ExoPC Windows 7-based slate not coming until September, will play 1080p vids

There's still no official word on whether HP's Slate has been canned, but the more we hear about ExoPC's slate, the more we think it could be a pretty stellar Win 7 tablet option. The company's founder just told us that the tablet is slated (pun intended, good sirs) for a September 7 launch date in the US, Canada and France, and that the 32GB version will retail for $599. As for the specs, the capacitive 11.6-inch tablet will still be using an Atom N450 processor, but will be paired with Broadcom's Crystal HD card to enable 1080p playback. And that's not all, they also sent us some more shots of the ExoPC UI Layer, and the interface appears to be incredibly sleek -- it looks like you can even save web shortcuts to a Connect Four type layout. There will also be an app store, and the dev kit will be available at the end of June. That's all beautiful, but hear us out, ExoPC: we're counting on you to put an end to the Win 7 tablet vaporware trend, okay?

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HP Slate priced at €400 for June launch, Atom CPU confirmed?

Reputable Spanish publication Clipset has the first concrete report on pricing and internal specs for HP's Slate. Seemingly obtained from HP itself, the €400 ($546) price tag positions the Slate a notch above netbooks and bodes well for the expectation that it'll undercut the iPad's entry level pricing. Straight currency conversations are inadvisable in such situations, so we'll just have to wait until official stickers for the iPad in Europe are known or HP announces US prices for the Slate. Further info includes an Atom CPU, Flash support, USB connectivity, a memory card reader, and a back-mounted webcam (see it after the break). The launch of this Windows 7 device is slated for June, while retail availability in Europe is said to be expected at some point "before September." It's not clear what all that means for the US, but we doubt HP will be making its home turf wait longer than the rest of the world. Rest assured, we'll be reaching out to HP HQ before they've had their first cup of green tea to find out.

Update: HP's response to our queries has been typically tight-lipped. The company refused to discuss Clipset's specs and pricing, which would suggest that -- even though they may be spot on -- they are not yet official.

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Microsoft boasts that 96% of netbooks now run Windows

Remember the old days when Microsoft was dragged kicking and screaming into offering Windows XP on netbooks? Neither does Microsoft, apparently, as the company is now all too happy to boast that a full 96% of the netbooks on the market run on its venerable OS. It's also, unsurprisingly, quick to point out that virtually all of that growth comes at the expense of Linux, which Microsoft once again notes sees much higher rates of return once folks "realize their Linux-based netbook PC doesn't deliver that same quality of experience." Of course, all of this talk also has a little something to do with the even more netbook-minded Windows 7 which, ironically, could well be trying to peel off some market share from XP by this time next year.

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Archos 9 tablet gets priced in the UK

We've heard a few different prices and release dates for the Archos 9 tablet since it was introduced early last month, but it looks like Archos has now come out and finally clarified things a bit -- in the UK, at least. Apparently, it'll be offering both 80GB and 160GB versions of the tablet in the UK, which will run £449.99 and £499.99, respectively, or roughly $735 and $816. Stuff.tv is also reporting that the tablet will be available in September, although that conflicts a bit with the October 22nd launch date for Windows 7 -- which would be a bit of a problem for a Windows 7-based tablet. So, still a few details to sort out, not the least of which is word of availability 'round these parts.

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