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HP confirms TouchPad for 'mid-July' launch in UK, prices starting from £399

US debut scheduled for July 1

HP confirms TouchPad for 'mid-July' launch in UK, prices starting from £399
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With iPad firmly in its sights, HP has finally made public its plans for TouchPad in the UK, citing a mid-July debut for the tablet.

Prices for the device, which will run webOS 3.0, will start at £399 for the 16GB release, with the 32GB unit coming in at £479.

In touching distance

The UK launch will coincide with its release in both France and Germany, coming "a few days" after its roll out in the US, itself confirmed for July 1.

"What makes HP TouchPad a compelling alternative to competing products is webOS," said senior VP and general manager of HP's global business unit for Palm, Jon Rubinstein.

"The platform's unmatched features and flexibility will continue to differentiate HP products from the rest of the market for both personal and professional use. This is only the beginning of what HP’s scale can do with webOS."

Launch wars

TouchPad's launch in Canada will follow on later in the month, while HP plans to roll the tablet out across the rest of the world throughout the course of the summer.

It's a launch window that could be considered a bold move for HP, in the UK at least.

Just weeks before, rival RIM will launch its own iPad challenger BlackBerry PlayBook, also starting from £399 for the 16GB release. Its June 16 launch comes after what's being billed as a fairly strong start for the tablet in the US following its release in April.

Keith Andrew
Keith Andrew
With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font. He's also Pocket Gamer's resident football gaming expert and, thanks to his work on PG.biz, monitors the market share of all mobile OSes on a daily basis.