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HP TouchPad.
Expected Summer 2011.
When HP bought Palm last year, it wasn't entirely clear what HP were going to do with the struggling
smartphone builder. HP's own performance in the smartphone market had been pretty lacklustre
over the years, so it did seem that perhaps HP were really interested in getting their
hands on Palm's webOS operating system.
It didn't take long for the rumours to start circulating that HP was going to put webOS
on an iPad-style tablet, and here it is.. the HP TouchPad.
Very similar in outward appearance to the iPad, the HP TouchPad has a similar 9.7" 768
x 1026 pixel display, measures 242 x 190 x 14mm and weighs 740 grams, in a fairly smart
but unimaginative case design.
The real differences are underneath - the HP TouchPad sports a powerful 1.2GHz dual-core
processor which should outpace Apple's current offering. We say current because the next
couple of months will probably see the next generation iPad 2 which should raise Apple's
game a little. The TouchPad comes in a 3G and non-3G version, the 3G version also has
GPS so presumably it can be used as a massive SatNav. There's also a 1.3 megapixel front
facing camera for video calls, 16GB or 32GB of internal flash memory and a huge 6300 mAh
battery.
The new webOS 2.1 operating system is also used on HP / Palm's smartphones, here scaled
up and reworked for a much larger device. But HP need to do more than just port the
operating system from their webOS phones to this tablet - the current crop of Android
tablets show just how unrewarding this can be. Instead, HP need to carefully adapt their
OS to take advantage of the larger display and the different way that tablets are used.
But the crucial problem for HP is this - if you're going to produce a device that looks
very much like an Apple iPad, but isn't an Apple iPad, then what is your unique selling
proposition exactly? Ease of use? The iPad is very difficult to beat, and how many consumers
will get the chance to do a side-by-side comparison? Compatibility? Well, webOS phones are hardly
common and there are nowhere near the number of applications available for Apple's offering.
Brand? HP is hardly a sexy brand, they make printers don't they? Price? Perhaps, but we
really don't think that the TouchPad will be cheap.
To be fair, HP have the same problems marketing their ex-Palm smartphones as they are likely
to have with this tablet. The Palm Pre was a good product that just failed to click with
consumers, and HP will need to do better.. especially with the upcoming crop of Android
3.0 tablets such as the Motorola XOOM.
HP say that the TouchPad should be available in the summer, but exact details of launch
dates and pricing are not known at present.