HP Windows 7 Tablet Mystery Continues [Update: Development On "Hold"]

Speculation around HP's tablet continues, with the company still yet to step up and confirm whether or not the project has been canned.  After a report last week suggested that the Windows 7 slate had been axed shortly after HP's acquisition of Palm, followed by a contrary report supposedly from a source within HP, the Mercury News is quoting analyst Ezra Gottheil who still expects the tablet to see a commercial launch.Updated after the cut

According to Gottheil, "HP has no problem putting out multiple products, some people have even criticized them for putting out too many products. I can't see them killing one just because another is coming up."  It's unclear whether the analyst's opinion is founded on speculation or some insider information he's unable to detail at this point.

HP, meanwhile, have only confirmed that a webOS based tablet could feature in their future, but they're tight-lipped on the Windows 7 slate project.  Early rumors pointed to disappointing battery life from the Intel Atom processors driving the tablet; Intel today announced its latest Moorestown-based Atom Z6xx series processors, which as well as being more powerful than the existing chips are also more power-frugal.

[via TabletPCReview]

Update: We've just heard from Sascha from NetbookNews, whose contact at HP has told him that "today there was an official internal message to hold development

activities [on the tablet] ... [the] reason is to provide a better user experience."