HP set to announce Veer, Pre 3 and Touchpad WebOS devices

THE FRENZY usually reserved for Apple product launches has gripped the web as HP readies its big WebOS shindig.

HP has been widely expected to reveal a tablet running WebOS, but through its own website it let slip three model names, the Veer, Pre 3 and the Touchpad. The firm has since sewn up its website, removing all references to what it said was "HP WebOS, now in S, M, L", referring to the relative sizes of the three devices.

There are no prizes for guessing that the Pre 3 will be the smartphone of the trio, with the Touchpad model name referring to the WebOS tablet everyone was hoping for last year, however the Veer seems to be the real surprise. Robert Scoble claims to have seen the device, describing it as "The smallest little phone I've ever seen. It's like a large pebble in your hand. Smooth and really nice to hold."

Pre Central claims to have seen the specification sheet for the Touchpad, a slate tablet with a 9.7-inch display at 1024x768 resolution using an in-plane switching screen. The unit is powered by a Qualcomm MSM8660 1.2GHz chip and has 512MB of DDR2 memory. Storage, in the form of eMMC, has capacities of 16GB, 32GB and 64GB. A single, user facing 1.3-megapixel camera is included.

The picture has HP claiming an eight hour battery life and a weight of 700g, roughly the same as Apple's Ipad. In fact the Touchpad thing looks pretty much the same as an Ipad, albeit with a slightly faster chip and the ability to slot a standard sized SIM card into the Touchpad. Pre Central's specifications sheet includes a picture of a slate tablet that tallys up with the promotional teaser videos that HP has released to generate interest in the launch.

There's no word on the Pre 3, but without doubt it was the device that HP should have brought out in place of the wholly disappointing Pre 2. At this stage, just one smartphone might not be enough to woo developers to code for the WebOS operating system. However by launching a family of mobile devices, HP might just maximise its chances of attracting those all important developers.

By choosing to launch three WebOS products simultaneously, HP has taken a shot at finally projecting WebOS into the mainstream market. Whether it will succeed will depend almost entirely upon how aggressively HP markets and prices the devices. µ