HP TouchPad slashed to $99

By Trevor Mogg August 19, 2011

On July 1 this year, Hewlett-Packard launched the 16GB TouchPad tablet at a cost $499, mirroring the price of the equivalent iPad. Just over a month later, HP knocked $50 off the price tag.

A few days after that, another $50 was knocked off, bringing it down to $399. Then it emerged that electronics retailer Best Buy was bursting at the seams with unsold TouchPads, having shifted only 25,000 of 270,000 units held at its stores.

The next day, Hewlett-Packard announced it was leaving the PC business and would no longer be producing smartphones and tablets.

Now Daily Tech is reporting that from Saturday, in Canada at least, the 16GB TouchPad will be available for just $99, with the 32GB version being cut from $499 to only $149. Canada’s largest electronics retailer, Future Shop, is already showing the new prices on its website. The Canadian Best Buy website is also showing the sell-off price.

The US Best Buy website is, at the time of writing, still showing the old prices. But with around a quarter of a million of the devices clogging up Best Buy stockrooms across the country, one assumes it’s only a matter of time (hours? minutes?) before it puts the rock-bottom price tag on the tablet too. One thing’s for sure, they’re never going to shift them at $399. The websites of other electronics retailers in the US are also continuing to show the old price.

There are bound to be plenty of consumers out there who’ll be tempted by the sub-$100 tablet. They might purchase one as an investment, believing it’ll be an item of interest to collectors in 30 years or so. They may be curious to take a closer look at its WebOS operating system. Or they might simply be on the hunt for an unconventional table mat.

If you’re interested in getting one, keep your eyes peeled. The fire sale is about to begin.

Editors' Recommendations

Contributing Editor

Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…

Mobile

The 6 best tablets for travel in 2024

The back of the iPad Air 5.

With the world opening up once again for tourists, you're going to want to buy a tablet to beat the boredom of long flights and waiting times. Not all models will be able to serve this purpose though, so to help you decide what to purchase, we've rounded up our recommendations for the best tablets for travel. We acknowledge that there are different types of travelers, so we picked devices that will cater to each of them, while considering a specific set of criteria when making our selections.

While you can also use your smartphone during your trips, the larger screen of tablets will help provide more amusing entertainment when you need it. The best tablets for travel will let you catch up on work, watch streaming shows, check social media, and whatever else you may think of doing while you're on the way to your destination, or while you're taking a break from all the sights and sounds. Read onward to figure out the best tablet for travel for you, then go ahead and purchase it so that the device will be ready and waiting for your next adventure.
The best tablets for travel in 2024

Mobile

Samsung Galaxy S24 vs. Galaxy S22: Do you really need to upgrade?

Renders of the Samsung Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S22 next to each other.

Your Samsung Galaxy S22 is now at least two years old. Are you thinking about upgrading your smartphone to the Galaxy S24? The newer processor, the introduction of Galaxy AI, fresh colors, and other upgrades can make it a tempting offer.

However, is it really worth the $800 price tag if you already have a Galaxy S22? Here's what you need to know before making a decision.
Samsung Galaxy S24 vs. Galaxy S22: specs

Computing

The most common Skype problems and how to fix them

best mac apps for small business skype

Skype is an excellent option for video chats with your friends and family or conducting a videoconference call with your colleagues. However, Skype is not without its bugs, hiccups, and issues that can make getting face-to-face with someone seem like an ordeal. To make things easier on everyone, we've compiled a selection of the most common Skype problems and how to fix them.
Video not working
If you can't get your camera to work or experience issues seeing other's connections, you might as well be using an actual telephone instead of Skype. Thankfully, these issues can usually be resolved with a bit of tinkering on your end, or they may just be service disruptions on Skype's end.

One of the more common problems that crop up is visual issues due to Skype not having access to your PC or phone's camera. For desktop users, open the Skype application and select the Three horizontal dots near the notification bell icon to access the Skype menu. Select Settings > Audio and video. If your picture fails to appear in the Skype camera preview window, you'll know there's a connection issue.