Wait for the touch pad 2. Hopefully be the time it comes out there will be shifter app catalogue and the OS a slight notch polished. Like the previous poster said, it is all about the app and that is where iPad rocks. If you buy a web OS tablet or an android one you will likely only be able to use the device as an Internet browsing pad and in my opinion it is a waste of money.
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HP TouchPad?
- Thread starter bowlerman625
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I am not in a tablet market due to their lack of productivity (Citrix would be my thing #1 if I had one and TouchPad comes with it out of the box) but TouchPad does one thing better than iPad. Web browsing and Email. OK make that two things.
It has full feature web browser that doesn't redirect to mobile sites (yet) so you don't need lots of junk apps that recycle web content (like CNN, BMW and other "apps"). Also Google Document editing is desktop like and because you can choose the size of the display keyboard it actually works unlike on iPad when you see only two lines of the text on the page.
Email supports attachments for Documents, Pics and Video.
Box.net gives 50GB for free and for life for all TouchPad users to store your data.
Skype integration in Synergy is coming together with video/voice call option in Phone app and IM integrated into messaging app.
If you rely on web browsing and emailing a lot get the TouchPad. For everything else get the iPad2.
It has full feature web browser that doesn't redirect to mobile sites (yet) so you don't need lots of junk apps that recycle web content (like CNN, BMW and other "apps"). Also Google Document editing is desktop like and because you can choose the size of the display keyboard it actually works unlike on iPad when you see only two lines of the text on the page.
Email supports attachments for Documents, Pics and Video.
Box.net gives 50GB for free and for life for all TouchPad users to store your data.
Skype integration in Synergy is coming together with video/voice call option in Phone app and IM integrated into messaging app.
If you rely on web browsing and emailing a lot get the TouchPad. For everything else get the iPad2.
Safari is not the only browser choice on the iPad. I use atomic browser. It is marvellous form multi-tasking. It offers tabbed browsing the background losing, gestures for moving between tabs and closing them as well as full control over whether the growing should be in mobile or desktop mode. Anyone who wants to browse like they are in front of a proper computer should get it. It is a game changer and makes browsing faster and on level with browsing on a desktop.
I shall also add that ios5 will be introducing many of these browser functionalities. The email client will be heavily revamped too this fall and address some of the short comings of the currrent ios4 email app.
AZREOSpecialist
Suspended
Because some of us think staring at a grid of square icons to be a less than adequate experience. Some of us would like to use a tablet for business and productivity, not just slingshotting birds. Some of us like to customize our experience. Some of us want to use that extra screen real estate for something useful.
Yet Apple is forcing the app grid on us because that's Apple's way of putting apps front and center and in your face. That's more about Apple putting its profits (via app sales) ahead of its UI. I don't want to stare at an endless grid of buttons, I want useful information at a glance when I turn on my tablet. I want to see my appointments, my social media, my weather or whatever else I want, as well as snippets of my emails, etc. Simple stuff that is being done on Android and WebOS, but not on iPad. Because if Apple actually did that, visually the apps would be secondary and that won't sell as many apps.
I bought a TouchPad on Friday. The reviews are inaccurate in my opinion and I havent noticed any sluggishness, glitches or reboots. HP claims there is a system update for the GPU in the next week that will cure any sort of hiccups with the GUI.
I DO wish the back weren't slippery and glossy, but instead had the premium rubber-ish texture of a Palm Pre+ or Pre 2.
App-wise, it is sparse but the few there were specifically for the TouchPad are very well done. Angry Birds HD is free 😉 All of my apps from my Pre installed automatically and are emulated without any issue. Some show up full screen, others do not.
The 50 gigs (for life!) of cloud storage is fantastic. Music and documents are now in the ether for me to download as I please.
The screen is equal to any other tablet and the speakers as small as they are sound better than most laptops I've used, especially my '11 MacBook Pro. The headphone jack is shielded and there is ZERO hiss or static. Music sounds fantastic with crisp highs and a sharp bass.
Since webOS is very easy to make apps for, I can see the tremendous potential in this. I look forward to a TouchPad2 which will be 100% HP designed and not the 'lost in transition' Palm/HP.
I DO wish the back weren't slippery and glossy, but instead had the premium rubber-ish texture of a Palm Pre+ or Pre 2.
App-wise, it is sparse but the few there were specifically for the TouchPad are very well done. Angry Birds HD is free 😉 All of my apps from my Pre installed automatically and are emulated without any issue. Some show up full screen, others do not.
The 50 gigs (for life!) of cloud storage is fantastic. Music and documents are now in the ether for me to download as I please.
The screen is equal to any other tablet and the speakers as small as they are sound better than most laptops I've used, especially my '11 MacBook Pro. The headphone jack is shielded and there is ZERO hiss or static. Music sounds fantastic with crisp highs and a sharp bass.
Since webOS is very easy to make apps for, I can see the tremendous potential in this. I look forward to a TouchPad2 which will be 100% HP designed and not the 'lost in transition' Palm/HP.
AZREOSpecialist
Suspended
Here's all you need to know about TouchPad
HP compares poor TouchPad experience to original Mac OS X
How sad that John Rubinstein - ex-Apple employee, ex-CEO of Palm and now in charge of WebOS at HP - feels the need to compare TouchPad to the initial release of Mac OS X in order to answer criticisms about the TouchPad being sluggish and not having any decent apps. Really? You want to compare your cutting edge tablet device to what Apple did with Mac OS X more than 10 years ago? That's really going to make people want to buy your box of crap.
Instead, Mr. Rubinstein should man-up and take responsibility for his product's shortcomings instead of aligning himself with his former employer's decade old OS release. Instead of saying to the buying public "hey, it could be worse" (my words), why not aspire to be better than your competitors? I mean my god, he can't even compare TouchPad to iPad 1 if he's reaching all the way back to the original version of Mac OS X.
I had high hopes for TouchPad, but given this latest development from the person in charge at HP, I will be taking this iPad wannabe off my list. HP has put all of its eggs into the WebOS basket. HP will be filing bankruptcy or will be acquired by 2013, mark my words. HP's days are numbered.
HP compares poor TouchPad experience to original Mac OS X
How sad that John Rubinstein - ex-Apple employee, ex-CEO of Palm and now in charge of WebOS at HP - feels the need to compare TouchPad to the initial release of Mac OS X in order to answer criticisms about the TouchPad being sluggish and not having any decent apps. Really? You want to compare your cutting edge tablet device to what Apple did with Mac OS X more than 10 years ago? That's really going to make people want to buy your box of crap.
Instead, Mr. Rubinstein should man-up and take responsibility for his product's shortcomings instead of aligning himself with his former employer's decade old OS release. Instead of saying to the buying public "hey, it could be worse" (my words), why not aspire to be better than your competitors? I mean my god, he can't even compare TouchPad to iPad 1 if he's reaching all the way back to the original version of Mac OS X.
I had high hopes for TouchPad, but given this latest development from the person in charge at HP, I will be taking this iPad wannabe off my list. HP has put all of its eggs into the WebOS basket. HP will be filing bankruptcy or will be acquired by 2013, mark my words. HP's days are numbered.
Fernandez21
macrumors 601
AZREOSpecialist
Suspended
You just bought a TouchPad and you're already looking forward to TouchPad 2? That seems a little sad. Looks like the only good feature worth talking about is the TouchPad's shielded headphone jack and the "crisp highs" and "sharp bass". Wow.
What's sad about that? I tend to look forward to new products and technologies.
I'm quite happy with my purchase, don't fret. 😎
Fernandez21
macrumors 601
Did you actually READ the article? He's comparing the REACTION of the touchpad to the REACTION mac OSx got when it first launch in that the REACTION was very similar.
I do aggree that hp makes crappy products (webos aside). All their laptops feel like cheap plastic p.o.s., but they're the second largest computer maker in the world, you're a fool if you think theyll be gone within two years.
Fernandez21
macrumors 601
There seem to be already a handful of people looking forward to the iPad 3, does that seem sad too?
Aduntu
macrumors 6502a
I played with one a few days ago. I really enjoyed using it. During my use, there were no noticeable performance flaws. In my opinion, webOS in this form blows Android out of the water. If the TouchPad had the ecosystem behind it like the iPad, it would be a serious competitor. If someone were looking for a non-Apple tablet, I'd point them toward the TouchPad.
I am a huge user of iOS on both iPad and iPhone. Yeah, it has flaws, but it works very well and I can get things done on it.
I stared playing around with webOS 3.0 a couple of months ago and I'm really impressed with it. The user interface for starting apps, switching between them, dismissing them, and even the inter-app communications are things Apple could learn from.
I found the card metaphor to be really useful, especially for Apps with multiple documents open. (something iOS does poorly.)
I'm on the fence about getting a TouchPad though. The weight, thickness, battery life, and some of the reviews about sluggishness/stalling have me worried
HP talks about over-the-air fixes and updates for performance. So, perhaps some of the issues will be fixed as they work out the "1.0 bugs."
I think 3rd party licensed webOS tablets and HP's TouchPad "2" will put a dent in Android sales and give iPad a worthy competitor.
I stared playing around with webOS 3.0 a couple of months ago and I'm really impressed with it. The user interface for starting apps, switching between them, dismissing them, and even the inter-app communications are things Apple could learn from.
I found the card metaphor to be really useful, especially for Apps with multiple documents open. (something iOS does poorly.)
I'm on the fence about getting a TouchPad though. The weight, thickness, battery life, and some of the reviews about sluggishness/stalling have me worried
HP talks about over-the-air fixes and updates for performance. So, perhaps some of the issues will be fixed as they work out the "1.0 bugs."
I think 3rd party licensed webOS tablets and HP's TouchPad "2" will put a dent in Android sales and give iPad a worthy competitor.
Why do all of these second-rate mobile platforms brag about (finally) having Angry Birds? That game sucks 🙂
Interesting. I don't stare at icons much, I use them to get to apps, which is where my most of my experience resides.
Precisely. So I stick with the tablet with most business and productivity apps, which is the iPad. BTW, I use the RIM PlayBook as well, which was advertised as "professional grade" tablet. There's nothing professional about it unless your definition of professionalism is to have a shared WiFi drive via OS and not much else.
Fair points, but again, why is the desktop shell so important for productivity? You do all your "business and productivity" work on your desktop shell and not through your apps?
The irony is that, widgets and customization are, I personally find, really toys that do not really help productivity much. Think about it: nobody achieves anything serious through widgets on their desktop computers. People open their Microsoft Word, Excel, etc to do their work and open their Outlook/Thunderbird to do email. The business and productivity are all about what apps you have and nothing to do with widgets or customization of desktop screens.
Hoping someone who has picked one up already can answer this for me. What format does it use for ebooks? I know it has a Kindle app, but hoping it'll also do .epub, like the ipad does.
Not sure yet, there are several apps coming out in the next week for reading books. I know you can read .epub files on a Palm Pre, so it's just a matter of someone translating it to a larger screen.
BergerFan
macrumors 68020
It's about ease of use... Period.
IT's about an interface so simple, that everyone 'gets it' straight away.
It seems to me that the Kindle app only pulls from WhisperSync. I tried adding a non-kindle ebook to the kindle folder, and nothing appeared in the app. It's not really surprising to see Amazon's proprietary app restricted to their own proprietary format.
There are a few eBook readers in the works that should be available in the coming days, though. I know at least one will support epub and many other formats.
I think it's pretty cool too. I like it way more than any Android tablet, but not nearly as much as my iPad. HP definitely did a good job with this one. I wouldn't mind using it, if I couldn't use my iPad for whatever reason
For them angry birds is about the only developer support they get. Angry birds is so played out, the bird has been overcooked. It is about time companies top advertising it on their devices as the only app that is relevant to tablet/smartphone users.
Their review was correct in its content but they exaggerated the cons tremendously. It weighs 3 ounces more than the iPad yet people act like that's a big deal. Lack of apps and the slippery back are the two cons for me. One will soon be corrected. The other I just deal with. And an ecosystem is in the making.
I currently can make and receive calls using the device as long as I'm in bluetooth range of my Palm phone. SMS will be added soon as well. THAT will be nice.
Is it a perfect device? No.
Is it 'as good' as the iPad2? In some ways no, it depends on what you want to do with it. I see its potential and I believe it is the #2 tablet on the market at this point.
Haha, you're trying hard to defend a horrible purchase! Even a fanboy can't say anything good about it 🙂
nospleen
macrumors 68030
Doesn't a fanboy always say good things?! The fact that he mentions it's shortcomings tells me he is not a fan boy...