Hasta La Gadget!

There she is, the HP TouchPad. It’s the webOS slate we’ve been yearning for ever since probing (then) Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein on our first-ever Engadget Show, but sadly, it looks as if HP has yanked any and all Palm labeling from the final product. Introduced today in San Francisco as part of a newfangled webOS triumvirate, the TouchPad (previously known by Topaz) is shaped almost exactly like the iPad. It tips the scales at 1.6 pounds and measures 13.7mm thick, which is somewhat of a downer for those already put off by the heft found in Apple’s slate. As we’d heard last month, HP’s shipping this one with its own Beats audio engine, Touch-to-Share (a feature that lets users easily transfer a website, document, song, text or call from the phone to the tablet — or vice versa — simply by tapping the two devices together) and a huge reliance on the cloud. Also of note, Jon just mentioned that this is only the “first in the webOS TouchPad family,” hinting that the Opal may be just around the bend.

Other specifications include webOS 3.0, “true multitasking,” Touch-to-share, instant-on productivity, a 9.7-inch display (1024 x 768 screen resolution), a dual-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon CPU (!), inbuilt gyroscope, accelerometer, compass and 16GB / 32GB of internal storage space. There’s also a front-facing 1.3 megapixel webcam, support for video calling, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, A-GPS (3G model only), “twice the memory of a Pre 2” and a set of stereo speakers. Rubenstein claims that this here tablet is “screaming fast,” and the software UI we’re seeing looks downright luscious. There’s a new paneled email application a Growl-like pop-up notification system, support for Skype calling, compatibility with Amazon’s Kindle e-book store, plenty of cal / email integration courtesy of HP Synergy, a slick virtual keyboard, VPN support, wireless printing as well as Google Docs, QuickOffice, Dropbox and Box.net compatibility. One of the killer features that can’t be found on a competing tablet right now is this one’s ability to talk to the Pre 3 — so long as there’s a Touchstone involved, one can have their Pre 3 and TouchPad communicate, even piping over notifications and texts from the phone onto the slate. It’s a brilliant idea, and we’re obviously amped to see just how well it’s implemented.

Over on the accessories front, there’s a case / stand (which includes a handy flip-out kickstand for desk use), a wireless keyboard (yeah, this one!) and a new Touchstone dock that enables all of the wireless communication magic between webOS devices. If you’re curious about specific models, the first out of the gate will be a WiFi only version, with 3G and 4G variants to follow suit in due time. As for the all-important pricing and availability? “Coming this summer,” with pricing to be determined “at a later date.” Bah, humbug!

Update: Video after the break, and have a look at our hands-on here!

For more on all of HP’s webOS announcements today, click here!

Continue reading HP’s 9.7-inch TouchPad: webOS 3.0 tablet with 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon, coming this summer

HP’s 9.7-inch TouchPad: webOS 3.0 tablet with 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon, coming this summer originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 13:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Now that HP’s full slate of webOS reveals has been made, it looks as if the web admins are testing the waters. On HP’s Home & Home Office shopping page, there’s a drop-down under “Deals & Offers” that quite clearly reveals the outfit’s planned triumvirate: the HP Veer (a name HP filed a trademark for back in December), Pre 3 and TouchPad. Those are slated to bring webOS in “S, M and L” flavors, though it’s unclear whether the Veer or Pre 3 will be the smallest. HP has managed to yank the teaser from its US portal, though it still looks live internationally. There’s no guarantee that any of this will ship momentarily but seriously, why list something like this if all three weren’t going to be on sale by sundown? Here’s hoping!

WebOS-based Veer, Pre 3 and TouchPad leaked on HP’s site, likely on sale today originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 11:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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News that the PlayBook would be at least initially available only on Sprint surely elicited some mixed reactions — hooray for WiMAX but locking your tablet to a single carrier is never any fun. Now Skatter Tech has uncovered a curious page that previously allowed people to join a sort of early-access program for a PlayBook on VZW. The page certainly looks official enough, and the ownership of the site — a marketing agency that works for both RIM and Verizon — also makes a compelling case. Of course, it could just be a fantasy dreamed up by this agency of its two clients working together, but we’ll go ahead and hold out hope for a provider-agnostic PlayBook — maybe even one with LTE.

BlackBerry PlayBook coming to Verizon too? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 10:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell unveiled a mighty business laptop lineup this morning, but only a few stood out — like this Dell Latitude XT3 convertible tablet PC with a quad dual-core Intel Sandy Bridge processor inside. Yes, it seems Dell’s decided to forgo the incredible battery life of its predecessor for potent performance instead, with this particular unit packing a 2.5GHz Core i5-2520M CPU and 2GB of RAM underneath that swiveling 13-inch display. While the prototype XT3’s screen seemed a little washed-out and viewing angles left something to be desired, we have to admire its matte dual-digitizer display, which takes multitouch input from at least three fingers simultaneously and also recognizes a pop-out stylus pen (the former responsive enough to navigate Windows 7 by touch alone, and the latter beyond our can’t-draw-a-straight-stick-figure ability to easily test). That sunlight-readable screen isn’t just for traveling artists, though, as Dell was quick to inform us that the XT3 is the company’s attempt to make a convertible tablet that corporate IT will accept as one of its own, thanks to the same magnesium frame and universal docking port as the rest of the new Latitude lineup. We can’t lie: we’d be pretty excited about the potential for awesome here, if we had any notion of release dates or price. Find some pictures below, and mosey past the break for a hands-on video.

Myriam Joire contributed to this report.

Continue reading Dell Latitude XT3 convertible tablet, hands-on (video)

Dell Latitude XT3 convertible tablet, hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Feb 2011 22:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Huawei, the company whose name rhymes with the typical response of “who are they,” has uploaded a few images to its Flickr page teasing new hardware bound for this year’s Mobile World Congress. First up is the IDEOS X3, an Android handset seemingly set to provide a more budget-oriented family mate to the X5. It has two cameras, one on the front and one on the back, three Android buttons, and at least four different color options (red, blue, silver and black). The Barcelona event will see it joined by an IDEOS S7 Slim tablet, also running Google’s mobile OS, though our knowledge about that device doesn’t extend any further than noting it too has a front-facing camera. Check it out after the break.

Continue reading Huawei IDEOS X3 and IDEOS S7 Slim tablet revealed en route to MWC launch

Huawei IDEOS X3 and IDEOS S7 Slim tablet revealed en route to MWC launch originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Feb 2011 08:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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