Palo Alto, Calif.
– The Wi-Fi version of Hewlett-Packard’s WebOS-based TouchPad tablet will be in
stores July 1 in the U.S. and will be followed later in the summer by a model
equipped with AT&T cellular-data service, HP announced.
HP didn’t disclose details of the
AT&T-equipped version, declining to mention price or service plans, specify
whether it would be equipped with 3G or 4G service, or indicate whether two-way
video chat would be enabled over cellular data as well as Wi-Fi.
The Wi-Fi version
of the industry’s first WebOS-based tablet will be available July 1 through
U.S. retailers, commercial resellers and direct from HP in 16GB and 32GB
versions at estimated street prices of $499 and $599, respectively. U.S.
preorders begin June 19.
U.S. retailers and
commercial resellers will include Best Buy, Staples, Office Depot, Walmart,
Sam’s Club, OfficeMax, Amazon.com, Fry’s, Microcenter, other local and regional
retailers, and HP’s online stores.
The 1.6-pound
device, announced without pricing earlier this year, features Web OS 3.0,
9.7-inch XGA capacitive, multitouch screen with 1,024 by 768 18-bit color
display, Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core 1.2GHz processor, beta of Adobe Flash
Player 10.3, Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n, assisted GPS on the cellular-equipped
version, integrated front-facing 1.3-megapixel webcam for video chats, stereo
speakers with Beats Audio technology, gyroscope, accelerometer and compass.
Other features
include stereo Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, Microsoft Exchange email with Microsoft
Direct Push Technology, POP3/IMAP email, and cellular-based SMS, MMS and IM
over cellular. A rear-facing camera wasn’t included in the company’s spec list.
The TouchPad comes
out of the box with such productivity apps as Google Docs or Box.net, ability
to print wirelessly to compatible networked HP printers.
The device is 9.45
by 7.48 by 0.54 inches in size with rechargeable 6300 mAh battery.
Optional accessories
include the Touchstone charging dock, TouchPad wireless keyboard and TouchPad case.
A few days after
the U.S. launch, the tablet will be available in the United Kingdom, Ireland,
France and Germany followed in mid-July in Canada. Availability is planned
later in the year for Italy, Spain, Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Singapore.
