The HP Slate 500 is now on sale. The Slate is designed for professionals who don’t usually work at a traditional desk, yet need to stay productive in a secure, Windows 7 environment with many features found in an office computer.

 The HP Slate 500 is also intended for those who use custom applications built for Windows.

Highlights include: 

• Use fingers to browse documents, spreadsheets, and applications on the HP Slate 500’s multi-touch display
• Check e-mail, browse the web, read and edit documents, presentations, and spreadsheets.
• Show training or product videos and stream video from the web on the HP Slate 500.
• Web conference with colleagues using the VGA webcam and take still shots with the 3MP camera
• Plug into a Desktop Experience; easily connect accessories like a keyboard, mouse and printer with the HP Slate 500’s built-in USB 2.0 port 
• Charge the HP Slate 500 in the HP Slate Dock
• Connect wirelessly to Bluetooth devices such as printers, mice and headsets

It has a USB port and two cameras: a 3-megapixel one on the back, and a VGA camera on the front for making video calls. It also has WiFi (News - Alert).

In a recent story, Mashable reported that its specifications make the Slate one of the most powerful tablets on the market, but its $799 price tag (News - Alert) also makes it more expensive than its chief rival, the iPad. However, HP has envisioned the Slate as a device aimed at business customers.

Macworld reported that the Slate 500 was first designed as a consumer product when HP announced it in January, but the company reassessed its plans for the device after acquiring Palm for $1.2 billion in April.

Macworld said HP plans to release a separate tablet for consumers with the WebOS mobile software, which was acquired from Palm. The WebOS tablet will be designed for activities like surfing the Web, watching movies, playing games and reading e-books, HP told MacWorld. It will be released in 2011, an HP spokesman said.