competitor for iPad & Samsung Galaxy Tab

Hewlett-Packard(HP) unveiled a TouchPad tablet computer as its entry in a booming market dominated by Apple's iPad.

HP senior vice-president Jon Rubinstein, who was part of the Apple team that brought the world the iPod, unveiled the Touchpad to applause in a pavilion on the San Francisco shoreline within sight of the Golden Gate Bridge.

"TouchPad is more than just a pretty face," Rubinstein said as he caressed one on stage." The TouchPad is all about you; how you work,play, and connect with the things you value most."

TouchPad will be the first  Tablet in a family of product based on a webOS software platform Palm began building from the ground up about five years ago.

HP last year bought Palm in a US$1.2bil ( RM3.bil) deal in what analysts believe  was a move to get its hand on the platform that could make it a player in the fast-growing market for smartphones and Tablet computers.

"No one has come close to replicating our webOS experience," said Rubinstein, who was chief executives of Palm when it was acquired by HP.

TouchPad weight about 0.7kg and has 9.7in display- the same weight and screen size as the iPad.

The tablet is built with a Qualcomm processor that is "screaming fast," according to Rubinstein.

HP did not disclose what TouchPad would be priced at when they debut in Europe and the United States in the middle of this year.

TouchPad software is crafted for easy multi-tasking and supports Adobe Flash software commonly used in online video. The Tablet also features a camera for video calling.

The iPad does not run Flash or have a camera.

TouchPad lauch partners will include digital magazine publisher such as Time and electronic book giant Amazon.

"We are making this a great platform for reading books by partnering with Amazon on Kindle software," Rubinstein said.

WedOS strengths included multitasking capabilities that allow for someone to pause while reading an e-book to take a video call, search out a webpage and print wirelessly to an an HP printer.

HP plans to use global resources to back the TouchPad along with an entire webOS "ecosystem" consisting of soon-to-be-released Veer and Pre 3 smartphones and a line of personal computers built on the platform.

HP said that webOS software in personal computers would complement, not replace, Windows operating systems made by longtime partner Microsoft,-AFP/Relaxnews 2011.

Information from: TechCentral