HP entices developers with $150 TouchPads; there is hope yet for webOS?

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AppId is over the quota
Summary: HP woos new webOS developers by promising a pair of $150 TouchPads for those who sign up by November 18.

Missed out on the TouchPad firesale in August, and have no interest in getting the tablet in a $280 bundle from Tiger Direct or the HP/Compaq computer bundle from Best Buy? You may have one last chance to get up to two 32 GB TouchPads for $150 if you’re a “registered developer” in America, Canada and Europe who is willing to write some apps for the webOS tablet.

HP used to lend out 32 GB TouchPads to North American developers for up to 60 days at a time but that program has been replaced with this “TouchPad Device Purchase Program.” I guess the company decided it might as well make some money on webOS developers who will need the devices for their work, especially considering there are still consumers hunting for a budget-friendly TouchPad (or two).

Developers need to sign up with HP by Friday, November 18 to receive your coupon to purchase up to two $150 32 GB TouchPads (€150 in Europe, includes VAT; £130 in the UK, includes VAT) by November 27 or until supply lasts.

As a TouchPad owner, I’m all for more developers coming on-board to come up with new apps for the platform, so I take this as a good sign for webOS’ future. What do you think?

[Source: webOS Developer's Center via Woot]

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Gloria Sin is a freelance journalist based in New York City.

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HP already testing Windows 8 on TouchPads

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Now that HP’s new CEO Meg Whitman has committed to keeping its PC division, FoxNews.com’s report from early last week that the company is currently testing Windows 8 on the TouchPad makes a lot more sense.

Although HP staffers say they are only doing “proof-of-concept work” by installing the Windows 8 Developer Release on the now extinct hardware, at least they are exploring what the next TouchPad could be like. According to Whitman, she hasn’t decided on what to do with webOS just yet but given that Richard Kerris, the former VP of Worldwide Developer Relations, just quit last week, the OS’ days seem numbered.

While I understand the logic for HP tablets (and its entire family of PC products) to support Windows 8 (because it will be a big deal when it is released), part of me fear the next-gen TouchPad will be missing that special sauce — webOS — that helped its predecessor stand out from competitors in the first place. Even Whitman acknowledged going Win 8 won’t save HP last Friday:

We expect HP to compete in the tablet space with Win 8 devices. This strategy is neither unique nor differentiated and is late (iOS and Android ecosystems / competitors have a multi-year lead). We believe HP’s Win 8 devices will have difficulty competing on both a cost and user experience standpoint.

At this rate, maybe HP needs to consider dual-booting Windows 8 and webOS to future-proof its product without alienating its Palm/webOS fans. Bonus points if the company would make such an update available for existing first-gen TouchPad owners.

Any requests on what the next TouchPad should be like?

[Source: ZDNet, FoxNews.com, Engadget]

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Gloria Sin is a freelance journalist based in New York City.

View the original article here