The Official HP Palm Blog

HP TouchPad raises the bar (twice!)

“For those who want the portability of a tablet but the work ethic of a desktop, the TouchPad has raised the bar on productivity.” That was TechRepublic editor in chief Jason Hiner’s conclusion after spending some time with the new HP TouchPad, which will be available in the U.S. tomorrow.

How exactly does TouchPad raise the bar? A lot of the credit goes to the functionality and user interface innovations of webOS, the operating system that powers the TouchPad. As David Pogue of The New York Times points out, “the onscreen keyboard has a couple of advantages over its rivals’. First, you don’t have to switch keyboard views to see the numbers keys: they’re right on the top row. (Why didn’t anyone think of that before?)”

USA Today’s Ed Baig declares “There’s an awful lot to like about the first webOS tablet.” Such as? Well, Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal says: “I like the interface a lot. Instead of a screen full of app icons, the main screen of the TouchPad’s operating system…presents running apps as 'cards'…and these cards are clever. For instance, the contacts and photo cards combine both local and online content, from sources like Google and Facebook.” Macworld’s Jason Snell calls webOS a “thoughtfully designed operating system,” and Mike Isaac of Wired magazine also appreciated webOS (which he calls “HP’s ace in the hole”) -- noting that “along with a sexy user interface, webOS brought users two fantastic new features -- multitasking and Synergy.”

Sexy user interface? I guess there’s more to TouchPad than just raising the productivity bar. Some of the “wow” features that drew praise from reviewers: Beats Audio, Touch to Share, Adobe Flash Player support, and apps like the free Box.net, which includes 50 gigabytes of cloud storage at no cost.

What else? Joshua Topolsky of the new This Is My Next blog noted that “I’m not really an acessories guy…but I liked what HP has done with the Touchstone dock and wireless keyboard for the TouchPad a lot….webOS’s Exhibition mode is actually handsome and useful (imagine that!), making for charging sessions that still give you something of value. The fact that this piece of the OS is extensible for developers also raises the bar.”

That’s two bars raised – and we’re just getting started!

Jon Zilber

Early adopters: your new TouchPad just got $50 closer

When the first webOS phone came out, a lot of you took a chance on our new platform. We appreciate your support -- as customers, as champions, and even occasionally as our most thoughtful critics -- and we’d like to make it just a little easier for you to experience the latest version of the power of HP webOS.

Through July 31, you can get a $50 rebate on the purchase of a new 32GB TouchPad. Proof of ownership of a Palm Pre, Pre Plus, Pixi, or Pixi Plus (initially in the US or Canada) will be required. This mail-in rebate is good wherever you buy your TouchPad, including preorders and reservations. (Watch your email inbox for details.)

And to help showcase how the TouchPad “works like nothing else,” HP is giving you a chance to win free TouchPads or one of several “prizes like nothing else” (everything from the chance to experience zero gravity or to ride with racing legend Mario Andretti). Check out the virtual TouchPad LaunchLine on Facebook here. 

Jon Zilber

HP TouchPad: It’s a date!

Mark your calendars and cue the fireworks -- we’ve got something for you to really celebrate: HP TouchPad availability beginning July 1.

The Wi-Fi version of HP’s first webOS tablet will be available in the U.S. on July 1, followed by the UK, Ireland, France and Germany a few days later and Canada in mid-July. And continuing HP’s phased rollout, webOS fans in Australia, Hong Kong, Italy, New Zealand, Singapore and Spain can expect to see HP TouchPad later this year.

HP TouchPad will be available from U.S. retailers, commercial resellers and direct from HP for $499.99 (16GB) or $599.99 (32GB). If you just can’t wait for July, preorders in North America and Europe will begin June 19.

Need something more to whet your appetite? HP also said today that it will be partnering with AT&T to introduce a connected version of HP TouchPad later this summer. No details yet, but stay tuned.

You can read the press release here for the full list of retailers, or get more info here.

Paul A.

Veer in the spotlight – and in your pocket

If you’ve been reading the reviews, you already knew that the HP Veer was a no-compromises smartphone. But when boxing great Manny Pacquiao tells you that “little guys can pack a punch,” well (a) he knows what he’s talking about, and (b) you really going to pick a fight with him?

 

The Veer’s been delivering a knock-out outside the boxing ring as well. At the Young Hollywood Awards, the Veer turned heads as it hobnobbed with the celebs.

 

And if you don’t know all of these folks, ask the nearest teen. When my 16-year-old daughter saw Lucy Hale from Pretty Little Liars gushing about the Veer, all she had to say was “they have a new phone every week on their show, but that one has gotta be the cutest.”

Not to be left out, the upcoming HP TouchPad made an appearance at the Cannes Film Festival, where the likes of Jon Hamm, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Mel Gibson, and Rob Lowe made time to check out the multitasking marvel.

 

Meanwhile, back in the Big Apple, the multi-talented Kristin Chenoweth was spotted on the streets using her new Veer to check movie showtimes.

While the Veer may enjoy its moment in the limelight, it’s equally happy to slip quietly (and effortlessly) into a quiet pocket – maybe yours? If you’d love you some Veer, our friends at HollywoodLife.com are offering you the chance to win one of five Veers. (Be sure to enter before June 5.)

Jon Zilber