HP touchpad reviews

shaffaaf27

shaffaaf27

shaffaaf27

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precentral:
part 1 http://www.precentral.net/review-hp-touchpad
part 2 http://www.precentral.net/review-hp-touchpad-part-2
conclusion
The HP TouchPad will be hitting shelves around the United States on July 1, 2011. The Wi-Fi-only webOS tablet will be available in two storage sizes: 16GB for $499.99 and 32GB for $599.99. Owners of original and Plus-variant Pre- and Pixi-series phones will qualify for a $50 mail-in-rebate on the 32GB TouchPad through the first month of availability (that’s HP attempting to “make things right”).

So the question to be asked is this: should you get a TouchPad? If you already have an iPad that you’re satisfied with or think you’d be better served by an iPad, you probably shouldn’t get a TouchPad. But if you’re looking for a multi-tasking monster with fantastic web browsing, email, a growing app store, and oodles of potential, then you might want to consider the TouchPad.

The TouchPad’s not a perfect tablet by any stretch of the imagination. It has its faults, but by and large those are correctable missteps, bugs, or omissions on the software front. While no number of software updates can make the TouchPad thinner, lighter, or sprout a rear-facing camera, the hardware is solid and up to the task of whatever you can throw at it. We didn’t even try to break the TouchPad with a Too Many Cards error – we don’t have the patience to figure out how many apps it takes to reach that 1GB RAM ceiling.

With a software update or two, the first of which HP has told us is in progress, and a filling out of the App Catalog, the TouchPad could be a legitimate contender in the tablet space. HP’s still making their case, and if there’s anybody with the power, expertise, and connections to make a successful tablet, HP and webOS could be the winning combination.
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thisismynext:
http://thisismynext.com/2011/06/29/hp-touchpad-review/
conclusion
The TouchPad is far from perfect — really, not even close right now. Still, there is DNA here that is amazing, and deserves to be given a second look. What HP has done in just a year with webOS is commendable, and if the fixes for some of these big, ugly bugs come as fast as the company is promising, the TouchPad could be the contender everyone over there thinks it is.

Still, the bottom line here is that the stability and smoothness of the user experience is not up to par with the iPad or something like the Galaxy Tab 10.1, even if many of the underlying ideas are actually a lot better and more intuitive than what the competition offers. That, coupled with the minuscule number of quality apps available at launch make this a bit of a hard sell right now. If HP can convince developers to get behind this product, and the company can laser focus on the end-user experience, becoming the number two player in tablets isn’t as crazy as it sounds. Really.

Rating: 7.5
Pros

Intuitive and natural user interface

Crisp, clear display

Phone pairing can be very useful

Cons

Sluggish, unfinished software throughout the OS

Hardware quality feels cheap

Developer support is thin right now
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engadget:
http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/29/hp-touchpad-review/
conclusion
Oh, happy day, when one first receives a device that's been eagerly anticipated for months. Sad, sad day when that device fails to live up to one's expectations. We all wanted the TouchPad to really compete, to give us a compelling third party to join the iOS and Android boxes on the ballot. But, alas, this isn't quite it.

The shortage of apps is a problem, no doubt, but that will change with time. What won't change is the hardware, and there we're left a little disappointed. Holding this in one hand and either an iPad 2 or a Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the other leaves you wondering why you'd ever be compelled to buy the HP when you could have the thinner, lighter alternative for the same money. Meanwhile, the performance left us occasionally wanting and, well, what is there to say.

If the Pre 3 were out today and if the TouchPad were $100 less we could maybe see giving it a go, if only to root for the underdog. But, as it is, you have to put your heart and two decades worth of Palm obsession ahead of any buying rationale. With such compelling alternatives readily available, that's asking rather a lot.

7/10

webOS 3.0 is slick
Solid Facebook and e-mail apps
Touch compatibility with Pre 3

Bulky hardware
Occasionally spotty performance
Very limited app selection
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shaffaaf27 said:
little in what way?
No apps, hardly any enthusiasm for the OS, lack of devs etc

Late, well I dont think so.
The market for tablet is already saturated. This needed to be in before the Android tablet bomb exploded imo. It will struggle to gain any momentum against those without any head start and I can't see major retailers giving it much shelf space.

overpriced, without a doubt.
Way overpriced.
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its shame aswell, as i personally thin the OS is the best being offered, on either phone or tablet.

i wouldnt say its saturated, you have the same honeycomb tablet released over and over again with different companys and an ipad. i think there is huge room for growth there.

make it £325 for the 16GB and its easy to see the sales. as its HP though i can see them bundling printer with this, or bundling this with phones or laptops or PCs etc.
 
The iPad 2 and Transformer are both very good though, I just think it's daft to buy this instead of one of those.

Unless I'm missing something entirely.
 
Robbo said:
The iPad 2 and Transformer are both very good though, I just think it's daft to buy this instead of one of those.

Unless I'm missing something entirely.
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I'd have instead of a iPad of course, but Transformer or a Sammy 10.1... not so sure about.
 
better than the ipad for browsing, flash. On par with the transformer, but then factor in the facebook app, or synergy, or multitasking.
 
shaffaaf27 said:
great webbrowsing? Facebook?
Click to expand...

Again there are already well established alternatives that do the above very very well.

I cannot see any reason to buy one unless it was at half the cost of the market leader which it is not.

You've only got to look a couple of threads down to see what Archos are about to release and you surely see why this will fail.

Shame really as I really like WebOS but that price is simply too damn high to make any dent.
 
shaffaaf27 said:
better than the ipad for browsing, flash. On par with the transformer, but then factor in the facebook app, or synergy, or multitasking.
Click to expand...

I still think you're pushing it, it isn't really worth it. Maybe if it takes off with apps and gets a price drop, but I doubt that is going to happen given how saturated the market is at the moment.
 
The browsing is better on the Touchpad than the Sammy 10.1/Xoom. I've not tried a transformer. Better = mroe responsive, slick, fast and smooth. Only problem I came across with browsing is the auto-rotate didn't play well when flash was on the page.
 
feedtheram said:
why would anyone get any tablet? I have yet to see one do anything better than a laptop...apart from play touchscreen games...which i dont see being worth £400 of anyones money.
Click to expand...

They do plenty of things better than a laptop, they're certainly a luxury item but then so are many things.
 
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