In an extraordinarily convenient turn of events, one buyer of a firesale-priced HP TouchPad at Best Buy a couple of days ago claims his came out of the box with an extra special treat -- it's running Android, 2.2 to be exact. A possible explanation for the existence of this unicorn tablet can be seen in the two YouTube videos posted of the device so far, where it flashes a Qualcomm Innovation Center (Quic) logo which suggests it could be some kind of development project that slipped into retail. We queried Qualcomm about this TouchPad's provenance ourselves and received only a "We have no comment on the video" in return, so the decision to believe that it's real or a particularly well executed hoax is yours. Now, you can be the first to solve this riddle since the owner has put it up for sale on eBay. Need another potential perk? How about the ability to snag a TouchPad-running-Android bounty posted by HacknMod that's up to $2,150 as of this posting. Relevant links are below, including the initial Reddit post, both videos and the auction, so while our credit cards will remain securely in our wallets those who are more trusting -- or just can't believe that anyone would would be dumb enough to try and sell a fake -- can put a bid in if they so choose. Update: Apparently one of our own commenters, Shahzeb Jiwani, has come into possession of a similar device. Luckily for us, he's chosen to make a ROM dump available over on RootzWiki, so check out his video after the break or head over to the thread there as they try and find out how to make this work on everyone else's $99 tablet.
[Thanks, David & Dennis]
Jiwanish's Video:
posted Aug 22nd 2011 10:25AM 
Well, it's official, the TouchPad is currently the hottest piece of consumer electronics around, and all it took was HP's complete abandonment of its current line of webOS devices. The once maligned slate is currently atop Amazon's electronics sales list. The 16GB and 32GB models have snagged the top two spots, beating out the Kindle, the iPod touch, and everyone else. And there may be some good news for UK customers who have been watching the excitement from afar -- reports are rolling in that the tablet will available for ￡89 ($146) and ￡115 ($189) for the 16GB and 32GB versions. We'll let you know when we get official confirmation on the matter. 
posted Aug 20th 2011 1:18PM 
Tempted by the promise of a $99 TouchPad, in spite of its imminent demise? Well, it looks like American Best Buys won't be enjoying the same liquidation sale as our neighbors to the north. A couple of tipsters have reported that the big box electronics retailer has pulled the webOS tablets from its shelves and is shipping them back to HP. The slates have also disappeared from Best Buy's website, though you can buy $30 screen protectors for one. You can still try to score one on the cheap straight from HP, but both the 16GB and 32GB models are currently listed as out of stock. Don't get upset if you already plunked down $400 for 10-inches of webOS goodness -- HP will refund you the difference. Call up the company or the retail partner you purchased it from, and ask. Just be prepared to sit on hold with all the rest of the folks trying to get their cash back. 
It's the same old story of genius recognized only after death, and thus is the fate of webOS. If you were amongst the opportunistic hordes scavenging the interwebs for last night's bargain bin $99 HP TouchPad announcement, chances are you're fresh outta luck. The L.A. Times is reporting widespread online store sell outs for the recently abandoned and heavily discounted 16GB and 32GB slates. While HP's own site and the biggie online retail outfits, like Circuit City and Walmart, have all but sold out of their web inventory, Amazon's third party sellers still have the tablets on offer -- just at non-discounted prices. Of course, you could always leave the hypnotic glow of your monitor and venture out into the real world where actual, physical stores are purported to have the tabs currently in stock. Try your luck, and let us know how things go in the comments below. 
Well, that didn't take long. It's only been a day since HP announced its intention to discontinue production of webOS devices, and it looks like the outfit's already throwing its flagship tablet in the bargain bin. PreCentral reports that HP sent out a memo to its affiliates asking them to cut the price of the ill-fated TouchPad to $99 and $149 for the 16GB and 32GB editions, respectively. The date apparently put forward by HP is August 20th, but at least two Canadian retailers (Best Buy and Future Shop) have already made the cut -- though both outlets show the sale ending August 22nd. As proof that being fashionably late isn't always a good thing, the white 64GB edition has surfaced on HP's US site, sporting a $600 asking price, leaving us to wonder, well: why now? If all of that isn't enough to turn your smile upside down, webOSroundup is playing the bearer of bad rumors, with what they say is an internal memo from AT&T stating that the carrier's launch of the Pre 3 has been "completely cancelled." 