A webOS developer (a forum member of PalmPre France as well) actually managed to uncover new and upcoming machines that HP had been testing – in secret. Among them would be a HP TochPad with a physical keyboard in a log that was dated April 14th, where it sports an unannounced version of the webOS with the codename Nova Dartfish, sporting a 1,024 x 768 resolution for its display. The inclusion of a physical keyboard and yet not in a slider version could only mean one thing – either it is a very, very large BlackBerry-like form factor, or it will be a foldable model. No swappable battery for this model, so forget about bringing around an extra battery if you think you’re going to be spending plenty of time with it.
As for the smartphone that lacks a keyboard, this model looks set to be made available via AT&T, and you will also miss out on a swappable battery with this model. Seems that HP is going to employ the scattergun approach – that is, creating as many form factors as possible so that you can please everyone. Of course, the other extreme would be Apple with their “take it or leave it” stance for the iPhone, where the option of a Verizon iPhone doesn’t count. Then again, Apple did a great job with the iPhone 4, from its hardware to software and marketing, so kudos to them. Which approach do you think works better? [Translated Page]