This week, Microsoft disappointed gadget enthusiasts by scrapping plans for its dual-screen Courier tablet. Today, word on the street is that the Hewlett Packard's Windows 7 tablet, the HP Slate, has also been scrapped.
It was announced by Steve Ballmer on day zero of CES and it was one of the bigger announcements of the show. When the whole world was buzzing about Apple's upcoming tablet event, HP rolled in and stole the show with its own Windows 7 tablet. There was little information available about the Slate at CES but over time, teaser clips and videos explaining how the device came to be hit the Web.
Back in March, the HP Slate got spec'ed and priced at €400. Rumored to boast Intel's Atom processor, USB connectivity, a memory card reader, a rear-mounted integrated webcam, Windows 7 and a Flash support, the device was said to be hitting shelves in June. Now, it looks like HP is killing the project completely.
TechCrunch cites a source who has been briefed on the matter who says the company is scrapping the tablet because it's not happy with Windows 7 as an operating system. It's impossible to ignore that kind of rumor a couple of days after HP acquired a mobile OS of its own (Palm's WebOS). There are also rumors that HP will ditch the Atom CPU in favor of something a little less power-hungry.
The Windows 7 version of the HP Slate was not the only tablet HP had in the works. The company planned to release the same tablet but with Google's Android OS on it instead. So far, it looks like that device is still safe.
