TouchPad

["Robert G. (Doc) Savage" <dsavage@peaknet.net>]

(My condolences to Bonnie for having lost her TouchPad to some scumbag thief on MetroLink.)

When HP decided to have a fire sale to clear out its stock of discontinued TouchPads, I decided to jump in. What I quickly learned was, as is the case in most stock market IPOs, us common folks don't have a chance to buy at the hyped initial price. HP claimed it was selling 16G Touchpads for $99.99, and 32G models for $149.99. I was able to purchase two 32Gs from some insider trader on eBay for about $260 each plus USPS shipping. I also purchased extra chargers, soft cases, zippered padded pouches, and Bluetooth keyboards from HP. 

So how does the TouchPad compare to other tablet computers? For one thing, it's bigger and heavier. The display is a big, bright, and beautiful 1024x768. That's right -- it's not a widescreen format. The soft case lid folds around the back to form a viewing stand in front of the Bluetooth keyboard. The charger plugs into a micro-USB connector on the right (narrow) side. I haven't tried timing how long the battery lasts, but it looks like it can run for several days between charges.

What's it good for? For network access, it requires a WiFi connection. With that, it has a web browser, Facebook app, access to an e-mail account (e.g. Gmail, Yahoo, and some others), a calendar synced with your Pre phone or other calendars, SMS messaging if you can pair it with a Pre2 phone, photos, and a whole lot of other things I'm still discovering. There's quite a long list of free and modestly priced apps available in HP's on-line app store (a lot of them are j-u-n-k).

Much like the iPad is a fraternal twin to the iPhone, the TouchPad is a member of the HP/Palm Pre family of phones. Initial setup was simple with a pre-existing Pre profile with Sprint. There was supposed to be a TouchPad model with cell phone capability, but it apparently didn't make it out the door. WiFi is the only way to communicate with it.

What this beastie really needs is a WebOS SDK that will allow owners to write their own apps or migrate iPhone and Android apps. There's quite a large app library available for old WebOS 1.4.5 that probably needs to be updated to the latest 3.0.2.

Tomorrow I'll be setting up the second TouchPad for my girlfriend who (foolishly) talked herself out of her Pre phone. She's going to love it on her desk at her new job. Set up with the Bluetooth keyboard, it takes up about as much space as a multi-line telephone on her desk. She can keep track of Facebook, GMail, or just play Angry Birds when she's bored.

--Doc