You seem to be worried that you will get last month's version. This is very easy to solve. Wait for the new model before you buy.
For 500 bucks, well I do have tablets (the office is working on porting apps) I picked up an Asus Vivo x202e and it's quite nice. The office picked up a refurb for 300.
Bob
I new to buy a tablet soon and have a hard time choosing. As usual i seem to be at the tail-end of most product cycles but I cannot wait until the holiday season as I want to have this device for some work and studying in the near term. I would love a tablet running full windows that can double as a desktop, but the current atom processors seem lousy. I also want something with good specs (~$500 budget) and don't like buying hardware that has been around for more than 2-3 months. This seems to leave me with the Xperia Z tablet or the Galaxy Note 8. The Note seems slightly small for serious work and the screen is mediocre. I like the Xperia tablet but the price seems steep and I'm not sure if the landscape orientation will get annoying. Any suggestions?

Chowhound
Comic Vine
GameFAQs
GameSpot
Giant Bomb
TechRepublic