One of the best iPad competitors I have seen is HP’s Touchpad, at the Gadget Show in April I got to play around with one and really liked how well the device worked especially compared to the clunky Android devices I have seen. Today HP have announced that the Wi-Fi Touchpad will be available mid July in the UK and July 1st in the US priced at £399 for the 16GB unit and £479 for the 32GB device making it pretty close the iPad 2 price range. I know lots of readers are looking forward to seeing he HP device, checkout the video I recorded at the Gadget Show bellow HP’s press release:
BRACKNELL, United Kingdom, June 9th, 2011 – HP today announced that the Wi-Fi version of HP TouchPad will be available in the UK from mid-July.
HP’s first webOS tablet will be available in the United States, France and Germany on July 1st , with availability scheduled to follow later this year in Ireland, Italy, Spain as well as in Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Singapore.
HP TouchPad will be available direct from HP, selected retailers, and commercial resellers with the option of either 16 GB or 32 GB of internal storage(1) for £399 and £479 (recommended resale price), respectively.(2) Preorders will begin June 19th.
“What makes HP TouchPad a compelling alternative to competing products is webOS,“ said Jon Rubinstein, senior vice president and general manager, Palm Global Business Unit, HP. “The platform’sunmatched features and flexibility will continue to differentiate HP products from the rest of the market for both personal and professional use. This is only the beginning of what HP’s scale can do with webOS.”
With webOS, HP TouchPad users have a next-level multitasking experience, access to the web, premium audio playback with stereo speakers and Beats Audio™ technology, the ability to find information on the device or in the cloud by the Just Type feature, integrated access to their information with HP Synergy, and HP’s exclusive Touch to Share capability for sharing web addresses between HP TouchPad and compatible webOS phones. (3)
Optional accessories for HP TouchPad include the HP Touchstone Charging Dock, the HP TouchPad Wireless Keyboard and the HP TouchPad Case (sold separately).
More information about HP TouchPad, including product features and specs, is available at www.hp.co.uk/touchpad.
I noticed after I posted that the price for both was in the press release, so £479 for the 32GB but of course it’s Wi-Fi only. It also seems much of the integration relies on the 3G version of the TouchPad based on notes from the HP webOS site but maybe they meant in terms of the phone as it’s not 100% clear on where the data contract is required.
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So I give them a 32GB memory stick and they give me a 32GB HP TouchPad? 😉
Sign me up… 🙂
Lol, fixed
LOL Jase, I thought that! What price is the 32GB Ian? I am really tempted to shop my iPad in for one of these bad boys!
I noticed after I posted that the price for both was in the press release, so £479 for the 32GB but of course it’s Wi-Fi only. It also seems much of the integration relies on the 3G version of the TouchPad based on notes from the HP webOS site but maybe they meant in terms of the phone as it’s not 100% clear on where the data contract is required.