After many months of rumors, sneak previews and delays, the HP (NYSE: HPQ) Slate 500 Tablet PC is finally out. In a nutshell, the HP tablet is a 8.9-inch slate that runs on Windows 7 via a 1.86GHz Intel Atom Z540 processor. Internally, the tablet comes with 2GB of RAM, a 64GB SSD for storage and 802.11b/g/n wireless connectivity. An SD card slot, USB port and docking connector grace its exterior, which also packs a pretty standard front-facing VGA camera and a rear-facing 3MP one.

With a weight of 1.5 pounds (680 grams), the Slate 500 accepts input via multitouch, pen-input and a software keyboard. While a Broadcom Crystal HD chip helps with video playback on its 1024x600 screen, its battery life is fairly mediocre at just five hours. Overall, the tablet appears to be targeted more toward business users than consumers. 

Reviews are only just appearing on the Internet, though one fairly common criticism is the lack of specialized touch support beyond the standard (and fairly inadequate) ones offered by the Windows operating system. For those interested in it, the HP Slate 500 is immediately available at a bundled price of $799 in the U.S. through HP's website and channel partners, which includes a docking stand, carrying case and stylus.

For more on this story:
- check out this article at PC World
- check out this article at CNET News

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