At first, HP’s Windows 7 slate was going to be a big deal. Then HP stopped talking about it and I declared it dead. Then it came back, but in a form that left me wondering if it was cursed. What a saga!
On Thursday afternoon, I saw the gadget–now known as the HP Slate 500, and aimed at business types rather than consumers–up close and in person. I tried it a bit. And while it may still turn out to be a train wreck, I’m now thinking it might at least be an interesting train wreck. Or even–just maybe–an interesting machine, period. (The 500 went on sale a few weeks ago, but is apparently a rare, back-ordered commodity.)
In an effort to make Windows 7’s multitouch user-interface one of the OS’s top selling points, Microsoft has invested millions in Israeli startup N-trig to provide PCs with touchscreen technology.