See my review of the ExoPC Slate Computer here.

For information about the ExoPC Slate computer, check out these sites.

ExoPC Company Web Site

ExoPC Company Forum

ExoPC Blog site (not an official site of ExoPC)

ExoPC Video Channel on YouTube

I added the Archos 9 PC Tablet to the comparison chart below. This unit isn’t my first choice still but it has some potential. The cons that come out immediately are Windows 7 Starter Edition, hard disk drive instead of solid state drive, and only 1 GB of memory.

According to a post on http://bit.ly/dlbQhm the ExoPC will be available September 7.

There are a number of Windows 7 based slate PC’s coming out and I’m trying to go through all their specifications to see which one I want to get.  It isn’t easy.

First there is the HP Slate.  HP is a solid company and makes good products.  With the acquisition of Palm, there is much talk about the future of the HP Slate and if it will still run Windows.  Anyway, I am still proceeding on the assumption that it will.

Another player in the Window slate lineup is the ExoPC Slate.  This unit looks very promising.  It won’t be available until September although I’m hoping they bring it out sooner.

I just found out about another unit called the Nav 9 Slate PC from Netbook Navigator.  It is available now to order.  It will have a younger, smaller brother called the Nav 7 and will be released some later this year.  The Nav 9 has great specs, is a little thicker than the others, and is very pricey for the options I want.

Below is a comparison of the models.

Based on the specs and others I’ve seen, my first choice is the ExoPC Slate with the HP Slate second.  I like the extra memory, bigger screen, 2 USB ports, and higher capacity SD reader.  The price for the Nav 9 is way out of my price range.  HP’s rear camera is nice but I don’t know what I would use it for since I have a cel phone with a camera.

Ever since it was announced that HP was acquiring Palm, there have been rumors that keep going around the technology sites about the future of the HP Slate device. They keep contradicting each other saying the Slate will still be released with Windows 7, the device will have WebOS later in the year, there will be two separate device offerings, and many others. As noted in my previous post, I had been looking forward to the Windows 7 Slate for a while.

I used the HP web site to send a message to HP Chairman of the Board, CEO, and President, Mark Hurd. I communicated the rumors and believe the company would do the tech community a great service and would be better for HP to give some official announcement as to the future of the Slate device. I received a response about an hour later which states:

Thank you for writing to HP with your comments regarding the HP Slate and the rumors surrounding it. The recent acquisition Palm has probably added a lot to the rumor mill. While we do not have any information to share at this time, we appreciate your interest in HP. Please watch for updates on hp.com.

Sincerely,

CEO Customer Relations

I patiently wait for some communication from HP instead of just hearing rumors.

I may be a technology geek, but I’m not impressed with Apple. I own one Apple product and that is the iPod Touch. I can do the same things I want to do on this device as I can with the iPhone and iPad. I already have a great cel phone. Now we all turn to the tablet form devices. These are flat devices that have larger touch-screens and no keyboard. Some of the popular devices are book readers like the Amazon Kindle, the Sony Reader, and the Barnes & Noble Nook. Then comes the Apple iPad. An oversized iPod Touch.

The iPad lacks so many features that I need. Apple has made it so proprietary that I can’t begin to use this product the way I want it to.

What do I need? Well, Windows compatibility. I am a bid Windows user and rely on Windows systems all day. The new device by HP, the Slate, runs Windows 7 and is loaded with features the iPad doesn’t have. In addition to running all the Windows software, it will support Flash, has a USB port for external devices like jump and disk drives, keyboard, sync with my phone or iPod, and two cameras. It has the same processing power as the Windows netbooks that are being sold now which have very good performance. My wife has a Dell netbook that runs Windows very well.

I mentioned two cameras, one on the front for video conferencing using apps like Skype and another on the back for taking photos and videos.

This is the device I want. I can’t wait until they are released in June. I’ll try to be first in line.