In a conference call on Thursday, Todd Bradley, Hewlett-Packard (HP)’s chief of Personal Systems Group, said that the company will ship its Web OS-based tablet-style computer in the first part of 2011.

In addition, Bradley also said that HP also intends launching a tablet which will run Windows 7 operating system by Microsoft – HP’s longtime business partner.

Specifically, Bradley said: “You'll see us with a Microsoft product in the near future; and a WebOS-based product in early 2011.”

The revelations by the HP executive, coming at a conference call in which the company reported its fiscal third-quarter earnings, imply that while HP will largely target the consumer market with mobile products based on the WebOS, which it acquired via the earlier-this year $1.2 billion acquisition of Palm; it will also continuing offering Windows-powered devices for businesses. 

With the forthcoming release of its tablet-style computers, HP is looking to gain a foothold in the Apple iPad-popularized tablet arena which essentially comprises devices that bridge the gap between smartphones and PCs.

Meanwhile, HP also reported a profit of $1.8 billion, or 75 cents a share, for its third quarter – marking a rise over the same quarter last year profit figures of $1.7 billion. The company also reported an 11 percent year-on-year increase in revenue, to $30.7 billion.