HP Slate: iPad ripoff?

HP has developed a new Tablet-Pc, the Hp Slate, and has pretty much copied the iPad. Or has it? Take a look at the short demo video.

Looks pretty much identical to the iPad right? Especially the way the user scrolls through music albums. What are the differences?

The Slate and the iPad have just about identical screens. Both are multitouch, and have an ambient light sensor. The iPad has a slightly better resolution (1024 * 768 for the iPad to 1024 * 600 for the Slate), but the Slate has pen support.

The Slate has a faster processor (1.6 GHz Intel Atom Menlow 2530) than the iPad (1 GHz Apple A4), and combined with the ability to upgrade storage using an SD-card gives the Slate a big advantage.

Both the devices have WiFi and bluetooth. Two variations of both will be sold, one with 3G and one without. Both have a 3.5mm headphone jack, which is always nice, though the Slate has a USB port which can also be very useful! The Slate also has a VGA webcam on the screen-side and a 3 megapixel camera on the rear.

The iPad has a huge battery advantage: up to 10 hours using-time which is a lot compared to the small 5 hours on the Slate.

Other differences include the difference in operating system and price: Windows 7 Home Premium for the Slate and iPhone OS 3.2 for the iPad. It will be a guess if Windows is a good operating system for the Slate, given its bad reputation. The Slate will be priced around $549 and $599 and the iPad costs between $499 and $829, depending on the model.

What do you think: has HP copied the iPad? Comment!