Courtesy electricpig.co.uk

One bit of the speculation surrounding the Slate tablet was that it might run Microsoft’s Courier, a concept OS that is supposed to look and act like a book. Instead, the Slate will be running Windows 7, which as we know has quite a few new multi-touch features.

Another piece of data that came to light was that the Slate would include the PC version of Amazon’s Kindle software, meaning that you can download and view books from Amazon.com just as you would on a regular Kindle. (This begs the question: why buy a Kindle if you can get a much more capable device that can read E-books and also run all available Windows software? But I digress.)

Little more information was given by Ballmer – no hardware specs or battery life information, though I expect HP will opt for either an Atom processor or an Intel Ultra Low Voltage processor, the only chips that really make sense given the size and purpose of the tablet.

No pricing information was given, though Ballmer stated that it would cost about as much as a high-end smart phone – speculation puts it in the $500-700 range.

Last on the list of information we don’t yet have, the release date for the tablet has not yet been announced, but since HP obviously announced this tablet to steal some thunder from Apple’s rumored tablet announcement later this month it’ll be interesting to see how the company responds to Apple’s release date.

These are some of the  21 special offers for computers  in the Windows 7 program. But it is only good for a limited time as it ends October 28, 2009.

Here is an overview of some of the computers in the program.

1. Best Buy:PC Home MakeOver

HP Laptop, netbook, desktop & monitor package  with Windows 7 Package includes:

• Space-saving HP Slimline desktop (s5212y)
• Thin-profile 18.5″ LCD monitor (w1858)
• Media-savvy HP laptop (G60-535DX)
• Compact HP Mini netbook (110-1125NR)
• Speedy NETGEAR Wireless-G router (WGR614)
• Seamless in-home setup of the PCs and router by Geek Squad

Price: $1,199.99

Other computers and laptops are available at BestBuy

2. Dell Studio XPS 13

Price $999.00

3. Acer offers a touch screen PC and several laptops.

Acer AZ5610-U9072 23-Inch

All-in-One Desktop PC

(Windows 7 Home Premium)

Price: $860.00

4. Asus

Several laptops and desktops are offered in the 7 day sale.

Models offered through Amazon.com

5. HP

Six different computers and laptops are in the HP inventory for the Windows7 special offer.

HP Pavilion dv4t Series Laptop $579.99

HP Pavilion dv6t Series Laptop $679.99

HP Pavilion dv8t Quad Edition Series Laptop $1299.99

HP Pavilion p6280t Series  Desktop $549.99

HP Pavilion Elite e9250t Series Desktop $849.99

HP TouchSmart 600t Series Desktop $1,049.99

6. Lenovo

Lenovo has three laptops on sale.

ThinkPad W700 laptop 1275.00

ThinkPad T400 laptop $705.00

ThinkPad SL510 laptop $450.00

7. Sony This Touch screen PC  comes with a 24″ screen and 6 gb of Ram.

VAIO® L Series All-in-One Touchscreen $1799.00

7.  Toshiba

Satellite® L500 and A500 Series $424.15 and 662.15

There are certain to be more special offers but this group shows variety. Something that demonstrates the versatility and features of Windows 7.

Source:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/offers/7-days/

Courtesy Techtree.com

Acer and HP, among others, do not want you upgrading your current computer to Windows 7.

Maybe that’s a little dramatic – let me clarify. Often, when a new OS releases, PC manufacturers will simply begin selling it on their current machines instead of the older version of the operating system. Things are a little different now than they were when Windows Vista was released, though – flagging PC sales and the excellent press that Windows 7 has been getting means that computer makers are milking the new OS for all it’s worth.

First, HP, who yesterday announced nearly a dozen new PCs in their new Windows 7 PC lineup. Most notable among these is a new consumer-oriented TouchSmart tablet PC starting at $799, and two new TouchSmart all-in-one desktop PCs which start at $899 for a 20-inch model and $1049 for a 23-incher.

Key in HPs strategy for both home and office PCs is Windows 7’s multi-touch capabilities, and if these models are successful I can see touch capability becoming standard on computers just as webcams are becoming standard. HP’s DV3 laptop, a Europe-only model for now, is a standard laptop which happens to have a touch screen – this could be a glimpse of the future.

Acer’s lineup is more modest than HP’s – just two laptops, one a 15-inch touchscreen model going for $800, the other an 11.6-inch not-quite-a-netbook that lists for $600. As with HP, if Acer’s touchscreen model is a hit, expect to see more of them.

The smaller of Acer’s offerings highlights another interesting trend in computing lately, the combination of the netbook and the ultraportable computer.

The rise of the netbook let PC manufacturers know that bigger was not always better, that there was a market for smaller, less powerful, less feature-rich PCs. The problem for consumers is that these computers were sometimes too stripped-down, not offering enough functionality or being too small to use comfortably. The problem for manufacturers is that, at $300-$400, margins on these products are razor-thin.

Now, Acer and Dell and others are offering something in between – 11 and 12-inch screen sizes offer the portability and weight of a netbook, while low-voltage Core 2 Duo processors and newer integrated graphics provide more computing power than the standard Intel Atom paired with the anemic and aging GMA 950. These units also sell in the $500-$600 range, the same as low-end 15-inch notebooks, a price point with which manufacturers seem more comfortable. Windows 7’s more modest system requirements means that these ultraportables can finally run a modern OS instead of the eight-year-old Windows XP.

What’s my point, you ask? When Vista came out, faster was better, not least because you wanted the fastest computer you could get to run Vista at a reasonable speed. Now, Windows’ increased flexibility in terms of features and system requirements is leading to a larger variety of computers on the market. In short, consumers get more choice – it seems like lately there’s a computer tailored to almost any task you could imagine, and that’s definitely a good thing.

More interesting than that is the comment of Mike Abary, a senior vice-president at Sony’s (SNE) Vaio PC unit, who mentions that Windows 7 Home Premium would raise the price of larger notebooks by $200.

The cost of Windows could rise more sharply on other machines. Microsoft has told PC makers the $50 Starter Edition will be available only for netbooks with screen sizes smaller than 10.2 inches and chips that aren’t capable of playing most games or watching video. Larger netbooks would have to use Windows 7 Home Premium, which would add $200 to a unit’s cost, says Mike Abary, a senior vice-president at Sony’s (SNE) Vaio PC unit.

The question here is if the $200 is a special price for PC Makers or the retail price of the Windows 7 Home Premium operating system. Only 16% of all users who have voted in our latest poll expect Windows 7 to cost $201 or more with an additional 16% thinking that it will cost between $151-$200.

Would you buy Windows 7 Home Premium if it would cost $200 or even more than that?