Slate PC has evolved as the result of the laptops and smartphones trying to narrow the gap that separates them. Apple and Microsoft have also joined the gang of makers to marketed these midsize devices which have the full functionality of the regular PC.
It remains to be seen that between the HP Slate by Microsoft and Apples iPad which device would hold the market in its grip. As it is, the year 2010 has been marked as the year of these two devices.
The iPad was launched with a precursor in the form of the iPod and iPhone. This gave the iPad a brand image even as it was launched. The HP Slate though has no such pre launch platform yet is a strong contender given its additional features. A few of the distinctive features are as enumerated.
Operating System
iPad run the iPhone OS which is based on the Mac OS X operating system while HP slate uses the Windows OS. It is well known that Microsoft has launched its Windows 7 OS with superb touch features and a fantastic processing speed.
Processor
iPad is based on an A4 chipset which has support for detailed graphics as well as motion as in animation. Along with the 1GHz A4 processor the apple walks way ahead as far as graphical features go as compared to the HP slate which is based on an Intel Atom Core 2 processor.
Display
In the display section HP Slate with its 10 inch screen display goes ahead of the iPad which has a 9.7 inch capacitive display, even though both screens support touch screen operations.
Flash Content Support
Providing Adobe Flash file format support in its Slate, HP has been able to go a notch higher than the iPad as far as multimedia capabilities go.
Webcam Camera
The Slate also supports video chatting for which it has an inbuilt Webcam or Video Camera. Once again iPad lacks this feature.
Keyboard
It is virtual keyboards that both the iPad and HP slate comprises of. The iPad though has provisioned for a keyboard dock. This optional attachment allows for the standard PC keyboard to be connected to the gadget and worked upon.
e-book
e-books are the latest craze that has caught the generation and is one reason for them to go for these mini gadgets. While the HP slate is compatible with a wide variety of e-book format including the Amazon Kindle readable format, the iPad too has the Kindle and the Nook e-reader app on its side along with many more with which it is compatible. This apart from Apple’s own iBooks store which has a format customized for reading with an iPad.
Multitasking
One can listen to music while working on some other application on the HP Slate. This and many other such multitasking features take the Slate a step ahead of the iPad which does not have this feature.
Connector
HP Slate also has the standard 2.0 USB Port which makes room for expansion of the gadgets utility. This is missing in the iPad.
Others
Coming to the browser support, the iPad has support for only the Safari browser whereas HP Slate supports several other browsers. There are yet some features that HP has not declared which would warrant comparison with the iPad. Like the memory capacity which for the iPad is 16GB, 32 GB and 64 GB. Also the battery life is to be checked for the Slate against the iPads 10 hours life between full charges. However, reports in some quarters suggest that the Slate is likely to have a battery backup of only 5 hours. So if that is true, then the iPad wins here comprehensively.
And then, price
As per the latest news coming in, HP Slate is estimated to cost around $546 while iPad prices starts at $499 for the base 16GB model and which goes up to $599 and $699 for the 32GB and 64GB models. Also, the HP Slate is likely to be available from June onwards by which time, Apple may well have sold close to half a million iPads. So there’s one advantage that Apple has and which HP can’t beat, that of starting early.
You will have more such stories from Tablets and Slates to the latest e-reader news at our Good E-Reader Blog.
Also, the HP’s Slate as well as the Ipad will be dealt with in more details in the coming issue of the Good E-Reader Magazine.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.
