HP TouchPad: Dead Already?
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In the past few months, many tablet makers have tried and failed to topple Apple iPad. Our team was at first quite skeptical about iPad’s potential as an e-book reader. It won’t outperform a Kindle when it comes to displaying e-books. Nevertheless, iPad is the best option for anyone looking for more than just an e-reader. HP TouchPad was expected to be a decent competitor to the iPad. But analysts are already writing it off considering how it is priced and the number of apps it has. As Jason Perlow of ZDNET put it, HP TouchPad won’t be making it too far:
There is absolutely nothing this product has that could be considered an advantage — not its display, its CPU, nor its front-facing video conferencing camera (which, by the way, is one less than the iPad 2, which also includes a rear camera).
WebOS is a very exciting platform. But HP has simply not done enough to put a tablet ecosystem together to topple the iPad. The company has been slow to the market with its tablet. HP TouchPad would have a better chance against the iPad if it was priced in an aggressive fashion. It will go on sale starting July 1st for as low as $499.99.
Here are the full specifications for HP TouchPad:
- Display: 9.7-inch slate (1024 x 768 resolution)
- CPU: Dual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon APQ8060 processor
- Storage: 16GB or 32GB of built-in storage
- RAM: 1GB of RAM
- Connectivity: micro-USB 2.0 port, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
- Webcam: 1.3MP camera
- Sensors: light sensor, gyroscope, accelerometer, compass, and GPS
- Software: WebOS 3.0 with true multitasking, Flash 10.1
- Includes HP Synergy with Amazon’s Kindle ebook store compatibility
The good news is HP TouchPad will be Kindle friendly. So it is worth taking a chance on if you are not an iPad fan. Just don’t expect it to be superior to the iPad or outperform Kindle/NOOK an an e-reader.
