Getting your hands on one of HP's discounted TouchPads - a bargain £89 for the 16GB model and £115 for the 32GB model - is tough, but if you're one of the lucky few to get your hands on what we're tentatively calling the greatest bang-for-buck purchase of 2011, there are ways to boost the capabilities of your device still further.

The TouchPad runs webOS, an operating system which is relatively untested in the tablet market: unlike Apple's iOS and Google's Android, webOS has previously only been used in smartphones. While the TouchPad is likely to be the last outing for webOS on a tablet device - given that HP has decided to concentrate on making software for enterprise server farms - there are ways and means of extending the life of your latest toy.

Upgrade the operating system
Out of the box, the HP TouchPad (reviewed here) runs webOS 3.0, the latest build that was available at the time of its launch. As anyone who has spent any time around software knows, using a 'point-zero' release means bugs - and plenty of them.

Thankfully, HP has already released an upgrade which brings the version from 3.0 to 3.0.2, adding performance and stability improvements to the core operating system, as well as tweaks to the calendar, email, music, photos, and web browser. There's also a raft of security fixes, plus a tweak that makes the tablet less sensitive to tilting - meaning it's not so quick to rotate the screen just because your hand is getting tired.

Upgrading the software is easy, but slow. The installation takes about 15 to 20 minutes, depending on your connection speed. Get the TouchPad talking to your wireless router, then bring up the app launcher and choose 'Settings' followed by 'System Updates'. You'll be prompted to download the webOS 3.0.2 update, and then once the download is complete prompted again to install it.

Update your apps
Once your core operating system has been upgraded, you can install the latest versions of the various applications that come pre-installed on the tablet. Go back to the app launcher and choose 'Settings' again, followed by 'Software Manager.'

At the bottom of the screen, you'll see the number of updates available. Poke the button, then hit 'Install All' to benefit from the latest versions of the apps - including an update which introduces editing of Microsoft Office files into the Quickoffice HD app.

Disable logging
Once you're running the latest release, it's time to start tweaking. There's a handy trick to improving the performance of your device above and beyond the stock software release, but it does involve a little fiddling.

A series of 'hash codes' are used by developers to enable and disable various features of webOS, but they're only accessible via the 'Phone & Video Calls' app. This is fine on a smartphone, but on the TouchPad - which has no built-in modem - you'll need to sign up for a Skype account and associate it with your TouchPad before you can do the next step. Just follow the on-screen instructions when you launch the app.

Once logged in, you'll be given access to a dialpad. Enter the code '##5647#' and press the green 'Call' button. A menu will appear that allows you to tweak one of the main reasons for the sluggishness of webOS: the logging.

By default - and so that HP has an easier time of it if you call for support - webOS logs loads of information in the background. Every bit of information logged saps the processing power of the device slightly, taking the edge off what should be a powerhouse of a tablet. So, let's fix that.

In the menu that appears, choose 'Change Logging Levels' and then 'Set Logging to Minimal.' Confirm that you're sure, and enjoy a speedier TouchPad with no ill effects. If you'd like to go still further and disable logging altogether, you'll want to read on.

Read on for advice on Developer Mode, overclocking and third-party apps.

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