HP Slate 500 Tablet PC - Yours for $799
Summary: After endless speculation and teasing, HP's Slate goes for sale. It's yours for $799. But what do you get for your money?
After endless speculation and teasing, HP's Slate goes for sale. It's yours for $799.
So what does $799 buy you?
- Intel Atom Processor Z540, 1.86 GHz
- 2 GB 800 MHz DDR2
- 8.9" diagonal WSVGA wide-viewing angle touchscreen
- Windows 7 Professional 32-bit
- Up to 64 GB Solid State Flash
- Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 500 graphics with Broadcom Crystal HD Enhanced Video Accelerator offering 1080p video support
- Integrated 802.11b/g/n + Bluetooth 3.0
- 1 USB port
- 1 SD Card slot
- Integrated 3 MP camera and VGA webcam
- HP Slate Digital Pen
- 9.21 x 0.58 x 5.91 in (23.40 x 1.47 x 15.00 cm)
- Lithium Ion battery offering 5+ hours battery life
It's an interesting device for sure, and one coming in at a price that's bound to turn heads (remember, this is aimed at business users, not consumers).
The idea of operating Windows with fingers (and doing real work on it, not messing about for a quick review) bothers me, and would make that $800 seem like a gamble. The digital pen takes some of the risk away, but then I'm not in love with using tablets that need pens or a stylus. I can only imagine that there will be times when Windows, or a Windows-based applications, will be absolute murder to operate on such a small screen.
And I'll pass on the idea of using applications like Microsoft Office - without either a mouse or a physical keyboard to use for shortcut commands, the whole process would become far too maddening.
It's going to be really interesting to see how this is received.
Press release below:
The new HP Slate 500 Tablet PC is designed specifically for business, enterprise and vertical customers looking for the mobility of a tablet, the familiarity of Microsoft Windows 7 and the ability to run custom or corporate applications.
With a starting weight of only 1.5 lb (0.68 kg), the HP Slate 500 Tablet PC sets a new standard for mobile productivity with a an ultra-thin, sleek form-factor that enables businesses such as retail, healthcare, insurance, education and hospitality to be more intuitive and work efficiently while on the go. The ability to easily incorporate custom business applications differentiates this product and ultimately enhances the user experience and saves time for HP's business and enterprise customers.
The 8.9-inch capacitive multi-touch display of the HP Slate 500 Tablet PC allows users to navigate on the screen with the touch of a finger or with the HP Slate Digital Pen and Evernote® software to handwrite e-mail messages and take notes easily.
The integrated VGA webcam on the front of the HP Slate 500 Tablet PC enables video conferencing, while the 3MP camera on the back can be used for still-image and video capture. With Wi-Fi CERTIFIEDTM WLAN, users can send and receive e-mails or access the internet at work, at home, and favorite hotspots.
The HP Slate 500 Tablet PC will be available first in the U.S. and then evaluated for further market expansion.
Pricing for the HP Slate 500 Tablet PC is $799, and includes the HP Slate Digital Pen, HP Slate Dock, and HP Slate Portfolio.
To learn more about the HP Slate 500 Tablet PC and ways it will enable mobile professionals to increase efficiency, please visit: www.hp.com/go/slate/
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Talkback
That price is a bit steep.
A bit steep. VERY freaking step. The iPad is cheaper, lighter, DOUBLE the
But the iPad can't run the programs I need to run
Your rant is like saying that a pad of paper has better battery life and less heat than an iPad so what in the freaking hell was Apple thinking by releasing the iPad? If the pad of paper doesn't do what I need it to do then nothing else matters.
This Slate doesn't compete with the iPad. If anything, it competes with the MacBook Air, another high(er) cost, extremely portable, full OS, weak CPU machine. And in that comparison, the HP Slate wins hands down!
Well, Windows propeller heads does not a mass market make. There MIGHT be a
Who said anything about a mass market?
Using your logic, FireWire is a failure because it was never adopted by the mass market. It is used extensively by professionals.
McDonalds sells to the mass market. Your local $50+/main course restaurant doesn't. Should this mean that people who like better food should be denied it because it doesn't sell well to the mass market? Of course not.
No, I don't expect this will sell well in the mass market. So? It isn't even being sold as a consumer device. Something isn't a failure just because it doesn't sell to the mass market.
iPad is a typical mass market device: cheap, limited in what it can do, not built for professionals. Good for Apple, they are raking in money just like McDonalds rakes in money on their Big Macs. Professionals like me have higher standards which is why the Slate is more my style.
NonZealot: If Windows tablets are not for the mass market, then they are a
This tablet is worse in every major category you can imagine in comparison to what the MASS MARKET wants. Compared to iPad, it has a smaller screen, it is heavier, thicker, more heat, HALF the battery life, no touch interface, no applications appropriate for the form factor. This is so ridiculous it is not even funny.
That is YOUR definition of failure
[i]If Windows tablets are not for the mass market, then they are a HUGE failure.[/i]
By your definition then, the MBA is a [b]huge[/b] failure because it too isn't for the mass market.
[i]This tablet is worse in every major category you can imagine in comparison to what the MASS MARKET wants.[/i]
Nope, it is better in 1 category: it has a full OS on it. An F1 car is worse in every major category you can imagine in comparison to what the MASS MARKET wants in a car. Does that mean that F1 cars suck? Nope, because F1 cars aren't meant for the mass market. They do exactly what they are designed to do and they do that very well. Just like the Slate.
The iPad is a non starter for professionals like me who need a full OS on our (non pocketable) computing devices. The iPad could have a 50 hour battery life but all this means is that I have 50 hours of time to spend being unable to perform the tasks I need to perform.
iPad is a great Big Mac. It isn't a fine steak. I need a fine steak. :)
@NonZealot, Before you buy a Slate...
:)
Thanks Dave!
I would like to try one of these out to see if it is truly as bad as your review makes it out to be. Remember, I owned a Windows Mobile phone for a couple years that always got [b]slammed[/b] in reviews for having a horrible resistive screen, horrible touch UI, etc. etc. etc. I really liked mine though and I was extremely productive with it.
I've definitely noticed a trend in the blogosphere to nitpick about every single thing in an MS product while glossing over pretty major limitations in Apple products. For example, nowhere do you read about constant app crashing in iOS devices but right after I got my iPhone, I started looking for apps and I was shocked at just how many people reported app crashes in the App Store reviews. Then, after downloading a few apps, I started to notice it too. Apps crash on a daily basis, far more than I ever had happen to me on my WM phone. It is something I live with but I was surprised that no one ever mentioned this even once in any of the dozens of iPhone reviews I've ever read.
So you'll have to forgive me if I read anti-MS reviews with a grain of salt. Maybe the touch is truly horrible in which case I won't buy it but I can tell you this: it wouldn't make me want to buy the iPad, I already have 1 iOS device, I don't need 2. :)
NonZealot: What are you talking about??? To sell the most devices, you
Microsoft will NOT be happy with 1% of the market.
@DonnieBoy: HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!
Tell that to Apple with an overall computer marketshare of less than 10% worldwide!!!
Here is a [b]crazy[/b] thought: neither Apple's MacBook Air designers, nor HP's Slate designers are interested in selling to the majority of consumers. That doesn't mean these products are, or will be flops. By your definition, every Mac model is a flop.
@Non-Zealot: do not confuse Atom with *actual* CPU like C2Duo in MB Air
MB Air had NVidia graphics that runs 1080p videos perfectly and can have 4 GB of memory, and full-speed frequency memory, and actual C2Duo CPU.
There is no comparison.
@denis: Everything that can be done on MBA can be done on Slate
You aren't going to transcode video, do serious video editing, play horsepower intensive games, edit large AutoCAD drawings, etc. on the MBA, it is simply too slow to do these things. So yes, while the MBA has extra horsepower, it isn't horsepower that actually lets you do anything that you would want to do on such a weak machine. The MBA has a perfect "spec sheet" processor: too slow to do anything serious but with bigger "numbers" than an Atom processor. In the end though, it won't let you do anything that can't be done on an Atom processor running Windows 7.
[i]MB Air had NVidia graphics that runs 1080p videos perfectly[/i]
Prove that the Slate won't be able to run 1080p video perfectly. HP certainly believes it can:
[i]Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 500 graphics with Broadcom Crystal HD Enhanced Video Accelerator offering 1080p video support[/i]
My Atom powered Windows 7 HTPC plays 1080p BluRay rips flawlessly. True, it has the NVidia ION chipset in it but unless you are going to accuse Intel of false advertising (let me know how your lawsuit pans out), the HP Slate should also be able to run 1080p videos perfectly.
RE: HP Slate 500 Tablet PC - Yours for $799
I get so tired of the Apple fanboi lies on so many review sites. How is $799 overpriced when the most comparable iPad is the 64gb WiFi only model at $699 which does not include: (1) docking station (with HDMI and USB), (2) custom folio case, (3) active digitizer and pen, (4) USB port, (5) SD card slot, (6) front camera, (7) back camera, (8) full featured OS, and (9) 1080p video output. The iPad case, camera kit, and VGA kit will set you back the additional $100 without ANY of the other improvements. Sure, it won't serve up media and games at a blazing pace and the battery will be weaker because it uses a real OS and real hardware, but to suggest it is over-priced is a reality distortion field lie. I know, I had the top of the line 3g iPad for 3 months and sold it to replacwe with the HP Slate 500.
Not really up to doing the legwork, are you?
As for being 'hard to use' - I have several tablet pcs and I use for drawing and all sorts of tasks. Don't have a problem with the touchscreen use of Windows. Perhaps the reality is that the Slate is for people who can adapt and learn while the iPad is for people who need simpler systems that won't tax them too much...
What is your metric?
Seriously, what is your metric for deciding if this is a success or a flop?
METRIC. Just about everything. Screen size, battery life, cost, heat,
It SUUUUUUCKs in just about every measurable metric you can mention, and costs 300 dollars more than iPad.
@DonnieBoy: not the metric I was talking about
I'm talking about metrics for looking back and determining if it [b]was[/b] a success or a failure. As an example:
This must sell at least 50,000,000,000 units before Jan 1, 2011 or I will consider it a flop.
This must bring in at least $999,999,999,999,999 in profit for HP before Jan 2, 2011 or I will consider it a flop.
So, what metric are you going to use to determine whether this was a success or a failure?
The metric is that the sales are dismal compared iPad. But, just look at
Dismal sales