HP’s Windows 7 Slate Strikes at the iPad

• By Priya Ganapati

The Apple iPad’s Oscar debut on millions of TVs may have been the talk of the town Monday morning, but not for long. Rival PC maker HP has launched a sneak attack on the iPad.

HP released a video introducing its tablet called the Slate that will run Windows 7 operating system and support Flash — a jab at the iPad, which will not display Flash-based sites or videos.

“With this slate product, you’re getting a full web browsing experience in the palm of your hand,” posted Phil McKinney, vice president and chief technology officer for HP’s personal system group on the company’s blog. “No watered-down internet, no sacrifices.”

HP did not reveal pricing or availability for the device, though it has indicated the Slate will be available this year.

Since the announcement of Apple’s iPad in January, PC makers are rushing to offer tablet devices that can position themselves between the 4-inch touchscreen smartphone and the 12-inch netbook or laptop. They say tablets could be ideal for web surfing, checking e-mail, reading e-books and viewing personal media while sitting on a couch.

Dell has said that it will launch a family of tablets, the first of which will be a PlayStation Portable-sized device with a 5-inch screen codenamed Dell Mini 5. Dell hasn’t disclosed pricing or availability for its product yet. Apple’s iPad starting at $500 will go on sale April 3.

Though HP has not released the specs yet, the company’s video shows a device that’s closer to the 9.7-inch display iPad in its design and size.

HP’s slate seems to offer a full capacitive touchscreen and the familiar pinch-to-zoom gesture. Overall, the design resemblance to the iPad is startling, so the Slate could clearly be a tablet for those who want an iPad-like device on the Windows ecosystem.

The Slate has icons that lets users quickly access the browser and apps such as Pandora and the music player. And like the iPad, it will also display digitized versions of magazines and newspapers.

HP’s video also shows the Slate running a video from MTV, a web-based game designed in Flash, photo-editing tools and a digital version of The New York Times.

As for pricing, McKinney says HP could have released a slate two years ago, but it would have cost 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,” he wrote.

Photo/Video: HP Slate (HP)

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