$99 HP Touchpad Sale: How to Snag Tablet During Second Run

By Ivana Kvesic, Christian Post Reporter Sunday, October 16, 2011

The HP TouchPad that made waves this summer will be coming back into stores for round two of TouchPad frenzy, but when?

Hewlett Packard announced on Aug. 30 via its TheNextBench blog that, “Despite announcing an end to manufacturing webOS hardware, we have decided to produce one last run of TouchPads to meet unfulfilled demand.”

HP also said that it would be manufacturing a “limited quantity” of TouchPads with webOS during the company's fourth fiscal quarter of 2011, which ends on Oct. 31.

Rumors have been swirling that the company plans to have 200,000 more TouchPads available on the market by the end of the month. However, just when the TouchPads are set to hit online and store shelves remains a looming question for anxious consumers looking to score one of the last remaining tablets.

Some rumors have suggested that the tablets would be out by the end of this month, but with little over two weeks remaining, it is uncertain if the tablets will make it onto the market in time for Halloween.

One unfortunate aspect of the new TouchPad sale is that vendors will be granted the liberty of selling the product based upon their own price determination.

Thus, most carriers are likely to determine the cost of the remaining TouchPad based upon supply and demand, making it likely many will opt to not sell the much talked about and hyped up TouchPad with the $99 price tag that made it such a smash.

Those that are looking to score one of the remaining TouchPads can sign up for notifications through the HP website, contact local retail stores, or simply wait for HP to announce when they will release the last remaining TouchPads.

One remaining option for those that just must have the tablet is to sign up for the “HP Meets Real Steel in 2020” sweepstakes.

The company has teamed up with Hollywood to give away 20 free tablets, five of which will be signed by “Reel Steel” star Hugh Jackman.

To sign up to win, you must “like” HP on their Facebook page and fill out a short form. The sweepstakes end on Oct. 21 at 11:59 p.m.