Hasta La Gadget!

Those reports we heard about Best Buys in the US selling off remaining inventory of the HP TouchPad? Turns out they’re true, and the “fire sale” is taking place nationwide online and in stores. The FAQ page in the retailer’s forums has been updated to announce that it’s reversed the decision to ship everything back to HP, and we’ve also received leaked screenshots confirming the news as well. Best Buy’s online store currently shows the TouchPad as sold out and unavailable in stores, and company reps are hesitant to give official word on exactly how much inventory is left at this point. If the online status doesn’t change between now and sunrise, we have a strong feeling you should expect a Black Friday-style line waiting for you at the brick-and-mortars.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Confirmed: Best Buy US begins selling TouchPads after all, good luck finding one originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 21 Aug 2011 01:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s the same old story of genius recognized only after death, and thus is the fate of webOS. If you were amongst the opportunistic hordes scavenging the interwebs for last night’s bargain bin $99 HP TouchPad announcement, chances are you’re fresh outta luck. The L.A. Times is reporting widespread online store sell outs for the recently abandoned and heavily discounted 16GB and 32GB slates. While HP’s own site and the biggie online retail outfits, like Circuit City and Walmart, have all but sold out of their web inventory, Amazon’s third party sellers still have the tablets on offer — just at non-discounted prices. Of course, you could always leave the hypnotic glow of your monitor and venture out into the real world where actual, physical stores are purported to have the tabs currently in stock. Try your luck, and let us know how things go in the comments below.

HP TouchPad fire sale spurs online sell out, brick-and-mortars may still carry stock originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Aug 2011 19:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, that didn’t take long. It’s only been a day since HP announced its intention to discontinue production of webOS devices, and it looks like the outfit’s already throwing its flagship tablet in the bargain bin. PreCentral reports that HP sent out a memo to its affiliates asking them to cut the price of the ill-fated TouchPad to $99 and $149 for the 16GB and 32GB editions, respectively. The date apparently put forward by HP is August 20th, but at least two Canadian retailers (Best Buy and Future Shop) have already made the cut — though both outlets show the sale ending August 22nd. As proof that being fashionably late isn’t always a good thing, the white 64GB edition has surfaced on HP’s US site, sporting a $600 asking price, leaving us to wonder, well: why now? If all of that isn’t enough to turn your smile upside down, webOSroundup is playing the bearer of bad rumors, with what they say is an internal memo from AT&T stating that the carrier’s launch of the Pre 3 has been “completely cancelled.”

Update: Looks like the SlickDeals forums folks have discovered a way to bring those Canadian prices down south, and are reporting that they will be official in the US on Saturday morning. Hit up the link below for details.

Let the liquidation begin — HP’s 16GB TouchPad on sale for $99 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 21:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If there’s still not enough change in your couch to snatch up a $399.99 16GB HP Touchpad, today could be your lucky day — that is, if you’re in the market for a webOS slate in the first place. It looks like Staples is offering a $100 coupon for the slab, which should be applicable to the already discounted price, giving you webOS love for $299 for the 16GB model and $399.99 for 32GB. If that price gets any lower, the $35 tablet might just have to step up its game.

HP TouchPad now $200 off at Staples — it’s like Christmas in August originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Aug 2011 12:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fujitsu Toshiba Mobile Communications has only been in existence as Japan’s number two mobile company (behind Sharp) for a short time, but it appears even a decent earnings report wasn’t enough for Toshiba to stay in the business. While the joint venture prepares to release the au IS12T WP7 handset running Mango Fujitsu, Fujitsu is preparing to buy out Toshiba’s 19.9 percent stake and take sole ownership in 2012. Toshiba may not be the only Japanese tech giant taking a step back, as Hitachi is considering following Pioneer and exiting the TV biz stage left. As price competition squeezes out all but the largest manufacturers and even Sony feels the pinch, Hitachi is considering outsourcing the brand to overseas manufacturers. Neither announcement should put brakes on hardware we’ve been anticipating, but that REGZA phone or Wooo television you just dropped a few yen on could become a vintage item very soon.

[Thanks, Colin]

Toshiba is dropping out of Fujitsu / Toshiba phones while Hitachi considers exiting the TV biz originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Aug 2011 02:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Engadget Japan  |  Nikkei (reg required), Toshiba, Hitachi  | Email this | Comments