HP Care Pack and Support Center get you up and running with your TouchPad 9

If you've got an HP TouchPad and are looking for a bit of on-device support, HP has two apps available in their webOS catalog that should help move you along; HP Care Pack and HP Support Center both serve two very similar purposes, and should be enough to get you through most of the problems that might show up on your device. Both apps are completely free to download and install, though the services that they provide might set you back a few bucks. Click through the break below to read a full rundown of what is offered, especially if you didn't get that extended warranty through the retail stores you bought your TouchPad from.

The first of these two apps, HP Care Pack, is essentially an on-device store for purchasing additional manufacturers coverage of your device. If you launch the app within 30 days of purchasing, you'll have more options to choose from, depending on the type of extended warranty you want to purchase. Essentially, though, all packages are the same as they give you (keep in mind that there is only one package available after the initial 30 days), and allow you to extend your live device support services beyond the complimentary 90 days that come with it, bringing accidental damage protection, live phone and chat support, and an extended hardware warranty. It's all pretty simple and straight forward, but the app does serve as a reminder for getting that extra support - if you're the type that usually goes for that sort of thing.

The second app, HP Support Center, has a bit more depth to it, though unfortunately we weren't able to really get much out of it. Supposedly, this app should allow users to access an on-device database for troubleshooting problems, manage their registered HP devices (including computers, laptops, etc...), and get live chat support from an HP customer service representative. Unfortunately (as the app description clearly states), we were unable to get the app to recognize our TouchPad as a product, but it does seem to allow other HP devices to be registered right now. Hopefully it's just a matter of updating their internal database to support the TouchPad as well (though, admittedly, we might be doing something wrong during setup of the app), but at the very least you can get support for your other HP devices using your TouchPad now, and that's not something to toss aside casually.

While neither app adds features that will make-or-break your TouchPad experience, they'll definitely be good to have around if you accidentally break your device instead. They're free, easy to use and give another set of support options directly on your HP device, so it won't hurt to grab them while you're thinking about it. Just do a search in the catalog for HP Care Pack and HP Support Center, and the rest of the install process should be fairly simple.