CyanogenMod 9 for HP TouchPad gets nightly builds

We have seen the extremely alpha build of CyanogenMod 9 for the now defunct HP TouchPad in January this year, and here is additional news on the progress of the situation. It seems that nightly builds of CyanogenMod 9 Alpha are now available, and you will be able to take advantage of these nightly builds by synchronizing it with the main development branch of CM9 across all devices, making sure that the TouchPad version will always be on the receiving end of the latest updates. Of course, just because there is a new build each night, this does not mean you need to install it each night. Most of the time, the changes are not earth shattering, but rather, in small increments that you might not even notice. Teamwin are the brains behind this exercise, where they have come up with a Twitter account that will alert the world with new download links each time there is a spanking new build released. Of course, if you prefer to look for the information yourself, then you can always check out the latest builds at a download page.

HP TouchPad receives extremely Alpha CyanogenMod 9 build

While seeing CyanogenMod 7 on the HP TouchPad is pretty great already, what would be even greater would be seeing Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich-based CyanogenMod 9 on the HP TouchPad instead. If that's what you've been looking forward to ever since you picked up at $99 HP TouchPad during its fire sale, well you're in luck as XDA forum member dalingrin has released an extremely Alpha build of CyanogenMod 9 AOSP-built ROM for the HP TouchPad tablet. The ROM appears to be usable, but given how it's considered to be an extremely Alpha build, there are quite a ton of features that do not work just yet which includes hardware video (which prevents Netflix or HD YouTube videos from playing), the camera, and audio just to name a few. However if you just cannot resist CyanogenMod 9 on your HP TouchPad, you will be able to find the download at RootzWiki along with additional information on what works and what does. Alternatively there's a thread going on at the XDA forums where users are discussing their experiences with the Alpha build of CyanogenMod 9 for the HP TouchPad.

HP replaces the Slate 500 with the Slate 2, adds Swype and cuts the starting price to $699

Until Microsoft gives Win8 the final seal of approval, the Windows tablet show must go on, right? Right. HP just refreshed its enterprise-friendly, Windows 7-flavored Slate 500 with the Slate 2, and took the opportunity to knock the starting price down a hundred bucks to $699. In terms of design, there's nothing much to see here — it's the same 8.9-inch tablet that's been on sale for the past year. Only this time, HP added Swype, refreshed the CPU with Intel's Atom Z670 and proffered a smaller 32GB SSD option to appease the IT guys who are going to heavily lock these down anyway. Speaking of security, it also packs TPM circuitry and Computrace Pro for tracking lost or stolen laptops and then deleting the data remotely. It'll be available worldwide this month — just in time for corporate to buy you a lil' somethin' somethin' for the holidays.

HP Slate 2 Windows 7 Tablet: $699 Price, Worldwide Availability Later This Month!

The HP Slate 2 features the same 8.9″ display with capacitive multi-touch support. It also support pen input and now includes a new Swype keyboard with support for finger or stylus input alike. It has an Intel Atom Z670 processor, a 3 megapixel camera on the back and a front-facing camera for video calling.

The tablet claims faster boot times, and supports a variety of applications and also packs security and connectivity for everyday professional mobile computing. Besides all that, the tablet is now available for just $699 and also optionally supports 3G connectivity for high-speed internet access.

Other interesting features include support for a couple of USB 2.0 ports and HDMI-port via the HP Slate dock,  full-featured Windows environment, greater security, and much more. Here's a quick look at its security features:

- A TPM Embedded Security Chip protects data - from email to information on the hard drive.

- Embedded Security for HP ProtectTools provides user control and management of the TPM chip to increase secure user authentication, improved personal secure drive integrity, secure email and support protected digital certificate applications.

- BIOS support for Computrace Pro helps protect against data theft by allowing customers to remotely delete data at the file, directory or operating system level and keep confidential information more secure.

- Through a single user interface, HP Connection Manager offers easy control over wireless connections, including Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Bluetooth® and optional integrated 3G Mobile Broadband for convenient internet and intranet access from more places around the world.
According to HP:

HP Slate 2 is priced at $699 and will be available all round the globe later this month.

HP updates the Slate 500 and names it Slate 2

HP has just released an update for their Windows 7 based slate tablet.  The newer Slate 2 has a faster Atom processor at 1.5 GHz, Swype input support and 32GB SSD to start.  They also changed the backing of their Slate 2 to be flat instead of the diamond style they had in the previous model.  Still no integrated stylus slot and you're still stuck with a disappointing 3 MP rear facing camera.  On the upside, HP has lowered the starting price to $699.

How would you change HP's TouchPad?

Not like it matters much now, but hey - why not, right? HP's TouchPad was tossed into the closeout bin just over 40 days after it initially went on sale, and it actually served to be a spark for the eventual webOS fire that still seems to be smoldering. When we tested it - and before we knew HP was about to demolish its operating system in the consumer realm - we found tons of promise. That said, we also found lackluster hardware and a relatively barren application store, but we held out hope that the latter would blossom. These days, our readers are using fire sale TouchPads for all manners of tasks, but if you had the chance, how would you change yours? Toss in a different CPU / GPU? Give webOS the overhaul HP never did? Swap Touchstone for Qi? Let us know in comments below - those who need to hear, will.

Android on HP TouchPad Works Like an App

The craziness that is the $99 HP TouchPad has died down and users are wondering whether they could port the tablet with Android. As much as webOS being a critically-acclaimed OS, the fact remains that not a lot can be done there.

There have been several attempts to get Android up and running on the TouchPad, but a recent post in PreCentral (which is dedicated to Palm and webOS devices) shows how to make Android run in the TouchPad like an actual app. Interested TouchPad user can download and install the test IPK file to the tablet, but do not expect it to be flawless as this method is a test for now. You can also check out how it is done in this YouTube clip.

Several tics are noticeable when switching between homescreens or trying to play back YouTube videos. There are also issues in audio and multi-touch, as well as a power off issue that requires a hard reset.

HP releases more TouchPad promo codes for Splashtop Remote Desktop HD

Interested in more free apps for your TouchPad tablet? Good news, especially if you're looking for a way to control your desktop computer using your tablet. HP is now giving away promo codes for Splashtop Remote Desktop HD, an app which lets you do just that. HP had given away codes to the app previously but it was snapped up within a few hours, and now it looks like it wants to give users who didn't get it the first time around another chance.

But this time around, if you don't get to use the promo code to download the app for free, the app is now on sale at an introductory price of $4.99 for the next few days - that's 75% off the app's original price. If you'd like to keep abreast of all the latest promos and updates for your TouchPad, make sure you opt in for them at the HP webOS newsletters website. In the meantime, here are the codes (they expire at 12.01AM October 8 or when the inventory is gone - whichever comes first.

US:           gjhia60774xmksz

Germany:  eynwj56018hhrju

UK:           ehshy95442sfusi

France:     kpdvn01559acqwc

Let us know if you manage to grab Splashtop Remote Desktop HD for your TouchPad!

must-have product 2011 HP TouchPad?

Research firm Canalys recently sent a note to its clients that suggested HP might have better luck spinning off its PC business if it revived its webOS-powered TouchPad tablet. Canalys said the TouchPad could boost the value of HP's computer division by as much as twofold, given the recent popularity of the tablet at its lower $99 price point. “The TouchPad was overpriced at launch and did not sell,” Canalys said in a note Thursday. “This led HP to draw a premature conclusion that the product category had failed.” Of course, the “hype” surrounding HP's tablet likely had little to do with the tablet itself. Instead, a retail rush resulted from a fire sale and the media's coverage of that sale. Read on for more.

Canalys suggested that the new-found popularity of the TouchPad could propel it to be the second most popular tablet in the United States with a 10% market share. “The TouchPad has become the ‘must-have' technology product of 2011,” Canalys said. The firm seems to be neglecting the fact that all of this interest in HP's TouchPad stemmed from the slate's rock-bottom price, however, which is impossible to sustain. HP noted previously that selling its TouchPad inventory off at $99 a pop will cost the company $100 million.

“Perhaps no other technology vendor, apart from Apple, has ever created such hype for a technology product,” Canalys continued. “HP has established a lead in the race to be the number two behind Apple in the pad business but the window of opportunity will begin to close if delays occur.”

HP has suggested that it may resurrect its TouchPad business and said in early September that it was building one last batch of the tablets.
source:Boy Genius Report

HP thinking about resurrecting the TouchPad?

The past couple weeks or so there has been a lot of buzz surrounding the HP TouchPad, and why wouldn't there be? After all, the device was cancelled after only less than two months into its release. Since then the tablet has seen a fire sale where it saw its prices drop to $99 for the cheapest option, and let's not forget that Android developers are now working to get an Android ROM running on the device.

In an interview with Reuters, head of HP's Personal Systems Group, Todd Bradley, dropped a piece of rather shocking news when he casually mentioned that HP could resurrect the TouchPad. He acknowledged that the tablet industry was important which could be one of the reasons HP is reconsidering getting back into the game.

Bradley said the company could resurrect HP's short-lived TouchPad tablet computer, which was introduced on July 1 before being terminated only about six weeks later.

“Tablet computing is a segment of the market that's relevant, absolutely,” Bradley said.

As to whether Bradley was being drop-dead serious about the possibility of reviving the TouchPad, or if he was merely discussing a distant possibility remains unclear, but if it turns out that they do revive the TouchPad, those who got their hands on it for a mere $99 will definitely be extremely pleased!
source: Ubergizmo

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

HP TouchPad 4G up for pre-order on Amazon

Interested in purchasing the new HP TouchPad tablet that features a faster internet connection than the one available now? Great news, because it looks like the HP TouchPad 4G could be almost upon us. The webOS 3 tablet headed for AT&T's HSPA+ network was recently spotted as being available for pre-order on Amazon's website. And like most 4G devices, the tablet isn't going to come cheap.

I wonder how long the prices for the tablet will stay, after all HP should know that it will be hard to compete in the tablet market with such a high price tag, running a relatively unknown operating system (webOS) that most people probably haven't heard of. But it does have 4G connectivity (HSPA+ is 3.5G to be more accurate), which puts it a step above most of the other tablets. But is fast internet enough to sell the tablet? I guess we'll have to see about it when it launches, though I've got a feeling the price won't be $700 for too long.
source: Ubergizmo

In Search of Buyers, HP Slashes TouchPad Prices

HP needs to get its tablet in your hands, and the company is doing everything it can to make that happen.

HP has tried slashing the tablet's prices. Over the weekend, the company discounted its new tablet by $100 when purchased through HP's web store and other participating retailers, bringing the price of the TouchPad down to $400 and $500 for the 16GB and 32GB versions, respectively.

HP has tried rebates. The company's first rebate for early TouchPad adopters — available to those who bought it when it was first released in July — knocked $50 off the tablet's price.

HP has tried bundled software freebies. At the TouchPad's launch, the company partnered with Box.net to offer 50GB of free cloud storage, a $240 yearly value.

To some, HP's actions are those of a desperate company.

“Consumers aren't buying the TouchPad at the iPad price point, so HP is hoping a lower price will make its tablet look more attractive,” said Forrester research analyst Sarah Rotman Epps in an e-mail. “Cutting prices may cause consumers to buy the TouchPad out of curiosity, but it undermines HP's efforts to market a premium iPad competitor.”

HP's webOS platform is the underdog in today's mobile space. A DigiTimes report expects Apple to take 61 percent of the tablet marketshare in 2011, leaving the remainder up for grabs between the myriad Android tablet manufacturers, BlackBerry PlayBook makers Research in Motion, and HP (and possibly Microsoft, if its Windows Mobile OS comes to tablets any time soon). A veritable David to competing Goliaths Android and iOS, HP has a lot of work to do.

In the company's most recent effort, it will send out a $50 credit for purchasing apps in HP's App Catalog to anyone who bought a TouchPad from July 1 to August 4. It's an attempt to boost support for the webOS catalog from the consumer side. If the company can get enough TouchPad owners to start buying webOS apps, HP may have a good chance at convincing app developers that webOS is worth developing programs for.

The company is also trying to bolster its application ecosystem on the developer side, recently launching the “webOS certified developers program,” essentially a promotional deal for developers who want to get noticed. The program offers referrals and more visibility for the up and coming webOS developer who wouldn't otherwise get noticed in a very crowded application environment like Apple's or Google's.

“We've seen great developer interest in the webOS platform from companies big and small,” an HP spokeswoman told Wired.com in a statement. As a result of its developer push, the company expects a boost in apps over the next 12 to 18 months. “We currently have more than 600 TouchPad apps and more than 9,000 total apps in the webOS app catalog,” the spokeswoman said.

For comparison, Apple's App Store with around half a million apps, and the Android Market with over 250,000 apps.

With the 4G version of the TouchPad coming soon at a pricey $700, we'll have to wait and see if tablet shoppers are willing to shell out such a hefty chunk of change for a non-iOS tablet. Considering how poor Motorola's Xoom sales were in the wake of its high starting prices, the outlook doesn't look so good.
source: Gadget Lab

HP TouchPad Now Available For $100 Less For A Limited Time!

The deal is on for both the 16GB and 32GB variants, suggesting that it's perhaps the best time for all the WebOS tablet lovers who have been waiting to buy the WebOS tablet this weekend.

Staples is also offering a similar deal where users can get a $100 flat off as HP TouchPad discount for both 16GB and 32GB versions. The offer is valid through 7th of August at both Staples and HP's official retail sources.

As a refresher, HP TouchPad tablet features a 9.7" capacitive touch display, a front-facing 1.3 megapixel HD camera, a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor flanked by a gigabyte of RAM, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, onboard GPS, Web OS 3.0 and much more.

The HP TouchPad price was originally listed as $499 for the 16GB version and $599 for the 32GB version. But, the current HP TouchPad discount price lists the 16GB and 32GB models at $399 and $499 respectively.

One reason HP could have popped up the discounts is to make the tablet even more easily affordable to a greater number of consumers who are looking at a nice tablet in around the specified price range. Secondly, it could also be possible that HP wants to entice more consumers (by slashing the prices) who would otherwise be lured in the similarly priced iPad or other Android tablets.

Anyway, the aforementioned HP TouchPad offers are a good deal, particularly if you were already inclined to treat yourself with the WebOS tablet. While the offers may last for only a couple of days, we expect (but do not assure) that HP and other authorized resellers may strike similar offers in the near future, particularly so if a new version of the TouchPad is on the launch horizon.
source: Technology Nerd

Deal of the Day - $80 off an HP TouchPad 9.7' WebOS Dual-Core Tablet

Today's LogicBUY Deal is $80 off the HP TouchPad 9.7" WebOS tablet: 16GB for $419.99 or 32GB for $519.99. Features: Dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon cpu at 1.2GBz, 1024X768 display, integrated webcam, and integration with other WebOS devices. It's 0.54" thick and weighs 1.54 pounds.

16GB model: $499.99 – $50 instant discount - $30 coupon code = $419.99 with free shipping

32GB model: $599.99 – $50 instant discount – $30 coupon code = $519.99 with free shipping

Recommended accessories are available at a 15% discount: TouchPad Case ($42.49), Touchstone Charging Dock ($67.99), TouchPad Wireless Keyboard ($59.49).

This deal expires July 31, 2011 or sooner. Check the above link for more details on this deal, and check the LogicBUY home page for other deals.
source: The Gadgeteer

Packard Bell Libertytab Android 3.0 tablet now on sale for £349

UK retailer Comet is stocking a “new” Packard Bell branded Android Honeycomb tablet, with the 10.1″ 1280×800 Libertytab now on sale for £349.99. The Libertytab is yet another Tegra 2 powered device and it does indeed launch with the original 3.0 version of Google's tablet OS.

We believe this is nothing more than a rebranded Acer Iconia Tab A500, although it's a bit more colourful. This colourful:

A decent price for a 10″ Honeycomb device and that actually looks half tasty with its angular, metallic finish. Sooner or later we're going to go crazy and actually buy one of these things. But not this one.
source: Eurodroid

HP TouchPad now available in the UK, Canada, Germany, and France

The HP TouchPad has finally become available outside the US, just five short months after it was announced. The few countries that were lucky enough to be granted the honor of selling the TouchPad starting today are the UK, Canada, Germany, and France. At least those have been confirmed until now. The TouchPad may have become available elsewhere too.

Many customers who pre-ordered a TouchPad in those countries may have already received it, but today is the first day when you can just go to an actual physical store to pick one up.

In the UK, you can get a 16 GB Wi-Fi model for £399, or one with 32 GB of storage for £479. Some of the places you can buy it from are PC World, Currys, Comet, the Carphone Warehouse, and even direct from HP.com.

In Canada, the prices are $449.99 for the 16 GB version, and $549.99 for double that storage space. Retailers that now sell the TouchPad include Best Buy, Future Shop, The Source, Costco, Staples, London Drugs, Rogers sales locations, the HP store in Vancouver, as well as HPshopping.ca.
source: Unwired View

In Another Dimension, the HP TouchPad Runs Android 3.0 [HUMOR]

And that other dimension would be Canada. Best Buy, Canada to be exact. One of the advertising wizards behind their weekly flyer has the HP TouchPad curiously listed as running Android 3.0 Honeycomb. Right…but the TouchPad actually runs webOS 3.0. We understand getting the 3.0 part confused, but a quick glance at the other side of the page clearly states webOS. Somebody didn't double check before sending this one to print.
source: Android Phone

HP TouchPad to launch this July 17th, OTA update arriving shortly?

The HP TouchPad seems to be rather elusive at the moment, having popped up here and there as an image or rumor, but never having a true blue release date attached to it. Well, what can be done about the situation? Either HP comes clean with the situation to reveal the exact release dates so that geeks like you and I are able to budget our monthly expenses to accommodate yet another tablet purchase in our lives, or we can always sit down and wait for whispers and rumors to create a befuddled picture.

Todd Bradley (Executive Vice President, Personal Systems Group, HP) might have done us some good by coming out to declare on a Bloomberg interview that July 1st saw the soft launch of the TouchPad, while pointing towards a very real July 17th TouchPad release date – off the record, of course.

Not only that, it must be said that Bradley also let slip that an OTA update will be arriving in around 10 days after the TouchPad is released. How's that for efficiency?
source: Ubergizmo