Apple's impending launch of the iPad won't have a "rising tide" effect on sales of Windows-based tablet PCs, IDC said in a new estimate today. While the Apple tablet could well be successful, the analysts don't expect that success to spill over to devices like the HP slate or the Lenovo IdeaPad U1. Windows tablets like these will get publicity but no large sales, IDC said.
HP in mid-week has upgraded its best all-in-one with a tangible speed upgrade. The TouchSmart 600 Quad still has a 23-inch screen but leaps from a Core 2 Duo to a quad-core 1.6GHz or 1.73GHz Core i7. Video performance gets its own lift as the system comes with a dedicated GeForce GT 230M replacing the integrated G210 from before.
HP may finally have an update for its older EliteBook tablet in store, as an inadvertent post by Michigan's Mercy High School has potentially spoiled the PC builder's plans. The unisex school is planning a computer bundle that will give students an EliteBook 2740p tablet despite knowing the system won't ship until spring. Other than confirming that it will remain a pro notebook, the EliteBook doesn't get additional hardware details.
An HP tablet is coming at tonight's Microsoft keynote but may not be the rumored Courier tablet, multiple sources indicate today. A contact for Reuters says to expect a media-centric, multi-touch device from HP at Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer's keynote, but doesn't provide details. Journalist Kara Swisher adds, however, that her own contacts are adamant it won't be the dual-screen Courier and instead will be a slate that runs Microsoft software.
HP's TouchSmart convertible tablet has received an upgrade in the form of the tm2. It now has a sleeker, unibody-like design much like the Envy 13 and has made a switch from AMD to low-power Intel Core 2 Duos to extend the battery life; HP claims up to 9 hours even on the stock battery. An option for Mobility Radeon HD graphics give it a lift in video.
A leaked document from HP has confirmed some roadmap details for both Intel and AMD. As part of a plan to update its all-in-one PCs with a new Pavilion model in April, the company says it expects to use dual-core Core i3 and i5 desktop processors and reiterates their key features. The Core i5 will have Turbo Boost to shut down some cores and overclock others and will also have hardware acceleration of AES encryption; Core i3 goes without but is based on the same architecture.
HP early today is making an aggressive push into touchscreen PCs with two key updates to its TouchSmart home all-in-ones. The TouchSmart 300 and 600 add true multi-touch input and have significantly expanded use for the technology: they can not only use pinch-to-zoom, flicks and other gestures in the general operating system thanks to Windows 7 but in several new touch apps for the systems' custom front end. They can now navigate Hulu or Netflix streaming video, stream Pandora or Rhapsody music, or update and follow Twitter feeds all primarily using touch.
HP in gearing up for Windows 7 added two newer touchscreen PCs to its mix. The TouchSmart tx2 convertible tablet now makes better use of its multi-touch display both in the OS as well as in the new apps specific to HP's TouchSmart front end; users can watch Hulu or Netflix from the touch interface as well as update Twitter or stream Pandora and Rhapsody music. Unlike most such screens, the tx2's input isn't solely finger-oriented and will work with a stylus as well.
(Updated with pricing) Dell as promised has launched the Latitude XT2 as the second-generation of its convertible tablet PC. The new version comes with multi-touch support out of the box and uses pinches, swipes and other gestures to zoom and scroll through apps that support the features, such as web browsers and photo viewers. It also continues to carry a second digitizer and will work with a bundled stylus for more precise control or for drawing.
At CES, HP introduced its dx9000 TouchSmart Business PC, based on the current HP TouchSmart PC for home users. While the hardware is identical to the existing TouchSmart PCs, HP is already working with DNA Digital Media Group, GuestMVP, Interactive Multimedia Artists and Uniguest to develop business-oriented applications for the new PC. In the future, the computer-maker hopes to expand upon this group.
Israeli touchscreen maker N-Trig today revealed that it has received a total of $24 million in funding from a group of investors led by Microsoft. The American developer is the largest contributor and says its undisclosed amount is there to encourage the use of multi-touch technology with Windows 7, which is the first desktop Windows platform to be built with touchscreens in mind.
The N-trig multi-touch technology will remain confined to mobile PCs, as per N-trig's VP of Business Development, Lenny Engelhardt, according to a Tuesday CNET report. Currently, the N-trig interface is available in Dell's Latitude XT tablet PC and, more recently, the HP TouchSmart tx2 tablet, with the interfaces sporting some minor manufacturer-specific differences. N-trig uses a thin and transparent capacitive touch sensor with its circuitry located on either side of it.
Apple is waiting on a special round of Intel chips to update its iMacs with quad-core processors, according to claims by PC makers. The California company is reportedly hinging its move on a new set of desktop Core 2 Quad processors due in January that are specifically power-optimized for all-in-one desktops, dropping the thermal peak power from a too-high 95W down to 65W. They would have the same performance characteristics as existing processors and include a 2.33GHz Q8200 with 4MB of Level 2 cache, a 2.66GHz Q9400 with 6MB of cache and a 2.83GHz Q9550 with the full 12MB of cache.
HP today became the first PC maker to incorporate a multi-touch display in a home-focused notebook with the TouchSmart tx2. Stylistically similar to the tx2500 series convertible tablets, the new model now accepts two-finger gestures to pinch, rotate and otherwise control media both in the MediaSmart front-end (which also makes its first notebook appearance) and in general apps such as the Office suite. Users can drag objects or flick to scroll quickly, and still have the option of falling back to a stylus for handwriting or more precise actions.
HP's promised touchscreen notebooks could be available by the end of this year, say sources of the Wall Street Journal. Similar to the company's recent TouchSmart desktops, at least one unnamed portable will come with HP software specifically made to use a touchscreen interface. The system will join what HP hopes will be a whole family of touchscreen devices, the newspaper says.
While speaking to the press at a consumer event in London on Tuesday, Hewlett Packard’s vice president of the Personal Systems Group Eric Cador again confirmed the company will soon release notebooks with TouchSmart technology and software. As per a report from Pocket-lint, HP unveiled a new TouchSmart desktop at the event. In addition to confirming the new notebooks, Cador dispelled a myth about HP’s developing an operating system that would be an alternative to Microsoft’s Windows Vista.
HP tonight updated its TouchSmart all-in-one PCs to push them into high-end home theater territory not covered by earlier models or rivals such as the iMac. The IQ800 series carries a 25.5-inch, 1920x1200 display that converts the touchscreen PC into a near home theater; accordingly, the system comes with a Blu-ray combo drive in one model while all of them have 1080p-capable video and ATSC/NTSC TV tuners. To match the HTPC focus, either system also has new ambient lighting on their chins that either illuminates the wireless keyboard on a desktop or just sets the mood.
HP is exploring development of its own Linux variant designed just for the home, according to insiders speaking with BusinessWeek. The software would be simpler than most Linux distributions and would be specifically designed to avoid a dependence on Microsoft's Windows operating systems on consumer systems, which have been forced to move to Vista despite a poor reaction to the platform. Details of the operating system are otherwise unknown.
HP intends to have a notebook with a touchscreen display on the market within the next 18 months, the company has told the Wall Street Journal. The company was one of the first to introduce a mainstream, touchscreen desktop in the TouchSmart series but now says that it sees enough interest in the format to be one of the first with a portable PC offering a heavily touch-driven interface. The company has already introduced a tablet PC for the mainstream through the tx series but still depends on a stylus inside a conventional interface and would like to change the interface to a more natural one for future devices.
HP today said that the second generation of its TouchSmart PC should now be at retail stores across much of the US. The 22-inch all-in-one desktop should be available both in the base IQ504 model ($1,299) with a 2GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB of memory, and 320GB hard drive as well as a deluxe IQ506 model ($1,499) with a 2.16GHz processor, a TV tuner, dedicated GeForce 9300M GS video, and a 500GB hard disk for extra space.
HP on Tuesday completely replaced theTouchSmart PC with a new design more conspicuously aimed at the iMac and a recent crop of Windows-based all-in-ones such as the Gateway One. The IQ500 series expands from the earlier 19-inch screen to a 22-inch model that also eliminates the separate floating display: the entire computer is stored behind the main display and uses a slot-load optical drive as well as side-mounted ports to keep the design thin. The touchscreen interface has likewise been given a makeover with a new Cover Flow-like fan layout for choosing music from album covers, an enhanced image editor, and an application tray that gives users access to many more touchscreen-driven apps than the original.
