HP promised an ad bonanza with the launch of its webOS devices, for which it sprinkled various celebrities like Lady Gaga or Kanye West with more than $10 million.

It is ploughing ahead now with the delivery of said ads, and the first one for the HP TouchPad features none other than Manny Pacquiao, the first boxer in the history of the sport to win ten world titles. He already has some experience advertising the HP Veer munchkin of a phone.

The multi-faceted Pacquiao, who is also a congressman of in the Philippines, handles the HP TouchPad with ease, showing off the multitasking capabilities and the full Adobe Flash support of the platform, which you can see in the ad below. We cracked up when we saw the “Congress in session” entry in the HP TouchPad’s calendar app.

When star boxing champions like Manny Pacquiao demonstrate geeky slate gear, then you know that the mobile computing phenomenon called tablets has become mainstream.

via PreCentral

The HP TouchPad has been making headlines lately and many webOS fans are eager to see it launch. However, little has been said about its alleged little brother – the HP Opal. Until now, the very existence of the 7-inch Opal has not been officially confirmed, but a hint that was spotted on HP’s webOS-dedicated web page suggests that the device may see the light of day after all.

The clue may not be really that obvious, but while browsing through the selection of featured webOS apps and games, the Opal has been spotted by some on the list of compatible devices. It seems like HP has already taken notice and has removed the tablet from the list, yet screenshots of the goof up are already circulating the web.

The first time when we heard about the HP Opal was in January, but since then, the HP TouchPad has been getting all the attention leaving its rumored 7-inch sibling in the shadows. Now we finally have a clue leading us to believe that the smaller-sized webOS tablet has not been scrapped even though news about it has been scarce. If the rumors are to be believed, the HP Opal, or whatever its official name turns out to be, should hit the shelves at some time in September of this year.

source: HP via PreCentral

Hot on the heels of Microsoft getting the green light from FCC to acquire Skype, sweeping management changes are already underway. Don Albert, Doug Bewsher, Chris Dean, Anne Gillespie, David Gurlé, and Russ Shaw have been dismissed from the company, or expressed intentions to leave.
While most of them are HR and marketing managers, Russ Shaw has been the one in charge of the carrier and cell phone makers deals, like the ones with Verizon, O2, or Nokia. He is the man credited with Skype’s proliferation on smartphones. Some of these management changes are being attributed to the usual restructuring upon acquisition in order to avoid duplicating positions, but it might also be a hint about Microsoft’s intentions to wall-garden Skype from the competition in some ways.
Other than that is seems business as usual for Skype. Recently a few screenshots appeared that demostrate what Skype integration will look like, when it comes to webOS, but this process has been set in motion by the previous management, and Russ Shaw in particular, so Microsoft will probably let these play out anyway. We’ll see what will happen with the future iterations of Skype.
source: SkypeJournal & Engadget

The new trend in tablets appears to be to launch them with incomplete features that will be added in the future. It started with the 4G version of the Motorola XOOM which launched with 3G and is being updated at the factory to 4G connectivity. The BlackBerry PlayBook came to market without a native email client and more. Now, a tip received by the guys at PreCentral reveals that an internal HP presentation, meant for HP’s corporate partners, said that at launch, documents will not be allowed to be edited on the TouchPad. That means users of the webOS flavored tablet, expected to launch July 1st, will only be able to view Excel, PowerPoint, and Word documents. According to the internal presentation, an update for at least PowerPoint editing will be sent out this summer that will allow the documents to be edited.

HP has been pushing hard to get the tablet out so that it could start competing in the suddenly overcrowded tablet market, but had to wait for developers to work on some apps for webOS 3. It came down to HP deciding to launch the device without QuickOffice editing in order to have the product available now instead of waiting more weeks or months before the TouchPad could be found in stores.

The 9.7 inch screen on the TouchPad will have a UI optimized to fit the bigger screen and will also be the first webOS powered device with a front-facing camera. The tablet will also have a 1.2GHz dual-core processor  and as we earlier reported, can be reserved starting today at a price of $499.99 and $599.99 for a 16GB and 32GB model respectively. Just remember that until the update is received, when it comes to documents on the HP TouchPad, what you see is what you get.

But there is some good news. One of the slides shown by HP at the internal presentation hinted at a white version of the tablet. With a picture of the HP TouchPad on the screen, the slide said, “Available in gloss black (shown) or HP dove white finish (not shown)“.

source: PreCentral (1), (2)

As we reported, you could reserve your HP TouchPad starting on June 19th. Guess what? It’s June 19th and the webOS tablet can now be pre-ordered from HP and some of the retailers-like Best Buy-that will offer the tablet when it launches on July 1st. Those stores include Walmart, Staples, Sam’s Club, Office Depot and Amazon.com.

The price for the 16GB version of the HP TouchPad is $499.99 while the 32GB model is $599.99. In Canada, as you can see from the screenshot to the right, the prices are $519.99 CD and $619.99 CD respectively. The TouchPad gets released July 15th for our neighbors up north. Some stores will be offering accessories like a wireless keyboard, a charging dock, a cover and a power adapter.

Before the Canadians get to own the HP TouchPad with its 9.7 inch XGA display and 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, the tablet will head over to the U.K., Ireland, France and Germany. Before the year is out, the device will be seen in Italy, Spain, Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Singapore.

source: MobileSyrup

The HP TouchPad can now be pre-ordered in the U.S. and Canada

Who can forget the introduction of the Palm Pre back in January 2009. With webOS on board the handset was immediately proclaimed the next King of the smartphones and a worthy heir to the Apple iPhone. But Palm misjudged the importance of having a fully loaded app store at launch, and gave the public an advertising campaign that was hard to decipher. A few months after the Pre launched, the Android Invasion started and the DROID Does became the DROID Did and Palm had blown a golden opportunity.

Fast forward to present day and HP is now the parent of Palm and is about to launch the HP Pre 3. The Palo Alto based firm has improved upon the phone’s specs pumping up the processor to a zippy 1.4GHz. The screen has been increased from 3.1 inches to 3.58 inches. Resolution has also been raised from 320 x 480 to 480 x 800 pixels. The camera on back is now 5MP, an improvement from the 3MP shooter on the original, while a .3MP VGA camera graces the front of the unit.

The U.K. based Play.com web site shows that the online retailer is currently taking pre-orders for the device which it says is expected to ship on July 8th. As far as a Stateside launch is concerned, we earlier reported that Verizon appears first in line to launch the HP Pre 3, showing you pictures of a Verizon branded unit. A summer launch is expected in the U.S., so we should be hearing from Big Red pretty soon.

source: Play.com via Precentral

According to Play.com, the HP Pre 3 will launch in the U.K. on July 8th

HP has filed trademark patents for the names TouchPadFlex, TouchPadPro, TouchPadTwin, TouchPadGeo, TouchPad7, and TouchPadGo, most likely for the future iterations of its webOS tablet line. We are especially curious what idea lies behind the TouchPadFlex.

The HP TouchPad tablet can be preordered starting June 19th, and should be shipping July 1st, at $499 for the 16GB model. HP released a bunch of videos promoting various features of the webOS slate. A 3G version should be available later this summer on AT&T.

The mothership HP is also launching a huge marketing campaign to backup its webOS products, booking names like Jay-Z, Lady Gaga and Kanye West for the festivities.

The giant computer manufacturer is a bit late to the tablet party, so it is obviously not sparing any efforts to fuse quality hardware and software, and get the word out. The six trademark names in the TouchPad line it filed for also mean that it could very well be hard at work for the next generations of its webOS slates.

via UnwiredView

HP has announced that it will start taking pre-orders for the Wi-Fi only version of the HP TouchPad beginning June 19th. The 16GB model of the webOS flavored tablet will cost $499.99 while the 32GB model will cost $599.99. The actual launch of the tablet is expected to be July 1st. Later this summer, a 3G version will be made available for AT&T.

The HP TouchPad is the first tablet powered by the webOS operating system that the Palo Alto based firm acquired when it bought Palm last year for $1.8 billion. The tablet features a 9.7 inch XGA display and has a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor under the hood. The device will be available at retailers like Best Buy, Staples, Walmart, Office Max, Amazon.com and from HP’s online store.

The HP TouchPad has quite an itinerary. After its U.S. launch at the beginning of next month, the tablet heads over to the U.K., Ireland, France and Germany before heading up north to visit our Canadian friends in the middle of July. Later this year, the tablet will be available in Italy, Spain, Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Singapore.

Jon Rubinstein, HP’s senior vp and general manager, Palm Global Business Unit says that webOS is what makes the TouchPad a compelling alternative to the competition. He says that the tablet represents only the beginning of what HP can do with the operating system. WebOS offers users of the TouchPad “next level” multitasking experience and the exclusive Touch to Share feature allows compatible webOS handsets to receive web addresses from the tablet at the click of a button. If you get a call or text message on your Palm Pre while using the tablet, you can answer or reply directly from the tablet. And unlike the Apple iPad, the TouchPad is Adobe Flash enabled which means that users get the full web experience on the tablet.

Optional accessories for HP TouchPad include the HP Touchstone Charging Dock, the HP TouchPad Wireless Keyboard and the HP TouchPad Case which is sold separately. So who is planning on reserving HP’s first webOS tablet? You can leave us a response in the comment box below!

via HP

Even though it’s packing some peppy internals inside of it, the HP Veer 4G is regarded by some as being the cute and cuddly webOS device out of the bunch. At the same time, its $100 on-contract price is perceived to be rather unfitting for its stature – especially when you have rival devices like the HTC Inspire 4G selling for far less now.

Fear not though, Amazon is sprinkling its dash of magic as they’ve aggressively reduced the price of the handset to a mere one penny with a contract! At that level, it’s undoubtedly easier to tolerate a little handset that packs a punch.  Both the white and black versions of the handset are priced the same with free shipping included, but it’s even better finding out that the deal is extended to existing customers with qualified upgrades.

So if you’re considering on picking up the HP Veer 4G, you might want to purchase it from Amazon seeing that you’re going to be getting some huge savings with them.

source: Amazon via PreCentral

HP’s webOS packs a lot of unique features starting with a card-based multitasking system and instant communication between devices, but HP might also be developing its own cloud-based music service to compete with rival offerings like Apple’s iCloud and Google’s Music. HP is said to have already engaged in talks with various studios, but it’s the four major labels that it has to lure in order to get the scale needed for such a service.
Even Google and Amazon have failed at this, so how could HP succeed? The rumor actually claims that HP has already been actively negotiating for a while and sources within labels confirm this. But while the main focus of the service is to be music, it might also encompass movie and TV shows. The upcoming HP TouchPad has been touted to come with a solution to synchronize your music with the cloud.
Is that a full ecosystem that HP is trying to build? The company aims high with its ambitions, but it might have actually been premature about a music service on the TouchPad.  Music industry sources warn about the talks being in the early stages and even HP not having established the exact parameters of the future cloud-based music storage.
Earlier, an HP spokesperson mentioned in a statement to music-centric website Billboard: “In March, HP announced that it plans to offer an expanded portfolio of cloud services for enterprises and consumers. … HP sees cloud computing lying at the heart of a connected world.” To underline its music affiliations, HP has shot a commercial promoting music with gorgeous Alicia Keys. Finally, the HP TouchPad is coming with Beats Audio, but while you wait for all that to get release, why don’t you check out the commercial below and get in tune with the future.
source: Reuters