TouchPad

HP open sources WebOS as the fire sale on the TouchPad burns out in minutes; Apple announces that 100 million apps have been downloaded from the Mac App Store; and Amazon promises a software update to the Kindle Fire to alleviate some of the user interface issues.

Links from Monday's episode of Loaded:

Hewlett-Packard is slated to officially put its discontinued TouchPad tablet up for sale one last time today for $99 and $149.

Update: Some readers are claiming that the unit has sold out already and that the eBay server has been responding slowly.

HP is putting its short-lived TouchPad tablet up for sale on eBay at $99 and $149 for the 16GB and 32GB versions, respectively, according to an HP internal memo first published by TechCrunch.

As CNET reported earlier, there will be a few catches, however. Probably the most significant is that the offer will go exclusively to HP employees … Read more

On today's Most Epic Buzz Out Loud Episode Ever, we interview the founders of Skout.com and find out there's an easier way to find love and friendship all around you than the way you have to do it in Sweden. Also, how Verizon is trying to murder the Galaxy Nexus and Google is letting it. Plus, David Lucatch (don't get his name wrong, take it from me) and Gene Simmons (yes, THAT Gene Simmons) join us to talk about the magic wand that is Ortsbo. We'd believe it even if Gene didn't say so.

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AT&T earns the "worst carrier in the world" award for the second year in a row, so it's a good thing I just signed up for two more years of service with this new iPhone 4S.

According to Consumer Reports, prepaid phone subscribers are actually the most satisfied with their service, but that's probably because their burner phones don't have the Internet access necessary to lodge a complaint.

On today's show, we'll look at how the other carriers compare to AT&T, dispel rumors of Shigeru Miyamoto's departure from Nintendo, put in our our bid for RickPerry.com, Jeff demonstrates My Xbox Live for the iPad, and we'll show some incredible listener-submitted contest submission videos!… Read more

Hewlett-Packard will put its short-lived TouchPad tablet up for sale one last time. The fire sale $99 price will still apply--with a few catches.

The first major catch is that the offer will go exclusively to HP employees before going wide on eBay at $99 and $149, respectively for the 16GB and 32GB versions, on December 11 at 4 p.m. PT. The second major catch is that all units will be refurbished, according to a report on TechCrunch, thus the eBay venue.

"In an effort to give HP employees first chance at a very limited supply of refurbished TouchPads, there will be a short delay between when the product is posted live for sale on eBay and when the general public is notified of the sale," according to the letter, posted by TechCrunch.

The delay will only be a few minutes, so there should be an opportunity for the public to get a crack at $99 (16GB) and $149 (32GB) TouchPads.

Another catch is that there will be limited availability (if that isn't already obvious). … Read more

At least for now, Hewlett-Packard can lay claim as the second most-popular tablet manufacturer behind Apple.

Too bad, it'll be a short-lived reign.

Despite all of the attention focused on Apple's iPad, other tablet makers have seen some adoption this year. In total, the U.S. tablet market--excluding Apple--saw sales of more than 1.2 million units and retail revenue of $415 million from January through October, according to a new study from NPD. HP stood on top of that non-iPad hill, closely followed by Samsung Electronics.

Of course, the market is still tiny when compared with Apple, … Read more

Hewlett-Packard sent out notices today that it is officially out of TouchPads, meaning there will be no more shipments of those popular $99 tablets.

The notice says, "As you signed up for updates on the HP TouchPad, we wanted you to know that we are officially out of stock. Some retailers will have some stock available, but our online inventory is depleted."

The only other avenue for getting a TouchPad is Best Buy. The retailer announced today that it will offer a 32 GB HP TouchPad for $149.99 with purchase of an HP or Compaq Laptop, Desktop or All-in-One computer.

The official demise of the TouchPad coincides with a report Friday pointing to the end of TouchPad production. Citing sources, Asia-based Digitimes said TouchPad manufacturer Inventec had laid off 400 employees because it "has to stop production of Hewlett-Packard's...WebOS tablet PCs, and also expects no new orders for other devices."

And in related news, there was a report Friday that HP will shut down the group responsible the WebOS software.… Read more

commentary If Hewlett-Packard is flip-flopping on the PC business, it should go all the way and bring WebOS and the mobile business back as well.

After an evaluation of the business, HP said today that it would keep its personal systems group, aka its consumer PC business, calling it the best move for shareholders, consumers, and the company.

The decision caps off a dizzying few months for HP, which today is putting the kibosh on the complete transformation of the company from a consumer electronics product manufacturer to a business-class software and consulting services provider. In its bid to get … Read more

HP's TouchPad tablet became a blazing success at the end of the summer when the company announced it was giving up on its WebOS devices. Inventory quickly sold out when the price was slashed to $99 for the soon-to-be-estranged tab. Now, the TouchPad is one of the first discontinued items in recent memory to be offered up as a hot Hollywood prize giveaway.

You may recall rumblings of one last TouchPad production run after the success of the fire sale, but it appears most of that batch was swallowed up in a special offer for HP employees.

So one of the absolute, honest to god, totally, like, for reals this time, last chances to snag a TouchPad may be a promotional contest for the latest Hugh Jackman flick, "Real Steel." HP touch screens are also some of the stars of the film, which is set in 2020, a time when TouchPads are more likely to be a distant memory.… Read more