HP Slate 8

[Octavean]

New upcoming HP "Slate 8" is outlined here:

if the details are to be believed, you can expect a 10.1-inch display, eight to ten hours of battery life, optional pen-based input, a docking station of some sort, an outdoor viewing option and a number of business-friendly security measures --

Business-minded HP 'Slate 8' tablet surfaces in leaked image -- Engadget

[DaveP]

Does anybody have any idea if a 10.1" screen is available from Wacom, n-Trig, or both?

[dceggert]

This would be N-trig unless Wacom has pulled a fast one recently. The 'optional pen' sounds very familiar.

Just a quick note; if it is 16:9 ratio it is a non-starter for me. It will have to be 16:10 to even be considered by me but I doubt very much that it will be since the specs to support Win 8 are 16:9. So, another lost opportunity in my eyes.

[Octavean]

I didn't know Windows 8 had a 16:9 ratio specified in its requirements. I thought it was a resolution limitation. Although, now, i'm not quite sure if they are talking about an ARM tablet or an x86 / x64 tablet,....

HP will almost certainly have both ARM and x86 / x64 Windows 8 tablets,...

I just thought the HP Slate 8 would replace the HP Slate 500, so that suggests x86 / x64,...

[e-schreiber]

Way to go with the numbering system, HP! Was Slate 3 too difficult? Joe Sixpack likes stuff that is easy to "follow". I guess it could be a lot worse....like HP SL8e. I believe consistence on naming schemes can help solidify a brand. Well, it's all a rumor so far, so let's see what their marketing department comes up with by the Holidays.

Regarding the digitizer issue....Wouldn't a digitizer by N-trig be a lot more bearable if paired with a decent (or more co-operative) CPU/GPU? I mean, maybe the disappointment many of you have with N-trig comes from their digitizer been used with an excessively slow Atom processor. What if the Slate 8 came with the successor to the Atom N2600? Or better yet, the future i5 CPU that will be used in Ultrabooks? Could, in such case, an N-trig digitizer become substantially more responsive...? To the point of becoming an acceptable compromise to you guys? I have no experience with N-trig, so I'm just proposing this "what-if scenario" to get a better grasp on how likely you guys are to "tolerate" an N-trig digitizer if the tablet came at the size, weight and thinness you wanted.

That mock-up looked nice.

[Fxx]

HP 'Slate 8' Windows Tablet Details Surface | PCWorld

[BurntOrngeLonghorn84]

I'm just proposing this "what-if scenario"

My what-if scenario is what if it ran ARM undocked, and x64 docked?

I realize they're different OS SKUs, but I see no reason why today's technology cannot support this. I mean, what a cool way of implementing Windows to Go.

I'm not the wisest guy, but I've yet to come up with that reason why not.

[Bronsky]

Regarding the digitizer issue....Wouldn't a digitizer by N-trig be a lot more bearable if paired with a decent (or more co-operative) CPU/GPU? I mean, maybe the disappointment many of you have with N-trig comes from their digitizer been used with an excessively slow Atom processor. What if the Slate 8 came with the successor to the Atom N2600? Or better yet, the future i5 CPU that will be used in Ultrabooks? Could, in such case, an N-trig digitizer become substantially more responsive...? To the point of becoming an acceptable compromise to you guys? I have no experience with N-trig, so I'm just proposing this "what-if scenario" to get a better grasp on how likely you guys are to "tolerate" an N-trig digitizer if the tablet came at the size, weight and thinness you wanted.

That mock-up looked nice.

I think not on the N-Trig. I've used a second generation N-Trig pen on a Dell XT-3 w/a Sandy Bridge I5-2520M cpu and HD3000 graphics. If it wasn't for the pen, I would probably own an XT-3, purchaseld at a deep discount from the Outlet. I actually like N-Trig's touch drivers but feel that the pen is a failed design. I have to admit that I have not tried cleaning the contacts as others have done. That might change my mind a bit, but I dislike the feel of the pen while writing and despise the tip clicks when taking notes, so much so, that I won't use it in a courtroom, which was my primary reason for getting a digitizer pen in the first place. Most importantly, I feel that N-Trig has failed to support its customers. Those of us who have 1st gen pens are told sorry, nothing we can do for you. I don't believe it and hear the manufacturer saying, simply, there is nothing we are going to do for you, buy an updated version. I think, short of a monumental change in corpotate attitude from N-Trig, I've purchased my last N-Trig device and suspect that I'm not alone.

My what-if scenario is what if it ran ARM undocked, and x64 docked?

A more plausable scenario might be W8-Arm undocked and W8-pro x64 when docked.

[e-schreiber]

A more plausable scenario might be W8-Arm undocked and W8-pro x64 when docked.

That would make the device incredibly versatile given that lots of people just need a browser and they would benefit from longer battery life. By the way, does the Slate 500/2 come with HP's QuickWeb OS? My TM2 came with it, but I've never used it.

[e-schreiber]

It will have to be 16:10 to even be considered by me but I doubt very much that it will be since the specs to support Win 8 are 16:9.

I think there's a resolution requirement, but not an aspect ration one. Not sure, though.

I don't care for Win8, either, but I believe Win7 downgrade rights will be available for those with Win8 Pro licenses. Businesses aren't very impressed with the changes Redmong is cooking. And that would be a win-win situation for Microsoft as they would count any Win8 downgrade as a Win8 sale, anyway. That's what they did with Vista to re-assure the press and shareholders that the thing was selling like hotcakes. So, at the end, there's a small chance that some OEM will build something that will please you.

Interesting times ahead.