Hewlett-Packard announced its much awaited webOS TouchPad Tablet and showed off a new feature that automatically syncs info to a phone by tapping the phone against the tablet.
The benefit here is you use the larger 9.7-inch tablet for web browsing at home, but when it’s time to go out to dinner, and you don’t want to drag along your tablet, you can tap your phone on the tablet and your web searches (ie. directions to the restaurant) appear on your phone. Specifically, it exchanges web URLs with another webOS device.
You also get wireless printing, Amazon Kindle book buying and the webOS’s strength of multi-tasking.
The TouchPad tablet will be available this summer in a WiFi only version followed by 3G and 4G versions. The new companion smartphones are the super small HP Veer and a business+play-aimed Palm 3.
The TouchPad automatically populates the device with your Facebook, Google, LinkedIn and other updates.
The device has a 1.3MP front facing camera for video chat, and a fast dual core 1.2Hz processor. It weighs just over 1.5 pounds and is 13mm thick. The display is 1024 by 768 and the tablet also supports Flash, magazine subscriptions, QuickOffice, VPN, and Google Docs. The onscreen keyboard is adjustable in size. And you get a number of built in sensors including a gyroscope, accelerometer and compass. Accessories include a stand and keyboard. Pricing and exact deliver dates will be announced.
The Veer is a tiny phone, about the size of a credit card and no thicker than a deck of cards. It’s the first phone to use the Snapdragon 7230 processor at 800GHz. You get a slide-out keyboard, mobile hotspot, and HSPA+. Text and picture messages and IM conversations are combined in one view and your screen is automatically populated with your social network accounts. It should ship this spring with pricing to be announced.
Completing the trio is the Pre 3 designed to be a work phone that is also fun. It’s got a fast 1.4GHz Snapdragon processor and claims the largest QWERTY slide out keyboard in a phone. There’s also a gesture command area. You get a 5MP camera with auto focus and LED flash, HD video, front facing camera for video calling in a world phone with a 3.58 inch touch screen with 480 by 800 WVGA display. Delivery should be this summer.
Source: Hewlett-Packard
