Interacting with the HP TouchPad interface

The

HP TouchPad

uses an operating system called webOS, which should be familiar to those of you who have used the Palm Pre before.

Starting up the TouchPad

will reveal a bar at the bottom containing a number of frequently used apps as well as an upward pointing arrow that grants access to other apps.

When an app opens, you'll see it start to load into a card-shaped window. This is because webOS is a

multitasking platform

that uses cards to navigate between active programs. Swipe up from the bottom bezel to see your active programs as cards. You can rearrange the cards as you like and also close them by swiping them up and off the screen.

On the home screen, you'll see the name of your device, an information button, the remaining battery life, and the time. Tapping the button in the upper-right will allow you to mute the sound, turn on airplane mode and more. You'll also notice a bar that says Just type... This acts as a search bar and can be used to search through your TouchPad.

As with other

tablet computers

, you'll generally interact with your software using a combination of taps, swipes, pinches and other gestures. However, there are times when a keyboard is needed and you'll see that pop up when required. The button left of the space bar allows you to see special symbols. You can also change the size of your keyboard by tapping the button in the bottom-right.