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HP lists Slate tablet on its Web site, still running Windows 7 Premium

By | July 20, 2010, 6:31pm PDT

Summary: The Rasputin of iPad competitors, HP’s Slate tablet appeared to be a goner after the company bought out Palm and suggested it was building tablets around webOS. And yet, there it is, listed in the labyrinth that is hp.com as the Slate 500. Don’t crack open your wallet yet. There’s no pricing or availability details listed; [...]

The Rasputin of iPad competitors, HP’s Slate tablet appeared to be a goner after the company bought out Palm and suggested it was building tablets around webOS. And yet, there it is, listed in the labyrinth that is hp.com as the Slate 500.

Don’t crack open your wallet yet. There’s no pricing or availability details listed; in fact, there’s little more than a descriptive paragraph and thumbnail image of the device. We do learn that it’s still running Windows 7 Premium, has an 8.9-inch touchscreen that can support stylus-based “writing” and “drawing,” and sports video and still cameras.

Further sleuthing by PC World reveals that the Slate is listed as one of HP’s Energy Star-qualified computers. The Energy Star site lists the Slate 500’s processor as running at 1.6GHz, which Engadget says may refer to an Intel Atom Z530 CPU.

The Slate listing may just be an outdated piece of content on HP’s site, but the company’s Energy Star document is dated July 12. So is this tablet killed off, or will it actually see the light of day? And do you care?

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SLATE, Web, Hewlett-Packard Co., Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft Windows, Web Site, Tablets, Notebooks, Hardware, Notebooks & Tablets, Sean Portnoy

Sean Portnoy is a freelance technology journalist.

Disclosure

Sean Portnoy

Sean Portnoy is a freelance technology journalist; currently, all work that Sean does is on a contractural basis. Sean has also written corporate communications documents for CA.

Sean does not accept gifts from companies he covers. All hardware products he writes about are purchased with his own funds or are review units covered under formal loan agreements and are returned after the review is complete.

Biography

Sean Portnoy

Sean Portnoy started his tech writing career at ZDNet nearly a decade ago. He then spent several years as an editor at Computer Shopper magazine, most recently serving as online executive editor. He received a B.A. from Brown University and an M.A. from the University of Southern California.
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good idea about android
gavin.chan 2nd Oct
A good post. Thanks for sharing.Hi, do you own a tablet pc? We supply kinds of tablet computers, including 7 inch touch screen tablet . Buy a google android 2.1 tablet pc wifi from China at wholesale price.cvLzP
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Lots of people care
croberts 20th Jul 2010
An x86 tablet is the crack in the iPad wall. Viliv has managed to get 5-6 hours out of their atom tablets, so it's possible.

And people will want to run real commercial software, and not the predominantly crapware apps that are available on the Android and iPad tablets.
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HINT to the idiots: a table is not a PC
wackoae 20th Jul 2010
Trying to turn a table into a PC will be nothing but the death of the product.

It is the same stupid idea people have when they expect a hybrid car to perform exactly the same as a 1965 Mustang with a NASCAR engine.
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Hint to this idiot
BR999 21st Jul 2010
@wackoae : A "table" is a piece of furniture.
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RE: HP lists Slate tablet on its Web site, still running Windows 7 Premium
dvm Updated - 21st Jul 2010
@wackoae
There is something very important I have not seen you from an iPad or Android tablet, handwriting input. And it looks this table will be capable of it. You combine this kind of table with OneNote, and you have an excellent working/educational tool. IMO, it will have a market.

FYI, altough is not exactly NASCAR, but is possible to have hybrid hacing hars. Ask Porsche about it. Maybe the same will happen with MS/HP
http://www.autoblog.com/2010/03/01/porsche-918-spyder-plug-in-hybrid-concept-gets-78-mpg-hits-62-m/

http://www.autoweek.com/article/20100210/CARNEWS/100219985
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Er.. It IS when it's a Surface table...
Wolfie2K3 21st Jul 2010
@wackoae
In which case, it's both.
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Enjoy your vaporware, fanbuis
ahh so 21st Jul 2010
Right now, it's all just a pretty failed picture.

lol...
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RE: HP lists Slate tablet on its Web site, still running Windows 7 Premium
roteague 20th Jul 2010
I care ... I intend to buy a tablet, but only if it's running Windows 7.
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RE: HP lists Slate tablet on its Web site, still running Windows 7 Premium
DaveN_MVP 21st Jul 2010
@roteague

Agreed. I want something that will let me access all the content on my Windows Home Server, including recorded TV and video, plus Netflix streaming. And, the ability to access file and print resources on my home network. Outlook and OneNote would be the icing on the cake. Having invested in the whole home network and WHS, there's no way I'd put money into a device that couldn't take advantage of all that.
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RE: HP lists Slate tablet on its Web site, still running Windows 7 Premium
Heatlesssun Updated - 21st Jul 2010
@DaveN_MVP

Bingo! Nothing will INTEGRATE better than Windows 7 or leverage your existing investments in hardware and software. That's why if these things are decent they'll fly off shelves. And BTW, HP has confirmed, the HP Windows 7 is for real and on it's way! No more guessing!
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RE: HP lists Slate tablet on its Web site, still running Windows 7 Premium
ahh so Updated - 21st Jul 2010
Keep pouring it on, shills. You have nothing of substance to point at.

Where are the production lines? Where are the epic sales figures?

Not.
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RE: HP lists Slate tablet on its Web site, still running Windows 7 Premium
tripolitan 20th Jul 2010
I started caring as soon as I got done testing an iPad:
-Can't view most news clip (no Flash/Java)
-Can't view many websites (no Flash/Java)
-Can't find a native keyboard in my "other" language
-Can't type a doc and listen to music at the same time (WTF is up with that?)

Limitations, limitations, limitations...mama mia
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RE: HP lists Slate tablet on its Web site, still running Windows 7 Premium
sorli 21st Jul 2010
@tripolitan Agree 110%...Apple limits their devices simply to make more money! I understand business, but filling Apple's coffers with more chump change is not my idea of fun and enjoyment.

I'll wait for a device that can be used on the go, in production, and otherwise which Apple doesn't provide without restrictions! Sorli...
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RE: HP lists Slate tablet on its Web site, still running Windows 7 Premium
nix_hed 21st Jul 2010
@tripolitan Except that you can type a doc and listen to music at the same time on iPad, as long as it's music you loaded on the device from iTunes and not a streaming radio service like Rhapsody, Pandora, or so on.
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RE: HP lists Slate tablet on its Web site, still running Windows 7 Premium
Heatlesssun 21st Jul 2010
@nix_hed

That's called a restriction. Don't have that on my tm2.
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You got to the web page?
Mihi Nomen Est 21st Jul 2010
@tripolitan
I'm getting errors that it's done a Casper act...
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Awesomeness
Cylon Centurion 21st Jul 2010
I think ASUS's tablet will still be the real winner if they can get the reported 10 hour battery life.

10 hr batt life + Windows 7 + handwriting = Winner. Sorry iPad folks, but handwriting is part of working on a tablet.
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RE: HP lists Slate tablet on its Web site, still running Windows 7 Premium
bvonr@... 21st Jul 2010
@NStalnecker That would be the HP Touchsmart tm2
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RE: HP lists Slate tablet on its Web site, still running Windows 7 Premium
Heatlesssun 21st Jul 2010
@bvonr@...

Writing these posts from my tm2 right now, fantastic device though to get 10 hours of battery life you'll need two batteries.
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I skipped over the TM2
Cylon Centurion 21st Jul 2010
@bvonr@...

The one I played with at a Best Buy was always hot to the touch. I don't think it had proper heat dispersion. I do, however, own an ASUS netvertible, which I am typing from right now. This thing would OWN if it had the battery power of an iPad, which supposedly, the upcoming ASUS EEE Pads do.
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RE: HP lists Slate tablet on its Web site, still running Windows 7 Premium
Heatlesssun 21st Jul 2010
@NStalnecker
+1! Pens simply are far more accurate and cannot be completely replaced with fat and inaccurate fingers.
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RE: HP lists Slate tablet on its Web site, still running Windows 7 Premium
Heatlesssun 21st Jul 2010
@NStalnecker

Agreed, I REALLY want that device but it's not due until next year but with those performance characteristics it will sell VERY well.
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Why is handwriting recognition so important?
Martin Pilkington 21st Jul 2010
Handwriting is about the slowest form of input into a computer. Sure, I can understand you wanting handwriting but just buy a capacitive stylus, then you can do handwriting on half the multi touch devices out there. But you can input text FAR faster with a virtual keyboard than with handwriting recognition.

Of course the issue with this is that Windows 7 is a crappy tablet OS, much like Mac OS X is a crappy tablet OS. Sure they both support multi touch, but they are built and designed for use with a mouse. If you're going to build a tablet then put an OS built for touch on it.

An HP slate running Windows 7 doesn't interest me at all, bound to be a crappy UX and not too energy efficient. Now if/when they release one running Web OS, THEN I'll be interested. Or even Windows Phone 7, that could be great on a tablet. But Windows 7 offers nothing over XP when it comes to tablets and any device that runs it will be just as successful as the tablets that ran XP.
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RE: HP lists Slate tablet on its Web site, still running Windows 7 Premium
soniclooking 21st Jul 2010
@Martin Pilkington Have you really used a windows 7 tablet? Have ever used the hand writing recognition? Do you know what not only can you peck type, or naturally hand write you can also use voice recognition?

Why on earth would you say "But you can input text FAR faster with a virtual keyboard than with handwriting recognition"? You will be holding this slate with one hand and peck typing with the other. Or you can be hand writing it in. Or even just talk to it.

You sound like someone who has never used a tablet computer and just assume that windows 7 will not work with this. Once you install a piece of software that allows for touch (ie - touchsmart) you'll see that the windows 7 "limitation" is not existant. Don't jump to conclusions with this device. Don't set expectations for this slate that it can't reach. It will be able to do whatever the ipad can currently do and you won't have to pay extra for the app.

My only worry is the 8.9 inch screen. My 10inch netbook is as low as i'd go. If microsoft develops a version of streets and trips and zune that is optimized for the smaller screen, it would make me not worry about the 8.9 screen.
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RE: HP lists Slate tablet on its Web site, still running Windows 7 Premium
ahh so 21st Jul 2010
@soniclooking
It's not a real tablet. It's a laptop with a swivel screen and a Win7 OS band-aided on to it that was designed around a mouse pointed device. In principle, this is no different than that XP driven swivel device (with a stylus) from 2006 that I had to use. Time to call it for what it is.
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RE: HP lists Slate tablet on its Web site, still running Windows 7 Premium
ExploreMN 21st Jul 2010
@Martin Pilkington Martin, you are probably speaking just from your perspective. I know for me, with the design of slates/iPad/aPad devices, the issue is an ergonomic one. Trying to type on a virtual keyboard while looking directly at the screen requires me to have my neck bent down putting a lot of strain on my next and back that leads to horrible headaches and pain. Since most people probably don't plan on hammering out a doctoral dissertation or novel on a slate system, your input will be minimal and it would be nice to hold it comfortably like a notebook (the paper kind, not the computer kind) and scribble out what you need to input.

Just my 2 cents. Judging from your picture you are a young guy...but trust me, the aches and pains of old age will hit you soon enough. LOL
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RE: HP lists Slate tablet on its Web site, still running Windows 7 Premium
Heatlesssun 21st Jul 2010
@Martin Pilkington

You simply don't know what you are talking about. The handwriting recognition in Windows 7 is VASTLY superior to XP. Windows 7 isn't as good in the touch department as an iPad but it's plenty usable and I can accomplish many tasks FASTER on my HP tm2 with touch than an iPad user can. Web pages load MUCH faster on a real computer than a phone OS. I can edit and print documents from Word, take notes handwritten, typed or clipped from web pages in OneNote, heck I can even play the coolest touch games like Monkey Island.

If you don't get tablets hey I get it. These devices are for people who don't tolerate limits and need to be able to do EVERYTHING on their devices. Most people simply don't want, need or understand just how EXTREMELY powerful these devices are. I wrote this post in pen at twice the speed the average touch screen keyboarder gets, close to 50 WPM.
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RE: HP lists Slate tablet on its Web site, still running Windows 7 Premium
ahh so Updated - 21st Jul 2010
If you don't get tablets hey I get it. These devices are for people who don't tolerate limits and need to be able to do EVERYTHING on their devices. Most people simply don't want, need or understand just how EXTREMELY powerful these devices are.

Oh wow (yawn) we're supposed to be wowed by old technology in concept?

more yawn
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RE: HP lists Slate tablet on its Web site, still running Windows 7 Premium
Martin Pilkington 21st Jul 2010
@soniclooking @ExploreMN @Heatlesssun The issue is that Windows 7 (and all apps that run on it) is in no way designed for touch. Want to know how you can make Windows 7 work well with a touch screen? Make every single app available for it incompatible with it and require them to have their UI's rewritten and redesigned using a dedicated touch API. There's a damn good reason Windows Phone 7 exists and MS didn't try just forcing Windows 7 onto a small device.

The only people who want the full Windows 7 on a device are the same people who want the full Mac OS X on the iPad: geeks. Very, very few people actually want everything from the PC brought to tablets. If you want that then why not just get a laptop which will be more powerful and actually do a good job of running Windows 7 or OS X.

Is handwriting recognition useful? Possibly. But it requires a stylus and is *far* from the fastest input mechanism (this isn't just my opinion, there are tests showing this). Is typing on an onscreen keyboard for everyone? Probably not, which is why choice exists. Personally I can get 35-40 wpm typing one handed on an iPad and 55-60 wpm with two hands, though I rarely go that fast as I don't need to type massive amounts quickly (and if you did then handwriting and virtual keyboards probably aren't good enough and you are probably better off both speedwise and ergonomically getting a hardware keyboard).

Ultimately though the market will decide, and for the past decade the market has decided that tablets running desktop OS's just aren't that good. The iPad is the first device to really come at this from the other side, which is the key to why it is so successful. Personally I believe that tablets/slates running iOS, WebOS, Windows Phone and Android will provide a far better experience than ones running Windows or Mac OS.
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RE: HP lists Slate tablet on its Web site, still running Windows 7 Premium
DaveN_MVP 21st Jul 2010
@Martin Pilkington

IMO you are right about the geeks; there are two markets here, geeks like me who want a lot of functionality that requires Windows, and others who need less functionality. The latter group is trading features for weight, price, and battery life. Neither group is right or wrong, and that's why successful companies offer their customers choices.

A minor point I disagree with is that desktop OSs on tablets aren't that good. The high-end Dell and HP tablet PCs (and I'm sure others) are awesome machines with great capabilities. Unfortunately a good tablet probably starts at around $2K, so they're priced well out of the mainstream PC market. I think that if traditional Windows tablets could be priced like non-tablet laptops, they'd sell like hotcakes. IMO these don't sell because they're so expensive, not because people don't like them.
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RE: HP lists Slate tablet on its Web site, still running Windows 7 Premium
Heatlesssun 21st Jul 2010
@Martin Pilkington

Once again your adopting the all or nothing mantra. Plenty of apps work just fine with touch without having to be built FOR touch. And there are plenty of apps for Windows 7 that are being built for touch as well. Indeed some games that are being built for iPad work EXACTLY the same on an iPad and a Tablet PC like Monkey Island which is a hit for the iPad AND PC and has touch for tablet devices.

And you say that Tablet PCs haven't been accepted in the market. WRONG! Toshiba, HP, Lenovo, Motion Computing, Fujitsu have ALL been making these things for a decade with new units coming all the time. HP has just released an updated tm2, a unit they released just earlier this year and HP is coming to market with a Windows 7 slate as well as a BUNCH of other companies. If nobody wanted these devices why keep making them and make even more?

And geeks guess what, we got MONEY because we have awesome tools like the tm2 that makes us productive and better than those in the workforce that don't understand tech.

Touch screen keyboard? Meh, Tablet PCs have a DOZEN of them if you want. You're forced to use only what Steve Jobs wants to give you. I need more power and freedom than that.
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RE: HP lists Slate tablet on its Web site, still running Windows 7 Premium
camccarty 21st Jul 2010
problem is, with windows7 it will be too expensive for HP to make any money... it will lack, mark my words...

another example of HP designing good products that are too late to be a success... they are late because they depend on others to develop key parts of their PC's... they have botched it time and again...

How about the iPaq PDA, remember that? hands down the best product on the market, but they never made a dent with its transition to a phone...they were shackled by Windows Moble...

How about the original HP tablet...went nowhere...shackled by windows...

APPLE will own this space...
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RE: HP lists Slate tablet on its Web site, still running Windows 7 Premium
Heatlesssun 21st Jul 2010
@camccarty

Mark my words, devices like this done well with a pen will OWN the business and personal productivity world were people need to be productive, get work done and don't need a zillion time wasting crApps.
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RE: HP lists Slate tablet on its Web site, still running Windows 7 Premium
condelirios 21st Jul 2010
@Heatlesssun I agree... but only if the price is reasonable. If they put out yet another $1100 tablet... it still won't sell. BUT... $399 for entry level... SOLD. heck $499 seems to be selling pretty well(iPad)... The form factor and touchscreen are cool... now if we can get Windows 7 in at that price, it will sell like crazy.
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Win 7 . . . .
JLHenry 21st Jul 2010
@condelirios

Since they seem to be able to put 7 on a $299 netbook (starter edition), That won't be a problem. The big sticking point will be making sure the hardware is cheap enough . . .

And for the Enterprise? They don't normally buy bottom of the line units anyway, so they would pay more to get Win 7 Premium on it . . . Which is probably what HP may be aiming for with the Slate 500. I'd put the price in @ $699 for it, and Corps MAY purchase @ that price point.

And Despite all of the articles proclaiming the iPad as an enterprise device, I believe that most of the sales are consumer, so I'll believe the iPad getting in the corp environment when I see it, not before.
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RE: HP lists Slate tablet on its Web site, still running Windows 7 Premium
Heatlesssun 21st Jul 2010
@condelirios

Totally agree with you on the price issue, no doubt about it but these devices do seem to be falling in line with iPad pricing as they have to be to compete in the consumer market.
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RE: HP lists Slate tablet on its Web site, still running Windows 7 Premium
ahh so Updated - 22nd Jul 2010
@Heatlesssun
Well the fact that you call them "crApps" really means some of us can't take you very seriously. You are nothing but a shill (or a gushing fanboy) who's stuck in the past and is here to generate snake oil. These underpowered swivel laptops have been around for years and never really caught on. If they did, the iPad would've have been a non-starter.
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RE: HP lists Slate tablet on its Web site, still running Windows 7 Premium
Awillys 21st Jul 2010
I do care too actually and would only buy a slate if it's windows 7 or windows embedded compact 7 based.

Looking forward to it.

Antonio
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RE: HP lists Slate tablet on its Web site, still running Windows 7 Premium
nightbirdsf 21st Jul 2010
I want one. I like HP's design but if not from HP then from Sony or Toshiba.
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RE: HP lists Slate tablet on its Web site, still running Windows 7 Premium
jf79 21st Jul 2010
1GB of RAM on a win7 machine won't be good.
Plus battery life will probably only be 4/5hrs.
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RE: HP lists Slate tablet on its Web site, still running Windows 7 Premium
ahh so 21st Jul 2010
@jf79
Given the wishes of the shills here, they'll load it down with so much power that you'll be tethered to your AC outlet on a semi-permanent basis.

That will give you enough battery power to walk around the house one time while the bacon & eggs are cooking.
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I'm not tethered to anything
Cylon Centurion 22nd Jul 2010
@ahh so
I have to charge mine every 3 days or so. Same with my cell phone.
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RE: HP lists Slate tablet on its Web site, still running Windows 7 Premium
ahh so 22nd Jul 2010
Gee Nicholas, I can go about 10 days on my Samsung phone and about 7 days on my iPad.

Both of these items aren't loaded for bear like you fanboys demand of it.
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RE: HP lists Slate tablet on its Web site, still running Windows 7 Premium
bc3tech 21st Jul 2010
link to Slate no longer functions happy
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RE: HP lists Slate tablet on its Web site, still running Windows 7 Premium
ahh so 21st Jul 2010
Oh no! The dream has died!

:P
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good idea about android
gavin.chan 30th Sep
A good post. Thanks for sharing.Hi, do you own a tablet pc? We supply kinds of tablet computers, including 7 inch touch screen tablet . Buy a windows 7 tablet camera from China at wholesale price.mvTsO
0 Votes
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good idea about android
gavin.chan 2nd Oct
A good post. Thanks for sharing.Hi, do you own a tablet pc? We supply kinds of tablet computers, including 7 inch touch screen tablet . Buy a google android 2.1 tablet pc wifi from China at wholesale price.cvLzP

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