HP announces app discovery resource for TouchPad

IDG News Service - A downloadable application discovery resource for Hewlett-Packard's upcoming TouchPad tablet will help grow the webOS developer community, the company said Thursday.

The resource is called "Pivot" and it will include descriptions, reviews and features on a range of applications for webOS 3.0, which is TouchPad's OS, HP said. Pivot will help customers select apps and also expose developers to a wider marketplace, which will boost the developer community, HP said.

Pivot content will be tailored to specific interests and languages of users, HP said. It will be available on a monthly basis in English, French, German and Spanish. Updates will be sent directly to users.

HP did not say when Pivot will be available for download, but the company is trying to attract developers to write applications for its TouchPad tablets ahead of the product's release, with the Wi-Fi version due out next Friday in the U.S., priced at $499.99 and $599.99 for 16GB and 32GB storage, respectively. The TouchPad is scheduled for release in the U.K., Ireland, France and Germany on July 2 and in Canada on July 15.

The availability of a lot of applications has helped drive the success of other tablets, most notably Apple's iPad. HP has said thousands of apps are available for WebOS, but has not given a specific number that will be available for the TouchPad. More than 90,000 applications are currently available for the iPad.