A Spanish-language Web site somehow got a hold of HP's upcoming slate, and was not impressed.
Mauricio Pastrana of Connecti.ca said he spent roughly 10 minutes with the HP slate -- it's not clear where or how -- and determined that it's a closer competitor to netbooks than to Apple's iPad. My Spanish is a little rusty, but I understand the Tweet Pastrana sent out in regards to his review: "HP Slate. Veredicto: Meh."
Connecti.ca has a handful of photos to back up the validity of its mini-review. These are pretty revealing shots that you won't get from HP's promotional videos and blog posts. Most importantly, we can see that the slate is a bit bulky -- definitely fatter than the iPad.
There are also some photos of the Windows 7-based user interface at work. It looks like there are a bunch of application links on the left side, and perhaps some contextual options on the right. In the middle, there seems to be a file manager, though HP's official videos have also shown a grid of apps in this space.
Anyone who owns a Windows PC will also be familiar with the blue start-up screen, which looks like any other version of Windows. Connecti.ca's report notes that long load up times is one of the HP slate's major downsides, despite supporting Flash.
On the bright side, Connecti.ca praised the HP slate's support for USB and HDMI, noting that there's also a dock containing these outputs. And the screen, he said, is a bit brighter than the iPad.
The impressions corroborate an earlier report from Spanish blog Clipset, which said the HP slate is more of a netbook sans keyboard than a large-screen media player. Whether that interests you depends on personal preference. I personally think that quick, arms-reach computing access is one of the iPad's greatest assets, so reports of PC-like behavior in the HP slate is a deal-breaker if it holds true. Here's hoping that Notion Ink's Adam doesn't have that issue.
