Earlier this month, technology giant Hewlett-Packard announced that the Wi-Fi version of the first webOS based TouchPad tablet will be available in the United States starting next month. It will be available a few days later in the United Kingdom, Ireland, France and Germany and in Canada by mid-July, then other parts of the world later this year.

In a statement, Jon Rubinstein, senior vice president and general manager of the Palm Global Business Unit at HP said, “What makes HP TouchPad a compelling alternative to competing products is webOS.”

He added, “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.”

Meanwhile, to make it easier for webOS supporters, HP is offering a $50 rebate on purchase of TouchPad. In a blog post on HP Palm blog, the maker said that HP would like to make it just a little easier for supporters to experience the latest version of the power of HP webOS.

According to HP, the company is offering a $50 rebate on the purchase of a new 32 GB TouchPad through July 31. However, proof of ownership of a Palm Pre, Pre Plus, Pixi, or Pixi Plus will be required. The HP blog post said that this mail-in rebate is good wherever one buys this TouchPad, including preorders and reservations.

Additionally, the blogger indicated that the manufacturer is also giving away more prizes on the virtual TouchPad LaunchLine on Facebook.

Key TouchPad features highlighted by HP include multitasking, access to the web, premium audio playback with stereo speakers and Beats Audio technology. Plus, the webOS powered tablet offers the ability to find information on the device or in the cloud using the Just Type feature, as well as exclusive Touch to Share capability for sharing web addresses between HP TouchPad and compatible webOS phones.

Optional accessories for HP TouchPad include the HP Touchstone Charging Dock, the HP TouchPad Wireless Keyboard and the HP TouchPad Case (sold separately).

HP also announced that it will be partnering with AT&T to introduce a connected version of HP TouchPad later this summer.

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