HP’s Apple iPad, Blackberry Playbook and Motorola Xoom rival is finally here. Before we bring you our full HP Touchpad review, here’s a look at what’s in the box.
The HP TouchPad runs HP webOS, which was formally Palm webOS, the same operating system as the Palm Pre 3. With this HP joins Rim and Apple in offering a complete hardware and software solution.
Powered by a 1.2Ghz QualComm APQ8060 processor, the TouchPad shares the same screen size as the iPad at 9.7-inches with a resolution of 1024×768. Choose from 8GB and 16Gb capacities, although it’s only available in a WiFi version at the moment, the stereo speakers include Beats Audio and a front-facing camera for video calls.
WebOS has built up a strong, loyal fan base over the years and even after using the tablet for a short time it’s easy to see why, it’s slick and powerful with some very interesting features.
Open applications are displayed as cards along the centre of the screen, which you flick off to close, support for true multitasking means applications – anything from a game to video and email – continue running in the background. Notifications appear discreetly at the top of the screen and you get Flash support out of the box
Another interesting feature is Touchstone technology, a Bluetooth-based means of sharing content between the TouchPad and the HP Pre 3 (although unfortunately not the original Palm Pre or Palm Pre 2). You can be browsing a website on the train on your Pre 3, then when you get home touch the phone and the TouchPad and the web pages opens so you can continue uninterrupted.
We’re going to start testing the TouchPad over the next couple of days, so we’ll bring you our view on these features as soon as possible.
The box…
Well, it’s a box…
Accessories
You get a mains adaptor, charger and the usual instruction manuals. The cleaning cloth is essential because the back of the TouchPad is a haven for fingerprints
HP TouchPad rear view
Surprisingly there’s no rear camera, although it’s arguable whether a movie capture camera has any place on a tablet
HP TouchPad in hand
At 740grams the TouchPad feels solid, it’s about 130g heavier than the iPad 2
USB port
There’s a microUSB port, but no HDMI
Speaker
The TouchPad features stereo speakers with Beats Audio
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