HP to take on Apple with webOS-based TouchPad, Pre 3

"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 for 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."

Rubinstein, a former Apple employee, is known as the "father of the iPod." He left Apple in 2005, and became CEO of Palm in 2009.

TouchPad

Rubsintein and HP on Wednesday unveiled the TouchPad, a 9.7-inch multi-touch tablet with a virtual keyboard, instant-on access and support for Adobe Flash Player 10.1 beta in its browser. The device will run Palm's webOS and will have access to "thousands" of applications from the platform.

In April 2010, HP acquired Palm for $1.2 billion, after the struggling smartphone maker failed to find significant traction for its Pre smartphone. HP made it clear they were interested in Palm because of webOS, its mobile operating system, and the prospect of bringing it to tablet-style devices.

HP said the TouchPad is designed to be used alone or as a digital companion to a webOS phone, alerting users of missed phone calls or text messages. The device will launch "later in the summer," and pricing and availability are yet to be announced.

The virtual full QWERTY keyboard includes a number row for quicker typing, and the hardware includes a 1.3-megapixel front-facing webcam for video calling capabilities. The TouchPad has built-in HP Touchstone technology, which allows for charging in either portrait or landscape mode.

Features and specs of the TouchPad, according to HP:

• HP webOS
• High-speed connectivity
• Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-CPU APQ8060 1.2-GHz processor
• 9.7-inch diagonal XGA capacitive, multitouch screen with a vibrant, 18-bit color, 1,024 x 768 resolution display
• The option of either 16 GB or 32 GB of internal storage
• High-performance browser with full access to the web, including support for Adobe Flash Player 10.1 beta for access to rich, Flash-based web content
• Wireless connectivity:
  • Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n with WPA, WPA2, WEP, 802.1X authentication
  • A-GPS (3G only)(10)
  • Bluetooth wireless technology 2.1 + EDR with A2DP stereo Bluetooth support

Pre 3

The Pre 3 is a new smartphone from HP powered by webOS geared for professional users. It sports a 3.58-inch touchscreen and packs a 1.4GHz processor with full slide-out keyboard.

HP boasted that the new phone has a slim design and high-capacity battery that supports the "new look of business for the 24-hour life." Compared to its predecessor, the hardware maker said the new Pre has a bigger and better touchscreen, more processing power and an all-new keyboard.

The Pre 3 also has a forward-facing camera for video calling, access to HP Synergy for contacts through social networking services, and support for Adobe Flash Player 10.1 beta. The full list of features and specs according to HP:

• HP webOS
• High-speed connectivity
• Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8x55 1.4-GHz processor
• 3.58-inch multitouch screen with a vibrant, 24-bit color, 480 x 800 resolution display
• Gesture area, which enables simple, intuitive gestures for navigation
• Redesigned vertical slide-out QWERTY keyboard with backlight
• 8 or 16 gigabytes (GB) of internal storage
• High-performance browser with full access to the web, including support for Adobe Flash Player 10.1 beta for access to rich, Flash-based web content
• Wireless connectivity:
  • Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n with WPA, WPA2, WEP, 802.1X authentication
  • Integrated GPS (and A-GPS)
  • Bluetooth wireless technology 2.1 + EDR with A2DP stereo Bluetooth support
  • Wi-Fi router functionality for up to five devices using HP mobile hotspot

Veer

HP's new webOS-based smartphone brand is noteworthy for its size. At just 54.5mm by 84mm by 15.1 mm and only 103 grams, the Veer has an 800 MHz processor and a 2.57-inch glass display complete wtih a full slide-out keyboard and 8GB of internal storage.

Like other WebOS devices, it also has integrated connectivity including 3G, Wi-Fi and GPS, as well as support for Adobe Flash Player 10.1. The Veer also has a 5-megapixel camera, and support for HP Synergy.

Features of the Palm Veer, according to HP, are:

• HP webOS
• High-speed connectivity
• Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM7230 800-MHz processor
• 2.57-inch multitouch screen with a vibrant, 18-bit color, 320 x 400 resolution display
• Gesture area, which enables simple, intuitive gestures for navigation
• Full slide-out QWERTY keyboard
• 8 GB of internal storage
• High-performance browser with full access to the web, including support for Adobe Flash Player 10.1 beta for access to rich, Flash-based web content
• Wireless connectivity:
  • Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n with WPA, WPA2, WEP, 802.1X authentication
  • Integrated GPS
  • Bluetooth wireless technology 2.1 + EDR with A2DP stereo Bluetooth support
  • Wi-Fi router functionality for up to five devices using HP mobile hotspot