Retailers are apparently trying to clear their shelves of any lingering HP TouchPads before the holiday rush, with Best Buy and TigerDirect kicking off more TouchPad fire sales today.
Best Buy has been offering the 32GB HP TouchPad online for $149 with the purchase of a PC since Tuesday, but the offer launches in stores today, while supplies last.
TigerDirect, meanwhile, will start selling a special TouchPad bundle at 2:30pm Eastern time for $279.99.
The bundle includes the 32GB HP TouchPad, a Belkin 10.1-inch tablet case, a Belkin FlipBlade tablet stand, Creative Labs D80 Bluetooth speakers, and an HP 16GB USB Flash drive.
The deal will only be available on the TigerDirect Web site; the company said its call center does not have access to TouchPad inventory.
"Now, we don't have enough HP TouchPads to satisfy everyone who has signed up to get these HP TouchPad alerts," TigerDirect said in an email to customers. "So, we wanted to give you a quick heads up before it goes live Friday at 2:30pm ET. Remember, it's likely to sell out within about 5-10 minutes."
TigerDirect, however, said it is "working aggressively to get more" HP TouchPads and will offer future bundles if that effort is successful.
At Best Buy, meanwhile, anyone who buys a Compaq laptop, desktop, or all-in-one computer will also be provided with the option to purchase the 32GB TouchPad for $150. The 16GB model is sold out and will not be available. The offer excludes netbooks, as well as computers sold via the BestBuy.com Marketplace, or those that are refurbished, in an open box, or from a Best Buy outlet center.
Best Buy said the deal is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Approximately one hour before your local Best Buy store opens on November 4, employees will hand out tickets for the HP TouchPad. One hour after opening, any unclaimed, ticketed TouchPads will be released to those in line without a ticket.
Best Buy will accept TouchPad returns for up to 14 days after purchase. If you return the computer and not the TouchPad, however, Best Buy will charge you the full price of the tablet, which is $599.99.
Best Buy's Geek Squad Black Tie Protection will not apply to the TouchPad.
HP said last week that it is officially sold out of TouchPads.
The HP TouchPad was a well-received, webOS-based tablet, but it couldn't compete with the iPad. If you had $600 to spend on a tablet, Apple's offering was the clear winner. As a result, HP said in August that it would end support for webOS-based devices, including the TouchPad, and the fire sales began: $99 for the 16GB and $149 for the 32GB. At those prices, the TouchPad was a steal, and suddenly, HP had the demand it was looking for, but for all the wrong reasons.
That demand prompted HP to promise one last batch of TouchPads, and they appear to be making their way to Best Buy, TigerDirect, and the like.
Last week, HP also announced that it no longer plans to ditch its PC division. The future of webOS, however, is still up in the air, with CEO Meg Whitman saying during a conference call that HP would have an answer within a few months. For more, see Who Should Buy WebOS?
Not sure if you should make the purchase? Check out PCMag's full review of the TouchPad, as well as our 20 Best Apps For The HP TouchPad slideshow above and 10 Great Web Apps for the HP TouchPad.
Since you might have to buy a PC, check out PCMag's Top 10 Best Laptops and Top 10 Best Desktops.