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Android On HP TouchPad

Posted by timothy on from the wish-I'd-been-quicker-on-the-draw dept.

NicknamesAreStupid writes "As fast as you can say '$99 blowout sale,' PC World reports on an Android port to the now defunct HP TouchPad. 'Of course, it will turn out to be the best Android pad ever, making the iPad stink by comparison,' reports Muphy's Law Reports."

16 of 280 comments (clear)

  1. "No ecosystem" by EponymousCustard · · Score: 5, Insightful

    HP have inadvertently discovered how to create huge demand and massive customer base overnight: find the right price point and lots of publicity

    1. Re:"No ecosystem" by jawtheshark · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I know you are right, but the problem is as following:

      • You either have to be significantly cheaper than the iPad to compete on similar capabilities. When I mean "cheaper", I don't mean $50 cheaper, I mean really much cheaper. If it's only 50€ difference, get an iPad, then you get something "known to work". This is the "perceived" value, you talk about. Capabilities includes quality hardware, so the cheaper ones you talk about are not competition.
      • Offer something that that the iPad doesn't have and beat it on capabilities while matching the iPads price. That is very hard as the iPad has so much going for it: large installed base, great "walled garden" app store (Which is a "pro" for most people, I assure you) , quality hardware. You simply know what you get... It cannot something that only few people care about, as that will not give you a great install base.

      The iPad has become the "Windows of Tablets". The two arguments above are exactly why Windows still rules on the desktop.

      --
      Ahhh...the great dumpster continuum. Many a free computer will be found there. -- sowth (748135)
    2. Re:"No ecosystem" by Lumpy · · Score: 5, Interesting

      And being a guy who paid ipad prices for a real android tablet with the horsepower to run the apps smoothly, I still bought an iPad.

      Why?

      it's the apps man.

      I can't get an app that will show me where the satellites are in the sky in a Augmented reality like I can on the iPad.
      I can't get an integration app for Microsoft One Note on android.
      I can't get a PDF annotation app that is as smooth and simple as the one for the iPad.
      Only recently was I able to get an autocad viewer for android. but not an andriod honeycomb native, it's a phone app that scales.
      And on and on.

      Android falls on it's face with tablet specific apps simply because it has been around a short time compared to the iPad. Maybe in 2 years when the application base builds up I'll look at what android tablets are doing once more, but then I'll have to abandon all the software I bought for the iPad and re-buy all my software again.

      the XOOM tablet is a nice piece of hardware and snappy... but it failed on the app front. I was lucky enough to have bought it early and chose to sell it early to get most of my money back on ebay.

      I use a tablet for work. both my day job and my side photography business... and the iPad kicks android hard in the photography apps arena.

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    3. Re:"No ecosystem" by auLucifer · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I use an iPad at work and have since it was first released in .au. The best thing it does that a notebook (this is assuming pen and paper notebook) can't is get my notes on my computer. I write once in evernote/awesome note/whatever note application and it's then everywhere I will need it. Same for using dropbox and scibbling apps. I don't have to later scan or rewrite, it's all there on my desktop/phone/laptop for whenever I need access to it.

      If you're talking about a laptop, I use the iPad for the same reasons above. Plus my macbook pro is heavy and my air is too big to easily carry or use in small areas like behind the sink when I work with recipes. I also can't use my finger to simply scribble diagrams or have others scribble notes from across the table. Also having the iPad gets rid of the 'wall' between me and my clients so it's useful for body language too, something I never underestimate.

      As for everyone YMMV but those are the reasons I use an iPad. Next year I'll likely change to Android as I've had enough of the walled garden.

      --
      If I was witty I'd put something funny here but, as it stands, I am not and have just wasted seconds of your life
    4. Re:"No ecosystem" by metalmaster · · Score: 3, Interesting
      You had me right up to this point

      The iPad has become the "Windows of Tablets". The two arguments above are exactly why Windows still rules on the desktop.

      Windows is an operating system. It can be installed on anything with the right components. Do you remember the "Vista Capable" fiasco? Just because a box has a CPU, RAM, a hard disk and a video card doesnt mean those components have to be specced high enough to run the software smoothly. Additionally, Windows doesnt rely on a walled garden of apps. Its the exact opposite. If you wanna install the latest application from www.iwannastealyourbankinfos.net you are entirely free to do so.

      The ipad took off for a few reasons:

      1. - It was the first trustworthy tablet to market
      2. - It had the familiar interface and functionality that people loved with their ipod touch and iphone
      3. - It's got the developers behind it. As much as I hate to say "$x - theres an app for that" is pretty damned accurate. If you want something its probably out there. If not, you may be able to find a competent developer to write an app for you.

      Im not a fan of Apple at all, but the above points are true for the most part. These are the reasons why i told my mom to return her touchpad and get an ipad.

    5. Re:"No ecosystem" by Dog-Cow · · Score: 4, Informative

      You really don't get it, do you? I am posting this from an iPad. I and my wife use our 'pads for browsing, email, gps navigation, reference books, games, note taking, calendar, and address book. Lack of Flash is a minor annoyance, but to claim people don't use their iPads sounds like the wishful thinking of a bigot. Why the iPad instead of a netbook? Convenience. Larger screen. A battery that lasts through a day Netflix (wife was on bed rest until last night due to pregancy). Windows on a small screen sucks and Linux is too painful for me as a desktop.

    6. Re:"No ecosystem" by E+IS+mC(Square) · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Dongle?? But that would spoil the looks of such a beautiful toy!!

      Seriously though, after paying shitload of money, you still have to buy dongles and addons for basic functionalities?? Fuck that.

  2. Re:Best Android Tablet ever? by neokushan · · Score: 4, Insightful

    No, it's obviously much simpler than that: Price.
    When it comes to android tablets, there's a lot of high-end offerings that can compete with the iPad in terms on performance, the problem is that they cost as much as (if not more) than the iPad.
    Then there's the other end of the spectrum - the "cheap" android tablets. They're cheap in every regard: resistive screens, slow processors and minimal memory, they're mere toys. The fact that the touchpad is flying off the shelves shows that people are waiting for decent tablets to come down in price and don't care if it's not an iPad.

    Android's tablet offerings could learn from this (And yes, I know it would be impossible to produce this tablet at this price and make a profit).

    --
    +1 IDisagreeSoHeMustBeATrollOrAnAstroturferOrAShill
  3. Terrible article. Terrible summary. by HumanEmulator · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The "summary" makes it sound like a port is available now, and then throws in an iPad comparison that's nowhere in the original article. From TFA:

    "Figure this will take a good long while. Keep your expectations very low and for now enjoy WebOS..."

    and my favorite...

    "Further complicating the initiative, some of the developers don't yet have TouchPads."

    So this is 3 guys planning a porting effort of an older version of Android. (Google hasn't released the source code to Honeycomb yet.) Also from TFA:

    "Still, people who bought it took a risk, since it's not clear if HP will continue to develop the operating system."

    Really, that's not clear? You think HP might be planning major OS updates for a tablet they just fire-saled?

    1. Re:Terrible article. Terrible summary. by netsharc · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Indeed...

      Hey PCWorld, I'm planning on porting Android to the iPad, no I don't have an iPad yet, I have no time and I have no idea how to do it, but I have a wiki. Why don't you write an article about me?

      Well, it was fucking PCWorld. Should've expected that shit from them.

      --
      What time is it/will be over there? Check with my iPhone app!
  4. Re:Logical contradiction by Dracos · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Mods, please irrevocably suspend user account MyCleanAss (#2444274) as an obvious spammer. Also, please pursue legal action against this person who is clearly violating the Geeknet terms of use.

  5. Re:Logical contradiction by geminidomino · · Score: 4, Funny

    isn't their spirit what made america great in the first place?

    They're spamming scumbags, but yeah... their spirit has certainly played a part in making America what it is today...

  6. Re:best advertising post ever by ciderbrew · · Score: 3, Funny

    Really? My friend told me MyCleanPC is malware. I am now worried MyCleanPC could be bad and make all my gigabits run slower if I use it. My computing has many gigabits plus lots of rams too. It is hard to trust MyCleanPC and other products when I see adverts in message boards.

  7. Re:Logical contradiction by ByOhTek · · Score: 3, Interesting

    As an owner of a Toshiba Thrive, and several IPad 2s, I'd have to disagree with you completely.

    Can you expand the storage by 128GB with an SD card on the IPad[2]? No
    Can you plug HDMI and USB into the IPad[2]? No
    Does the IPad[2] have a user replaceable battery if yours dies, and you don't want the downtime of a standard replacement/fix? No
    Does the IPad[2] have a 1280x800 or better screen? No
    Can you get an IPad2 for $550, with 16GB of storage? No
    Does the IPad[2] have more apps? Yes
    -- Does it's apps contain a wider range of functionality? No
    Can you get a large range of apps to give you most of the fun/functionality you need on an IPad[2], for free? No
    Does the IPad[2] have flash? No

    So, the advantages ot the IPad[2] are more apps (not necessarily functionally more, just more), and probably less malware (only a problem if you are ADD or a moron when downloading software), no flash, and it helps if your wallet is too heavy. Oh, and you get a device with a logo that shouts "I'm a pretentious prick!"

    Yum.

    --
    Self proclaimed typo king, and inventor of the bear destroying coffee table (patent not pending).
  8. A different point of view. by MachineShedFred · · Score: 4, Informative

    Can you expand the storage by 128GB with an SD card on the IPad[2]? No
    Do most people in the target market care? No.
    Are you in the target market? No.

    Can you plug HDMI and USB into the IPad[2]? No
    Can you plug HDMI into the iPad[2] with an available dongle? Yes.
    Was the previous quoted question a half-truth? Yes.

    Does the IPad[2] have a user replaceable battery if yours dies, and you don't want the downtime of a standard replacement/fix? No
    I've got no argument with that.
    Does the IPad[2] have a 1280x800 or better screen? No
    Or that.

    Can you get an IPad2 for $550, with 16GB of storage? No
    You're right.
    Can you get an iPad2 for $499, with 16GB of storage? Yes.

    Does the IPad[2] have more apps? Yes
    -- Does it's apps contain a wider range of functionality? No
    Are subjective statements subjective? Yes.
    Can you get a large range of apps to give you most of the fun/functionality you need on an IPad[2], for free? No
    Are subjective statements still subjective? Still yes.
    Have either of us tried every single app available for the iPad in order to make an objective statement regarding app availability, pricing, and functionality? No.

    Does the IPad[2] have flash? No
    Might this be regarded by some people as a feature, rather than a missing feature? Yes.

    --
    Slashdot still doesnâ(TM)t support Unicode after it was added to the HTML standard in 1997.
  9. Re:Logical contradiction by sootman · · Score: 5, Informative

    Can you name one 10" tablet currently on the market that has the same battery life (or better) than the iPad 2? Is it also as thin (or thinner), as light (or lighter), and the same price (or cheaper) than the iPad 2?

    "Pretentious prick", indeed.

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