$99 HP Touchpad Sale: WebOS Update Makes TouchPad Compatible With Smartphones
Hewlett Packard's recent webOS software update makes the TouchPad compatible with most phones, proving timely for the resale of the discontinued TouchPad scheduled for late October.
According to tech. blog zdnet, the primary benefit of the TouchPad/phone collaboration is caller I.D.
“It is primarily a convenience factor, but it really shines to use the TouchPad as a Caller ID device for the phone,” contended James Kendrick of zdnet.
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“I have already come to depend on leaving the phone in my pocket, and when a call comes in seeing who it is on the TouchPad in my hand,” he added.
Although the TouchPad has already been discontinued, yesterday HP released a WebOS 3.0.4 software update, which will download automatically onto TouchPads.
The original WebOS software was considered undesirable by users, but tech critics argue the udated WebOS 3.0.4 works well with the iPhone 4S and TouchPad.
Evidently, WebOS software did not die out along with the TouchPad.
"We have also continued long-term architectural development for WebOS," affirmed Ari Jaaksi, head of WebOS and services at HP.
Users can synch their TouchPad to their phone using the Bluetooth settings featured in the WebOS 3.0.4. software.
Other benefits of the webOS 3.0.4 update, besides caller I.D., include a front facing camera application and high data speed.
Hewlett Packard’s discontinued TouchPad will have another huge discount sale in late October, when the company will run off 200,000 more TouchPads to “satisfy unfulfilled demand,” according to tech. sources.
The TouchPad is expected to be on sale for $99 for 16 GB and $149 for 32 GB, similar to the original deal in late August in which the highly-discounted tablets were gobbled up by consumers.
“At present, the rate of TouchPad supply will not last for long,” read an email sent to Hewlett Packard employees, who scrambled along with America’s consumers to buy the highly-discounted touchpad during the last major sale.
Tech blog Engadget refers to HP’s touchpad as an “ill fated product,” thus suggesting that the second giant sale after discontinuation means a large overstock supply.
Competition with Apple’s coveted iPad ensured an unsavory fate for the TouchPad, which was criticized for a small app portfolio (only 300 apps) unable to compete with the massive app selection of Apple and Android devices.
Critics argue that HP’s timely release of the WebOS 3.0.4 software update will boost sales of the discontinued product.
According to Hewlett Packard, sellers will have liberty to determine their price; some may opt not to sell the product at its $99 mark.
Where can one find the second surge of this cheap revamp?
Best Buy and the Hewlett Packard website sponsored the past sale in late August, and are likely to do so again.
The discounted TouchPad will come with panels, batteries and chassis.
Since it was launched to the market no more than two months ago, the TouchPad tablet, originally at $499, failed to attract consumer attention despite the heavily publicized and marketed efforts by Hewlett Packard.
