HP developing WebOS tablet

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HP is working on its own tablet device now its acquisition of mobile manufacturer Palm has completed.

The company had unveiled a tablet device called the Slate during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) back in January, alongside partner Microsoft.

However, support was soon withdrawn for the Windows 7-based device after the Apple iPad was announced.

The new tablet HP is working on will run on Palm's popular webOS, which the company picked up as part of the acquisition.

In a financial filing confirming the purchase of the mobile company, HP said: "Palm will be responsible for webOS software development and webOS based hardware products, from a robust smartphone roadmap to future slate PCs and netbooks."

Jon Rubinstein, former chairman and chief executive (CEO) will head up Palm's operations within HP.

"With HP's full backing and global strengths, I'm confident that webOS will be able to reach its full potential," he said.

"This agreement will accelerate the development of this incredible platform with new resources, scale and support from a world-respected brand."

No other details on the device were available at the time of publication.

Jennifer Scott

Jennifer Scott is a former freelance journalist and currently political reporter for Sky News. She has a varied writing history, having started her career at Dennis Publishing, working in various roles across its business technology titles, including ITPro. Jennifer has specialised in a number of areas over the years and has produced a wealth of content for ITPro, focusing largely on data storage, networking, cloud computing, and telecommunications.

Most recently Jennifer has turned her skills to the political sphere and broadcast journalism, where she has worked for the BBC as a political reporter, before moving to Sky News.