Apple iPad rival HP Slate details leaked

Asavin Wattanajantra

Information on the upcoming HP tablet has been leaked, a device touted as a rival to Apple’s iPad, which was recently released in the US.

Engadget published what looks like an internal memo about the tablet. It will cost $549 to $599, with British pricing yet to be confirmed.

It will have an 8.9 inch 1024 x 600 display with a capacitive multi-touch panel and accelerometer. It will run on a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom Menlow Z530, carry 32/ 64GB flash memory (upgradable using a SD card reader), 1GB of RAM, with a five hour battery.

In comparison to the iPad, it will give away a smaller screen as well as carry a lower resolution. The giveaway of five hours in battery life to the iPad is also an eyeopener.

But it is also confirmed to run on Windows 7 Home Premium software, with a HP touch-optimised user interface. What could be another selling point is the presence of an inward-facing webcam, with a 3MP camera.

HP is one of the companies looking to take a piece of the tablet market created by Apple and which will also see rival devices from companies like Dell and potentially Nokia.

But it isn’t clear whether these devices will be as popular as these companies seem to be banking on, as a device marketed between being a netbook and mobile phone is still an unknown quantity.