$99 HP TouchPad Sale: WebOS 3.0.4 Software Update Released Today

By Elton Jones, Christian Post Reporter Tuesday, October 18, 2011

HP's own computer tablet, the HP TouchPad, has received a new software update today.

This software update, which is called "webOS 3.0.4", now enables phone call pairing with non-webOS mobile devices. Owners of HP's tablet can now answer calls on their TouchPad (pairing with third-party Bluetooth keyboards is also said to be more "streamlined").

The brand new Camera option is also a part of the tablet's software update. Users can use it to take and edit photos and videos from their device.

Support for mp3 service "Ogg Vorbis" and its music files, along with online/offline messaging status support, can also be found on the HP Touchpad.

HP is promising "better performance" and "user interface improvements," with the update as well as a number of other enhancements and "more robust Skype video calling."

Some owners of the HP TouchPad have stated that the software update is taking longer than usual to download. James Kendrick, writer for tech website ZDNet, is one of them: "I have been trying to download the update for a little while but it seems HP’s servers might be slammed with all of those TouchPad owners trying to get the new stuff."

Ari Jaaksi, the head of webOS and services at HP, had this to say about the update: "We improved performance, added better support for the camera, made connectivity with non-HP phones possible, improved messaging, touched the UI in many places, etc. Also, we’ve got over 1000 applications available for TouchPad through Application Catalogue."

HP is also set to produce 100,000 to 200,000 TouchPad units to help suppliers clear out inventories, including touch panels, batteries, and chassis later this month.

After the surprising success of the TouchPad fire sale that ignited the tablet buying frenzy and concluded in a sellout of the device across the nation and in Canada, HP said, "Despite announcing an end to manufacturing webOS hardware, we have decided to produce one last run of TouchPads to meet unfulfilled demand."