During HP’s webOS event today in San Francisco, the computing giant unveiled three ground-breaking devices, the first of which is the HP TouchPad. As luck, and rumors would have it, the HP TouchPad lands this summer — here’s what you need to know.
Powered by a dual-core Snapdragon processor running at a blistering 1.2 GHz, the HP TouchPad will deliver the ultimate webOS experience. A 9.7 inch XGA (1024×768) resolution capacitive, multitouch screen with 18-bit color provides plenty of real estate to get the job done. In terms of storage, there’s two choices: 16GB or 32GB.
Not to be outdone by tablet giants, the HP TouchPad features a complete web browsing experience thanks to support for Adobe Flash Player 10.1 beta. Though Steve Jobs might care to disagree, the addition of Adobe Flash Player pits the TouchPad against several Android-based rivals.
What’s a great tablet without wireless connectivity options? Well, the HP TouchPad comes standard with WiFi b/g/n support, including WPA, WPA2, WEP, 802.1X authentication. There’s also A-GPS, if you are inclined to opt for the 3G model. Other standard features include Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR with A2DP stereo support.
To help differentiate the TouchPad from the other tablets on the market, HP tapped into their advanced audio technology, using internal stereo speakers with Beats Audio. On the front of the tablet is a 1.3-megapixel webcam for live video calling, light sensor, accelerometer, compass and gyroscope — basically a sensor for every possible scenario.
At the core of the new webOS is device “synergy”, in the new ecosystem your Palm Pre and TouchPad work together. For instance, you can easily share a URL with your Pre by tapping the two together. You can even receive text message or answer phone calls on your TouchPad, then start reading a website and send it to your Pre for the ultimate “connected experience”.
So we’ve gone through many of the great features, but how about battery life and dimensions — will this thing fit in a bag? The dimensions and weight of the TouchPad are almost identical to the Apple iPad, it’s a half inch thick and about a pound and half in weight. If you’d like to get down to specifics, the TouchPad is .54 inches thick and the iPad is .5 inches. Powering the TouchPad is a rechargeable 6300 mAh battery, you can use either a microUSB cable or take advantage of the built-in HP Touchstone technology, we’d opt for the latter.
In this extensive preview of the HP TouchPad we’ve given you a full dose of what to expect this Summer when the tablet goes on sale. Following HP’s announcement today, Amazon stepped up to the plate and announced a webOS version of their Kindle app, optimized for the TouchPad, will be available free at launch.
Today is a huge day for HP now that their acquisition of Palm has finally materialized into some product announcements. The future of webOS is bright and we couldn’t be more excited to get our mitts on the new slate. Look for hands-on coverage next week when we hit the floor of MWC 2011 in Barcelona, Spain. Anyone else feeling like a return to webOS for 2011?
Coming Summer 2011 | HP | TBD
