News, Opinion/Editorials

5 Ways HP Can Get the TouchPad Rockin’ [Editorial]

By: Gary Katzer, 7/14/2011 4:19 pm | 26 comments

There were a lot of promises before the release of the TouchPad. Some HP execs claimed it would be “perfect” when it shipped while others promised it would be “number 1 plus” [whatever that means - Ed].

These were expectations HP created, but that isn’t what we were given. While we like the device, others were lukewarm at best. One underlying theme across most reviews is that there’s a tremendous amount of potential in webOS generally and the TouchPad specifically. We were impressed with the TouchPad in our extensive review yet we were also left longing for more. We have put our heads together and have come up with a list of five ways HP can leverage the TouchPad in the marketplace to be successful. To be on this list the item must fit the S.M.A.R.T. model (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely) and something that HP is currently not doing with the TouchPad.

1. Big Apps

Any tablet worth its salt needs to have big applications running on it. HP launched the TouchPad with 300 dedicated apps which just surpasses what’s currently available for Honeycomb tablets, but is still paltry by most standards. There are a lot of hard-working developers who have created some awesome apps, but there are some basic holes that need to be filled to make the TouchPad a true competitor.

Netflix, for example, is notably absent. Beyond Netflix, there are a number of other key applications that needs to come to webOS and the TouchPad. Sporting applications are very popular on any tablet and would be a welcome addition to the platform. MLB.com is one of the most popular sites for mobile users, especially their At Bat and Gameday Audio applications. Both of these apps have found a home on iOS and Android and need to make a webOS appearance. If baseball isn’t your thing, perhaps football is? Hockey? College sports? These all need to make their way to webOS to help achieve widespread acceptance. We would also like to see the “Coming Soon” label removed from several current apps. Yeah Kindle, we’re looking straight at you. [It's noteworthy that HP is promising not just a "hard launch" for the TouchPad circa July 17, but also new apps... so this may be in progress already. -Ed]

2. Expand Touch-To-Share

If there’s one thing that webOS and the TouchPad does differently than any other tablet, it’s Touch-To-Share. In fact, when I went to a local store recently to ask if they had the TouchPad one of the sales associates responded “that’s the one with the cool phone and SMS capabilities, isn’t it?”.

I was impressed that the folks knew that the TouchPad had this capability, and I reminded them that the TouchPad is the only tablet out there that has this sort of integration with your phone. The bummer is that, at least currently, there isn’t a single phone that can take advantage of it on the market. Sure, we’ve got the Pre3 coming and the Veer will be able to do it in the future, but as of right now we’re left with promises of future functionality.

Touch-To-Share needs to hit the Veer sooner rather than later, and the Pre3 needs to get to market now. While getting the Veer and Pre3 (and the Pre2 for that matter) rocking would be a step in the right direction, what could really help more people think of the TouchPad as a viable tablet option would be to expand Touch-To-Share to more devices.

Now I hear what you are saying. iPhones and Android devices don’t have the hardware requirements to do true TTS. You are absolutely correct, but many of the cool features that fall under the umbrella of Touch-to-Share doesn’t rely on the hardware coils. SMS forwarding and call sharing rely on good old fashioned Bluetooth. Getting these features working across multiple platforms could really be a differentiating feature that really stands out. I’m sure that a future next generation iPad will probably have this; TouchPad can have it now!

3. Promote Great Apps and Exclusive Features

Quick quiz for you: what’s the least amount of storage available on a TouchPad? If you said 16GB, you’re wrong… it’s actually 66GB! Wah?

Each and every TouchPad gets 50GB of free cloud storage on Box.net, that’s how! Wanna guess another cool thing about it? I’ll give you a second to think of what it is. It’s exclusive, that’s what it is.

The problem is it’s not being promoted to anyone, anywhere. There are those who will be using a tablet as a netbook or even laptop replacement. Having an extra 50GB of free storage is a very enticing sell to these potential customers.

Speaking of enticing…while the TouchPad doesn’t have a ton of apps, it does have some great ones and people need to know that as well. There are in fact some really cool applications available for the TouchPad… how many of you knew that IHeartRadio was on TouchPad? Anyone? I didn’t until recently.

For those griping about the lack of apps we need to answer back that there are apps and really good ones too! There are great games (Hexage games, Fortix2), twitter apps (Spaz HD), news readers (Mosaic), and more are coming every day. HP needs to start shouting that from the rooftops. Heck, why not make a public version of Pivot? Let those who don’t own a TouchPad see what they are missing.

4. Improve Advertising and the In-Store Experience

Those of you who have been with webOS since the beginning know that we have never had a great advertising campaign for webOS. We started with the Modernista!’s creepy woman and some monks. Then we got the Verizon’s “Palm Pre Plus Mom” ads.

Before the sale of Palm we did get one good ad with the woman swiping and using cards as she went shopping for shoes, but its been pretty dim since then. Granted, there hasn’t been much to talk about but now with both the Veer and TouchPad shipping we need to get more and better advertising. The Manny and Miranda Veer ads are solid, we just need to see them more. I am not personally a Russell Brand fan so I am the wrong person to ask about him but even his ads need to be seen more (ugh, did I really say that?). Now I will say I was impressed that I did see two Veer and a TouchPad ad in one hour on ABC Family just last week which I thought was promising. However I have not seen a single ad since. This needs to change.

TV and print ads make a difference and drive consumers into stores to check out (and hopefully purchase) TouchPads. If the in-store experience sucks, then even being the greatest product won’t do you any good.

I’ve gone into over a dozen stores locally and few if any have even had TouchPads powered on, let alone on display. I even went into one store where instead of being out for people to try out the store demo was locked up. We need to get TouchPads and webOS 3.0 in people’s hands so they can see what makes it, not just different, but better. Many of you have heard of the Veer Peers program. If HP can’t get reps into stores, then implementing a program like Veer Peers out to secret shop local retailers and provide feedback would be a great way to get the community involved.

5. It’s About the User Experience, Stupid!

This is a no-brainer but it puts a nice bow on everything quite nicely. One of the reasons why those of us who use webOS are so passionate about it is because we love how it works. From cards to gestures, true multitasking to Just Type webOS isn’t just different — it’s superior! The problem is, we can keep telling each other how awesome webOS is, but we need to grow webOS so new users can consider webOS as a viable option to iOS or Android. Seeing webOS IN-ACTION is one of the easiest ways to demonstrate how awesome it is. It’s something that Apple has mastered in its advertising and HP can learn from them.

When talking about the user experience, it needs to be a positive one. If the experience is laggy or the TouchPad actually crashes on someone in-store how can they be expected to buy one in good conscience? webOS is NOT a Microsoft product; I, for one, don’t want an experience that rivals Windows ME or Vista. I want it to be buttery-smooth, especially with a $600 price tag. I understand that 3.0 may have been rushed to hit a delivery date but there are some serious known issues that need to be addressed. At least it appears that there’s an update that is supposed to address many of these issues soon. If the update hits and there are still lagging and crashing issues I fear the worst for the TouchPad.

I’ll be honest here, I want the TouchPad to succeed. I love webOS and think it’s better than anything else out there. Slips ‘n’ trips were commonplace during the Palm webOS days, and unfortunately continued into the PGBU era. I am hoping the recent restructuring means that the status quo of “just good enough” can be discarded and that better days are ahead. With Stephen DeWitt at the helm of the HP webOS Global Business Unit the time for change is here and now, and I for one am ready for a fresh take on our beloved platform.

Note: This article was published earlier before final edits could be made…the results of this are that some of the comments below reference pieces of the article that have been edited. We apologize for any confusion.

About Gary Katzer

Gary Katzer has been involved with print and on-line media for over 10-years. His expertise has been in the world of Radio Controlled vehicles, social media, audio, video and photography. Gary became an active webOS user in 2009 with the launch of the Pre, his first Palm device. Since then he has owned a Pre Plus and Pre 2, is a member of the HP Veer Peers program and can't be separated from his HP TouchPad. You can reach Gary on Twitter @Gary_WOR

View all posts by Gary Katzer →

JDM

Did you really just call a”hoe” out? Shame on you :) I agree that people need to just get webOS in their hands to see how good it is. My wife chose the pixi out of the other android phones and the blackberry phones because of the interface, and someone from work got the Pre because she loved the interface. It’s smart, but not elegant in it’s current form (save overclocking and the Veer from what I saw). It needs fixing, you’re right.

TimmyB

I think he meant “how”, but maybe I’m being to naive. (?) :)
http://www.mississippigulfcoasthockey.com Jason L.

We’re WebOs hoes.

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

I think you should have just put everything under User Experience and for go the other topics, So far Apps are concerned the problem also lies with that there is not that much interest in Developing for HP WebOS you can read it here http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-20073446-260/webos-pivot-aims-to-boost-hp-apps-pizzazz/ , i see now why it’s so important to have Swat teams in HP, The Touch to Share i don’t think it need to be expanded more as it is now stay simple with it, it’s a new feature and no other device has that kind of technology, so keep it simple for the customer and in time add new features with it ,base on Customer need,
But in the End there is a new Guy he got some Success under his belt and experience in Managing, so let’s hope he can clean house.

Gordon Aplin

I attended an open house for android developers at Bottle Rocket last evening. They were an IOS only house. They are now expanding in to Android as customers are now asking for Android. Key statement from the owner, “We still today don’t feel that Windows mobile, or Blackberry, and WebOS are not the most relevant platforms. Again, I’m not the most popular person in the room when I say this sometimes but for what we do, what Bottle Rocket does, those are irrelevant platforms at the time, now in the future, will those become relevant platforms, possibly, and if so Bottle Rocket will be there.” I may have a word wrong here or there in my translation but you get the idea. — GA
Gordon Aplin

I attended an open house for android developers at Bottle Rocket last evening. They were an IOS only house. They are now expanding in to Android as customers are now asking for Android. Key statement from the owner, “We still today don’t feel that Windows mobile, or Blackberry, and WebOS are not the most relevant platforms. Again, I’m not the most popular person in the room when I say this sometimes but for what we do, what Bottle Rocket does, those are irrelevant platforms at the time, now in the future, will those become relevant platforms, possibly, and if so Bottle Rocket will be there.” I may have a word wrong here or there in my translation but you get the idea. — GA

anon

That headline just made me shudder. Wonder why, google amiga and “on schedule and rockin’”
The_Reptile

Judging from the photos it appears that we shop at the same Walmart.
http://twitter.com/TheTechChat TheTechChat

You need to be careful about the whole “more apps than Honeycomb” mantra. Yes, it’s true there may be more TouchPad-optimized apps than Honeycomb-optimized apps (although we can’t really be sure, because Google’s made it so damn hard to find them), but the fact is that most Android apps run just fine on Honeycomb. They may not be optimized for the tablet format, but I’d rather have them non-optimized than not at all. And in just about all cases, they’re better than the webOS 1.X emulation mode that so many apps default to on the TouchPad, and they support all of the tablet features.

In short: even if only 50% of all Android apps run well on Honeycomb, that’s still 100,000 apps. If HP is going to be realistic in assessing the market, this is the fact they’ll focus on, not this red herring of optimized apps. And let’s not forget: the number of major developer apps optimized for Honeycomb is probably still higher than for the TouchPad, even today.

http://twitter.com/TheTechChat TheTechChat

Oh, and, this isn’t me trying to be an Android fanboy or anti-webOS. It’s me trying to inject some realism into the discussion. webOS won’t succeed if its fanbase (and manufacturer) lives in a fantasy world…

Fango

Just a heads up, if it’s not tablet form, then I would count it. Hp go get them with ur 300 plus apps launch. That’s awesome.

BlueInTexas

Adding to #3, I thnk Pivot is a cool idea, but I’m already tired of “Issue 1″. During these early days, it should be updated more often to highlight the latest added apps.

The fact that the Kindle and Movie Store apps were not ready is almost unexcusable, and where’s that cool flying game featured in some of the early videos?

But I still love my TouchPad.
https://profiles.google.com/116073748054291541228/posts Techy8789

I think they should advertise the unique features, like Touchstone, TTS, multitasking, and so on. I don’t just want random celeberties holding the devices in front of their faces and looking at pictures of puppies and workout programs.
Fango

Any public tim is good time out there. They started out good, I’m waiting for the big push and I am justing to se some bundling of items because I am getting one and there is no doubt about that. Only thing I want is office editing. Word and excel.

JDM

What about openoffice.org? That would be a cool app.
JDM

What about openoffice.org? That would be a cool app.
JDM

What about openoffice.org? That would be a cool app.

Fango

Any public tim is good time out there. They started out good, I’m waiting for the big push and I am justing to se some bundling of items because I am getting one and there is no doubt about that. Only thing I want is office editing. Word and excel.
Phoenix1801

you guys are just as supportive as precentral members are? i think gary’s article makes a great point and being positive about it.
Malette

Good article with important points. Apps are needed, TTS should be expanded to what we were led to believe it was going to do, phones should be released, advertising and store displays should be on point, and the unique features should be shown off more. Also I’d like to add that for me a removable battery with good life in it is important. I would like to see a full usb and sd slot at the least. I also believe it needs a rear camera or at the least a better front facing one. Also some color choices would be nice.

JDM

Maybe the 4G will have those things? :o

Steve

One point that should be made.

Many ios apps are there because of no flash support.

My boys love miniclip which works natively on the tp I believe to get any of these to work on is needs am app. That’s at least 100′s of apps that the tp does not need.
Many apps are to make things easier on small devices. Check in for a flight use the full webpage. Scrap some more apps.
I agree we need apps but only the useful ones.
http://sorli.com sorli

Great review and insight. Hopefully HP is listening since IOS and Android users are not. I go by Best Buy once a week and wonder why everyone is so excited about the iPad 2 and Galaxy Tab. Android especially, yikes that is an ugly interface. As always, it is not what I think, but what the average consumer thinks. I worked with an iPad 2 and Airplay this afternoon and finally found something on IOS I could love. Great job Apple and time to step things up HP. Sorli….
MarkP

1) Big apps: Splashtop Remote, Netflix, Evernote
2) How about Touch to Print? Really, start adding this to the HP printer line and people can walk up with their webOS devices and just touch to print. No more running back and forth to the printer for multiple print jobs. This would be an enterprise worthy function.
3) Identify what differentiates the TouchPad. I heard almost nothing about Exhibition mode from reviewers. The Touchstone appears to be a novelty to many, but I would be dead in the water without my Touchstones for my Pre+. I even charge in my car on a Touchstone.
4) At my local BB, the TouchPad looked like an orphan. Of course, so did the iPad2, strangely enough.
5) I don’t see what issues people are having with crashes. I’m using my TP (32GB) off and on all day with multiple apps, heavy Flash websites, etc. and I have yet to have a crash. I don’t even know how to do a hard reset yet. It just works, and well.

I installed the Preware patches two days ago to enhance performance and now it flies. Good article, thanks!
riverratt

I’ve been a die-hard WebOs user & still have and use my Pre Minus also purchased the TouchPad. I agree the is not enough pro-mo on this and I also been retailers by me and I have not seen any Demoed. As a loyal user I would be willing to volenteer my time to help promote this product. Who & Where do I sign up at. I love the product and the potenial.
Jason Ross White

I’m a HP employee and I travel and do a lot of presentations for HP Storage in Latin America and I would like to see the following as soon as possible.

1. Power point is supported but power point with animation is not. I show many slides with animation showing how data is transfered from host to SAN as an example. TouchPad does not support this. It needs to!

2. I would like to see TouchPad support spelling correction for both English and Spanish at the same time as I write in both languages all day.

Other than that I like the TouchPad but is has a long way to go before it can really be compared to a iPAD. Hoping for the best….