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The Official HP Touchpad Thread of $100 Digital Picture Frames

dream

dream

Member
webOS was just deeply flawed on all levels and it always required a combination of hacking and denial to be halfway usable.

In contrast to my good friend giga, I was not excited about webOS 3.0 when it was revealed. But in his defense, he was far less prophetic about webOS than I was.
 
B

br0ken_shad0w

Member
DR3AM said:
netflix runs amazing on android
Click to expand...

Just recently for me. I had to use an out of date version for a while because of the video bug (video freezes but sound continues) in their newer versions. Drove me crazy since I knew it was on their end and made Netflix nearly useless for me.

Oh well, they just fixed the bug in the newest version and everything goes smoothly.
 
D

DJ_Tet

Banned
SRG01 said:
I can't see how anyone would not like using webOS. Installing all the performance tweaks makes the tablet fly. The only issues I have with it are the audio bugs, and some other small miscellanea.

edit: Anecdotal: My first experience with webOS was way more intuitive than either Android, iOS, and QNX.
Click to expand...

I haven't had any experience with iOS, but I definitely agree that webOS was more intuitive than Android has been so far. My only experience with both is with the HP Tablet for what it's worth. If I can do it I prefer to do it in webOS, but the lack of apps sees me booting into Android more and more often.

Unfortunately my audio bugs have followed in both oses so far, hope it doesn't bode badly for the future.
 
T

Toby

Member
I still love webOS for its multitasking. I like how it allows you to see what applications are open and what state they are currently in quickly, and I have to admit a fondness to flipping open applications out of the way.
VanWinkle said:
Android ICS is very similar in multitasking. You see exactly what you were last doing, and you can flip it off the screen.
Click to expand...
Ah, that'll be so nice. Good to know, thanks.
 
B

butter_stick

Banned
Toby said:
I still love webOS for its multitasking. I like how it allows you to see what applications are open and what state they are currently in quickly, and I have to admit a fondness to flipping open applications out of the way.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's the only thing I miss on Android.
 
C

Corran Horn

May the Schwartz be with you
Toby said:
I still love webOS for its multitasking. I like how it allows you to see what applications are open and what state they are currently in quickly, and I have to admit a fondness to flipping open applications out of the way.
Click to expand...

True. Multitasking on webOS is so much better.
 
T

ThatCrazyGuy

Member
my touchpad is still stock. I just use it for web browsing, watching streams. It works great for me. I should put android on this or something soon but I haven't felt compelled yet for some reason.
 
U

Unknown Soldier

Member
You guys are going have orgasms when you use ICS if you loved WebOS THAT MUCH. Matias Duarte was kind enough to port over the exact same multitasking metaphor to ICS. I switch apps like it ain't shit on my Tuna.
 
S

SRG01

Member
Unknown Soldier said:
You guys are going have orgasms when you use ICS if you loved WebOS THAT MUCH. Matias Duarte was kind enough to port over the exact same multitasking metaphor to ICS. I switch apps like it ain't shit on my Tuna.
Click to expand...

I'm using ICS on my Nexus S right now, and honestly multitasking does not feel like WebOS.
 
S

SteveO409

Did you know Halo invented the FPS?
ThatCrazyGuy said:
my touchpad is still stock. I just use it for web browsing, watching streams. It works great for me. I should put android on this or something soon but I haven't felt compelled yet for some reason.
Click to expand...
Using dolphin HD on cm7 touchpad is remarkable. It only takes 10 or 15 minutes to install and could easily revert it to stock webos.
 
A

Apath

Member
I like WebOS. I just dislike the lack of functionality. My brother got a Transformer, and he's able to watch Netflix, have real time updates with an ESPN app, control the TV with the XFinity app, etc.

I plan on getting a Windows 8 Tablet when one is available, but until then my TouchPad will be used exclusively for web browsing it seems.
 
E

Echoplx

Member
Yep Android is overrated as far as I'm concerned, WebOS does so many things better, if it had a more robust appstore it would be perfect.
 
U

Unknown Soldier

Member
SRG01 said:
I'm using ICS on my Nexus S right now, and honestly multitasking does not feel like WebOS.
Click to expand...

You mean, how ICS actually manages memory automatically so you don't NEED to kill apps just to make sure you can launch a game without it immediately quitting and dropping back to your app drawer?

Or maybe you mean how ICS doesn't start to slow down and run out of memory if you haven't rebooted awhile even though you have 2 apps running like how WebOS does?

Or perhaps you mean that you can actually leave 10 apps open in the ICS task manager and ICS will automatically background and cache apps you aren't using so you don't actually need to kill them yourself or even be aware they are running?

Honestly, the multitasking doesn't feel like WebOS in ICS because it actually just works in ICS, the Android OS handles mostly everything itself. You only need to use the task manager in ICS when you are quick-switching from one app to the next, otherwise you can ignore it while you're busy posting on Facebook or browsing or whatever. You know, it actually can multitask.

ICS is the first smartphone OS which behaves like a desktop OS in terms of the multitasking. You just run your apps and do whatever, it handles the rest and leaves you free to play with your phone incessantly until you've killed the battery.

3chopl0x said:
Yep Android is overrated as far as I'm concerned, WebOS does so many things better, if it had a more robust appstore it would be perfect.
Click to expand...

Such as...what? WebOS doesn't do a damn thing well. It's slow, has memory leaks out every orifice, it's slow, there aren't any apps for it, it's slow, and really the only thing I ever booted WebOS for was to use Kalemsoft Media Player. But now there are several good players for Android, I like MX Video Player and MoboPlayer, which is why I run CyanogenMod 7 on my Touchpad exclusively now. I booted into WebOS last week for the first time in a month...to uninstall all the apps I had installed on WebOS so I could make more room for videos on the Android side.

dream said:
Is it because the swipes are horizontal? Or because Android actually has apps worth multitasking?
Click to expand...

If you turn the phone sideways, the apps slide left and right and swiping them into oblivion becomes vertical just like WebOS. The task manager in ICS rotates depending on how the phone is oriented.
 
U

Unknown Soldier

Member
This article is an interesting read. There's some pretty damning stuff in this post-mortem of WebOS.

NY Times: "In Flop of H.P. TouchPad, an Object Lesson for the Tech Sector"
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/02/t...ed-software-some-say.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all

WebOS turned out to be something of a toxic asset. Several former Palm and H.P. employees involved in WebOS say that there was little hope for the software from the beginning, because the way it was built was so deeply flawed.

“Palm was ahead of its time in trying to build a phone software platform using Web technology, and we just weren’t able to execute such an ambitious and breakthrough design,” said Paul Mercer, former senior director of software at Palm, who oversaw the interface design of WebOS and recruited crucial members of the team. “Perhaps it never could have been executed because the technology wasn’t there yet.”
Click to expand...

Mr. Mercer was well known in the design world for his contributions to several of Apple’s most important products, and Palm recruited him. After some internal debate, the company chose to have WebOS rely on WebKit, an open-source software engine used by browsers to display Web pages. Mr. Mercer said that this was a mistake because it prevented applications from running fast enough to be on par with the iPhone. But a former member of the WebOS app development team said the core issue with WebOS was actually Palm’s inability to turn it into a platform that could capture the enthusiasm and loyalty of outside programmers. There were neither the right leaders nor the right engineers to do the job, said this person, who declined to be named because he still had some ties to H.P.
Click to expand...

But as H.P. absorbed Palm, important members of the WebOS team were disappearing. Mr. Mercer had already left. Peter Skillman, vice president of design at Palm, eventually left for a job at Nokia. Matias Duarte, vice president of human interface and user experience for WebOS, left a month after the acquisition for a job at Google. Several people said his departure was a major loss. “He was WebOS,” the former member of the WebOS software team said of Mr. Duarte. “When he left, the vacuum was just palpable. What you’re seeing is frankly a bunch of fourth- and fifth-stringers jumping onto WebOS in the wake of Duarte’s leaving.” Mr. Duarte did not respond to a request for an interview.
Click to expand...

Sam Greenblatt, chief technology officer at H.P., acknowledged in an interview that earlier versions of WebOS could be slow. But he said recent improvements in WebKit and WebOS over all had sped up performance. He shared H.P.’s continued ambitions for WebOS — that it would eventually expand into computers, televisions, even cars. “The No. 1 objective is to take the code to the next level,” he said.

But Mr. Mercer insisted that WebKit would still leave WebOS underpowered relative to Apple’s software.

“If the bar is to build Cupertino-class software in terms of responsiveness and beauty,” he said, “WebKit remains not ready for prime time, because the Web cannot deliver yet.”
Click to expand...
 
B

Blackhead

Redarse
giga said:
I can write an in depth post with screenshots comparing the two if you guys want. I like a few things about webOS like its notification system for example, but mostly it just isn't as great as I thought it would be for various reasons.

I was really excited about webOS 3 too when it was initially revealed if you want to check that hp event thread.
Click to expand...

I want; do it!

I personally lost all enthusiasm for webOS 3.0 when they got rid of the gesture area and added an iOS like home button instead. Idiotic imo.

I didnt think the TouchPad would be great because I don't think any tablets are great. Tablets just dont do enough functions well at the moment imo. Maybe if HP had released the TouchPad Go first and actually got Touch-to-Share working right out of the box with the Veer...
Unknown Soldier said:
You mean, how ICS actually manages memory automatically so you don't NEED to kill apps just to make sure you can launch a game without it immediately quitting and dropping back to your app drawer?

Or maybe you mean how ICS doesn't start to slow down and run out of memory if you haven't rebooted awhile even though you have 2 apps running like how WebOS does?

Or perhaps you mean that you can actually leave 10 apps open in the ICS task manager and ICS will automatically background and cache apps you aren't using so you don't actually need to kill them yourself or even be aware they are running?

Honestly, the multitasking doesn't feel like WebOS in ICS because it actually just works in ICS, the Android OS handles mostly everything itself. You only need to use the task manager in ICS when you are quick-switching from one app to the next, otherwise you can ignore it while you're busy posting on Facebook or browsing or whatever. You know, it actually can multitask.

ICS is the first smartphone OS which behaves like a desktop OS in terms of the multitasking. You just run your apps and do whatever, it handles the rest and leaves you free to play with your phone incessantly until you've killed the battery.



Such as...what? WebOS doesn't do a damn thing well. It's slow, has memory leaks out every orifice, it's slow, there aren't any apps for it, it's slow, and really the only thing I ever booted WebOS for was to use Kalemsoft Media Player. But now there are several good players for Android, I like MX Video Player and MoboPlayer, which is why I run CyanogenMod 7 on my Touchpad exclusively now. I booted into WebOS last week for the first time in a month...to uninstall all the apps I had installe

If you turn the phone sideways, the apps slide left and right and swiping them into oblivion becomes vertical just like WebOS. The task manager in ICS rotates depending on how the phone is oriented.
Click to expand...

dream said:
Is it because the swipes are horizontal? Or because Android actually has apps worth multitasking?
Click to expand...
Ugh no. *smh*
 
G

gokieks

Member
The Google Reader app for Android us fantastic. On WebOS I have to use the site, which runs terribly even with a tweaked and overclocked touchpad. And dolphin HD generally works better than the WebOS browser, so for me android is the pretty obvious choice.

I do switch back to WebOS for watching videos though, but hopefully that will improve on android. CM7 alpha 3.5 supposedly has improved it, but it breaks Google Reader app so that's not an option for me.
 
D

DJ_Tet

Banned
That's true too. Out of the box webOS was pretty clunky. If you didn't know about all the tweaks you weren't getting the best performance.
 
K

Karish

Member
Strongly considering putting Android on mine. Which is the best rom and the easiest way to install (dual-boot) Android?
 
A

Ashhong

Member
Karish said:
Strongly considering putting Android on mine. Which is the best rom and the easiest way to install (dual-boot) Android?
Click to expand...

Too sick to find it but if you go back 2-3 pages you will see a guide. Install Xron from XDA forums instead of the one in the guide though.
 
J

Joe

Member
is HP honoring warranties even if you installed android?

the charging connector on my touchpad is acting wonky, it will only charge if the wire is held in a certain angle.
 
H

HolyCheck

I want a tag give me a tag
Joe said:
is HP honoring warranties even if you installed android?

the charging connector on my touchpad is acting wonky, it will only charge if the wire is held in a certain angle.
Click to expand...

Mines doing the same thing, I've started using the charger that comes with my blackberry and that works 100% of the time, have you tried some other cables?
 
J

Joe

Member
HolyCheck said:
Mines doing the same thing, I've started using the charger that comes with my blackberry and that works 100% of the time, have you tried some other cables?
Click to expand...

it's funny that you mention that....

my original HP cable "broke" and didn't charge anymore. i started using my brothers cable since he doesnt use his touchpad anymore and now this also seems to be "broke" (or it could be the connector on TP).

never had a problem using my kindle wire on it though, i have to try it but not accessible at the moment.

i hope its the wire and not the connector! never had a wire "break" before though and if HP can somehow manage to fubar 2 of them i will be amazed.
 
A

Ashhong

Member
worst comes to worst you could always buy the Touchstone wireless charger.

But I think if you just erase Android on the Touchpad HP wont be able to tell
 
J

Joe

Member
Ashhong said:
worst comes to worst you could always buy the Touchstone wireless charger.

But I think if you just erase Android on the Touchpad HP wont be able to tell
Click to expand...

true! thanks for the tips.

i refuse to complain since i only paid $100 but the hardware with the TP is so shoddy it's crazy.
 
U

Unknown Soldier

Member
gokieks said:
I do switch back to WebOS for watching videos though, but hopefully that will improve on android. CM7 alpha 3.5 supposedly has improved it, but it breaks Google Reader app so that's not an option for me.
Click to expand...

Use MX Video Player or MoboPlayer. If you get jaggies in your video, you need edit your build.prop file, this requires a tool like Root Explorer which can remount your /system directory as R/W to edit the file. Delete or comment out the entry debug.sf.hw=1 in build.prop to make the videos scale smoothly.
 
M

marrec

Banned
dream said:
Is it because the swipes are horizontal? Or because Android actually has apps worth multitasking?
Click to expand...

lol, WebOS is still a better OS. Android has got some great Apps but it's a mess in the useability department.

For me, I should say.

I have both Android and WebOS on here and dread when I have to boot Android... Which I only do when my five year old wants to play Angry Birds Seasons.
 
H

HolyCheck

I want a tag give me a tag
Unknown Soldier said:
Use MX Video Player or MoboPlayer. If you get jaggies in your video, you need edit your build.prop file, this requires a tool like Root Explorer which can remount your /system directory as R/W to edit the file. Delete or comment out the entry debug.sf.hw=1 in build.prop to make the videos scale smoothly.
Click to expand...

I use the MX Video Player and can vouch for it, nice and simple interface and works very smoothly.
 
G

gokieks

Member
Unknown Soldier said:
Use MX Video Player or MoboPlayer. If you get jaggies in your video, you need edit your build.prop file, this requires a tool like Root Explorer which can remount your /system directory as R/W to edit the file. Delete or comment out the entry debug.sf.hw=1 in build.prop to make the videos scale smoothly.
Click to expand...

HolyCheck said:
I use the MX Video Player and can vouch for it, nice and simple interface and works very smoothly.
Click to expand...

I'll give it a try. I so very rarely ever use it to watch video though, so it hasn't really been much of a hassle, but it'd still be nice to have.
 
S

SRG01

Member
marrec said:
lol, WebOS is still a better OS. Android has got some great Apps but it's a mess in the useability department.

For me, I should say.

I have both Android and WebOS on here and dread when I have to boot Android... Which I only do when my five year old wants to play Angry Birds Seasons.
Click to expand...

Yes, this is very true. One thing I also like about webOS is how I don't have to use any hardware buttons to do all my normal tasks. That's a definite cue from iOS and webOS improves on it by presenting more useful information at once instead of hiding it.
 
C

cbox

Member
Flicking an app to close feels so natural, going back to my iphone feels awkward when i want to close an app.
 
V

VanWinkle

Member
I am just not nearly as big of a fan of WebOS as I thought I would be. I always thought the OS looked really cool on the Pre, and I thought the gesture stuff was awesome. I just don't think it works for me as a tablet interface. I'm surprised about the guy a few posts above me who dreads going to his android device and instead chooses his Touchpad. I only ever use my Asus Transformer with Honeycomb. The only times I ever pick up my Touchpad is when I feel like I should use it so it doesn't feel like I wasted money on nothing.

I think Synergy is fantastic, the Facebook app is great, and multitasking is nice. However, the whole interface seems to center around the multitasking, which doesn't do anything differently than Honeycomb does (while Honeycomb uses it more subtly). Well, you can flick away the apps on WebOS, but ICS is adding that functionality. The smoothness is a problem for me, too. My Transformer isn't as smooth as the iPad, but it's certainly the next smoothest tablet I've used. Everything on the Touchpad besides the homescreen is stuttery. I try going to the web browser, for instance, but after a minute, I just switch to the Transformer, because it's such a superior browsing experience.
 
Fox Mulder

Fox Mulder

Member
I surprisingly saw two or three in my bestbuy tonight a bit before they closed. Multiple sales people said they cost $600, which is pretty laughable.

Should I bother going back in the morning to see if it was just bullshit?
 
B

Bleepey

Member
Joe said:
is HP honoring warranties even if you installed android?

the charging connector on my touchpad is acting wonky, it will only charge if the wire is held in a certain angle.
Click to expand...

I had mine picked up and sent back. I have not put Android on it (yet, though i did try).
 
V

VanWinkle

Member
kharma45 said:
HYPED! :D I've been holding off flashing Android until ICS came, sounds like it shouldn't be too long now until the first release of it.
Click to expand...

Same here. I had Gingerbread on Nook Color and, while it was okay, I just didn't have interest putting it on my Touchpad. So it's basically just sitting around until I get ICS on it. I didn't know there's been this much progress so I'm glad.
 
A

Ashhong

Member
The steps to putting on ICS will most likely be the same as GB. Might as well put it on and get it over with! Then all you have to do is wipe it and install zip
 
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