HP Slate 500 -Hewlett Packard
It's the moment consumers have been waiting for: the release of a worthy iPad competitor.
Hewlett-Packard (HP) will release the much-anticipated Slate tablet PC on Friday, October 29th with similar specifications to the iPad but at a much more affordable price when considering the ball and chain tied to current Apple products.
Windows 7 offers on-the-go tech-savvy consumers much more variety on what they're able to do on the go with a tablet PC.
Instead of featuring the infamous iOS, the new product will run on Microsoft's Windows 7. Not only will it have a better operating system, it's powered by an Intel Atom 1.86 GHz processor (512 KB L2 cache, 533 MHz FSB) sporting 2GB of RAM with a 64GB solid state HDD.
At an unusually high price point for HP products, the new tablet PC will start off at US$699 with the home version of Windows and edging up a little higher at US$799 for those choosing Windows 7 Professional.
On wireless capabilities, the Slate will feature WiFi and support for Bluetooth devices, minus 3G. Lacking 3G might be the real blow for HP if it's expected to compete against rival Apple.
Though the device is aimed at business users, the HP Slate 500 may well be the best choice for affordable, yet powerful tablet PC running Windows 7 for 'power-consumers' and those annoyed by the lack of freedom with iPads.