Aug 11, 2011

Amazon.com: HP TouchPad Wi-Fi 32 GB 9.7-Inch Tablet Computer: Computers & Accessories

Amazon.com: HP TouchPad Wi-Fi 32 GB 9.7-Inch Tablet Computer: Computers & Accessories: "Store more files on the go and get more done with the HP TouchPad Wi-Fi 32GB, a tablet designed to work like you do. Connect, play, surf and share more easily. Organize your related activities into card stacks on the brilliant 9.7-inch diagonal LED backlit multitouch display. Enjoy websites with Adobe® Flash® content and hear music the way the artists intended it to be heard with Beats Audio. You can also use the front-facing camera and microphone for live video calling. HP webOS helps you multitask seamlessly. Sign in to your online accounts and this HP tablet pulls information together automatically. See your Face book friends’ birthdays in your contacts, compare work and personal calendars side by side, and view your work and personal e-mails together or separately. Just Type lets you create messages, search the web and more without launching an app first. Receive notifications of new messages, e-mails and events without interrupting what’s on your screen. Plus, charge this HP tablet wirelessly using the optional HP Touchstone Charging Dock. The HP TouchPad Wi-Fi 32GB also works better together with other HP webOS devices: Touch to share websites with your HP Pre3 or Veer Smartphone."

HP TouchPad Wi-Fi 32 GB 9.7-Inch Tablet Computer Review: From a dedicated apple fan... This IS a good device - By D. Higgins "Code Farmer" (Boston, Mass)"I'm an admitted mac guy, I have the iPhone 4, iPad, Macbook Pro, etc...

I have to share my support now with the HP TouchPad. The webOS 3.0 is really pretty amazing. I didn't think it would make much of a difference in the use of a tablet, but it's outstanding, and here's why:

1) The integration of so many mainstream services used today. (they probably have some fancy term for this concept)
2) Flash plays well
3) Services missing on the iPad like Grooveshark and Amazon's cloud music all work.

First, the services:
On my TouchPad, I setup my
Email (yahoo, google, and microsoft exchange)
Skype
Dropbox
AIM
LinkedIn
Facebook
(there were others, but I don't use snapfish, and photobucket, etc... even a "find others")

I love this integration of all these mainstream services! It's really clever.

While my iPad seems very app-centric, webOS 3.0 feels more like "the matrix has you". It takes your online world and puts it into the tablet. I love that. All of those websites I often interact with get glued together seamlessly so I feel like I'm "jacked in".

A major strength of the TouchPad is the web functionality that won't work on the iPad. For example, I ran Amazon's cloud music player and Grooveshark just fine (awesome!).

On the down side, the apps are slim, but trust me, they will be coming fast and furious over the next year, like a modern-age gold rush. As someone who has ported over my C++ game engine and product ( atPeace ) to TouchPad from IOS, I can tell you that it was pretty easy, and others will certainly follow. This version 1 of the product is the closest any tablet is to competing with Apple, developers will soon be pouring over.

My only real gripe is not having NetFlix working with it yet. That's coming I'm sure, but something I use on my iPad a lot, and I miss. :(

All in all, I'd say if you want something for business, or to have a tablet built around your online presence, or just a good tablet which can run flash, this might be for you. I still love my iPad, don't get me wrong, but for a long time I didn't see why anyone was realistically imagining they could compete with the iPad. I mean, Apple does it sooooo well. Well, now I understand why. WebOS 3.0.

Don't discount this device, it's got great potential. We finally a good competitor for Apple in the tablet world, which should make both products improve."

No comments: