HP Introduces Slate 500 Tablet

HP Slate 500

Hewlett-Packard on Friday introduced its Slate 500, a Windows 7-powered touch screen tablet PC for $799, billing it as "the ideal PC for professionals who don't work at a traditional desk, yet need to stay productive in a secure, familiar Windows environment."

The Slate 500 is higher than the price of category leader iPad, which ranges in price between $499 and $829. It has an 8.9 inch LED-backlit display and a 1,024 x 600 pixel resolution, weighs 1.5 pounds and unlike the iPad, it has two cameras, a VGA webcam for video conferencing and a 3MP camera. The screen size of the iPad is 9.7 inches. The Slate 500 also comes with 64 gigabytes of storage, five hours of battery life and a digital stylus pen. It has an Intel Atom Z540 Processor, which is typically found on lower-end notebook computers; 2 GB of memory; Bluetooth; and 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity, although it does not have a built-in feature to connect to high-speed wireless networks.

Accessories including a keyboard, mouse and printer can be connected with the built-in USB 2.9 port. Photos and other files can be imported with an SD card. It also comes with Evernote software for writing emails and taking notes, as well as pre-installed HP Support Assistant, for help with maintenance and trouble-shooting, Adobe Reader and Adobe PDF. The computer maker said the tablet, available now online, is being launched first in the U.S.

Besides the iPad, the Slate 500 will compete against the Android-powered 7-inch Samsung Galaxy Tablet, which will retail for $599.99 at Verizon Wireless in November; the 5-inch Dell Streak from AT&T, for $550, and a 7-inch BlackBerry PlayBook tablet that Research in Motion announced in September. Since Apple launched the iPad last April, it has sold more than seven million units. Apple has marketed the iPad as mainly a consumer device.