HP: Our WebOS Devices Will be Similar to the iPad

HP's plans for an iPad rival are still on track for the new year.

HP has already told us it will one day put WebOS on pretty much any mobile device it produces. However, despite the company's lofty ambitions, we've actually heard very little about its WebOS plans other than we can expect a tablet-like device early next year. This week the company spiced things up just a smidge by revealing their WebOS tablets will be "similar to the iPad."

Apple's popular iPad has been dominating the tablet market since it launched in April, and the post-iPad market has been filled with promises of slates from more manufacturers than we care to count. Some of the prototypes we've seen have been quite similar to the iPad, so it's no surprise to hear the folks at HP-Palm are planning their own slim-line slate.

Check out what HP's Peter Helm had to say about the company's tablet plans in an email to the Palm developer community:

"Now that we are officially part of HP, we are going full speed ahead with our applications initiative. Our proprietary operating system, webOS, is now the OS that will be used in HP's mobile devices. This includes mobile handsets as well as tablet-style devices similar to the iPad. We will accordingly leverage Palm's ability to innovate and the scale of HP's vast install base and distribution network previously unavailable to us."

It's not heart-stoppingly exciting stuff but at least we know HP is still planning to produce WebOS tablets. It could also mean that HP isn't planning on following Dell and Samsung into a market of tablets with displays that are a little on the small side (the 5-inch Streak and the 7-inch Galaxy Tab). What size do you think is optimal for a tablet? Let us know in the comments below!

_{Source: Engadget}