The HP TouchPad tablet has been a recent target of hardware and software mod groups looking to expand the functionality of the webOS device. A number of groups have been trying to get the tablet to run on Google"s Android operating system. Now a group of modders calling themselves Team Touchdroid have managed to put in 10 point multi-touch support for the device"s touch screen. While it"s not perfect yet, it certainly shows that there are folks willing and able to extend what the TouchPad"s hardware can do. You can check out a demo of the multi-touch feature in the video below. There"s already a $1,500 bounty to be won by a team that gets a fully functioning Android operating system working on the HP Touchpad.
In related news, it seems that HP has now confirmed earlier reports that the final production run of the TouchPad will be made available in late October. Precentral.net reports that HP"s Small and Medium Business division has sent an email this week to customers who put in orders for the tablet. It states, "It will take 6-8 weeks to build enough HP TouchPads to meet our current commitments, during which time your order will then ship from this stock with free ground shipping." It also confirmed that the prices for the final run of TouchPads will be the same as HP"s fire sale price: $99 for the 16 GB version and $149 for the 32 GB version. As with all TouchPad purchases, the final run of the product will not be eligible for HP"s return policy.
Update: There are accusations that Team TouchPad has in fact taken some of the code from the Cyanogenmod mod team. The accusations are based on a IRC log posted on Pastebin. We have contacted both teams for comment.