HP annouces webOS Pivot

This morning, HP annouced webOS Pivot -- a new tool for users to find applications for the HP Touchpad, based on their lifestyle and interests.  It's designed to be a service that compliments the webOS app catalog, and would showcase applications and the developers that create them.

Full Skype coming to webOS

As many of you know, the Verizon Palm Pre 2 has skype connectiving - allowing one to use Skype as an IM service, but exclusively for chatting -- and only when you're using Verizon's 3G network.  Well, with the HP Pre 3 and the Touchpad underway, it looks like there's going to be complete Skype connectivity with all webOS 2.2 and 3.0 devices, agnostic to what carrier it's on.

What Differentiates the Touchpad from other tablets

Touchpad Differentiators:

• Great Virtual Keyboard that's re-sizable, has a number row, next field key, and easy character accents
• Flash 10.3
• Cards/Stacks visual multitasking instead of task switching with only icons
• Synergy system that integrates multiple accounts
• HP printer drivers pre-installed with wireless network printing
• Up to 16 Exchange and other 3rd party email accounts at once
• webOS Profile Cloud Hosting  Environment Connecting Multiple Devices to One Profile
• Accepts Texts and Phone Calls from phones on the Touchpad
• Touch-To-Share data transfer with webOS smartphones
• Touchstone Charging  Dock that can charge the Touchpad even with its case on!

Here's a great video demonstration of the Touchpad: 

You can see that webOS runs on the Touchpad without the lag it had at the February 9th event.  The only thing I noticed slow in the presentation was the video streaming - which can be attributed to a slow network connection.

Source: webOSroundup

HP Touchpad: Wireless Charging

One feature that Palm has been praised for since CES 2009 has been their unique Touchstone charging technology.  Well, now with HP in control it's no different - with phones still using it, and a newer version being adapted for their tablet as well.  While Powermap and other 3rd party accessories can charge other cell phones inductively, HP is the only company to have a solution for charging a tablet without plugging it in.

HP Touchpad coming July 1st, AT&T cellular version later this summer

After months of waiting, the release date for the Touchpad was announced today -- July 1st in the United States, then in the UK, Ireland, France and Germany a few days later. Canada is poised to get it in mid-July, and it will be available in Australia, Hong Kong, Italy, New Zealand, and Singapore by the end of the year.

HP Discover Event - Day One

Not much was said about webOS today, and from a consumer's perspective, it was a boring conference (As it was intended for HP's enterprise customers).  HP's CEO, Léo Apotheker, did say the Touchpad would be arriving really soon.  The Touchpad was used throughout the conference, and a Pre 3/ Touchpad combo was seen in several promotional video clips.

Here's a good promotional used during the event:

First HP Veer Advertisement - Little Guys Can Pack a Punch!

The first advertisement for the Veer started airing on television this week - and with none other than Champion Boxer Manny Pacquiao!  Despite Boxing's popularity declining, I bet Manny's one of the fittest people in the world! The commercial is thirty seconds long, and shows off webOS's strengths - cards and gestures.  In my opinion, this commercial is leaps and bounds better than previous commercials for webOS phones, - hopefully it will help sell a few!

“So, why did I get a small phone? Well, if there is one thing I know: little guys can pack a punch.”  So, have you seen the ad on TV yet?  If so, tell us in the comments! If not, it's been uploaded on youtube:

What do you guys think of the advertising?  For a smartphone as unique as the Veer, do you think HP's got the right idea for marketing it?