HP webOS tablet prices slashed at Best Buy and elsewhere, availability is scarce

The technology world is still reeling after the news emerged last week that Hewlett-Packard would be discontinuing development on its webOS platform. The announcement came on August 18, slightly more than a month after the company released its first webOS-powered tablet, the TouchPad. The end of support for the platform means that prices are being marked down, if you can still find a retailer with the tablet in stock.

Best Buy posted a fact sheet on its website detailing the TouchPad situation. A look at the company’s online store shows that the device is already sold out online, and is unavailable for in-store pickup. If you can find the tablet in a BB store near you, you’ll be able to pick up a 16 GB model for just $99.99, or a 32 GB model for $149.99, a savings of more than $400 on each device. Staples has an even bigger deal on the 16 GB model, with a $49.99 price after an instant $50 savings, but the TouchPad is sold out there as well (online, that is).

Of course, just because the tablet is sold out online, that doesn’t mean it can’t be gotten. If you really want a tablet on the cheap and don’t mind the fact that you’re buying a piece of tech that won’t be getting anymore official software updates, ever, it might be worth a trip into your nearby electronics retailer. Note that there is a one item per customer limit, and that all sales on TouchPad tablets are final since it’s a clearance item.