Jun 30, 2011 12:24 GMT  ·  By

HP's tablet has definitely been doing its best, whether by intent or otherwise, to hold onto consumer attention, the latest of its maker's company's moves being to formally announce it in the UK.

End-users interested in the HP Touchpad definitely haven't been ignored over the past month, seeing as how something new or old about the product is spoken of more or less every day.

While it has yet to actually start shipping anywhere, it did make it into a couple of stores, albeit as demo versions. What's more, one can already set pre-orders with a number of online retailers.Meanwhile, prospective buyers will have to keep into account the fact that, at the present time, HP has not finished everything in regards to webOS, particularly the document editing functionality, though this is just one thing that reviewers reportedly found underwhelming.

Nonetheless, this issue will be resolved in time and, in the case of those from regions where the slate won't be available immediately, the delay will be shorter and, thus, less unbearable.

Speaking of regional availability, the company has issued a press release in which it outlines its plans for the UK market.

With July 15 as the target date for shipments, the 9.7-inch product will sell for £399 or £479, depending on whether one wants 16 GB of built-in NAND Flash storage or 32 GB.

"We're really excited to be bringing the HP TouchPad to UK consumers," says Paul Hunter, Vice President, HP Personal Systems Group (PSG) UK&I.

"It really is a fantastic device, combining cutting edge hardware with a world class leading operating system. HP is taking the user experience to a new level. Just Type, True multi tasking, HP Synergy and Touch to Share, combine to make an experience that works the way you do. And the TouchPad is just the start. Expect to see more HP products powered by webOS in the very near future."