MSFT, HP Slate PC to Beat Apple to Tablet Punch
Word on the street says Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer will reveal the device tonight.
Pretty much everybody is tired of hearing about the Apple tablet. The device isn't even official but the Apple rumor mill is known for being tireless and incredibly loud. We're bored, Apple fans are bored and PC fans are bored (in fairness, PC fans were probably always bored). Today, a new rumor came crashing down: Microsoft is launching a tablet of its own as part of a collarboration with HP.
Ashlee Vance from the New York Times reports that Steve Ballmer will unveil a slate PC at his CES keynote taking place this evening. According to Vance's sources, "Mr. Ballmer will show the as-yet-unnamed H.P. device, which will be touted as a multimedia whiz with e-reader and multi-touch functions."
Tuan and Devin will be in Vegas this evening to bring you the news. They've actually already started their very first road trip together and are on the road to Vegas as we speak. They'll be playing four hours of I Spy, 20 Questions and any number of crappy games involving out of state license plates just for you guys. All together now, awwww!

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