Review: HP Slate 7 8GB Tablet

What do you look for when buying a tablet?

I look for five key things:

• Something that is not bulky
• Has a quick processor
• Visually attractive
• Affordable
• Lightweight

I need something that I can bring with me on the go. I travel a lot! 

Tell me tell you, dragging around a 17 inch laptop is not feasible.

I have the opportunity to test out the HP Slate 7 tablet ($149.99 CAN) and I'm pretty impressed!

Sleek, 7-inch diagonal touchscreen tablet that weighs just 13 ounces, making it an ideal affordable device stylish people on-the-go. Stay on top of your busy schedule with onboard apps and capture photos and videos to share with the video webcam on the front and 3 MP camera on the back. The Slate 7 is also the industry’s first tablet to feature Beats Audio™ for the best-sounding richest audio available. 

The first time I used the Slate 7 was at Toronto Fashion Week.

Let's break down the tablet in to the categories that I stated above.

Appearance
The Slate 7 is one of the smaller tablets on the market. It fits perfectly in my purse without talking up any extra space. It's probably a little bit bigger than your hand (if you need a visual description).

Currently, the only colour available in Canada is Silver.

Price
This tablet is very affordable at ($149.99 CAN) and can be purchased at HPShopping.ca. With tax that comes up to less than $200! Since, the holidays are coming in less than two months, the price is decent enough to add to your Christmas list and not break the bank.

Software and Apps

This tablet runs on the Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) software. Dubbed "One of the world's most powerful platform" by android.com. I will admit, getting use to the Android layout took a bit of time at first. With some practice, I was able to find my setting and apps.

Speaking of Apps....
 Let me tell you, since I got my first tablet back in 2010- Androids have come a long way. Almost every app available on Apple has an android option.

Some key apps I added to my Slate to make my blogging life easier are instagram, twitter and youtube.

Memory
Internally, the Slate is 8 GB. That may not be enough for a heavy user but with the option of mini Sd- memory can be upgraded to 32GB. 

Media

The tablet takes pretty decent pictures/videos with natural lighting or with strong artificial lights.

Any images that I took with very low lighting came out grainy. I can also note, that if there was a flash the price point of $149.99 CAN would probably not be possible.

One key features of the Slate 7 has to be the Beats Audio™ component. I watch a lot of youtube videos and listen to a lot of music on the go. I appreciate hearing clean and clear audio.

Also I should add that there is a built-in HP ePrint app that allows you to sent photos and documents to any ePrint-enabled HP printer. I can send it to my new HP Photosmart 7520 e-All-in-One. Pretty impressive!

Overall, I would recommend the Slate 7 for the price and accessibility. I want something that I can use when WIFI is available to catch with up with social media without draining my phone battery life. The Slate 7 is a great option to get stuff done.

For a full detail of the specs, check out HP Slate 7 8GB Tablet

Disclosure: HP products mentioned in this post were supplied by HP Canada.