HP Slate to Ship, Sport Humiliating Tag

By  |  Friday, October 22, 2010 at 9:28 am

The much-hyped, strangely-delayed, didn’t-sound-like-a-great-idea HP Windows 7 tablet–the one I prematurely (but not unreasonably!) thought was dead–is alive, Engadget’s Joanna Stern reports. But it sports one feature that makes me want to weep: a slide-out tab with its Windows license and other mind-numbingly boring information which no buyer will ever care about. Apparently, HP didn’t want to ugly up the tablet’s underside with this stuff, but felt that it couldn’t just supply it on a piece of paper. I don’t know who to blame–HP? Microsoft? Lawyers? The Feds?–but it’s the final indignity for a product that couldn’t catch a break. Maybe it was cursed…

 
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  1. Kevin Says:
    October 22nd, 2010 at 10:39 am

    At least for the Windows license, as per the EULA, that info must be placarded on the machine. As for the other info, it might be useful for a quick spec check during service calls, etc. I don't see it as a big deal.

  2. davezatz Says:
    October 22nd, 2010 at 10:46 am

    Yeah, seems like a Microsoft Windows licensing thing. The Dell Adamo hid it under a magnetic cover for comparison.

  3. IcyFog Says:
    October 22nd, 2010 at 1:29 pm

    Microsoft is to blame – totally and completely. Stuff like this is why all Microsoft products are dead on arrival to me. I need to be paid to Microsoft software, and until proven otherwise, I assume any of its products are best to be avoided at all costs.

  4. Bouke Timbermont Says:
    October 25th, 2010 at 3:49 am

    …I honestly don't think the tag is a problem… at all :/ The windows information is required by MS to be put on the product, and the other info could indeed just be printed on the back, inside (is there an opening for replacing the battery or something?) or just be included with the packaging. However, this is, imo, a nice way to keep the extrior clean and have all that info at hand in the product itself.

    At least, that's how I see it.

    Other than the tag however, there is absolutely nothing revolutionary about this product. No matter how loud MS screams Windows 7 is optimized for touch, it isn't. And Windows will never be. The whole point of windows is compatibility with existing apps. In a touch interface however, that doesn't really make sense: the buttons are too small and there is no multi-touch or gesture support.
    Microsoft would be better of extending the Windows Phone platform. Making it more like a Windows touch platform or something: a paltform optimized for portable, tocuhscreen devices. In toher words: create a REAL iOS competitor for tablets, phones and mediaplayers (like their Zuneplayer)

  5. Microsoft CRM Says:
    January 31st, 2012 at 7:37 am

    As kevin has said : At least for the Windows license, as per the EULA, that info must be placarded on the machine. As for the other info, it might be useful for a quick spec check during service calls, etc. I don't see it as a big deal. and i am agree with him.