HP unveils 799 dollar tablet

Hewlett-Packard Co unveiled its first product for the fast-growing tablet market, a $799 device that runs on Microsoft Windows 7. The tablet will be based on the webOS software that HP acquired when it bought smartphone maker Palm earlier this year for $1.2 billion.

HP's offering has an Intel Atom processor, 8.9-inch multi-touch-enabled screen, weighs 1.5 pounds and comes with 64 gigabytes (GB) of storage and a digital stylus pen. It gets five hours of battery life. It is also equipped with Wi-Fi access. The device is also equipped with cameras in the front and back, enabling video conferencing, and a USB port. It comes with a case and a docking station.

HP's Slate 500 looks to replicate the PC experience in a tablet form by providing a contrast to rivals who have brought more of a smartphone feel to their devices. It will likely be a more media-rich and consumer-friendly offering.The tablet has a bigger price tag than competing products such as Apple's iPad, which kick-started the tablet craze when it debuted earlier this year.

Carol Hess-Nickels, director of business notebook marketing at HP, said "It's really like a full-function PC. It runs Windows; it will run your office applications, it just so happens to be in a slate form factor."

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