HP Slate Will Feature Webcam, SD Slot & More

Year of the Tablet, eh? It certainly well looks like it. And now, we have HP steppin' up their game with their own tablet - the HP Slate - positioning themselves as the anti-iPad/anti-computer of choice with a custom OS, integrated webcam, SD slot, and iTunes-touch. The latest video of the Slate in action, below the jump...

Aside from the slick touch UI, we're definitely loving the ability to hook the tablet itself up and project it onto an HDTV via a dock. It was one of my #1 requests for the iPad, but I guess we're just going to have to wait a little bit longer for Apple to catch up with the needs of consumers.

If teasers are your thing, be sure to check out the 30 second HP Slate trailer below. If the quick editing and cinematic orchestra doesn't sell it for you, the features might certainly will.

Let us know what you think! Does HP have a solid winner on their hands?

[Via Engadget]

Comments (8)

Wake me when it hits the market. Anyone who has been around for a while knows the difference between the demo/promo materials and the actual product. And if you don't allow me to provide you with an example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raov7LVT_CU&feature=youtube_gdata

It's not a custom OS, it's Windows 7 with a custom interface similar to HP's Touchsmart All-in-ones. Also full pen/digitizer support.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/05/hp-slate-to-cost-549-have-1-6ghz-atom-z530-5-hour-battery/

Paladin, this definitely is not vaporware. A major player like HP doesn't call in Steve Ballmer to demo vaporware.

It's vaporware until I can buy it in a store.

If it makes it to the market and it's half as good as the teasers make it out to be, they'll have a winner on their hands. Everything people rave about with the iPad, but with actual functionality thrown into the mix.

I think if HP was smart, they'd ditch their custom GUI over Windows 7 and just use Microsoft's up and coming Windows Phone 7 operating system. Phone7 is made for mobile devices. But that's just my 2 cents... I could be wrong. :)

@HookahGuru

Then it would be no more useful than the iPad and perhaps even less so. With Windows 7 you can use any software made for windows. I see this thing being big for graphic artists. Photoshop digitizer? Absolutely. Pro photographers taking this out on shoots and loading up Lightroom in the field? Absolutely.

Put a light, mobile OS on it and see it become little more than a storefront for digital media just like the ipad. Put a proper OS on it and see it used for content creation AND consumption of digital media.

@Charmac

Good points. Hadn't thought of it like that. I was thinking of it in my livingroom as an extension to my desktop machine. Handle my music, videos, browse the web, manage my files and what not. The docking idea looks fantastic as well. That's why I was thinking a full OS was a bit over kill.

Being on on the field as photographer or journalist, it would make sense to have the full fledged OS running. The way they were advertising it, it appeared to make more sense to run the Phone7 OS.

Maybe launch two versions?

HP has killed this thing, following its acquisition of Palm.

As I said up above, vaporware.