Hack Your TouchPad to Run Android, Win a Prize

After HP announced it would discontinue production of its TouchPad tablet last week, it looked like early HP tablet adopters spent $500 on a dud. If you're an enterprising software hacker, however, there could be an opportunity to make your money back — and then some.

A hardware modification web site is offering a $1,500 cash bounty for the first person to successfully port a full version of the Android operating system over to HP's TouchPad.

Hacknmod.com offers a tiered bounty system for would-be TouchPad hackers: Just getting Android to run on the TouchPad without taking full advantage of the tablet's hardware will win you a cool $450. But the more you're able to integrate the system software into the device, the more cash you'll earn. Get the Wi-Fi, multitouch capability, audio and camera up and running, and you'll add another $1,050 to the pot.

While the bounty is characteristic of the Android modding crowd which basically wants to slap Android onto anything with a circuit board and touch screen, it's also an admirable effort to breathe new life into a dying piece of hardware. After reports of dismal sales and third-party retailers sitting on hundreds of thousands of unsold TouchPads, HP decided to kill production after a mere 49 days on the market.

It was bad news for current TouchPad owners. No more HP hardware gives little incentive for webOS app developers to continue producing applications for the platform. In turn, TouchPad owners miss out on the latest popular applications to come to mobile devices. And of course, it gives potential customers no incentive to buy the remaining TouchPads retailers have in stock, costing HP and retail stores hundreds of millions of dollars. Everyone loses.

But if the porting plans work, it could mean bringing a slew of Android apps over to HP's tablet. If the TouchPad were capable of running thousands of Android apps, the device may not be obsolete.

This isn't the first time the Android modification community tried to port the operating system over to non-Android devices. Android modders have run the operating system on the Barnes And Noble's Nook Color e-reader, certain Nokia smartphones and even an iPhone.

If you don't want to go it alone, Android modification enthusiast site RootzWiki created a team specifically to work on porting Android over to the TouchPad, christened the TouchDroid team. The plan is to get Android version 2.3 (Gingerbread) up and running, then install a version of CyanogenMod, the most popular modification software available for Android devices. Eventually, the team wants to get Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) onto the TouchPad, Google's tablet-optimized version of the software. The coders will post updates to a thread on a message board devoted to Android development on the TouchPad.

All of the Android hacking mania begs the question: If all you want is an Android tablet, why not just go out and buy one?

First, you may be able to get a TouchPad for even less than you would a proper Android tablet. HP, Best Buy and some U.K. retailers slashed prices on its TouchPad inventory over the weekend, dropping the price as low as $100. Sales skyrocketed, and the TouchPad reached the top of the electronics sales charts on Amazon.com. Android tablets that boast hardware similar to the TouchPad average $400 to $500.

Second, the future of webOS is unclear. HP says it will continue to support the operating system despite discontinuing its tablet, but that doesn't necessarily mean we'll see tablet-optimized updates to webOS in the future. And of course, HP could sell off the operating system for its patents to a competitor like Google or Apple, which would all but secure the system's demise.

Most importantly, hackers hack because they can. Android was built using open-source software principles, a favorite of the modification community who codes for the fun of it. If you propose the challenge of running an operating system on a piece of foreign hardware, expect the DIY community to take you up on it.

If nothing else, do it for the money.

source: Gadget Lab

HP TouchPad cleared off UK shelves

Guess the massive price cut in the discontinued HP TouchPad has proved to be a rather popular move, so popular in fact that it has done quite an impressive job in evaporating off shelves in the UK. Further investigation was done at various web sites including Currys, PC World and Dixons, where they introduced the newly discounted price points at 6pm, and all these sits seemed to experience a slowdown in performance.

There were times when you were required to register and provide personal information before you are able to place an order, while other sites proved the TouchPad to be rather elusive across a range of postcodes.

In fact, all Currys and PC World stores had already sold out their stock of HP TouchPads, regardless of whether they are online or pre-order models. It makes me wonder just what kind of use will these firesale TouchPads be used for – how would you make use of a TouchPad if you had one?

source: Ubergizmo

Sony S1 Will be Dubbed Tablet S, Coming First Half of September

With September right around the corner, things are lining up for the launch of Sony’s first entry into the Android tablet space. Originally announced under the codename of the Sony S1, Engadget has got the scoop on the slate that will be released as the Sony Tablet S. We’ve seen the tablet with its inviting curved design plenty over the past few months, and leaks have spelled out nearly every detail of the 9.4-inch (1280×768) tablet.

The Tablet S will ship with Android 3.1 when it launches sometime during the first two weeks of September. An upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich is a planned stop along the device’s future roadmap. The PlayStation Certified tablet is being positioned as a media monster, with a built-in IR blaster for controlling your home electronics as well as extensive DLNA capabilities. Rounding out the Tablet S are dual cameras (5MP rear, 3MP front) and the promise of plenty of accessories. Sony will also bring the S2 to market soon, a dual-screen clamshell tablet headed for AT&T exclusivity. Its final name, as well as pricing on both devices, remains a mystery.

source: Android Phone

Fusion Garage Grid10 tablet shown off on video

Remember the unveiling of TabCo tablet last week which turned out to be the Grid10 tablet from Fusion Garage? Unfortunately while we couldn't make it to the tablet hands-on event, other sites like CNET managed to, and have published their first impressions and shared a video and some photographs of the tablet. The all-new GridOS looks like it could have been an overlay placed on Honeycomb, so Android users should have no problem using the device, though you gotta admit the screen transitions do look pretty sweet.

For those of you who missed the webcast launch and want a closer look at the Grid10 tablet to know what the tablet is like before plunking down money for the tablet (that's due to arrive on September 15th) you can check out the full post at CNET for more information. It looks like we have yet another $499 tablet in the market place - a segment that HP failed to break through with its TouchPad, let's see how Fusion Garage does with the Grid10. Any predictions?
source: Ubergizmo

Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet - Prices and versions

Just a quick heads up, last July we presented you the latest Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet on this article. This has now become available for pre-order starting at 500$ the lowest (16GB + Wi-Fi), 570$ (3G+Wi-Fi+32GB) and 670$ for the 64GB. All of this is powered by a 10.1 Screen and a Nvidia Tegra 2 chip and all the specifications on the 1st article.
source: Akihabara News