Desktops and Notebooks: HP TouchPad Marks webOS Tablet Debut

Hewlett-Packard's 9.7-inch TouchPad has something of a tough road ahead as it attempts to penetrate the tablet market. Not only is Apple's iPad franchise continuing to sell millions of units per quarter, but the growing family of Google Android tablets threatens to crowd out manufacturers trying for something a little different. And the TouchPad is different: Powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, and offered in 16GB and 32GB models, the tablet runs the webOS operating system that HP acquired along with Palm in 2010. At 1.6 pounds and measuring 13.7mm thick, the TouchPad's physical specs are competitive with the latest tablets on the market. HP is pushing its tablet, expected to debut July 1, as an all-in-one device equally capable of surfing the Web as running apps and games. In a brief appearance at a New York City event, HP representatives demonstrated everything from the photo gallery app (whose images seemed pretty crisp, thanks to the tablet's 1024 x 768 resolution) to the browser and the 1.3-megapixel Webcam. (In a change from other tablets on the market, many of which offer a front-and-back dual-camera configuration, the TouchPad only offers one front-embedded camera, which can be used for video conferencing.) HP is also emphasizing the TouchPad's accessories, which include a physical keyboard and the HP Touchstone Charging Dock, a way to charge the tablet cord-free. Will all those elements allow the TouchPad to triumph where so many other tablets have crashed and burned? Time will tell.??í