HP Slate 500 hits pseudo-retail through Canadian shops
updated 10:55 am EDT, Fri May 13, 2011
HP Slate 500 at retail through Future Shop
HP's Slate 500 has escaped its primarily US-only, Amazon focus by showing up in a listing at Canadian retailer Future Shop. The 8.9-inch, Windows 7-based tablet costs $800 Canadian, the same as it does in US currency. Its version is similarly equipped with the 1.86GHz Atom Z540, 2GB of RAM, 64GB SSD, and dual cameras.
The tablet isn't currently available in stores, presumably due to the low quantities HP has been offering so far. Americans can still buy the tablet at Amazon.
HP's Slate 500 had a troubled history. The device was held up by Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer at CES 2010 as the key to defeating Apple's then-unknown iPad and was targeted at the home. Shortly after the iPad was unveiled, however, HP quietly gave up on challenging Apple with a Windows tablet and bought Palm to make webOS tablets for home users instead. The Slate 500 didn't ship until the fall that year.
HP claimed strong demand but quickly admitted that a sellout only amounted to about 9,000 Slates, or enough that the original iPad would have outsold it in about seven hours.
