As expected, HP officially introduced its TouchPad tablet during today's "Think Beyond" webOS event. Formerly known by its codename Topaz, the 9.7-inch slate features a 1024x768 display resolution, a dual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon APQ8060 processor, 16GB or 32GB of built-in storage, HP's Beats audio, a micro-USB 2.0 port, Bluethooth 2.1+EDR, a front-mounted camera, as well as a light sensor, gyroscope, accelerometer, compass and GPS (3G model only).
The TouchPad resembles Apple's iPad, measuring a similar 242 x 190 x 13.7mm and weighing around 740g. Unlike the iPad, of course, HP's tablet runs an updated version of webOS with "true multitasking" and Flash 10.1. WebOS 3.0 also features a paneled email application, a pop-up notification system like Growl, Skype support, wireless printing, calendar and email integration via HP Synergy, as well as compatibility with Amazon's Kindle ebook store, Google Docs, QuickOffice and more.
As leaked last month, the TouchPad will launch with HP's revamped Touchstone technology, which takes things a step beyond wireless charging with touch-to-share. The new version of Touchstone allows users to touch two supporting devices together to wirelessly share data such as a web address, contact information, pictures, music, and videos. While interesting, Touchstone v2 appears to be limited to the TouchPad and two new handsets also unveiled today: the HP Veer and Pre3.
The Veer among the tiniest smartphones in town with a 2.6-inch 320x400 display, a slide-out keyboard, an 800MHz processor and support for HSPA+ 3G. Meanwhile, the Pre3 is an upgraded version of the Pre2 featuring a 3.6-inch 480x800 screen, a 1.4GHz processor, a front-facing camera, and a redesigned keyboard for larger fingers. The Veer is due this spring, followed by the Pre3 and a Wi-Fi-only TouchPad this summer. A 3G Touchpad will come later in 2011. No pricing is available.