News, TouchPad

HP TouchPad: Takin’ on the iPad2

By: David Baxter, 6/30/2011 5:00 pm | 85 comments

In the tablet world there is a name that looms above all others: iPad. Indeed, “iPad” is the “Kleenex of tablets,” and it’s treated as such by retailers all over the country… they have an iPad section and a tablets section. To say that the TouchPad has a tough hill to climb would be an understatement.

The question of how the TouchPad stacks up against the mighty iPad 2 will be asked a thousand times so we decided that we would take up the challenge and see for ourselves. Will our favorite tablet stand tall against the giant, or will it limp away to obscurity?

Let’s find out.

Hardware

While we are going to concentrate on comparing the iPad 2 and the TouchPad, you can see that HP was aiming squarely at Version 1 when they designed their tablet. The dimensions are almost exactly the same, which works very well when you think about accessories… if something fits the iPad, then it is almost certain to fit the TouchPad (score!).

With that said, you can tell that the iPad 2 kinda kicked the TouchPad in the shins in the “new hotness” department. It is lighter and thinner, and let’s face it… sexier. No one designs like Apple and that remains true even after the TouchPad launches. Does that mean the TouchPad is poorly designed? Absolutely not. As you can see in our in-depth look at the TouchPad hardware, we are fans of the aesthetics of the tablet and we believe that the TouchPad is a fine-looking, quality device. We just wish HP had thought ahead a product cycle or two.

But we’re mostly talking about aesthetics, here. In real-world use, you can’t tell too much of a difference in the size. If you place a TouchPad next to an iPad 2, you can definitely tell that the TouchPad is on the pudgy side, but if it isn’t right there, then you would be hard pressed to call the TP “thick.” This is doubly true for the weight. Although the iP2 weighs less than the TouchPad, the 0.3 pounds is hardly noticeable when you hold one in each hand.

: The iPad2′s “fuzzilicious” rear camera underwhelmed us. (Click to enlarge)

The only place where the iPad 2 trumps the TouchPad in terms of hardware specs is the fact that it has a rear camera and HP’s tablet does not. But let’s be real, here. As you can see by the pic to the right, the photos that the iPad produces make me wonder if it is actually worth having a camera at all… it just plain sucks (and those were the actual words of an iPad 2 owner). To be fair though, not having a rear camera does prevent the TouchPad from having any of those cool “augmented reality” apps, and that really does suck.

In just about every other spec category, the TouchPad smacks the iPad 2 around a bit. Faster processor and more RAM are great and when it comes to apps it definitely will make a difference; however, when it comes to core apps, it isn’t a differentiator at all.

This leads us to…

Speed

Getting ahold of an iPad 2, you have to admit it has one more thing going for it: speed. iOS 4 is blazingly fast notwithstanding its “weaker” hardware. I’ll argue the ho-humness of iOS has much to do with this: since the OS doesn’t do a whole lot on its own it, apparently, doesn’t need much horsepower.

All of this is simply a preamble to the truth: in all things speed-related, the iPad 2 mops the floor with the TouchPad. There is simply no other way around it. First, we tested boot time. The iPad 2 booted up in less than 30 seconds. Every single time, the iPad2 was an eager and early riser. The TouchPad, on the other hand, yawned, hit snooze, and wasn’t up until coffee was ready. Time? Around a minute and a half. Consistently. This isn’t too big of a surprise to us (webOS has never been a quick booter), but we’d hoped for improvements in this area in webOS version 3.

What about web rendering? Again, the iPad 2 smoked the Touchpad. Each time we tested it, whether we cleared the cache on both devices or not, the iPad 2 was anywhere from 25 – 50% faster on the same WiFi network and loading the same page (our speedy webOSroundup home page, of course!). Now there’s no doubt that iOS benefits considerably from the fact that it is a 4th generation OS. Contrary to the webOS “3.0″ moniker, it is largely brand-new and built on a brand-new framework. Over time, webOS should close that gap a good bit. But today, right here, right now, there is no getting around the speed differences.

Is there really no comparison?

You may be asking yourself: the iPad 2 is sexier and faster, has gobs more apps, costs the same as the TouchPad… why in the world would I even think of picking the TouchPad over the fruit? Great question. The answer lies in one word: webOS. If you want two words: webOS 3.0.

The version of webOS that is on the TouchPad is simply the best OS on any tablet, bar none. Here are a few reasons why:

Email: The email app on the iPad is crap. Sure it looks nice, but it isn’t all that functional. If you are writing an email and want to go back and look at a previous email you have to save what you are writing as a draft then back out and look at your emails again. Awesome eh? With the TouchPad you can not only look at any email you want while crafting your latest opus, but you can actually write 5, 10, 50 emails at the same time if you want. (A threaded messaging option would be nice, though.)

Chatting: You can chat on any device and it works basically the same. You talk, they talk… there just isn’t much to it. The difference with webOS is Synergy. With Synergy, whether you get a text message, Facebook chat, or GTalk message, if you are talking to the same person they all show up in one continuous conversation. It may not sound like much, but in real world use it is really helpful.

Multitasking: If you have ever read anything about webOS, then you know that multitasking is its wheelhouse. Version 3.0 is no different. While Apple finally has, as they like to call it, “fast app switching,” nothing compares to the card metaphor when it comes to managing tasks.

Case in point: killing tasks. Say you are tired of flinging birds around at some pigs. On iOS you have to:
1. Double tap the home button
2. Sift through piles of app icons in their “frozen state”
3. Tap and hold over the app you want to close
4. Tap the little minus sign that appears on the wiggling icon (yes, they actually wiggle)

The other option is just to do nothing and the iPad will decide when to close your app for you.

If you want to close the game on a TouchPad, you simply swipe up from the bottom to go into card view, then swipe that app up to throw it away (or conversely you can drag it down to the bottom of the screen to slingshot it).

Both do the same thing, but with iOS it takes the equivalent of four taps while on webOS it takes two gestures. Just about all aspects of multitasking are simply more cumbersome on iOS, and that is assuming that the apps you love are developed to use “fast app switching” because not all of them are. (On a side note, I chuckled each time I used Apple’s task manager software).

The last thing worth mentioning about webOS multitasking is Stacks. This allows you to group applications however you like and move the cards as a group. This doesn’t sound like a big deal, but since webOS will allow you to have 30+ apps running at a time (something that iOS would never allow), being able to group them becomes indispensable.

Notifications: Notifications on iOS 4 blow, plain and simple. They are obnoxious and is easily one of its weaker features. In iOS 5 they will be fixing a lot of the annoyances, but, even though they look a lot like webOS notifications, they still aren’t as suave as version 3.0’s rendition that includes what HP calls “Stacked Notifications”. Don’t believe this Homer’s word for it? Then check out this BGR editorial (Spoiler alert: it says the same thing!).

The Full Web: We’d already mentioned that the web browser was noticeably slower on the TouchPad so why would I bring it up here? Flash. Boom. Yes, Apple has done a stellar job making loads of websites cower away from Adobe’s darling, but you cannot deny that Flash is still used on A LOT of websites. Despite what Steve Jobs would have you believe, the inability to view Flash in today’s web is a liability. (And by the way? I’ve personally never liked Flash on a mobile device. It has always been slow, jerky, and a complete resource hog. It has been so bad on my Pre 2 that I’ve often secretly thought Apple may have been onto something with their Flash phobia. However with the TouchPad running Flash 10.3 Beta that is no longer the case. Flash loads quickly and smoothly without a single hiccup. It really is a great addition.)

If you want to see the notification system and several of webOS 3.0’s core apps in action be sure to check out our in depth software overview.

Other Goodies

While webOS may sometimes be a bit… umm… lethargic… in terms of booting and the like, the core apps could very well make up for it. Aside from that advantage though, the TouchPad has more aces up its sleeve.

Truly Wireless: The TouchPad is the only tablet currently in existence that is built to be completely wireless. With the Touchstone charging system you can charge your HP tablet without ever hooking up a cord. Over-the-air updates allow you to update every single app and the core operating system without ever plugging it into a computer. In fact, the only reason you will ever need to hook the TouchPad to anything is if you want to move a lot of media to or from your computer (if you only need a few things, then e-mail or Dropbox will work just fine).

Touch-to-Share: With webOS 3.0 HP introduced a new concept called Touch to Share. Essentially this creates a link to another webOS device (currently only fully with the Pre 3 and less so with older devices, but it will expand) that will allow the tablet to receive all text messages sent to the phone and can even make and answer calls. You can also use the technology to send a webpage from one device to another and back again. Truly amazing tech.

The Big Decision

We, obviously, are not the people to be telling you which tablet to buy. We are biased and we openly admit that. Both tablets are equally priced, so which should you choose? Here are things to consider.

Get the iPad 2:

If you are looking for the thinnest and fastest tablet on the planet.
If you are an app hound who likes to try something new out all the time. The iPad 2 has over 50,000 apps. Not all of them are great, of course, but that goes without saying. If you want the long tail, then the iPad is for you.
If you like hemp clothing and a tall half-skinny half-1 percent extra hot split quad shot latte with light whip (sorry…couldn’t resist).

Get the TouchPad:

If you like to do a lot of things at the same time. (Honestly, if you try multitasking on a webOS device, then everything else will just seem clunky.)
If you have a lot of contacts that you keep up with in a lot of different ways.
If you hate wires.
If you are looking for something different but not crappy or fragmented.
If you like Flash.

So there you have it. $500 (or more) is a lot of money. We hope that this analysis will make your purchasing decision a bit more clear. The rest, dear reader, is up to you.

Want to learn more about the TouchPad? Here is a recap of all of our TouchPad coverage!

All of our TouchPad videos can be watched in HD (all the way up to glorious 1080P). Feel free to view them in full over at YouTube. We don’t mind.
The fantastic photos of the TouchPad were taken by the amazing photographer Amanda Sutherlin.

About David Baxter

David is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of webOSroundup. When not toiling away at WOR he is usually with his family, at church, building a website of some kind or another, or playing a video game. @davidbbaxter

View all posts by David Baxter →

Anonymous

This doesn’t seem like a very fair comparison. Where’s the comparison of ecosystems or graphics capabilities? Where the comparison on how you display your tablet content on a big screen TV?

I love WebOS, and intend to get a WebOS tablet this year (waiting for the 7-inch), but if you’re going to do a piece like this, you should have at least tried to use the iPad for more than five minutes. This article just reeks of blind fanboy-ism

http://www.webosroundup.com/ David

I don’t think that is quite fair.

By ecosystem you must mean apps…I believe I covered that.

Graphics capabilities is pretty much moot. They can both handle the same about for all intents and purposes.

Displaying content on the big screen. I guess I missed that. It is easy to compare…the TouchPad can’t output currently.

My goal here wasn’t to exhaustively go through each and every feature. It was to give an overview of each device and tell you when one is superior to another. I believe we did a pretty good job of that.

http://profiles.google.com/windercomputers Matthew Bradley

You did
eid

Displaying content on tv from the tablet is not very useful in my book. But a tablet connecting to a video projector for business- now that’s important and can replace a heavier laptop. From what I gathered the microusb can’t run such a device. A wired solution while “low tech” would be more reliable than a wireless solution.
Your overview is fair enough. Thanks for being honest on the lack of speed on the Touchpad. That’s what HP has to optimize NOW. (but hey, thanks RIM for excluding the email app on the Playbook. Makes HP look half-way respectable!)
Greg Mair

You did, thanks. I really enjoyed this read and for me it comes down to how I want to use a tablet. I cant use an iphone simply that if I’m doing a few things during the day, I have a tendency to forget what I’m doing. So for me to close my email app. Or whatever and go do something else for an hour. When I pick it back up I would never remember to send that email or message to someone. With webos. I simply leave open the app, go do something else. And come back to that email/app with the info I needed to finish the email. This is why corporations will buy HP over apple. I hope I made sense I’m drunk. Lol

JDM

Friend’s don’t let friends drink and post.
Anonymous

You really hit the nail on the head here, even drunk. I use my wife’s nook color and am constantly forgetting what I was doing because I have to “close” and app to look at something else. This is one of those things I have just grown so used to on my Pre that often forget about it. Get a text, tap, type reply, advanced gesture back to where I was. (I will oh so miss the advanced app switch gesture on the touchpad)

Greg Mair

I’m hoping they bring the side swipe back like the playbook has

http://www.webosroundup.com/ David

I don’t think that is quite fair.

By ecosystem you must mean apps…I believe I covered that.

Graphics capabilities is pretty much moot. They can both handle the same about for all intents and purposes.

Displaying content on the big screen. I guess I missed that. It is easy to compare…the TouchPad can’t output currently.

My goal here wasn’t to exhaustively go through each and every feature. It was to give an overview of each device and tell you when one is superior to another. I believe we did a pretty good job of that.
http://www.webosroundup.com/ David

I don’t think that is quite fair.

By ecosystem you must mean apps…I believe I covered that.

Graphics capabilities is pretty much moot. They can both handle the same about for all intents and purposes.

Displaying content on the big screen. I guess I missed that. It is easy to compare…the TouchPad can’t output currently.

My goal here wasn’t to exhaustively go through each and every feature. It was to give an overview of each device and tell you when one is superior to another. I believe we did a pretty good job of that.
http://www.webosroundup.com/ David

I don’t think that is quite fair.

By ecosystem you must mean apps…I believe I covered that.

Graphics capabilities is pretty much moot. They can both handle the same about for all intents and purposes.

Displaying content on the big screen. I guess I missed that. It is easy to compare…the TouchPad can’t output currently.

My goal here wasn’t to exhaustively go through each and every feature. It was to give an overview of each device and tell you when one is superior to another. I believe we did a pretty good job of that.
http://www.webosroundup.com/ David

I don’t think that is quite fair.

By ecosystem you must mean apps…I believe I covered that.

Graphics capabilities is pretty much moot. They can both handle the same about for all intents and purposes.

Displaying content on the big screen. I guess I missed that. It is easy to compare…the TouchPad can’t output currently.

My goal here wasn’t to exhaustively go through each and every feature. It was to give an overview of each device and tell you when one is superior to another. I believe we did a pretty good job of that.
http://www.webosroundup.com/ David

I don’t think that is quite fair.

By ecosystem you must mean apps…I believe I covered that.

Graphics capabilities is pretty much moot. They can both handle the same about for all intents and purposes.

Displaying content on the big screen. I guess I missed that. It is easy to compare…the TouchPad can’t output currently.

My goal here wasn’t to exhaustively go through each and every feature. It was to give an overview of each device and tell you when one is superior to another. I believe we did a pretty good job of that.
http://www.webosroundup.com/ David

I don’t think that is quite fair.

By ecosystem you must mean apps…I believe I covered that.

Graphics capabilities is pretty much moot. They can both handle the same about for all intents and purposes.

Displaying content on the big screen. I guess I missed that. It is easy to compare…the TouchPad can’t output currently.

My goal here wasn’t to exhaustively go through each and every feature. It was to give an overview of each device and tell you when one is superior to another. I believe we did a pretty good job of that.
http://www.webosroundup.com/ David

I don’t think that is quite fair.

By ecosystem you must mean apps…I believe I covered that.

Graphics capabilities is pretty much moot. They can both handle the same about for all intents and purposes.

Displaying content on the big screen. I guess I missed that. It is easy to compare…the TouchPad can’t output currently.

My goal here wasn’t to exhaustively go through each and every feature. It was to give an overview of each device and tell you when one is superior to another. I believe we did a pretty good job of that.
JDM

I don’t like calling people out, but did you read the title? (Which is hilarious, BTW)

JDM

Boooooo, they changed the title….

http://profiles.google.com/anayagamingllc Jason Buffalo

Wow yet again we are comparing to iPad2, here are some facts, the Touchpad will mop iPad2 the Floor so far performance go, you see, WebOS is a big Web Browser, iOS is not, so why not compare Games, take one Game from the iPad2 and the same Game on the Touchpad and compare, and i bet you the Touchpad will give Apple a good old fashion Spanking. In other words compare them two with the same condition.

http://www.webosroundup.com/ David

Jason…you would be wrong. As I mention in my article, when it comes to pure performance, the iPad 2 spanks the TouchPad pretty good.

http://profiles.google.com/anayagamingllc Jason Buffalo

I am Talking about the Hardware, The TouchPad is more powerful then the iPad2, and it will show when you compare two of the same Game on each Device.

Anonymous

Wake up, man. All the brute power in the world doesn’t do crap if you don’t have the software to take advantage of it. The Veer is a PERFECT example. Slower processor than an overclocked pre- or pre2 yet it shines in performance.

Open your eyes. The TP isn’t even hardware accelerated. MAYBE when that happens, which I am sure it will, I’ll take your comments seriously. Until then, you are living in a dreamland.

http://profiles.google.com/anayagamingllc Jason Buffalo

Here is something for you to wake up on, WebOS can never beat iOS performance, that is already written in WebOS design, so wake up on that, the only way WebOS get it even with iOS, is when the CPU is about 2X faster then Apple CPU, so enough with this constant Performance comparison with a iPad2, heck it is not even Multitasking, what i presume you guy’s considered right, you are comparing Apple and Oranges, the Touchpad Hardware is more Powerful then iPad2 there is no doubt about that, can the hardware be utilized yes with the PDK, Can WebOS take advantage of the Hardware it all ready doing it, so why don’t WebOSRoundup do WebOS a favor and stop giving negative Reviews due to comparison of other hardware that is something different, compared it with other WebOS versions, is it better is it faster, you will have people who don’t know WebOS coming to your site and read your review and go why should i buy this, it’s slow. think about it.
Anonymous

You were the one talking about WebOS mopping the floor with the iPad, remember? Hardware is only one aspect of performance of a total package.

WOR is giving HONEST reviews whether they be negative or positive. Wouldn’t you prefer honesty over BS? I can tell you are effected by the Touchpad not living up to your expectations. I know because I’m in the same boat. It kills me to see the honest, indepth reviews out there that bring to light all the shortcomings. But it’s the reality of the Touchpad right now. I am sure it will change with time but for now it’s just not there yet.
http://profiles.google.com/anayagamingllc Jason Buffalo

WOR is giving to be honest, a false review base on bad comparison, you can not Compare Overall Performance on a iPad2 with WebOS, you know what let’s do this, here are the Things that WebOS has to do to get on the Same Level, first you mite take the Web out of the OS, and call it hOS, all the Web Technology that builds WebOS needs to be replaced with Binary Code, there is no more Multitasking either that includes notification system popping up and you minimizing your app, when all of that is gone and replaced and last but not least we can keep all the stuff and just put a bigger processor in there and of course it will not cost 500$ but 800$ to buy, so if performance you want you can pick and choose what is best.

Also please read my first statement i said the Touchpad and clarified on my second post refernce to the Hardware level and not WebOS.
http://profiles.google.com/anayagamingllc Jason Buffalo

Here is something for you to wake up on, WebOS can never beat iOS performance, that is already written in WebOS design, so wake up on that, the only way WebOS get it even with iOS, is when the CPU is about 2X faster then Apple CPU, so enough with this constant Performance comparison with a iPad2, heck it is not even Multitasking, what i presume you guy’s considered right, you are comparing Apple and Oranges, the Touchpad Hardware is more Powerful then iPad2 there is no doubt about that, can the hardware be utilized yes with the PDK, Can WebOS take advantage of the Hardware it all ready doing it, so why don’t WebOSRoundup do WebOS a favor and stop giving negative Reviews due to comparison of other hardware that is something different, compared it with other WebOS versions, is it better is it faster, you will have people who don’t know WebOS coming to your site and read your review and go why should i buy this, it’s slow. think about it.
http://profiles.google.com/anayagamingllc Jason Buffalo

Here is something for you to wake up on, WebOS can never beat iOS performance, that is already written in WebOS design, so wake up on that, the only way WebOS get it even with iOS, is when the CPU is about 2X faster then Apple CPU, so enough with this constant Performance comparison with a iPad2, heck it is not even Multitasking, what i presume you guy’s considered right, you are comparing Apple and Oranges, the Touchpad Hardware is more Powerful then iPad2 there is no doubt about that, can the hardware be utilized yes with the PDK, Can WebOS take advantage of the Hardware it all ready doing it, so why don’t WebOSRoundup do WebOS a favor and stop giving negative Reviews due to comparison of other hardware that is something different, compared it with other WebOS versions, is it better is it faster, you will have people who don’t know WebOS coming to your site and read your review and go why should i buy this, it’s slow. think about it.
http://profiles.google.com/anayagamingllc Jason Buffalo

Here is something for you to wake up on, WebOS can never beat iOS performance, that is already written in WebOS design, so wake up on that, the only way WebOS get it even with iOS, is when the CPU is about 2X faster then Apple CPU, so enough with this constant Performance comparison with a iPad2, heck it is not even Multitasking, what i presume you guy’s considered right, you are comparing Apple and Oranges, the Touchpad Hardware is more Powerful then iPad2 there is no doubt about that, can the hardware be utilized yes with the PDK, Can WebOS take advantage of the Hardware it all ready doing it, so why don’t WebOSRoundup do WebOS a favor and stop giving negative Reviews due to comparison of other hardware that is something different, compared it with other WebOS versions, is it better is it faster, you will have people who don’t know WebOS coming to your site and read your review and go why should i buy this, it’s slow. think about it.
http://profiles.google.com/anayagamingllc Jason Buffalo

Here is something for you to wake up on, WebOS can never beat iOS performance, that is already written in WebOS design, so wake up on that, the only way WebOS get it even with iOS, is when the CPU is about 2X faster then Apple CPU, so enough with this constant Performance comparison with a iPad2, heck it is not even Multitasking, what i presume you guy’s considered right, you are comparing Apple and Oranges, the Touchpad Hardware is more Powerful then iPad2 there is no doubt about that, can the hardware be utilized yes with the PDK, Can WebOS take advantage of the Hardware it all ready doing it, so why don’t WebOSRoundup do WebOS a favor and stop giving negative Reviews due to comparison of other hardware that is something different, compared it with other WebOS versions, is it better is it faster, you will have people who don’t know WebOS coming to your site and read your review and go why should i buy this, it’s slow. think about it.
soydeedo

I agree that software is the culprit behind the TouchPad’s (and webOS’ in general) crummy performance, but I have to correct you about the Veer processor. Though it is running at a slower clock speed it is a much more efficient processor overall.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/213?vs=220

Note the processors listed – it’s basically the Pre 2 vs Veer. You can check this by looking at the following Veer and Pre 2 posts at precentral.net:

http://www.precentral.net/review-ATT-hp-veer-4g
http://www.precentral.net/p102ueu-specs-revealed-1ghz-processor-pre-like-design

Now look at the performance-based benchmarks on the anandtech page like linpack, sunspider, and benchmarkpi. The snapdragon decimates the omap processor despite the slower clock speed.
Anonymous

Good info. You are correct!

Anonymous

I’m getting the iPad 2. The 50$ rebate on 32 GB version is not enough to make me waste $500+ on a tablet with no ecosystem or app at the moment.

I might sell the iPad to get an HP tablet in a year or so, if HP did something well and start bundling webOS devices with other things.

By the way, nice biased overview, as rappr commented
http://twitter.com/Jumbopackage Jumbo Package

I hope this review is tongue-in-cheek. I think it is. If it’s not, it’s a pretty fanboy-ish take on the situation. As far as “truly wireless” goes, how well does the touchpad support video output to other devices, ala AirPlay?

I love WebOS. I was a launch day Pre- owner. The touchpad has got a ton of potential. What I see from the touchpad vs. iPad debate, however, is eerily reminiscent to me of the comparison between the Pre- and the iPhone 3G. Hardware-wise, they were specced pretty similarly. Software wise, the Pre was clearly better in the OS category, but lacked the ecosystem that the iPhone had. Seeing a trend here?

Yeah there are a lot of features that I’d love to have from the TouchPad/WebOS on my iPad, but if you’re already invested at all in the Apple ecosystem, there is almost no reason to choose the TouchPad over the iPad 2, especially with iOS 5 on the horizon.

In my opinion, the TouchPad is better than the iPad in two situations:
1.) You hate Apple.
2.) You love WebOS a lot more than you love a massive variety of apps

I think it’s a compelling second choice to the iPad, but it’s still just that – a second choice to the iPad.

http://twitter.com/Jumbopackage Jumbo Package

Also, for all the poo-pooing that goes on about the iPad 2′s rear camera, it does take GREAT video in a well-lit environment.
http://www.webosroundup.com/ DanR

Your points are all well-covered in this article, methinks. … And we make no secret that we’re going to have a heavy webOS-slant. That’s why we run this site in addition to our dayjobs without pay. So yeah, consider the source…

Palmforever

WebOS doesn’t need apps to contend.
Palmforever

WebOS doesn’t need apps to contend.

Sheneedzhelp

True! I’m not a huge app fan. I am a fan of how my device operates. WebOS does it beautifully and elegantly. I’ve tried every mobile OS. They don’t compare to WebOS. The world needs to realize this. Come on HP. I am usually never wrong. Prove it to the world!

Anonymous

i know a lot of people who have smartphones and have never downloaded an app

http://profiles.google.com/windercomputers Matthew Bradley

That is actually a very good point. The problem is of course convincing Joe Consumer.
http://profiles.google.com/windercomputers Matthew Bradley

That is actually a very good point. The problem is of course convincing Joe Consumer.

http://twitter.com/abgenx abgenx

The reason why TouchPad seems much slower than iPad is because of the current lack of hardware acceleration for Javascript apps. Since the apps compile in real time and not beforehand, the response feels slower. It was probably more important for HP to ship the device than to take on the project of re-optimizing the app framework and UI to have GPU acceleration. This will change over time and things will definitely improve. In the quest for simplicity, I’ve watered down and cut corners on the explanation a little bit.

Anonymous

This.
Anonymous

This.
Anonymous

This.
Anonymous

This.
eid

So is this reliance on javascript a permanent hindrance to webOS being a responsive OS? That’s a serious question. That’s really the only weakness on my somewhat overclocked Pre+. The intermittent sluggishness of the touchpad is the biggest problem in my book and makes me hesistate on buying it. It’s the biggest consumer repellent and the number one annoyance of the 5 reviews I’ve read. People don’t like their new sleek device to be slow and unresponsive. The mail app seems remarkably slow and quickoffice didn’t run on one reviewer’s video! Millions of dollars of ads won’t change a prospective buyer’s mind if they don’t like the performance.
HP BETTER get their programmers butts in gear and fix this. The slightly chunkier, fingerprint magnet casing doesn’t bother me. But a laggy device does.
eid

So is this reliance on javascript a permanent hindrance to webOS being a responsive OS? That’s a serious question. That’s really the only weakness on my somewhat overclocked Pre+. The intermittent sluggishness of the touchpad is the biggest problem in my book and makes me hesistate on buying it. It’s the biggest consumer repellent and the number one annoyance of the 5 reviews I’ve read. People don’t like their new sleek device to be slow and unresponsive. The mail app seems remarkably slow and quickoffice didn’t run on one reviewer’s video! Millions of dollars of ads won’t change a prospective buyer’s mind if they don’t like the performance.
HP BETTER get their programmers butts in gear and fix this. The slightly chunkier, fingerprint magnet casing doesn’t bother me. But a laggy device does.

Anonymous

If I had to pick one or the other right this second? iPad2 without a second thought.
Admin

Ipad2 is for those who just want things to work. No matter what’s lacking. Most people.
ANDROID is for those who are anti establishment or have less money.
WebOs is for those who dream of how things should be and are optimistic that it will happen.

As a developer I have been around the block with all three OS’s.

I am a dreamer and I love it. WebOs that is.

J Pantalones

High five!
J Pantalones

High five!
J Pantalones

High five!
J Pantalones

High five!
http://www.facebook.com/sweetgreggo Gregory Gammill

Do you develop apps for webOS? I buy apps.
JDM

Cheers to a fellow fan! Now. How is Android anti-establishment? They’re freakin’ everywhere.

http://koderoid.myopenid.com/ koderoid

I like this posting very much. unbiased with a kick!
http://koderoid.myopenid.com/ koderoid

I like this posting very much. unbiased with a kick!
http://www.twitter.com/comelygrace Katie

Hey haters accusing a biased review, I just want to point out that this website is called “webOS roundup”. I feel like calling them biased here is like going to Yankees stadium or something and expecting the people there to not show slight favoritism towards the Yankees? Probably not the best comparison but whatever. Go to apple roundup– I mean, engadget if you want to read something with a bias in the other direction.

Jwavy

Lol @ AppleRoundup
Jwavy

Lol @ AppleRoundup
Jwavy

Lol @ AppleRoundup
Jwavy

Lol @ AppleRoundup

http://www.webosroundup.com/ David

I actually own iphoneroundup…just haven’t done anything with it :)

JDM

Roundup dead iphones and show videos of them getting shot with various guns at a shooting range. You could even chuck a few with the skeet machine. Entertainment gold!

Malette

I’d pay to see that. Doesn’t even have to be dead ones or limited to iphones. Appleroundup sounds like a good western style show.

Abe

Katie, you’re like the most awesome techie girl I don’t know.

http://koderoid.myopenid.com/ koderoid

I like this posting very much. unbiased with a kick!
Robert

Ipad 2 is nice but it is also lacking in so key areas. They are still pretty much only running one thing at a time. Basic core functions are subpar, like email, calendar, text messages, and phone calls. 50,000 apps are nice but very polished core apps are more important in my view. Plus being able to have the Touchpad take over when you get home and not have to carry around your phone and tablet it a very very nice feature. The bottom line is what do you want to use it for, if you want something cool to play around on has tons of apps Buy and Ipad 2. You will not be let down. If you want something to take over the job your laptop/netbook for computing in the living room Buy a Touchpad. You will be very happy. They are both good products, it’s all in what you plan to use them for.
RS

Something that doesn’t seem to get mentioned a lot when discussing the price tag of the Touchpad versus the iPad. Apple generally does allow their products to be discounted. It is next to impossible to find a new Apple device for sale for less than MSRP. On the other hand, I assume HP products will periodically be on sale at, say, your local Best Buy, just like HP laptops, printers, etc are. That should make the Touchpad more competitive.
Danieljanderson1234

Addictinggames.com uses flash doesn’t it?
This would mean a TON of games for touchpad that cannot be played on iPad2

Anonymous

Most flash games are designed for a mouse and keyboard. They will need to be re-written to work with a touchscreen device.

Claude Toupin

In this tablets war, there is two points that people seem to have miss:

1) You don’t need a PC with iTune to activate a TouchPad or Android (i know, iOS5 will fix that, 5 years too late…)
2) You can use a $300 (or less) PC do develop a WebOS or Android application.

Don’t worry, WebOS 3.1 is coming soon… just like “they” released “it” with the crappy iOS 3.2 (remember ???) and the iOS4 with the WiFi bug that forced “them” to wait another month before the final public release, hum ?

As long as HP is committed to support the product, will have fun !!!
http://www.facebook.com/sweetgreggo Gregory Gammill

The worst thing about the iPad is the whole iOS thing.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=3216832 Tyler Brennan

where are the “video-out” and/or “presentation mode” discussion at? these are 2 of the main things I would look for if I were to invest in a tablet

davleav

I agree this is a must have for me. I think the touchpad is capable of it. HP just needs to release a solution. They were projeting the scree from a touchpd at their events, right?

Bill Wotring

Nice review. Thanks! Let’s hope HP is as committed to WebOS as we are. Only time will tell…
http://www.facebook.com/people/Jimmy-Maldonado/1299037529 Jimmy Maldonado

after the first update speed will just get better
JDM

Haven’t read the article, but just wanted to say that I think the title of this article is great, haha

JDM

Boooooo, they changed the title…

BBooDoc

Good review. I want a tablet MOSTLY for web browsing. iOS and iPad2 may be faster, today, but TP does Flash out of the box and multitasks like I do…. No competition for me when I want to couch-potato at night or read fast in am without hassles.
movies q

I think most of the reviews say the HP TouchPad is okay but that the Ipad 2 is still the better tablet. I’m still leaning toward buying the Ipad 2.
Marv

WebOS is DOA. The touchpad was there only chance at wowing people and they fell flat on their faces. I was in love with WebOS at one time with a touchstone in every room in the house. But over time it was apparent it would not be successful because of bad business decisions. I have moved on to the EVO 3D with the Android Gingerbread platform and can say it is great. I have great usable Apps, very good hardware and a quick operating system that (although not as good as webos) does good on the multitasking. WebOS fans i feel so bad for you but really this was WebOS time to shine and they blew it big time. Its time to move on to a real smartphone.
Anonymous

I say just give it a little more time before people start picking up webos devices. I was at best buy last night and i saw quite a few people play with the touchpad. People say it’s to late, it’s never to late until no one buys it anymore. WebOS is a great platform, we just need HP to keep doing what they are doing and firing on all cylinders by commercials, updates, apps, better hardware. I think it’s just a matter of time…
Malette

I love the writing when it’s from a webOS fan point of view. Funny and zingy yet respectful. Personally, I like mochas so maybe an ipad is not for me. The only reason for me to get an ipad is apps, apps and apps! On the other hand I have fallen in love with cards and you are absolutely correct that after webOS multitasking everything else seems clunky. I’ve wanted to break my husbands droid too many times so now I just don’t touch it. Flash is a good addition and touchstone is sexy. I get oohs and ahhs all the time when people see mine. I still see some downsides on the touchpad. Micro usb is unimpressive and I have to disagree with you a bad rear camera is better than no rear camera. I still see no tablet on the market that’s totally worth my money. For now my phone will have to suffice my needs and desires. None the less great reviews and comparison from the WOR the past couple days. Thanks again guys!
giz

well when talking about lack of apps, it’s not only apps, games… but usecases of what you can do with a device:
- as you mentioned: augmented reality stuff
- DLNA-stuff playing, streaming, beaming to other devices
- remote control of many hardware devices

If i pay 600bucks for something i don’t want to fire up my laptop every second time to access music from my nas, beam my videos from the nas to the TV and remote control all this with my laptop, check who called on my fixed network…
Ok at least printing seems to work, when having the right printer.

Don’t get me wrong i just bought an Pre2 after having a lauchday Pre-, but this lack of possible usecases sadens me: on Pre2 it is the still bad camera that blocks things like barcodescanning, or the lack of dokument editing and well yeah DLNA.