The tablet market has really started to heat up. Up until now, the Apple iPad has had a stronghold on the niche, but many new contenders will soon be flooding the market. And this goes beyond Google Android too.

One of the more notable alternatives is the HP TouchPad. It doesn’t run on Apple’s iOS or Google’s Android. Instead, it makes use of the webOS platform from Palm, which was acquired by HP last year. This is the same platform that powers the Palm Pre 2, Palm Pre 3, and Palm veer smartphones.

With the HP TouchPad, you get a 9.7-inch touchscreen display, offering a size and shape not unlike the Apple iPad. It weighs in at 1.5 pounds and will be available in a number of configurations for storage capacity and 3G connectivity. Standard features include a front-facing camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and micro-USB.

No pricing has been confirmed, but reports on the Internet are pointing toward a June 2011 release with prices starting at $699.