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Chronicles

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HP Slate makes an appearance to show off Flash, stays for a rock concert

It shouldn't be any surprise that the HP Slate supports Flash, since it runs Windows 7, but we've seen so little of the device since Steve Ballmer first waved it around at CES that we're still totally intrigued by this video from Adobe showing it in action.

Engadget Nilay Patel

Context & Ripple Effects

HP’s Windows 7 tablet was first shown by Steve Ballmer at CES, while separate coverage identified another HP slate running Android. Adobe’s video supplies a concrete capability demonstration for the Windows model after its CES unveiling.

Flash is a meaningful proof point because Adobe had announced Flash Player 10.1 and AIR for Android in February, while discussion around Flash 10.1 on Nexus One had raised battery-performance concerns. The video demonstrates compatibility, not performance or battery life.

First-order effects

  • HP can present the Windows 7 Slate as capable of running Flash-rich web and video content, with Adobe providing visible validation of that software stack.
  • Adobe gains another device showcase for Flash at a time when it is promoting Flash Player 10.1 across mobile platforms.

Second-order effects

  • HP’s Android slate and its Windows 7 Slate are differentiated less by whether they support Flash than by the operating-system ecosystem each brings to the same tablet form factor.
  • Battery efficiency becomes a practical test for HP and Adobe if Flash usage is central to the Windows Slate’s positioning, given the concerns raised around Flash 10.1 on Nexus One.

Third-order effects

  • The Slate illustrates tablets becoming a contest between operating-system ecosystems and application compatibility, rather than hardware alone.
  • If Flash becomes a standard tablet capability across Windows and Android, Adobe’s advantage shifts from basic availability toward consistent performance across device software stacks.

The trend: Tablet vendors are using browser and media compatibility to differentiate competing operating-system ecosystems as the category takes shape.

Related: HP Slate · Flash · Adobe · The Other HP Slate Runs On Android · HP's Windows 7 Slate Device Revealed by Steve Ballmer