HP DreamScreen, Unboxing and First Inpressions

HP DreamScreen unboxing and setup:

I saw the HP DreamScreen on Liliputing.com blog and almost immediately convinced with myself that it was something I wanted. I read the article and zoomed over to Amazon.com; and bought it from Amazon with next-day shipping.

That was just after midnight on Thursday and I received the package by Friday afternoon

Here are some pics of the unboxing and set up:-

The device:
The box was up to the usual high standard of HP with a hinged lid and ample cushioning for the device and extras. The inside of the lid had a sort of velvet texture and was a nice touch; it made me feel as though I had a quality device in my hands

In the box were the usual suspects:

The device itself, screw-in rod-type stand, Charger, USB cord, cleaning cloth, CD with manual, Quick setup foldout.

The charger plugs straight into the electric outlet and there is about 230cm / 7'6" of thin DC cord so placement should not be a problem. Worthy of note was that it runs connected to the mains, only - not battery but, frankly, for this device it seems appropriate.
I later found that moving it from one electric socket to another did not lose any of the settings except the wi fi, and so a small memory battery for this purpose would have been a thoughtful inclusion

The screen support rod fitted easily and the device looks good in either position but seems more natural in portrait. Note that the screen rotation detection only works in photo mode

I found the weight - not that this is a portable device - to be about 1.67 kg / 3.10 lbs

One thing to note here is that people are reporting that the screen resolution is 800 x 400: This is true for the 10" display but the 13" is 1200 x 800. The aspect ratio for the 10" is 16:9 and for the 13", 16:10

Size wise; here is a photograph showing a Viliv X70, HTC (AT&T) Tilt and Nokia N800 all laying on top the DreamScreen

I won't show pictures of the sides, top, etc because there are lots of them, and good video demos, available at various sites, including HP and Amazon. Connectivity choices are extensive although I have not yet tried to see how big a Micro SD it will read - hopefully 8GB will be acceptable.

The speakers lay across the back; one facing up, the other down, I would have thought side-facing speakers would be the best bet. Sound was very acceptable unless you are an audiophile but there is a regular headphone jack and later I will try connecting a Creative powered speaker system to it. I think it will not disappoint.

Visually, the device looks expensive and has a shiny, piano black finish - which picks up prints easily, but thoughtfully, a cleaning cloth is supplied to help and it shines up real perdy!

Plugging in for the first time brings up a screen displaying all the options and going to 'setting's gives, among other items, the wireless setup. With the minimum of input, it scanned and immediately found my wireless system and it was given an address after I set in the wireless access password. Totally worry-free

After the time zone set up, it offered to download a software update which took about three minutes to download and two minutes to install and reboot.

The basics are good: Set times for activating the screen, if wanted; Set screen saver times - if required: Screen savers are: screen off; demo video, disabled, slide show or clock with calendar). BTW The calendar just shows the date - I thought it would allow for entries and reminders but this could happen later, I guess.

Clock has regular alarm functions

Set length of screen saver - from 5 to 120 minutes

Photos had various transitions available including a random effect and random display
The photos look fabulous, even ones I took which aren't perfect. One thing to note here is that people are reporting that the screen resolution is 800 x 400: This is true for the 10" display but the 13" is 1200 x 800. The aspect ratio for the 10" is 16:9 and for the 13", 16:10

I loaded a video onto an SB drive and it played well enough. HD; no, but good enough for a device which you will probable view from between 5 to 10 ft away. Of course, the included HP demo video looked and played superbly.

Wi Fi connection was painless and worked first time for me
It found my Wi Fi straight away and asked me to enter the network password - it just worked, that's how it should be.

The connection to Pandora worked great and it offered to set up any libraries I already had with them. Internet radios worked well and will pull in stations from all over the world. CNN and some NPR are there but, for example, BBC World is not. That surprised me but perhaps the ability to surf for more stations might be added later

I have not tried FaceBook, nor Snapfish as I do not use these but it does bring me to consider the keyboard. This is very clearly displayed at the bottom of the screen and is used by way of the remote's arrows and 'OK' buttons. Hit 'Enter' on the keyboard to confirm an entry, just like a regular keyboard. Holding down the remote arrow key does not speed up movement across the keyboard - which for me seemed right. Text entry is regulated by the speed with which you can handle the remote. I actually found it very easy but a little laborious.

The device has a USB 2.0 and a mini USB. The device acts as an external drive to load files from a PC to the device. It does not, however, recognize my Creative Zen W as a slave so I cannot stream videos from there. This seemed strange to me.

To sum up.

Likes:

Looks expensive and would look great in any house or office setting:

Screen really is clear, bright and sharp: Remote works well:
Sound acceptable as is

Timing of device's on/off and screen saver/photo display options are very good - and you can play/stream music at the same time.

The ability to listen to music from Internet radio or Pandora or own music lists with or without photo display is what this device is about, together with video playing

Being able to place it away from the main TV and view films and videos at a work or other desk/location
with or without headset is another great feature and what makes this device different.

My wife loves it, especially the weather station and, strangely, to clock and calendar - weird, but you geeks out there know how important it is for the better half to be on your side about buying these new "unnecessary"devices. Now that is a BIG plus.

Dislikes:

I don't dislike anything about it but see my wish list and usage, below

Wish list:

Make it mouse-capable: more apps: ability to surf the web - this is a must to turn the DreamScreen from a simple viewer with a few extras to a very useful device indeed: Drag and drop over wireless would be useful (strangely, not possible at this time): Ability to add notes and reminders to calendar

Usage:

If you are thinking of getting yourself or a family member one of those photo-screens for a present - DON'T - buy the HP DreamScreen instead; the others are still expensive and this device does so much more.

I see it as a useful addition to a lounge or office space especially for the music and video abilities. I will probably use it frequently at my work station at home - if I don't get in trouble from the wife for depriving her of it (I sense trouble coming - or perhaps another unit!)

One of the "children" wanted to demonstrate the calendar!

Conclusion:

With a Linux OS base, I see this device as extremely hackable and, if it catches on, we will shortly see hacks for it and more official app coming along. I would have thought that a browser would be very achievable.

Comments to HP:

Well done, beautiful device, but must have a browser!

UpDate, 9/27/09:
There has been some criticism about the DreamScreen because some people seemed to have been under the impression that this was a touch tablet. Personally, I don't recall seeing this item described as such except by a couple of blogs, but, if you are a serious buyer and read what it says about the device on the HP site or Amazon, for example, it leaves no doubt as to what you are buying.
I certainly didn't open the box expecting to start touch-surfing the web on the DreamScreen.

I am still waiting to try it at the end of my computer desk and listen to music or even watch a video or two - but I can't get it away from my wife just yet!
Oh well, at least I won't have so much explaining to do when I buy my next gadget - "But the DreamScreen was for you, honey!"