The marketplace for tablet computers is on the verge of a veritable explosion of product choices.
Gone are the days when the iPad held a lone presence in the burgeoning consumer electronics sphere of tablets.
After a full six months of runaway growth, the Apple iPad will soon face competition from several major rivals, not the least of which has just been unveiled by the folks at HP.
Following months of rumors and unconfirmed speculation, HP is now poised to launch its new “Slate 500” tablet computer.
Analogous to RIM’s recently announced BlackBerry-esque tablet, the Slate will be pushed to business customers and marketed accordingly throughout various media.
According to Reuters, the specs are as follows for the Slate 500:
- Runs Windows 7
- Intel Atom processor
- 8.9-inch, multi-touch-enabled screen
- 1.5 pounds
- 64 gigs of storage
- front/rear cameras
- USB port
- digital stylus pen
- Wi-Fi Internet access only
- $799
“The tablet has a bigger price tag than competing products such as Apple’s iPad,” notes the Reuters report, “which kick-started the tablet craze when it debuted earlier this year.”
HP will formally launch its dedicated page to the Slate possibly before the end of today.
