• TechCrunch, Friday, April 30, 2010 1:45 PM

In a huge blow to Microsoft and its mobile strategy, Hewlett-Packard has killed its highly anticipated Windows 7 tablet computer, a source tells TechCrunch. In grand fashion, Microsoft head Steve Ballmer unveiled the device at CES 2010 in January, and it was expected to hit shelves by mid-year. Yet, HP was reportedly not satisfied with Windows 7 as a tablet operating system. "HP may also be abandoning Intel-based hardware for its slate lineup simply because it's too power hungry," TechCrunch speculates.

So, what will HP use in lieu of Windows 7? "Look for Google-powered devices, which have already been announced," suggests TechCrunch. Also, "HP really does seem determined to make a go of the Palm WebOS." HP, if you hadn't heard, just said it would buy Palm for $1.3 billion. Still, TechCrunch thinks it "very unlikely" that Palm's WebOS will emerge as a successful operating system for tablet devices. "To get traction from third party developers with WebOS HP will need to sell a lot of units."

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