#slate7

Seja bem vindo morador pixelado da nossa querida Cidade Gamer, neste programa, com o oferecimento do HP Slate 7, iremos criar a batalha mais do que confusa do mundo dos games. Quem ganhará na guerra sem fim e sem fundamento?

Disclosure: I was given a Slate 7 tablet as part of their influencer program.

As the disclaimer above says, I was given an HP Slate 7 tablet, their newest tablet to hit the market, and asked to post about my uses/thoughts on my own social networks.

I've (finally) had some time to sit down and properly acquaint myself with the tablet - and I'm impressed.

I have a few standard ways of judging new hardware. Namely...

Is it portable? Since I live in NYC and am frequently on-the-go, this is crucial.

Is it easy to use?

What connection options exist (eg, wifi, etc)?

What are the multimedia options?

How can it augment/replace my existing technologies?

I'm pleased to say that I really like the Slate 7!

Is it portable? Yes. It's about the same size as an iPad Mini, which is a tablet I've been looking at purchasing for awhile, as the regular iPads are really too big to be truly portable. It's about .13lbs heavier than the Mini, which isn't enough for me to notice carrying around the extra weight in my purse. It also fits in my hands well, which is a concern when I'm on the go as other devices have felt like they were going to fall out of my hands or slip away at any moment. Not a problem here! 

Is it easy to use? Yes. I went through the typical Android "welcome to your first tablet use" prompt without any issues, and installed quite a few apps that were linked in my Google Play account from previous tablets/phones I've owned. All told, I was up and running in 5 mins or less, and that time includes the app install time. The user menus and interfaces are intuitive, and again, pretty similar to any other Android interface you'll use.

What connection options exist? My model only as wifi, which is fine by me as I use Spotify offline playlists for music when I'm mobile, or I read on my Kindle... neither of which require 3G access.

What are the multimedia options? Many! Specifically, the sound quality on this tablet is better than other tablets/phones I've tried, thanks to the integrated Beats technology. Now, I'm not the biggest fan of Beats headphones, and for those who share my "meh"-ness, you're in luck -- the Beats technology doesn't have the same "too much bass!" effect as their line of headphones do. The sound is crisp and clear, even when using the built-in speakers instead of headphones, and noticeably better than my previous Android phone (sans Beats audio technology) when using my favorite pair of headphones. 

How can it augment/replace my existing technologies? For starters, taking photos with this thing is pretty great -- as long as you don't need to depend on a flash! More to come there. It's also significantly improved my commuting experience, as it's much easier to read on this tablet v. my iPhone due to the bigger screen. I've used this tablet in the kitchen to display a brownie cheesecake recipe I was making for the first time, and loved being able to Google a few questions I had during the baking process. I've also gotten into the habit of reading paperbacks in bed every night, and keeping this tablet running beside me playing some music while I read. It sounds simple, but I've had smartphones and other tablets for years and haven't ever done the same thing. 

I'd say that the only thing I've been a bit disappointed by is the battery life on the tablet. I've charged the tablet every few days and notice that compared to some other tablets, it seems to eat through the battery a bit more quickly than the comparables I've tried. However, it has significantly longer battery life than phones I've owned, so this isn't a total deal-breaker for me.