Hewlett Packard has released an update to its HP TouchPad, proving there's some life left in the now outmoded tablet line.

The webOS 3.0.4 adds a new camera app that lets users take photos and videos and the ability to pair non-webOS phones to the TouchPad. The webOS update will now support OGG Vorbis music files and online-offline messaging status support as well as streamlined pairing with non-webOS Bluetooth keyboards.

"In addition to new features, you'll also experience better performance, user interface improvements, and other enhancements such as support for accelerometer events in Adobe Flash Player, and more robust Skype video calling," HP's Jon Zilber wrote in a blog post.

Users can download the webOS update directly to their TouchPad. Ari Jaaksi, head of webOS and services at Hewlett Packard, blogged that HP is still committed to serving users who have the TouchPad and that HP is offering more than 1,000 apps for download for the TouchPad through its Application Catalog.

HP had previously announced that it would no longer be supporting any webOS devices. The company then slashed the price of the TouchPad to just $99 for a 16 Gb version and $149 for the 32 Gb version. The sale prompted budget-conscious consumers to snap up the heavily discounted TouchPad and pressed HP to produce another round of TouchPads to satisfy consumers.

The TouchPad has since then become popular with developers and users alike who have been looking for ways to port Google's Android OS to the cheap TouchPad. The tablet's affordable price makes it a good alternative to the iPad, and with developers nearing completion on the Android port the TouchPad still has some years left to it.

The TouchPad's resurging popularity hasn't escaped HP's notice. The company is now expressing more interest in the webOS and the TouchPad.

"We have also continued longer-term architectural development for WebOS," Jaaksi wrote in a blog post. "The Enyo framework and developer tools are getting a lot of attention now. We have also some very cool development around UI, especially in the area of working with many tasks simultaneously, and using the tablet screen even more efficiently. The Web development model, strong cloud integration and a fluid and beautiful UI are the cornerstones of WebOS."

" WebOS is a good operating system. I've done my own polls lately, too. I can see many TouchPads in Starbucks, Peets, and other such places. I often go and ask a user what they think about it," Jaaski added. "I'm getting very positive feedback! Last week I had my car in a repair shop formaintenance. I was in the waiting room working on my TouchPad when a mechanic came to me to deliver the keys. 'Hey, I've got a TouchPad, too. I love it!'"