Like many recent Android tablets, this doubles as a netbook as HP has a dedicated keyboard dock to transform this into a full laptop-like experience. Add in the NVIDIA Tegra 4 power, and you’ve got quite the device on your lap. All the details on the Slatebook can be found from our announcement post, and you’ll want to check out the images if you’re interested.

With a 10.1-inch HD display, Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, and the quad-core Tegra 4 processor under the hood the device should be pretty darn fast, stable, and powerful. Add in 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage and the keyboard dock and you’ll have most the essentials for an Android slate. You’ll also get a micro-SD slot, hdmi-out, and much more.

Today at CTIA NVIDIA was nice enough to give us a quick glance at the new portable they’ll be powering, and even tossed up a demo showing just how fast it is. Compared to the impressive Google and Samsung Nexus 10, the HP Slatebook blew past some browser benchmarks with NVIDIA’s Tegra 4. This is just one test, but it nearly doubles the performance. Take a peek below.

In addition to having a 1920 x 1200 full HD display, the dedicated keyboard dock gives you additional juice with a separate battery for longer usage. As well as another SD slot, this time full SD, for even more storage options. While we only had a limited amount of time with the new slate, it gave us a pretty good first impression. We didn’t like the flat power and volume buttons in the press photos, but found them easy to locate and use in real life. This kept the slate sleek and we liked the design language.

So far our only complaint would be a little dip and recessed area on bottom that fits into the keyboard dock, which wasn’t extremely comfortable for regular tablet usage. However, that same area also houses front facing speakers, something we wish all tablets had on board. We’ll need more time with the slate but we came away with two thoughts. One being that HP is looking to dive head first into the Android tablet game. And second being the Tegra 4 is one impressive quad-core chip. Stay tuned for more from CTIA 2013.

Originally, HP said that its new Slate 7 tablet would be available sometime next month, but the company has pushed back the release to June, giving eager buyers a couple more months to mull over their decision. However, we’re not exactly sure why the tablet is delayed. It went through the FCC without any problems, so perhaps HP simply wanted to make some slight last-minute changes.

As for the Xperia Tablet Z, the tablet released on March 22 in Japan, but it has yet to see the light of day in other parts of the world. It was also originally set for a release sometime next month, but it has been pushed back to May. As with the HP Slate 7, there’s no word on exactly what’s causing the delay, but again, it’ll give more time to those eager shoppers to think about whether or not go for it.

The Xperia Tablet Z was one of the more nicer tablets that we saw at Mobile World Congress last month. It’s got a 10-inch 1080p HD display and it runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out of the box. When it eventually does make its way to the states, it’ll cost $499 for the 16GB model — right on par with Apple’s entry-level iPad.

Update: HP has updated its Slate 7 product page, and the release date is now listed as “April 2013.”

UPDATE:: As noted by Sony, the Xperia Tablet Z remains on-track for a May release in some regions, and availability will vary based on region as well – can’t wait!

Both Series 5 and Series 6 slates work with the S Pen for 1,024 levels of sensitivity to bring on the best in the Samsung touch universe. This same technology is used in the Galaxy Note lineup also set to expand more than likely later today. These slates come with a set of preloaded Samsung apps such as the Samsung MediaHub as well to make sure you’ve got cross-device usage of all your Samsung-purchased media.

The Series 5 and Series 7 tablets come with 11.6-inch displays. The Series 7 display is 1920×1080 pixel resolution while the Series 5 has a 1366 x 768 resolution. The difference between these two devices besides the resolution across the same amount of screen real-estate is the thickness – with the 7 being 0.5-inch thick and the 5 being 0.38-inch. The Series 5 slate also has 2GB of memory with a 64GB hard drive while the 7 has 4GB of memory with a 128 GB hard drive.

The Series 7 slate comes with an Intel Atom Processor Z2760 while the Series 5 slate has an Intel® Core i5-3317U Processor, making the difference here relative to the amount of hardcore work you want to do. The Series 5 slate will be $749 with keyboard dock or $649 without keyboard dock while just one price exists for the Series 7 slate: $1199. Both models are set to pop up soon!

This tablet has several security features including HP ProtectTools, TPM embedded security, and support for Computrace incase you lose the unit in a strange place. You’ll get Windows 8 with touch controls, the ability to use a capacitive pen tool to work, and a display that’ll have you working indoors or out – brightness! This tablet is what HP calls portable, having 8-10 hours of battery life and a weight of just .68 kg. The HP Space 8 will be 9.2mm thin and appears to be coming with a full aluminum body.

We’re probably going to find that this device has at least some plastic panels here or there so that it might have excellent signal reception for wireless internet and GPS as well down the line. This tablet is reminiscent of the HTC Jetstream which we also have a full review of from several months ago, and will have some sort of reinforced glass panel on the front that may have curved edges.

Is this one of the many preview devices we got a quick glimpse of back at the Windows 8 Consumer Preview presentation at Mobile World Congress 2011? Very possibly!

[via ZDNet]

The TH40 has a sliding form factor that reminds me of several smartphones that I have seen. The screen slides up and sits at a slight angle to reveal a keyboard underneath. The angle would make the screen more comfortable to view. Fujitsu calls the keyboard a “touch-type keyboard” which makes it sound virtual, but from the photo, it appears to be a normal keyboard with low profile keys. The screen of the machines is a 10.1-inch unit.

The overall thickness of the TH40 is 17.4mm and it weighs in at 1.1kg. That would make the machine very thin and portable. The TH40 will land in June and Fujitsu isn’t giving up the price just yet. The company is also mum on the hardware specs of the TH40 as well, we don’t even know the OS that will be used or what sort of processor will be inside the thing. We do know that it will be Blu-ray compatible with the use of an external drive, which likely means USB ports, and the screen is touch sensitive.

The new slate is up for pre-order for the first time for people in the US and it has a price starting at $729. The slate has some interesting features that might make it appealing to business users. The machine runs Windows 7 for instance so it will work with some of the software you probably use in the office. It uses Intel Oak Trail platform and has a 10.1-inch screen. That 10.1-inch screen is a 1280 x 800 resolution unit.

The base model sells for $729 and for the money; you get a 30GB SSD and a dual cell battery. An upgraded version of the slate sells for $849 and gets the user 62GB of storage and a four-cell battery. Both of the units have front and rear cameras, HDMI output, and USB ports. They also have WiFi, a SD card reader, and more.

[via Engadget]

The STYLISTIC Q550 Slate is aimed at use in all sorts of settings from the office to the hospital and industry. The Q550 has a 10.1-inch screen that is LED backlit and uses IPS tech. The machine has WLAN, Bluetooth, and optional mobile broadband. The Q550 runs an Atom processor and uses Windows 7 Pro 32-bit with 2GB of onboard memory.

The screen is anti-glare and will accept pen input and capacitive multi-touch as well. Portability is important and the tablet weighs a bit more than 1.5 pounds according to Fujitsu making it very portable. The battery is user removable and two or four cell options are available. Other features include cameras on front and rear, USB slots, HDMI out, audio out, a dock connector, VESA mounting support, and optional Gobi 3000 with GPS. Shipping is set for this spring with pricing starting at under $800.

Hardware and Performance

Motorola’s design is sober and discrete, and where the iPad shows off its brushed metal the XOOM seemingly prefers to let the 10.1-inch display do the talking. It’s a 160dpi, 1280 x 800 WXGA panel with a capacitive touchscreen supporting multitouch gestures, and while it doesn’t use the same IPS technology as the Apple slate, it still manages decent viewing angles. We’ve had no issues with touchscreen responsiveness, though at 9.8 x 6.61 x 0.51 inches and 25.75oz it’s a somewhat heavy device, and one-handed use can get tiring.

Inside, NVIDIA’s Tegra 2 is calling the shots, a dual-core 1GHz SoC paired with 1GB of DDR2 RAM and 32GB of integrated storage. Although the XOOM has a microSD card slot, currently the tablet doesn’t support it; similarly, there’s an LTE SIM slot – filled with a blanking card – but that won’t be used until Verizon updates the tablet to 4G in Q2 2011. Instead, you get EVDO Rev.A, WiFi a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, along with USB 2.0 and mini HDMI ports. Motorola is readying a WiFI-only XOOM, but that isn’t expected until later in the year.

We’ve seen sensors of various types proliferate on smartphones, and the XOOM ups the ante. As well as GPS, an accelerometer, digital compass, ambient light sensor and gyroscope, there’s a barometer for measuring air pressure. So far there’s no actual use for it in Honeycomb, but since it’s available for third-party developers to tap into via the Android 3.0 APIs, it’s only a matter of time before somebody takes advantage.

On the front is a 2-megapixel fixed-focus camera and a tricolor notification LED, though no physical controls, while on the back is a 5-megapixel autofocus camera with a dual-LED flash. It’s flanked by stereo speakers and the power/standby button. The only other hardware control is the volume rocker on the left hand edge. A 3.5mm headphone socket is on the top edge of the slate.

Benchmarking Android devices is something of an inexact science, with various tools – synthetic and real-world – in common use and lingering issues around multicore compatibility. We ran Quadrant on the XOOM, and the Tegra 2 based slate scored 2,126. Meanwhile, in Linpack the XOOM managed 36.166, and BenchmarkPi crunched through in 559 milliseconds.

Perhaps more importantly, however, the XOOM whipped through everyday tasks with hardly a pause. Panning through the 3D-style homescreen was lag- and jerk-free, the app menu opened without delay, and apps themselves sprang to life as fast as we’ve seen on an Android device. In comparison, the single-core 7-inch Galaxy Tab feels sluggish. The healthy chunk of RAM meant that heavier webpages still rendered successfully and panned/zoomed without protest, even with multiple tabs open.

Software

We’ve already covered Android 3.0 Honeycomb in our separate review of the new tablet OS, and – in keeping with a Google Experience device – Motorola has left the software well alone on the XOOM. It’s a sensible decision, given Honeycomb’s degree of polish. In fact, the hardest part for most people has been finding the power button, which Motorola has put on the back of the slate.

The untampered OS should also mean that, as Google rolls out newer versions of Android, the XOOM is hopefully first in line to receive them, something that can’t be said the same for Motorola’s smartphone range. Considering the attention Android fragmentation gets, that’s a big element in the XOOM’s favor.

Cameras and Multimedia

Motorola has outfitted the XOOM with two cameras, a 5-megapixel unit on the back, complete with auto-focus and an accompanying dual-LED flash, and a 2-megapixel fixed-focus camera on the front that’s primarily intended for video calls. They take advantage of Honeycomb’s new camera app, complete with various effects and shooting modes, and are easily controlled with the new circular shortcut wheel (though there’s no dedicated camera shortcut key on the slate).

Stills from the 5-megapixel main camera are good, though not outstanding. The biggest surprise was how comfortable taking photos is on a tablet; while the 7-inch Galaxy Tab felt like a somewhat ridiculous, oversized smartphone, the 10.1-inch XOOM doesn’t feel awkward, and the large on-screen controls make it straightforward. Currently the Motorola tops out at 720p HD video recording at 30fps, though an update to support 1080p HD is promised at some point in the future. Clips are on a par with Motorola’s smartphone range, with generally jerk-free footage that only shows smearing on faster pans. The dual-LED flash can be used as a video light, but it’s only really of use in mildly darker environments.

As for the front camera, while it can be used for stills and video, it’s unsurprisingly not adept at either. Motorola has tuned it for video call duty, and in that it does well, producing a reasonably crisp picture that manages to keep detail even when compressed for a 3G stream. The fixed-focus does mean you lack sharpness, however, not so noticeable in video but making vanity shots unimpressive.

Photos, video and audio can be played back either on the slate itself – with the XOOM’s stereo speakers proving underwhelming for all but the most casual of listening – or, using the HDMI 1.4 output and bundled cable, on a nearby big-screen TV. The entire interface is mirrored on both the external display and the touchscreen, making for easier control, and the XOOM can handle up to 1080p Full HD playback. We’ve commented on Android 3.0′s paucity of native codec support in our OS review, but thankfully there are various third-party media players in the Android Market that do a better job with video content other MP4, WebM, 3GP and H.264/H.263. Footage is crisp, as you’d expect, and with 32GB of onboard storage there’s a decent amount of capacity for media. It’s worth noting that, if you’re a Mac user, you’ll have to install the new Android File Transfer tool, since Honeycomb won’t be recognized by OS X as a USB drive without it.

What you don’t get, at this stage, is Flash support. Adobe is busy working on Flash Player 10.2 for Honeycomb, but right now there’s not even 10.1 for backward compatibility. It’s another reason the XOOM feels somewhat rushed to market, and it knocks an important selling point from the Motorola’s roster. Yes, Flash is on its way, but with the iPad 2 launch imminent, Motorola really needed all its strengths in one place to take on the iOS slate.

Connectivity and Battery

The XOOM isn’t short on connectivity, with EVDO Rev.A, WiFi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and USB 2.0, along with a 4G LTE update in the pipeline, but it’s worth noting that it won’t make voice calls. Verizon’s agreement is for data only, which means that if you want to actually talk with someone using the XOOM you’ll have to pick a VoIP client. Still, with Skype, Fring, Qik and others in the Android Market, and Google Talk preinstalled in Honeycomb, most users should find something to fit that gap.

As well as using the 3G connection for onboard surfing, Honeycomb comes with a mobile hotspot app that can be used to share the data out with up to five WiFi-tethered clients. It’ll likely incur a surcharge, however: Verizon has only said that data access will start from $20 per month for 1GB, and we’re assuming that, like the carrier’s phones, hotspot service will be a higher-tier package.

Verizon is also yet to detail the 4G update, which means we don’t yet know how early-adopters of the XOOM will convert their 3G tablet into an LTE one come Q2 2011. It’s possible that this is a modem firmware update, which could be released OTA or as a sideloaded install, or alternatively owners may have to take their XOOM into a Verizon store or even send it off. Still, Verizon has said it will be a free update, though it hasn’t confirmed whether there’ll be a 4G surcharge on top of the regular 3G data package.

Battery life, meanwhile, has been very impressive. With very heavy use, the XOOM lasted over 14hrs – over 8hrs of which the screen was on – before shutting down. Bear in mind that’s undergoing testing for this review, meaning a combination of browsing, media playback (both using the XOOM’s display and via the HDMI output), both WiFi and 3G connections, streaming media and photography. With more casual use, especially if predominantly browsing, we’d expect to see 9hrs or more. That’s a little less than an iPad, certainly, but still enough to be considered a strong showing in our opinion. A full recharge takes around 3.5hrs.

Accessories

Verizon provided two official accessories with our review unit, the Speaker HD Dock and a Bluetooth Keyboard. The dock is, surprisingly, more basic than that offered for the Motorola ATRIX 4G, having only power and mini HDMI connectivity. It will charge the XOOM and allows you to have a wired connection to your HDTV permanently hooked up, but we’d have preferred it if Motorola had used a full-sized HDMI port. We’re guessing the choice of a mini connector was so that the cable bundled with the tablet could be used with the dock as well, but given most users aren’t going to want to keep swapping a single cord between their bag and the dock, opting for the more common (and cheaper) full sized HDMI would have been a more sensible decision. The integrated 5W stereo speakers are more powerful than the XOOM’s own, which makes for stronger audio during video playback together with more easily audible video chats.

As for the Bluetooth keyboard, that also works as you’d expect it to, hooking up wirelessly with no issues and then allowing for easier text entry than the on-screen ‘board. It’s worth noting that, since the XOOM supports the standard Human Interface Device (HID) protocol, you can use a non-Motorola Bluetooth keyboard you might already have. Motorola’s ‘board is actually the same as offered for the ATRIX 4G, which means it adds in shortcuts to various Android apps. It’s also reasonably comfortable to type on.

Motorola also offers a Portfolio Case for the XOOM, though we didn’t have that on hand to test. As with similar examples for other tablets, it basically allows you to prop the XOOM up for easier on-screen typing or watching videos, as well as folding around to protect the display during transport. Finally, there’s a Standard Dock, which props the XOOM up and recharges it, which we also didn’t have in to test.

Pricing and Value

Cost is likely to be the XOOM’s most contentious aspect. Verizon and Motorola have priced the slate at $799.99 without a contact or $599.99 with a new, two-year agreement on a data-only plan. With the cheapest data package Verizon offers – $20 per month for 1GB – that adds up to almost $1,080 over the course of the contract.

In contrast, Apple’s 32GB iPad WiFi + 3G is $729. That’s less than the unsubsidized XOOM, but more than the on-contract version; however, AT&T allows iPad owners to activate and deactivate 3G service as they see fit, rather than locking them into a monthly commitment. You also get more for your money on AT&T, with iPad 3G plans offering either 250MB per month for $14.99 or 2GB for $25.

The XOOM is likely to fall in price after a couple of months – there’s always an early-adopter premium to be paid – but it’s not the home-run we’d hoped it might be. It’s worth remembering that, even if you don’t want to use Verizon’s data and only rely on WiFi to connect, you’ll still have to pay for a month’s worth of service and the activation fee.

Wrap-Up

Despite the absence of Flash support and the absence of 4G, there’s a lot to like about the Motorola XOOM. It’s a solid, discretely handsome slate, with strong battery life and whip-crack performance. Against it are the premium price tag and the ridiculous mandatory first-month data fee; frankly, Verizon have missed a trick by not giving buyers a free first month in the hope of getting them hooked to the convenience of 3G.

Much of the XOOM’s strength comes from Android 3.0 Honeycomb, and there’s little doubting that Google’s tablet-centric OS is the star of the show here. As we found in our full software review, it’s a convincing and polished platform, which brings a highly usable multitasking environment to the tablet marketplace, neatly distinct from the “oversized smartphone” accusations levied at previous Android slates.

Until Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 and LG’s G-Slate reach shelves, the XOOM has the Honeycomb space all to itself. Still, neither Motorola nor Google can afford to rest on their respective laurels. The iPad 2 is expected to debut a mere week after the XOOM goes on sale, and considering the first-gen version is still the benchmark by which new tablets are measured, the second-gen model is only going to raise the table stakes.

Nonetheless, we’re impressed by the XOOM, and by Honeycomb. Neither feels like a compromise, and with the heft of the Android Market behind them, the gap between Android and iOS has narrowed drastically. The XOOM may only be the first Honeycomb slate, but it’s a strong start to what’s going to be a fiercely competitive race.

ALSO have a look at our Android Honeycomb Review as well as an informative post by our sister site Android Community: Motorola XOOM and Honeycomb Review [All Questions Answered].

BONUS: Tricked out!

ASUS wanted to provide users with multiple input options for the large device. You can use the Wacom pen, multi-touch, or a Bluetooth attached keyboard making it ultra-versitile. Text input from the stylus was flawless and very responsive and accurate.

From the demo, we saw the Eee Slate EP121 bring up a 1080p video with no lag while doing some extensive photo editing in Adobe Photoshop CS5. Initial impressions of the device was that it was incredibly powerful. Being described as “desktop-like speed” for the first time on a tablet, its being said to be the Worlds Most Powerful Tablet.

The device will be based on the Intel Core i5 and will run Windows 7 Home Premium. Shipping in January the EP121 will sell for $999-$1099.

Inside you’ll find new software by the name of ExTouch, this dedicated to helping improve Windows 7 touch input by giving you a dedicated App launcher. Feel free to visit Onkyo for additional information if you read Japanese. Looks kinda sassy!

[Via AkihabaraNews]

In 2004 when OQO brought their pocket sized UMPC to market it ran a full version of Windows XP due to enterprise customer feedback.   This feedback told them that enterprise customers who invested in proprietary software to run their business built the bulk of that software to run on Windows.   As attractive of an option it was to develop for things like Pocket PC or Palm OS the fact of the matter was the bulk of IT departments needed their enterprise software to run on Windows.   This need still exists today and what will wait to be seen is whether they develop apps that integrate with their enterprise software systems or invest in tablets running Windows.

A lot has changed since the Tablet PC’s of 2003-2006.   Mainly the unprecedented growth of touch screen based smart phones.  Prior to 2007 touching a screen device as the primary way to interact with it was no where near a fully mature experience.   Now that the finger has replaced the stylus it does seem demand is back within enterprise customers to deploy tablets.    We are talking with a number of businesses large and small who are experimenting with iPads and iPad software development.   From what Cisco has shown with the Cius and an enterprise approach with Android its clear enterprise tablets is an emerging trend that is still in its early stages.

HP Slate 500 target industry segments

The operating system will play a critical role in the success of tablets in general but it is especially the case with enterprises.   From what we have seen on the market so far an embedded OS still outperforms Windows 7 slate devices.    Even though Microsoft has included a lot of touch based technology into Windows 7 it is still an operating system primarily designed for a keyboard and mouse.    This is why it will be interesting to see whether enterprise customers choose to support a thiner embedded OS, like iOS, CIUS Android or BlackBerry’s QNX, due to the hardware and software performance benefits, or if keeping a single consistent software image leads them down the Windows 7 Slate path.

The Peek 9 has a very thin design and is designed to allow wireless communications like texting and email without having to spend lots of money on a data plan for a smartphone. The device has push email delivered to your webmail and Peak 9 device at the same time. The 9 can text directly to other cell phones. The 9 also supports Peektop apps that allow users to load their own apps for all sorts of tasks. Peek also integrates with Facebook and Twitter for keeping up to date with social networks. The device has a full QWERTY keyboard and works with Outlook and Exchange.

Battery life is claimed to be 4-5 days of typical use. The Peak 9 weighs 3.8 ounces, has a US Tri band GPRS 800/1800/1900MHz radio and supports GPRS. The screen is 2.5-inches with a 320 x 240 resolution and the device has 8MB of user memory. The CPU is an ARM7 running at 104MHz and it runs Peekux for the OS. The price for the device only is $69.99 and with two months of service included, the price is $99.99. Lifetime service is $249.99 with monthly service for $19.95.

The company points out that the pre-order process is launching before the final product is ready and there is a bit of bad news. The Slate was expected to have GPS, but the 64GB version on pre-order will not offer GPS. ExoPC says that GPS is not working with the current provider and if they can’t get it working, the final product will lack GPS.

The company hasn’t ruled out fixing whatever the issue is through so GPS is a question mark right now. The pre-order price has been cut a bit in light of the fact that GPS is unknown. The price will be 749 CAD and if GPS is fixed in time for the slate to ship the price will remain. The SSD inside the 64GB version is from SanDisk making it very fast.

HP’s Personal Systems Group Vice President, Todd Bradley, was speaking amongst his colleagues today at Fortune Brainstorm, and he managed to inform everyone listened, and anyone else who couldn’t but still cares, that the HP Slate as we know it is no longer a consumer product, but instead intended solely for the enterprise market.

When’s it coming? Well, that’s in the Fall, as they say. So, any time now, basically, but before the holiday shopping season (not that that matters anymore, mind you). And while we’ve got ourself an answer about this, now we’re left wondering what this means. Windows staying with the enterprise for HP, and then they’ll focus on webOS for the mainstream consumer? Who knows, but it seems promising.

CEO of HP, Mark Hurd, stated that, beyond smartphones, we should expect to see webOS turned “into form factors such as slates and web-connected printers.” So, there you have it. HP is going to put webOS on slates, which makes us very, very happy. And it should make you tablet fans out there pretty happy, too.

Now, as for those web-connected printers, well, we’re scratching our head at this one. We’re wondering how poignant that really is, let alone useful, but if we get to see webOS on more devices, even printers, well, we’ll take it where we can get it. No word on when we should actually expect to see those devices hitting the market, but we’ll keep our fingers crossed it’s soon.

[via PreCentral]

Basically, this video doesn’t show you a shipping product. Nope. It just shows you what a shipping product may look like, if it were set to some techno-rock, and had some visually stunning video renders made of it. We’re not saying the completed piece of gadgetry won’t look like the video you’re about to watch, and we’re sure the software will be spot-on, too. But, well, it’s still a render and not the real deal. As much as we love our social networking, being able to pinch-to-zoom, connect our tablet to our TV, and expand our memory with memory cards, it’s just not the same if we don’t see it on the real thing.

The big question should be: why aren’t we seeing it on the real thing? After all, we know it exists. We’ve seen it in action! Why keep showing renders of something that’s real, and probably in quite a few people’s hands already? Whatever the reason, if you’re not a fan of the iPad, and are looking for a tablet that has a webcam (Skype did look pretty good), a USB port, and Windows 7, then the HP Slate is probably just right for you. As soon as we get some official word on a release date and pricing (for somewhere other than Europe), we’ll be sure to let you know.

[via HP]

Engadget reports that specs have been uncovered that reportedly come directly from HP. The machine will sell for €400 or about $546 in the US. We will need to wait for official pricing for the US. The thing is expected to be cheaper than similar iPad models so a straight conversion may be off.

The Slate runs Windows 7, supports Flash, offers USB connectivity, a memory card reader, and a webcam. The Slate really sounds like a netbook sans keyboard with its Atom processor running the show according to the report. The Slate is expected to launch in June.

I wonder how much HP will appreciate the machine going by the Slate moniker. The ExoPC Slate runs Windows 7 and takes advantage of the baked in multi-touch capability of the OS. The screen of the little Slate is 8.9-inches and the device supports Flash. An onscreen keyboard is featured for typing and data entry.

Other features of the device include the ability to view live TV broadcasts and HD broadcasts. The device has PMP functionality and can tune radio stations from francophone world. Support for digital books is built-in. The processor in the tablet is an Atom N270 and it features 2GB of RAM. Storage is to a 32GB SSD and the machine has WiFi, Bluetooth, and a 10/100 port. Basically, you are looking at a netbook in a slate form factor. Pricing is unknown at this time.