HP DreamScreen

If you want a large touch-based tablet, this ‘Indian’ gizmo is designed just for you.

If you want a large touch-based tablet, this ‘Indian’ gizmo is designed just for you.

Touch comes naturally to us, not keyboards and mice. But sadly, touch tablets today are available in small sizes only. HP did address that issue last year when it launched the TouchSmart PC. As a follow up, HP recently launched the DreamScreen.

It enables you to access news, music, movies, educational content and hold a video chat. HP has spent a lot of time working with content providers—magazines, newspapers, news channels and Indian websites—to bring their content to the DreamScreen. This large touch-based tablet has been developed by HP’s India team, and has been launched in India first. And for that very reason perhaps, it gives you the option of an interface in Hindi.

The DreamScreen is an 18.5 inch screen, with a resolution of 1368 x 768, and features a 250 GB hard disc built into the unit. It has an RJ45 wired Ethernet connector as well as a Wi-Fi card built in. A 1.3 megapixel webcam, built-in stereo speakers (5 watt x 2) and a microphone ensure that you won’t really need a headphone to video chat on this machine. For those who insist, there are 3.5 mm connectors for a microphone and speakers. It also has 4 USB 2.0 ports, a DVD drive and memory card slot.

As far as I can make out, the DreamScreen runs a variant of Linux (not sure which one), but it supports both Microsoft Office documents and Open Office files. It also supports most of the leading audio and video file formats.

So, should you buy it? If you want a large touch-based tablet which does not cost a bomb, the DreamScreen will work fine for you. But it has limitations. For example, video calling will only work between two DreamScreens. And, for now, it is available only to Airtel and Tata Broadband customers.

Gagandeep Singh Sapra is The Big Geek at System3. He can be reached at gadgets@openmedianetwork.in

HP DreamScreentouch-based tablet