It looks like HP employees have been given an internal HP Slate presentation comparing it to the Apple iPad, according to a slide obtained by Engadget. The device will cost either $549 for the 32GB flash storage version or $599 version for the 64GB version.Both versions sport a 8.9-" 1024 x 600 capacitive multitouch display, a 1.6GHz Atom Z530 processor with UMA graphics, an accelerator for 1080p video playback, and 1GB of non-upgradeable RAM. They'll also include a two-cell five-hour battery, an SDHC slot, two cameras, a USB port, a SIM card slot for the optional 3G modem, and a dock connector for power, audio, and HDMI out. The included Windows 7 edition will be Home Premium.
Those are the unofficial details, anyway. Three months ago, HP went on record to explain how the project started and gave some vague details on the product: thin, light, somewhere between 4 to 10 inches, and be able take on the e-reader market, currently dominated by Sony and Amazon, head on. 2010 is the year for slates, HP said, and that's thanks to a convergence of low-cost and low-power processors as well as the touch-aware Windows 7. The company would only confirm that the tablet would be out this year, would be running Microsoft's latest and greatest, and will cost you less than $1,500.
The questions that have yet to be answered either by HP or by rumors are mainly around what software it will feature and how exactly Windows 7 will be customized to work on the slate (though the slide does mention "HP touch-optimized UI").
Source: Arstechnica.com
