Apple rules the tablet roost with the iPad, but that isn’t stopping others from trying to shake its golden eggs from the nest. Case in point: HP is running a promotion this weekend only for its webOS-driven TouchPad, making this slick competitor a better value than the iPad -- if you act fast.

PreCentral.net is reporting that HP has a pretty nice deal going from August 5-7 on the HP TouchPad. You may recall that the TouchPad is the webOS equivalent of Apple’s iPad, running the slick operating system first made famous by the Palm Pre. webOS is widely believed to be the only true heir to the smartphone throne after iOS, but has suffered from a lack of consumer adoption and questionable marketing prior to landing in the hands of HP last year.

Apparently, HP is out to change all that. After being launched last month to so-so reviews, the 9.7-inch TouchPad tablet is getting a steep $100 drop this weekend, and thanks to the manufacturer’s heavy retail hand, you’ll be hard-pressed to find somewhere not stocking this sucker right now. The discount is automatic (no coupons required) and already showing up at HP.com, Staples.com, Amazon.com and others.

That means that for the next few days, the HP TouchPad starts at a mere $399.99 for the 16GB model, a full $100 less than a competing iPad 2 model. Storage junkies, fear not -- the $100 discount is also good on the 32GB model as well. But this deal is only good through Sunday, August 7, so don’t hesitate if you’re in the market for something that’s not an iPad and not an Android tablet.

Oh, and if $399 is still too much dough for you, if you move fast enough you might just be able to get in on today’s Woot.com deal and save a few more bucks on that HP TouchPad...

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(Image courtesy of PreCentral.net)