv S10 Blade? How long will I be waiting and what would I be waiting for? Another 30 second "glimpse"?
Do not tell us about your product unless you can actually TELL US ABOUT YOUR PRODUCT!
Let me begin by saying that I'm a software developer and we are developing productivity information management software for multiple platforms. We like choice. That said, we have three iPads and they are terrific devices. The specs are better than expected especially the battery life. We're seeing 12 hours plus of performance and we're day long users. The iPad at home is a huge hit with my kids. They just know how to use it. No need to understand file systems, documents/files, etc. It just works. You cannot ignore Apple's total commitment to quality, packaging and user experience.
As much I like Flash, I haven't found any web sites that I use limited by its absence of support. In fact, most of the web sites I've visited work great with the iPad so the "whole web" argument is useful but not convincing in my experience. Where I do believe HP can make a difference is to show off Java on the device. Most of our corporate and campus users are big Java users and they're not fans of FLEX. From an enterprise point of view, Java is a win. I could be totally wrong but we're seeing a lot of Java use on both the client and server.
HP clearly has an opportunity to deliver the best Windows 7 tablet experience using a touch interface. However, I hope we don't see the typical HP line-up of multiple configurations and choices that polluted their netbook market so far. Keep it simple right from the start.
So, does the HP Slate run the latest Java VM and can we see a demo? And finally, ship it. The market is heating up quickly.
Alright, the HP slate has a lot of things going against it. First, its running Windows 7. If theres anything we've learned over the past decade, it's that Windows and touchscreen devices do not get along at all. Sure, this has a touchscreen UI overlaid, but you can't hide the fact that it is still running a desktop OS that is meant for a desktop environment with a full keyboard and mouse, not a touch only environment.
The second problem is the rumored chipset. An Atom processor? Those things are terribly slow. The Atom has more in common with the old Pentiums than modern processors. Netbooks that run them and Windows 7 are so slow that I can't even find words to describe how slow they are. Especially if they're only sporting 2GB or less of memory. Atoms are slow even on systems running XP with loads of RAM.
HP is touting this things ability to run full desktop apps in a full OS environment on such poor hardware? Such a terrible design choice. It will be SLOW. Terribly slow. It needs to ship with at least 4GB of RAM. Full desktop apps are bloated. Firefox itself right now is eating up nearly 240MB of RAM. They showed iTunes in that video. I have iTunes open too, and its eating up 145.9MB of RAM. You combine that with a slow processor, an OS built for much faster hardware, and limited RAM, and you're going to spend a lot of time waiting for this device to catch up with you.
Another thing. I've owned several HP systems, I have one right now. Absolutely NONE of the webcams have ever been as high quality as the video displayed in this mockup video. They don't even come close. They're blurry, washed out, can't handle light other than bright mid-day light. Plus, if you combine that with the Atom processor, Skype will absolutely not give you video chatting of that high of quality.
I have to say again, the HP Slate is a touchscreen device using software built for a full desktop environment, running on hardware that is essentially 90s technology revived, overclocked, and shrunk, with a software interface wrapped around it all trying to make it look pretty and function in modern touchscreen environment.
The iPad, on the other hand, is built from the ground up to be a touchscreen device. Every single aspect of it was designed for touch only. The software was designed completely for the hardware at hand. That is what will be the defining difference between the two. One device has every aspect of it built for touchscreen, while the other device is using standard desktop PC software running desktop PC hardware wrapped in a touchscreen UI.
Also, the iPad has one more defining difference. The screen. The IPS LED backlit LCD is just gorgeous. Unless HP uses the same type of display, it won't even begin to be able to compete.
Sorry, I was too abrupt... iPod fanbois, please participate by all means, but could you stick to some relevant subject like how you can have the Slate as the computer from which you sync your iPod :-)
The video shows that the interface needs some work. There's no sense of inertia as the panes get flicked. It appears to be a "i'll keep scrolling as long as you keep moving your finger" scroll. You want a fluid look and feel so that scrolling conveys the sense of ease as opposed to drudgery.
I have been using slate tablets for many years (since they came out actually. I REALLY hope that these devices will continue to support handwriting recognition - which is a major use I have for the platform. This has been my major complaint with the iPad (aside form the fact that I won't buy anything Apple) - the lack of pen input.
