HP Slate Tries to Out-iPad the iPad
There's no ignoring the iPad. And that iPad is slick, but HP's Slate, from the looks of this video,
looks slicker. Of course, the problem here is that the Slate is pretty much like the lottery jackpot you're waiting to claim, if only your lucky numbers would come up. It's hasn't happened; meanwhile, the iPad
made its audacious debut this past weekend.
A few friends were in line to claim their iPads and they've been gushing publicly via FB. My opinions on the iPad have been mostly ambivalent, until recently. I'm now convinced that it's a mistake to call the iPad a bigger iPhone. iPhones are useful and sometimes they're worthwhile for making phone calls and listening to music. But browse the Web or tap out text messages on those tiny screens with my aging fingers and eyes, and I'm even more convinced that using a device that's about 4+ times bigger will be awesome -- if I ever get to check one out on my own for any extended period.
If and when that HP Slate ships, though, it's anyone's guess whether it can match the expectations of the demo video -- having a card reader and USB ports and doohickeys built right into the side of the tablet makes it infinitely more useful than the iPad, as does the ability to use off-the shelf software rather than using App-ified versions of software. If the Slate runs Google Chrome and Adobe Flash and has any reasonable wifi service, that'd probably sway me to open the wallet. Continue reading.
Dumb Trivia: Apple's iPad was the second iteration of a tablet PC. What was the first iteration called? One right random answer to [email protected] wins a Redmond Media Group T-Shirt.
Posted by Michael Domingo on 04/06/2010 at 11:59 AM