It isn’t a full-on tablet PC, and it has more features than a common digital picture frame. HP’s new DreamScreen is a portable touchscreen tablet that can run video, pictures and music. It can be used with a home WiFi network; however, once it’s online, it can only use built-in apps for Internet radio, social networking and local playback utilities, not browse the Web.
There are two models in the DreamScreen family: the 100 and the 130. The 100 has a 10.2-inch screen; the 130 has a 13.3-inch screen. They come with stands and are ready for wall mounting out of the box.
Both come in black and have a flush glass widescreen display. They will include 802.11 b or 802.11g wireless capabilities. The 100 is available now at various online outlets at US$249; the 130 will sell next month for $299.
I can’t believe it doesn’t have a browser. It’s like a tablet computer but it’s not. Who will buy these ‘semi-computers?’
How long before someone loads one? and a wireless mouse and keyboard… and a nice leather portfolio case?
OK, Apple… Where is the fricking TABLET???
The itouch just does NOT do it.
If you made this so it had a full browser and was able to act as a remote screen for any computer in the house it would be almost everything I want in the Apple Tablet that may never exist.
I would think of it as a second screen on my desk, and if I wanted to ‘take a walk’ i could drag a couple of desk top windows over to it and then pick it up and go.
You could also use it to monitor your kids online should you want.
Ideally it would have a light processor, but when on your home network could harness spare CPUs from your desktop machine.
Home computers are powerful enough these days that you might as well have shared access like on the old mainframes with low power remote terminals.
In short, HP jumped the gun. Had they waited until Apple released theirs …
Wait a minute.
HP was correct in trying to make some money before Apple puts them out of business.
To quote the cat from Red Dwarf, “What is it?”
Someone needs to make a cheap and easy to use system to view online content before any of it can really take off as a viable business model.
Basically a device similar to the menu system that cable TV networks employ. Something my mom and dad would be comfortable using.
This seems like a potentially interim product to fill that gap. Someone needs to take the lead and get such a device out into the real world.
The device is only half the battle. The content will require some sort of standard for distribution that has yet to be devised. And the less that browser are involved, the better, from a usability standpoint.
Someone will load linux on it quickly. But then you have to run around with a bunch of peripherals to make it work. Why?
There are many people who talk down about netbooks, but they serve a real need at the ~$300 price point.
I can see people buying a tablet pc, but my money is on netbooks continuing to eat up business from both higher and lower on the computer spectrum.
It is meant to reinforce the many social “Timesinks” we are being programmed to feel that we cant live without.
As Americans become further dumbed down and uninterested in the inner (and esp, the outer) workings of their world, this will allow them to further reinforce their ignorance and have their reality defined for them.
Alternatively, as we are now entering an age of enlightenment, where we all will eventually act and think in unison -a choir of one voice, one body, yet still wholly retain one’s individuality and spirituality, a device such as this would allow one to easily share thoughts, ideas and concepts throughout their dwelling.
-That is of course, until we [re]learn what we lost, -and realize that we never needed any technology to do all of this in the first place.
-s[lt]
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Since i stopped watching TV in the late 90’s and prefer to only watch esoteric documentaries when time permits, i could easily find a use for one of these. small and unobtrusive.
Coincidentally, i am finding that the larger the flat-screen TV one owns, the less they know about *anything* other than what is available in the channel guide.
Most interesting.
I’d go out and buy one today if it had a web browser. Without one, its not all that useful, but with one, wow!
Well, Rob Enderle doesn’t seem to like it. And he’s usually wrong about everything.
They don’t say what OS it runs. If it’s Linux, then someone will figure out a way to run a full browser on it.
The price is right.
Weak.
Looks like a very interesting hardware configuration, but it would be better if we had a computing industry that was interested in making open systems. If they have made it possible to install other operating systems and applications on it like the IBM/PC I can see it finding lots of uses and being a big success. Otherwise, it will just be another niche appliance.
For a start, where is the freakin’ keyboard?? The display looks like the Windows Media Center that comes with Vista, but that’s a lousy interface.
I don’t see any use for this, unless as a portable media player, streaming wirelessly from some home media center, and some niche applications.
The “Dream” is on HP’s part – that they will sell any of these !!! Netbooks rule !!!