HP tablet 'to be out in March'

A WebOS operated HP tablet could hit shelves sometime in "early 2011", the firm's Palm division head Jon Rubinstein has suggested.

However, this vague date has been made slightly clearer by BMO Capital Markets analyst Keith Bachman, who confirmed that the device will debut in March during a call with investors made on December 13.

Bachman, who made the confirmation after meeting over 30 firms in Asia spread over Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, China and Hong Kong, is not however "overly optimistic" about the first WebOS (Palm's operating system) run tablet.

Bachman has reportedly said that it will be HP's "niche market", that will be "interesting on [the company's] margin".

The Consumer Electronics Show in January will most probably see Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's chief executive showcase a range of tablets manufactured by companies such as Dell and Samsung, which operate on Microsoft's Windows 7, according to the New York Times.

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