Recently Pre-Central managed to get their hands on some TouchPad Go promotional material and a full spec sheet, to say the least this tablet had a lot of potential, however now we know that HP has no plans to release it, it’s a shame really – here’s why.

Let’s start with specs, this tablet was going to feature a 6.95 inch ISP display which outputs at 1024 x 768, a dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcoom processor, 1GB of RAM and Qualcomm’s Adreno 220 graphics processor (GPU). There would have been 16GB and 32GB variants available and no-matter which model you chose there would be a 5 megapixel camera on the rear, a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera, stereo speakers, Bluetooth, WiFi and GPS. It looks like 3G and 4G versions of the Go were also planned.

According to sources this tablet would have been roughly 13mm thick and would have weighed no more than one pound – below you can two image which promote the tablet’s GPS and creative functionality, you can see full sized versions of these image via the Pre-Central link in the second paragraph of this article.

Ignoring the display size there is one other major difference in design between the original HP TouchPad and the TouchPad Go, the TouchPad Go has been designed for use in landscape, the tablet’s buttons and cameras give this away.

We can’t help but wonder if thing would have been different if the HP TouchPad Go was HP’s first-ever webOS tablet, we haven’t seen a lot of 7-inch tablets of late, therefore it may have found a niche in the market – we will never know.

Do you think the HP TouchPad Go would have sold well?

This news was confirmed by the following quote which we found over at ComputerWorld:

“Despite announcing an end to manufacturing webOS hardware, we have decided to produce one last run of TouchPads to meet unfulfilled demand,” Mark Budgell, an HP spokesman, wrote in a blog post. The site appears to be overloaded and is currently unavailable, but the post has been reposted elsewhere online.

The newly manufactured tablets will go on sale in a few weeks. He said a “limited” number would be made but couldn’t say exactly how many. “We can’t promise we’ll have enough for everyone,”

Currently there are lots of HP TouchPad’s being sold on sites like eBay to make a quick profit, in fact people are easily doubling their money, therefore we are sure that the new stock will not last long – which begs the question “Why don’t HP just sell them at a more expensive price?” – We guess that there are legal issues which stop this from being a possibility.

Apparently this final batch of TouchPad’s will be manufactured during HP’s fourth fiscal quarter – this ends on October 31st, however we have no idea when stock will be shipped. This recent Register article suggests that the last batch of tablets will be exclusive to the United States, which will undoubtedly frustrated our readers from other parts of the world.

We find it strange that HP is producing more tablets which run a discontinued operating system, surely they should cut their losses and concentrate on other products? Perhaps they have parts to use up or are having regrets about their decision – what do you think? Also yesterday we revealed that HP will be rolling out an over-the-air update for the TouchPad, we wonder why they are so keen to support a discontinued product.

According to a recent article posted on IntoMobile Best Buy ordered 270,000 HP TouchPads expecting to shift them relatively easily, however sold nearer to 25,000, this is despite a $100 price cut and software updates which have greatly improved performance. The 25,000 figure does not take into account returns so the actual figure could be lower.

DigitTimes suggests that another price drop could even further, currently Best Buy sell the 16GB model for $399.99 or the 32GB model for $499.99, could we potentially see the 16GB model drop down as low as $299? We are sure that this price will attract some interest if it happens.

It looks like the reason for the low sales could be down to the fact that competition from Google Android-based tablets is too great, not to mention iOS. We think that the next year or so will make or break many mobile operating systems, we recently saw that Symbian suffered a massive blow at the hands of Nokia and Research in Motion is pushing things massively to improve things with their operating systems for BlackBerry devices – it looks like HP has some work to do to make webOS a success.

The comments over at IntoMobile are quite interesting, people state that Best Buy staff are less than knowledgeable about the HP TouchPad, perhaps HP should train some Best Buy staff so that they can confidentially push the webOS-based tablet because we really don’t think that the TouchPad is as bad as Best Buy’s sales suggest.

We would love to hear from you if you purchased the HP Touchpad, are you happy with your purchase? Let us know in the comments section below.

As Sascha Segan over at pcmag.com recently noted, the TouchPad tablet’s app catalog has a unique and intriguing feature called Pivot, an ‘app discovery magazine that features articles written by professional journalists seeking applications that might not necessarily show up on the new or top lists. A lot of the apps in HP’s app catalog are paid ones, with prices similar to what you would pay for an iPad app.

The guys at pcmag.com combed through the entire HP app catalog, and provided a list of what they believe are the best HP TouchPad apps so far. One application that most definitely deserves a mention is of course Angry Birds HD, which is free to download, smooth and plays on full screen. If however you become addicted and you decide to upgrade to Angry Birds Rio HD, then you will be asked to fork out $1.99.

You’ll also find a Facebook app for the TouchPad, which is only the second tablet to have a dedicated Facebook app. Although we have heard that the iPad is due to receive an official Facebook app very soon. The HP TouchPad version includes a number of unique features including a two-pane interface that enables users to easily flip between their news feed, events, friends and messages.

If you are looking for a weather-related app, then WeatherBug is definitely one worth considering. The interesting part of this app is that it will open up with a virtual window showing users a recent picture of their location. WeatherBug will also provide users with forecasts, radar images and information on wind speed and direction. If you enjoy reading, you’ll be pleased to know that the TouchPad comes with the Kindle app.

However, if you are looking for a good racing game, then look no further than the Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit app. Just like with all other versions, the app will enable you to either pursue illegal drivers as a cop or try to evade the police as a racer. Meanwhile, TuneIn Radio is the perfect app for music lovers. The app will automatically gather streams for all radio stations in your area and arrange them along a virtual FM/AM spectrum.

You can read what other applications made it onto the list via the pcmag.com website. Have you purchased the HP TouchPad tablet?

We know for certain that Hewlett Packard are trying their best to stay ahead of the game, but we just hope that this will not be a half-hearted attempt by the company to jump on the bandwagon because everyone else is doing it? We already knew that the computer makers took steps last year to acquire Cloud companies, so it does seem as though they are now starting to put things into action.

The perfect device for this would be the new TouchPad, which is expected to launch in the later part of next month. However, we cannot see HP Cloud ready in time, as Unwired View has only just learned that Hewlett Packard is still in talks with major record companies.

Apple has managed to drum a deal from those record companies that will help benefit iOS users, but there is a worry that HP will struggle with these talks. Record companies are strange creatures, as they only feel at ease with those who talk their own language – it seems that Apple has that gift.

Do you think that HP Cloud will be a success, or will it be left behind like webOS once was with the Palm Pre?

That article comes courtesy of BGR and their article ‘Apple’s iOS 5 notifications are great, but webOS is still better’, written by Zach Epstein. According to the article, the notification system in iOS 5 is definitely better than the previous pop-up method that Apple used, but it’s not the best.

webOS is apparently still better, despite the fact that it’s around 2-years old now. Apple has approved their notifications by adding both lock screen and active phone notifications to the iPhone and other iOS devices, but webOS is far more simple, logical and ‘just works’ states the article.

Needless to say, they are pretty disappointed with what Apple has come up with for their new notifications on iOS 5, but we don’t think it’s that bad. Stating that webOS is significantly better though is a pretty bold claim, one which is sure to divide opinion. If you have had a chance to sample iOS 5 either through sample videos or via the iOS 5 developer beta, let us know what you think of it.

Do you think the notifications on webOS are ahead of Apple’s system on iOS 5?

We have to inform you that this is on the Amazon Germany website and has a price of €449.00, which is around $640. That price does include free shipping, and they do encourage you to place your order now. Maybe they feel that these handsets will sell like hotcakes – well big hotcakes that are too large to fit in your hand comfortable that is.

If we look at the estimated shipping dates, then we can expect to see the HP Pre 3 land in the middle of June – maybe Apple should have launched the iPhone 4S/5 in the same month after all? We can still remember when the first Pre was launched; Palm called it the iPhone killer – funny how many other phone makers have said that.

For those who do not remember what specs the Pre 3 will be packing, we thought we would give you a little refresher. You will get a 3.6-inch screen, 1.4GHz Qualcomm processor, 512MB of RAM and a 5-megapixel camera. Now there are three things wrong with this, the screen is not large enough, HP should have opted for a dual-core processor, and they should have squeezed a few more megapixels in.

Do you think that HP has got it all wrong with the Pre 3?

When checking out the HP Veer you will firstly notice its small form-factor, it measures in at 3.30 x 2.15 x 0.6 inches and weighs just 3.63 ounces, despite its small and lightweight design inside you get an 800MHz processor, 512MB of RAM, a 5 megapixel camera, WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, 8GB of memory and a 2.6-inch multitouch screen (320×400). As you would expect the Veer runs webOS and features a slide-out physical QWERTY keyboard.

Cnet reviewed the HP Veer and found some pros and cons, the portable and lightweight design was complemented, along with the surprisingly good keyboard and decent set of features, however they were disappointed with the lack of apps (which should improved over time) and said that the small screen took some getting use to. Engadget’s review complemented the speedy OS and responsive touchscreen, however also criticized the limited apps and also suggested that camera wasn’t up to par.

If all of this information has convinced you to buy the HP Veer you can buy your from AT&T here. We have a bit of a soft spot for the HP Veer, do you?

Reports at that time suggested that the much-awaited smartphone would become available at AT&T as from May 2nd. We now have an update for those of you that are thinking of buying the upcoming handset and as Chris Davies at slashgear.com noted, the HP Veer 4G will arrive at AT&T on May 15th.

For those of you that don’t yet know the specs of the HP Veer 4G, the handset – which weighs just 3.63ounces – runs on webOS 2.1 and comes with a 2.6-inch touch screen with a 320 x 400 resolution, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a 5-megapixel camera, 8GB onboard memory and triband HSPA.

The Veer 4G also comes with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, A-GPS and a 910mAh battery that AT&T says provides up to 5 hours talk time or 300 hours standby time. As for the price of the handset, the AT&T HP Veer 4G will be on sale for $99.99 with a new 2-year agreement.

Are you thinking about buying the HP Veer 4G?

It measures in at just 54.5mm x 84.0mm x 15.1mm and weighs a measly 103 grams, however inside you have an 800MHz Qualcomm processor, 512MB of RAM, a 5 megapixel camera, WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR and GPS. The 2.6-inch 320 x 400 pixel display is a little disappointing, however we have to remember that this will probably be a sub-$100 handset when purchased as part of a contract.

According to PreCentral the HP Veer will become available from AT&T on May 2nd, however this has not been officially confirmed by either AT&T or HP, therefore don’t take this rumor too seriously just yet.

By releasing a cheap webOS-based smartphone HP may well start to see developers taking the App Catalog more seriously, this could really be what the platform needs and could raise the profile of the OS which will be great news for the HP TouchPad and HP Pre 3. Remember what the iPod done for Apple?

When we hear of an official price and release date we will keep you posted, will you buy a cheaper mid-end device this year rather than one of the expensive high-end smartphones?