HP unveils TouchPad, first WebOS tablet

Hewlett-Packard has unveiled the 9.7 inch TouchPad, the first full-size tablet device to run on its WebOS operating system.

The Qualcomm powered slate will not be made available until later this year, probably during the summer, but HP is already trying to get tech-lovers on side with the device it claims “works the way you do”.

With a multi-touch display, a virtual keyboard, a front-facing camera, Adobe Flash Player options and the ability to receive text messages and phone calls, the TouchPad is being billed as a tablet that is as productive as it is fun to use.

“Today we’re embarking on a new era of webOS with the goal of linking a wide family of HP products through the best mobile experience available,” said Jon Rubinstein, senior vice president and general manager of the Palm Global Business Unit at HP.

“The flexibility of the webOS platform makes it ideal for creating a range of innovative devices that work together to keep you better connected to your world.”

As the largest supplier of PCs in the world, HP clearly has plenty of fans of its technology but it remains to be seen whether it can win over a share of the many millions of people expected to buy a new tablet PC at some point this year.

The company’s strategy in the tablet sector has been based partly on developing and utilising the technology, branding and know-how it acquired along with the Palm business in the spring of last year.

Here’s a promo video for the soon-to-be-launched HP TouchPad…

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