HP gathered the entire tech community in San Francisco today to introduce the newest members of the webOS family, and now we've got all of the details for you. First up is the smallest device announced today, the HP Veer. Looking a lot like a baby Pre, the Veer features a 2.6-inch 320x400 display, 800MHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 7230 core, 5 megapixel camera with video capture, HSPA+ capabilities, 8GB of storage, 512MB RAM, and a physical keyboard.
Next up is the Pre 3, which finally features a larger display to help compete with the new, larger-screened smartphones. The Pre 3 will sport a 3.6-inch 480x800 display, 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 8x55 processor, 5 megapixel camera with LED flash and 720p video capture, front-facing VGA camera, HSPA+ or EVDO Rev. A speeds, 8GB or 16GB of built-in storage, 512MB RAM, and the usual WiFi, Bluetooth, and sensor trappings. Additionally, the Pre 3's keyboard is said to be larger and more spaced out when compared to its predecessors. Expect to see the Pre 3 arrive some time this summer.
The biggest addition to the webOS family is the TouchPad, which has a 9.7-inch 1024x768 display, 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera for video calls, 1.2GHz dual-core CPU, 16GB or 32GB of storage, 1GB RAM, 6300mAh battery, gyroscope, accelerometer, compass, and WiFi, Bluetooth, etc. Of course, since the TouchPad features webOS on a tablet, it'll sport some redesigned aspects of webOS meant for use on a large, touch-only device, which includes a virtual keyboard and a new Growl-like notification system. Expect Flash to make an appearance, as well. One of the biggest selling points of the TouchPad may be its ability to integrate with a webOS phone, allowing you to view and accept texts and calls on a TouchPad. Like the Pre 3, the TouchPad will be coming this summer in a WiFi-only model. 3G and 4G models are planned for later in the year.
Finally, HP also announced that the Pre 2 will available for pre-order from Verizon beginning tomorrow, although they didn't mention a launch date or price point. We've heard February 17th for $100 with a two-year contract.
HP made quite a splash at their big event today, and I have to say that what they've announced looks pretty good so far. I'm not a fan of the small screen size of the Veer, but I have a feeling that a lot of people will be, especially considering that it's got a slide-out physical QWERTY to compliment its touchscreen.
The Pre 3 could very well be the handset that webOS fans have been dreaming of. It's got a much larger, higher-res display (although it's still quite a bit smaller than the biggest Android phones), a bigger keyboard, and a screaming fast 1.4GHz processor. I wouldn't have minded seeing a 4-inch display on the Pre 3, but considering that HP finally bumped the device up from 3.2-inches, I'll take what I can get.
As for the TouchPad, I think HP's got a pretty nice tablet on its hands, but we'll have to see what they can do when it comes to pricing and availability before making any judgments on how well it'll be able to hang with its competitors. Overall, I'm just really excited to finally see some new webOS-powered hardware. What do you all think of HP's new devices? Is the company finally back in the thick of it, or are you not impressed?
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