Win7 iPad-Like Tablet Receives Questionable 'Unveiling'

A video on YouTube has recently surfaced that claims to be an iPad-style tablet computer running Windows 7. And while such a device is currently being developed by Hewlett-Packard (HP), it's far from certain whether or not the gadget in the video is genuine.

HP Slate Production Speculative

It's been known for some time that HP was working on such a device, codenamed the HP Slate, which has also been used in the past as a generic term for portable touchscreen computers that don't have a separate keyboard.

There had been some speculation that the company was ditching the idea of using Windows, rumors that grew louder when it bought out smartphone manufacturer Palm. The company has since confirmed it will be producing two editions of the Slate: one running the WebOS system featured in Palm's phones, and another running Windows 7.

First Time Upload Raises Questions

The YouTube clip comes from a man using the screen-name "x313xkillax" and is the first video posted on that account, both of which are potentially suspicious signs. However, given that it's a video rather than a still image, it would certainly have taken a great deal of work to pull off a hoax, and there's no readily apparent reason why somebody would want to do so. (Source: youtube.com)

The device shown in the four-minute video does closely resemble that which appears in a 30-second teaser commercial produced by HP. However, the on-screen display in the video looks to simply be a standard version of Windows 7, whereas the HP clip shows what appears to be a customized, mobile-friendly operating system. (Source: engadget.com)

In the clip, the device looks to be around 7 inches in diameter. It includes a camera on both the front and back, which would make it convenient for taking pictures and video-conferencing.

Start Up A Slow Process

The video shows that the device takes a little under 40 seconds from pressing the on button to being ready to use. While that's hardly out of the ordinary for a Windows computer, it's an absolute ice age compared to the iPad, which takes just a few seconds to become active.

Assuming the video is legitimate, the hardware side of the HP Slate continues to look impressive, featuring several functions missing from the iPad. However if, as it appears, the device simply runs an unmodified version of Windows 7, it's likely to re-spark previous concerns that Microsoft's flagship desktop and notebook system simply isn't suitable for a tablet device.