HP teases with more slate details

HP has revealed a few more details of its slate device, teasing with a new video that again takes a dig at the iPad as Apple's device goes on sale in the US.

HP is clearly lining its slate up against the iPad. The last time HP leaked a few details out, it stressed that its own device will support Flash - a feature the Apple tablet doesn't offer.

This time around, the video reveal coincides with the release of the Apple iPad in the US, and again focuses on features that the iPad doesn't have.

Writing on the HP blog, chief technology officer for the firm's personal systems group Phil McKinney noted that "media consumption is only half of the ideal mobile experience."

"Think about the last time you chatted with friends over Skype on your notebook. Or uploaded a picture from your mobile phone to Facebook or Flickr. How about the last time you viewed images or video from an SD card or a USB device," he asked.

"We know that you expect to be able to capture and share digital content on your mobile devices. And the HP slate device excels there."

In other words, the HP slate will be about producing and sharing content - not just consuming it.

While the iPad offers the excellent variety of apps available to the iPhone, as well as the new iBookstore, it has been criticised for not including a camera for videoconferencing and not supporting USB or SD cards.

The short, fast-cut video clip shows that the slate would feature a camera on the front and back, allowing for video conferencing with tools like Skype as well as taking video clips. The clip also suggests the device will communicate with your television, with video shot on the slate playable on a big screen.

Logos on the touch screen display suggest support for iTunes as well as the Rhapsody music player, in addition to Skype and Mozilla. It also appears the device will allow automatic photo uploading to Flickr, Facebook and HP's own Snapfish.

And, the short video takes care to make sure you notice the slate will support USB and SD cards.

All that said, the device remains un-named - though it seems HP likes the "slate" moniker - and has no release date, with the firm stressing it hasn't yet been approved by the Federal Communications Commission. Watch the video below: