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Topic: Hewlett-Packard

HP Slate 500 is officially announced -- Windows 7 tablet for the enterprise market

Summary: It's been leaked many-a-time, but it's finally the day HP makes it official: the long-rumored Slate tablet PC is here, running Windows 7 and geared toward the corporate market.The Slate 500 is powered by an Intel Atom Z540 processor and comes with 2GB of RAM and 64GB of flash-based storage.

Sean Portnoy

By for Laptops & Desktops |

It's been leaked many-a-time, but it's finally the day HP makes it official: the long-rumored Slate tablet PC is here, running Windows 7 and geared toward the corporate market.

The Slate 500 is powered by an Intel Atom Z540 processor and comes with 2GB of RAM and 64GB of flash-based storage. The device has Windows 7 Professional Edition on board along with a 8.9-inch multi-touch display. You can also interact with the screen via the HP Slate Digital Pen, which should help with certain business applications (such as requiring e-signatures). You also get a front-facing Webcam, a pair of USB ports, and a rear-facing 3-megapixel camera.

Gallery: First look at HP Slate 500

At $799, the Slate is on the pricey side, but you do get a dock and portfolio cover for it as well as the Digital Pen. It will be available on HP's Website, though it's not offered yet, and through HP's sales units, so don't necessarily look for it at your local Best Buy.

Speaking of apps, I asked an HP rep if the Slate would sprout an app store, and the answer was no. The company expect businesses to develop their own custom apps to run on the tablet, and using Windows should make that an easier prospect.

Ironically, while everyone has been wondering if there would be any successful consumer tablet competition for the iPad, a reinvigorated enterprise market for tablets could be shaping up with the Slate and the forthcoming BlackBerry PlayBook. Of course, as the first market mover, the iPad is already making inroads with corporations and has a huge group of app developers creating new business software (along with games about angry birds).

With its Win 7 approach, can the Slate stop the iPad momentum in the biz world? Let us know your thoughts in the Comments section.

Topics: Hewlett-Packard, Hardware, Laptops, Microsoft, Mobility, Operating Systems, Software, Tablets, Windows

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32 comments
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  • RE: HP Slate 500 is officially announced -- Windows 7 tablet for the enterprise market

    The price is a bit steep, but I'll be buying one. I use an HP TouchPad now, and would like to have something smaller and lighter for those times when I don't want to carry my laptop.
    roteague
    Reply Vote

    • RE: HP Slate 500 is officially announced -- Windows 7 tablet for the enterprise market

      @roteague
      I didn't see its weight up above. Is that spec at HP's site?
      DannyO_0x98
      Reply Vote

    • IT HAS A PEN!

      Thank the gods. Finally something to do some precision work with. Apparently all the Apple fanbois have skinny fingers that end in points, because I've been unable to use the iPad for anything but web surfing and very restricted note taking (as long as you don't need to move the text cursor with that stupid magnifier).

      The other thing to note is the textured back. One thing you notice about the surprisingly heavy iPad is that it's glass glossy surfaces are easy to drop.
      tonymcs@...
      Reply Vote

      • You do realize that the picture is showing an INK pen

        That is not a stylus.
        wackoae
        Reply Vote

      • RE: HP Slate 500 is officially announced -- Windows 7 tablet for the enterprise market

        @wackoae: it DOES have a stylus (pen?). Perfect for OneNote, IMHO. People still stop to stare when I use Transcriber recognition software in my old, old Windows Mobile phone - and for me, it is a lot more satisfying to scribble than to type in a phone...
        Roque Mocan
        Reply Vote

      • you can buy stylus pens for ipads

        @tonymcs@...

        haven't tried one but they are on sale. Go check them out on Amazon.
        Davewrite
        Reply Vote

    • hmmm, why didn't they

      ... wait til the new intel atom chips come out? This z540 thing will soon be obsolete.
      LBiege
      Reply Vote

      • Why wait?

        People are already calling it DOA. Another year isn't going to make it any fresher.
        symbolset
        Reply Vote

  • RE: HP Slate 500 is officially announced -- Windows 7 tablet for the enterprise market

    DO WANT! :)
    StephenChapman
    Reply Vote

    • So buy one

      http://www.hp.com/go/slate

      Ships 11/12.
      symbolset
      Reply Vote

  • ctrl-alt-delete ?

    Is this the one with the dedicated CTL-ALT-DEL button?
    My god, is that laughable or what.

    I suppose it also needs anti-virus,malware,hacker,etc. in some form. When you expose Internet Exploder (Windows) to the Internet you gotta have those type of apps running in the background right?

    Sorry HP, I'd rather have a Linux or OS X based device.
    systemx
    Reply Vote

    • Then get one!!!

      @systemx
      If you can find a slate with Linux or OS X on it, get it!!! Hope it works really well for you!!
      NonZealot
      Reply Vote

      • Linux should run well

        Linux is typically thin and light. It should run quite nicely on this hardware. I'm not sure about the drivers for all the integrated gear and the custom video, but the Linux geeks should figure that out by Christmas. They're good like that.
        symbolset
        Reply Vote

    • RE: HP Slate 500 is officially announced -- Windows 7 tablet for the enterprise market

      @systemx,<br>"Is this the one with the dedicated CTL-ALT-DEL button?<br>My god, is that laughable or what."<br><br>Yes, it has the button for CTRL-ALT-DEL, plus Windows 7 Pro, so it can be added to an Active Directory domain and managed or restricted with Group Policy, and can be updated from a central repository (WSUS). Those are a few examples where business and enterprises (the market of this tablet) will take advantage of it. Can you do that with an iPad or an Android tablet?
      BTW, I'm not saying that the iPad or Android tablets are bad devices. But I don't understand why you ridicule the CTRL-ALT-DEL button. It would be nice to know the reasons...
      dvm
      Reply Vote

      • RE: HP Slate 500 is officially announced -- Windows 7 tablet for the enterprise market

        @dvm

        systemx believes ctrl-alt-del is used like in DOS.
        rtk
        Reply Vote

  • Excellent, I'll be getting one

    This is exactly what I want.
    NonZealot
    Reply Vote

    • RE: HP Slate 500 is officially announced -- Windows 7 tablet for the enterp

      @NonZealot

      No surprise there.
      Playdrv4me
      Reply Vote

    • Nah, you need an iPad...

      After all, it'd give you more to whine about albeit without anything like a reason, but that's par for the course.
      zkiwi
      Reply Vote

      • Huh? I don't whine about the Apple products I've bought

        @zkiwi
        Are you stupid? Seriously, if you have a mental disability, let me know.

        I own 2 Apple products. A MacBook Pro and an iPhone 4. I am [b]well[/b] on the record as saying that both of these products are fantastic.

        So your post makes no sense. I don't buy Apple products and then whine about them, I buy them and then praise them. Please rethink your post and try again.
        NonZealot
        Reply Vote

  • No, mine 4g ram /500g disk hp touchsmart is a little bit more expensive

    but much more powerful with su9600 cpu. 12" with a keyboard is also my favorite.
    FADS_z
    Reply Vote
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