HP will officially unveil its TouchPad tablet to the Australian technology press next Tuesday (26 July), suggesting that a release date is imminent.
The HP TouchPad tablet launched in the US at the beginning of the month but was immediately snagged in problems with HP's pre-ordering systems with retailers. Previously, HP had stated that the device would appear in Australia "later this year".
Packing a dual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm CPU, 1GB of RAM, Beats by Dr Dre stereo sound, 16 to 32GB of storage and a 9.7in HD screen (1024x768), the HP TouchPad is aimed at the upper end of the tablet market.
But its main distinguishing factor is Palm's Linux-based operating system; WebOS. (The vast majority of non-Apple tablets run Android.)
All the old tricks of WebOS – notably, cards and stacks – are present and accounted for, along with a host of new notifications and UI adjustments optimised for tablets. (For more on TouchPad's WebOS, click here.)
Other noteworthy TouchPad features include wireless printing (with compatible HP printers), video calling via a 1.3MP webcam, touch-to-share Web browsing and access to dedicated TouchPad e-mags, including Sports Illustrated, Time and People magazine.
HP is also releasing a host of accessories for the TouchPad, including the HP touchstone charging dock, TouchPad wireless keyboard and HP TouchPad case.
The HP TouchPad will initially be available in two flavours: a 16GB model (US$499.99) and a 32GB option ($599.99). Australian pricing has yet to be announced.
Both models are wi-fi only but HP plans to release a connected version later in the year. (This seems to be an ongoing trend, with the recently announced Toshiba Tablet holding back on the 3G version.)
A firm release date and Australian pricing is expected to be announced by HP early next week.
Meanwhile for a deeper look at the tablet read the HP TouchPad overview.