HP TouchPad to hit UK early/mid July

The HP TouchPad will reach these shores in July after it touches down in the US.

HP today revealed the US would get the webOS tablet on 1 July, followed by launches in the UK, Ireland, France and Germany later in the month - although it is not known exactly when.

In one notice, HP said the device would be coming "a few days later" than the US launch, whilst another said mid-July.

The 16GB and 32GB Wi-Fi-only TouchPads will be available in the UK for 399 and 479 respectively.

HP has packed the TouchPad, which features a 9.7in display, with a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.

Users will be able to pre-order the device from 19 June.

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

"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."

With plenty of Android tablets on the market and others joining in like HP, Apple will have to fight off some stiff competition in the coming months and years.

Apple will be hoping the upcoming release of iOS 5 will help stretch its lead at the top of the market, which it has dominated since the launch of the iPad.

Read on for our first look review of the HP TouchPad from this year's Mobile World Congress event.