MSFT, HP Slate PC to Beat Apple to Tablet Punch

hope tuan and devin just watched the hangover. that way they know how to roll! i want pictures of them with tysons tiger!

Driving to Vegas? Tom's can't afford plane tickets for their reporters? You guys must really love your job! Or is it because of the new safety rules in airports? If they want to get in Vegas in time for the show this evening, they better drive than fly there.

I think it's about half and half when it comes to who's decided to drive and who's flying. Tuan wants to drive because having a car on hand is really useful. I think avoiding the new safety rules is just a bonus.

Went through London the other day and they had a girl play her bagpipes just to make sure they were bagpipes.

Mr. Steve Ballmer, Sir this better be revolutionary.

Maybe it is just me, but I can't seem to get excited over tablets...regardless if is by Apple or MS/HP.

Now on the other hand, if a netbook/laptop came out that had dual lcd screens (one for viewing and one for typing on) that is passively cooled, has a SSD, I would be game. I am all for eliminating moving mechanical parts.

To be fair, apple hasn't been first to a new market in 25 years.

Touchscreen keyboards have been tried and rejected before. Without some physical feedback on your fingertips, typing fast with that thing feels like trying to run in the dark with a headlamp, meaning you'd need to look down, then up, then down, then when you make a typo, you'll probably hit 3 wrong keys before finding the backspace key without looking. You'd give up, screaming for the head of idiot responsible for that idea on a stick before you could ever get used to it and force yourself to like it.

And as much as I approve of the benefits of passive cooling on chips and SSD, in this world those factors translate into ultra low performance cpu and outrageously high cost for little storage, respectively.

My PSP is more appealing as a reader considering the price of tablets. I'm
only interested in new PC hardware.

A 4 hour drive is nothing. You figure it takes 2-3 hours to fly when you include parking, walking to the terminal, going through security, flying, going back through security, and getting transport to the CES.

The price will beat apple...

I'm confused... I thought HP already had a line of convertable tablet pcs and there were several manufacturers making slate tablet and convertable tablet pcs. I seem to remember a Microsoft Windows XP Tablet edition, along with tablet support with Vista and Windows 7. Then there was the Asus T91 which is a netbook "tablet".

As to e-readers, I am waiting for plastic logic's premiere on the 7th... to me the idea of an e-reader with a plastic display that won't shatter when knocked around in my backpack (or dropped when crammed into a rush hour bus) and is suppose to have the size/weight of a pad of paper sounds far better than anything out there. I hope it lives up to its promises (unlike the T91).

This is true, but they do always manage to brainwash the mindless sheeple into believing they are pioneers and revolutionary, and that somehow their products are worth the Apple tax.

Where's the Courier? That is a slick looking device.

Maybe this is courier that Ballmer is going to talk about. If so, boy is Apple screwed. Between Google's Nexus 1 (and Motorolla Droid) and if it is Courier, Apple just had it's legs chopped off at the knees.

Right now I don't care if the device is crappy either. The fact they could get this far without shooting their mouths off with the rumour mill means the device has to stand entirely on merit... as opposed to endless media hype for what will eventually be a disappointingly overpriced Apple offering...

You forgot the layover at the hub airport because there are no direct flights to where you want to go...

and Apple will have 20 days to "re-invent" the tablet... copycats galore.

Course tablet PCs have actually been out for years now.

They've been standard at the doctor's office I go to for a while (since XP tablet edition).

They still aren't nearly as impressive or as powerful as a convertable notebook/tablet like hp's tx series.

Leaving for VEGAS in the morning, Should be there by noon local time. Can't wait to see all of the new stuff, not just read about it on Tom's.

I'm waiting for the product to be released before taking any of these comparison articles seriously

I've been using fujitsu tablets for over ten years now, still run a Fujitsu Stylistic 2300 from 1998, so MS, HP or Apple aren't exactly going to be first here.
What will be a first is an e-reader that really works, that you can take notes on, highlight things etc. and could be used at work instead of a printer for reports etc. Just the savings on paper and toner costs would pay for a 'printer tablet' at my work within a year.

HP Slate Notebook is out. Microsoft and HP are in mutual partnership for the release of the tablet HP Slate. The HP Slate Notebook was revealed at the CES 2010. I am very much exited about this HP Slate Notebook. I hot much needed information of this from:
http://www.techarena.in/video/2618 [...] review.htm

Well done buddy, thanks for providing us all with a red-hot insider tip nearly 2 weeks after the rest of the world already saw Ballmer playing with said device at CES.