HP to launch iPad competitor with PALMPAD?

HP has filed a patent application in the US, hinting the firm will be bringing an iPad competitor to the market in the near future.

The name sent to the US Patent and Trademark Office simply reads PALMPAD welcome news for those wondering what HP was planning to do with its $1.2 billion Palm acquisition.

No attorney has yet been assigned to the application and there is no word from HP on what PALMPAD is, although given the PAD' suffix it may not be too difficult to discern what is coming.

Speculation over what HP planned to do with Palm has been rife since the acquisition, with questions over whether the company would head into the smartphone arena with a physical mobile device.

However, it now appears rumours the company would be taking WebOS into the tablet sphere - to challenge the likes of the iPad and the Dell Streak - may come true.

With Microsoft set to enter the market, bringing Windows 7 into the arena, it would perhaps make sense for HP to make a play sooner rather than later.

At the time of publication, HP had not responded to IT PRO's request for more information on its PALMPAD patent application.