HP Slate Pro: $400 will buy you a 21.5 inch 1080p Android powered desktop computer

BY Stefan Constantinescu

Published 6 Jan 2014

People are slowly starting to realize that they don’t need Windows. They don’t need to deal with daily antivirus scans, weekly software updates, and yearly operating system re-installs. That’s why tablets are so popular, because they’re damn near bulletproof. But say you want something that’s a little bit bigger. HP has something for you, and they’re calling it the Slate Pro. It’s a $400 21.5 inch 1080p all-in-one computer. Think iMac, but instead of Mac OS X, you get Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. Under the hood there’s a Tegra 4, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, and you’ll even get a keyboard and mouse in the box.

Do devices like this represent the real future of computing? I’m going to have to say no. The dream, at least my dream, is to come home, sit at a desk with a monitor, keyboard, and mouse, plop my phone on a wireless charging pad, and then as soon as my phone begins charging, the giant monitor in front of me lights up and I’m presented with a familiar desktop experience.

Basically the ASUS PadPhone, but wireless, and bigger.

Don’t get me wrong, this HP Slate Pro is going to be perfect for schools, hotels, grandma, but if I personally had $400 to spend on some sort of computing experience, I’d just get an iPad mini and call it a day. Big screens are nice, and I sure do miss having a desk the size of a 1950s Cadillac, but I made the switch to the mobile only lifestyle about seven years ago and have never looked back.