Tablet computer have been around for years, but interest has picked up considerably since Apple announced its innovative iPad, released this past Saturday.
As HardwareCentral reports, other vendors are taking notice. HP is already an established provider of tablet computers, but mostly to vertical markets such as delivery service personnel. Now HP has plans for a more ambitious consumer device designed to compete with the iPad. The HP device has been called a Slate PC, though no official name has been yet announced, and has some distinct differences from the iPad.
 |
An image from HP’s YouTube video of its new tablet PC. Source: HP |
With iPad hype everywhere following the Apple tablet’s successful debut Saturday, HP sought to get a little mindshare of its own by releasing a few more details of its forthcoming slate PC.
HP (NYSE: HPQ) actually beat Apple to the punch in previewing its own tablet thanks to a brief demo of the Windows 7-powered device by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January.
“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,” Phil McKinney, CTO of HP’s Personal Systems Group, said in a blog post Tuesday.
Ballmer referred to the as-yet-unnamed device as a “slate PC.” No specific ship date has been announced except that it’s due out later this year in time for the holiday shopping season. In his blog post, McKinney included a new 30-second YouTube video highlighting some of the slate’s features.
