HP TouchPad on Touchstone charging stand |
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| Developer | Hewlett-Packard |
|---|---|
| Generation | First Generation |
| Release date | July 1, 2011 (US), July 15, 2011 (Canada, UK, France, and Germany), August 15, 2011 (Australia) |
| Retail availability | July 1, 2011 - August 18, 2011 |
| Introductory price | US$499.99 (16 GB), US$599.99 (32 GB) |
| Discontinued | August 18, 2011 |
| Operating system | HP webOS 3.0.4[1] |
| CPU | 1.2 GHz (black model),[1][2][3] 1.5 GHz (white model),[4] Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 APQ8060, dual-core ARM[5] |
| Storage capacity | 16 or 32 GB (black model),[1][2][3] 64 GB (white model),[4] flash memory |
| Memory | 1 GB, Mobile DDR2 SDRAM[1][2] |
| Display | 9.7 in (25 cm), 1024×768 px XGA, 18-bit color, TFT LCD with IPS, LED-backlit[1][2][3] |
| Graphics | Qualcomm Adreno 220 core[1][5] |
| Sound | Internal stereo speakers with Beats Audio, 3.5mm stereo jack for headset / headphone / microphone, vibration motor[1][2] |
| Input | Capacitive Multi-touch screen, 4 resizable virtual keyboards, power / volume / center buttons, microphone, ambient light sensor, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Magnetometer (compass)[1][2][3] |
| Camera | 1.3 MP HD front-facing[1][2] |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR with A2DP stereo, Hi-Speed microUSB[1][2] |
| Dimensions | 240 mm (9.4 in) (w) 190 mm (7.5 in) (h) 13.7 mm (0.54 in) (d)[1] |
| Weight | 740 g (26 oz)[1] |
| Related articles | Palm Pre, Tablet computer |
| Website | www.hpwebos.com |
The HP TouchPad is a tablet computer which was developed and designed by Hewlett-Packard.[6] The HP TouchPad was launched on July 1, 2011, in the United States; July 15 in Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany; and August 15 in Australia.[7]
Contents |
The HP TouchPad was announced on February 9, 2011 at the HP WebOS "Think Beyond" event held at the Fort Mason Center in San Francisco alongside the HP Veer and HP Pre 3.[8]
Early reviews of the HP TouchPad were mixed. David Pogue of The New York Times wrote, "It works beautifully, and conveys far more information than the iPad 2. The tablet offers "real multitasking" with all open apps always running."[9][10] Jason Chen of Gizmodo wrote, "After actually holding the TouchPad, I can say it's deceptively heavy. It's around the same weight as the iPad, but you'd think it would be lighter because the back is made of plastic. That said, it's not overly heavy, just heavier than you'd think by looking."[11]
On August 18, 2011, 49 days after the TouchPad was launched in the United States, Hewlett-Packard announced that it would discontinue all current hardware devices running webOS. Remaining TouchPad stock received substantial price reductions, and quickly sold out.[12][13]
The HP TouchPad is a touchscreen tablet that runs HP WebOS, which has several notable features. The TouchPad uses card multitasking found in Palm Pre phones.[14] The integrated webcam on the front of the HP TouchPad enables video conferencing, and a backlit Home button at the bottom. The HP TouchPad also allows for haptic feedback with vibration function. The hardware includes a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and 1GB of RAM.[15] "Touch to Share" allows a Pre 3 mobile to share information such as websites by touching its sensors with the TouchPad's sensors. The TouchPad can receive calls and text messages forwarded from any phone using a Palm Profile.[16] as well as make and receive calls via the Skype application. An independent site estimated that the 16GB and the 32GB HP TouchPad's contained $296.15 and $318.15 of materials respectively with a cost to assemble of $10.[3]
The HP TouchPad has a 9.7 inch, 1024×768 pixel, Gorilla Glass multitouch capacitive touch screen. Interaction can be by finger or a capacitive stylus, available for separate purchase. The TouchPad's virtual keyboard can be configured to one of four preset sizes, and has a number row on top of the common QWERTY layout. The TouchPad also features an InvenSense 3-axis gyroscope.[1]
The TouchPad has three separate physical buttons, a sleep/wake button on the top right, a home button at the very bottom of the front that launches the card view or the app launcher and a set of volume rockers at the right of the device. Holding the power button and the home button together creates a screen snapshot. The TouchPad has internal stereo speakers and Beats Audio.
The Atheros chipset supports Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR with A2DP stereo Bluetooth. The tablet can share URLs, phone calls, and text messages with webOS phones via Bluetooth pairing.[17] Pairing with non webOS smartphones was enabled by a software update 3.0.4.
The TouchPad uses a rechargeable 6000 or 6300 mAh Lithium-ion polymer battery rated at 3,7 V (total 22,2 Wh).[18] It can be charged via MicroUSB connector or optional wireless charging by Touchstone charger. When using the Touchstone, the TouchPad enters a mode called Exhibition Mode, which displays simple information such as a clock, schedule or media.[19]
The battery life is estimated at nine hours by HP; in a review by Engadget, the battery lasted for about eight and a half hours.[19]
| Application Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Web | Web browser; uses WebKit layout engine. |
| Default email client. | |
| Messaging | Standard SMS and MMS application; built in hooks for AIM, Yahoo, Google Chat, and Skype. |
| App Catalog | Access HP App Catalog. |
| Memos | Note taking application. |
| Quickoffice | Suite of office applications with that allows for the viewing and creation of spreadsheets, slideshow presentations, and standard word processing documents. |
| Adobe Reader | PDF viewing software. |
| Maps | Default mapping application that searches for locations, gets directions, and displays traffic patterns. |
| Contacts | Standard address book where a user can store contact information that can be synced across your various accounts. |
| Music | Application that plays the music files stored on the device. |
| Phone & Video Calls | Standard phone dialer; can place phone calls and also use Skype for video calls. |
| Photos & Videos | View videos and photographs on the device. |
| Amazon Kindle (Beta) | Access to ebooks on an Amazon account. |
| Access Facebook via user account. | |
| YouTube | Browse through all of the videos on YouTube. |
The Touchstone is a wireless charging dock. While charging with the Touchstone, the TouchPad can be set to an Exhibition mode, the user chosing whether to display photos in a digital photo frame, or show upcoming appointments. The Touchstone also enables wireless communication between a HP Pre3 and a TouchPad. Tapping on a specific region will transfer web links to the Pre. This technology is known as “Touch to Share”.
The Touchstone has a USB power cable attached to it with a USB Standard-A plug on its end. It must be plugged into a high-power USB power adapter, such as the HP TouchPad power adapter or a newer high-current USB adapter. HP shows a warning in the user manual to not plug it into a laptop. In North America, the Touchstone ships with the same AC power adapter that is included with the Touchpad.
A Bluetooth wireless keyboard with typical QWERTY layout plus additional keys for special TouchPad capabilities. There is a power slide switch on the bottom. Two AA batteries are required.
It has special TouchPad keys for: Power, Card View, Cursor Left/Up/Right/Down, Volume +/-, Mute, Brightness +/-, Fast Forward, Play-Pause, Rewind, Show Virtual Keyboard, Show Just Type, Show Notifications. The keyboard will pair with other Bluetooth devices but some key functions may be missing as the keyboard layout (outside the alpha numeric keys)is specific to the Touchpad.
The power adapter converts wall AC to USB DC. This accessory contains the following items:
The TouchPad (adapter and cable) and Touchstone (adapter-only) ships with this accessory.[1]
The protective case doubles as a stand for watching videos or typing. There are holes on the edges of the case for access to the microUSB connector, 3.5mm connector, internal microphone. When it is folded open, there is an opening for the speaker along the "binding" edge. The case has a raised surface above the power and volume buttons, so they can easily be found. The TouchPad can charge while in the case using either the microUSB cable or Touchstone dock.[20]
The TouchPad was sold with the WebOS operating system, which offers video chat, wireless printing (HP printers only), email integration, ebooks, Web browsing, document editing, and access to the "HP Catalog", where additional apps can be downloaded.[21]
WebOS is a "card-based" multitasking environment. Open applications can be arranged into "stacks." webOS unobtrusively notifies users of messages, emails, and calendar agenda items, appearing on the top right of the screen, rapidly reviewed by a swipe gesture. webOS 3.0 integrates Adobe Flash. The current version is 3.0.4 as of an update on October 18, 2011.
HP supports funding of a new open source project. WebOS's scalability and easy app development base attracts developers. Open Source webOS provides standardized Java development tools to build and port apps to WebOS rapidly.[22]
On October 22, 2011, Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) (in an Alpha version) became available for the TouchPad. This port, based on the CyanogenMod enhanced distribution of Android, allows the TouchPad to run most Android apps natively. The Android Market, available as an add-on, allows TouchPad users to download additional Android apps.[23] The Android port for TouchPad does not replace WebOS. It provides a "multi-boot" so that TouchPad owners can start their tablets into Android, WebOS, or other OSs.[24] Android 3.0 'Honeycomb' was not ported to the TouchPad because the sourcecode was not available.[25] A few customers received new TouchPads with Android installed instead of webOS. HP is investigating the unofficial release.[26]
Linux distributions compiled for the ARM architecture have been successfully run via chroot.[27] Also, the X11 windowing system common to many Linux systems has been ported to run within WebOS.[28] This allows most graphical applications made for Linux to run in webOS.
A port of Ubuntu to run natively on the TouchPad is currently in development,[29] which boots via the moboot multiboot bootloader (using the same method as the Android port). The port is currently in an early alpha stage and is functional.
Also, an alpha port of Arch Linux ARM (which at this date provides full touchscreen support with GNOME 3 / LXDE, Wi-Fi access, but not Bluetooth, camera or sound) can be installed natively, using the same moboot method.[30]
Initial sales of the device sold 25,000 of 270,000 units, and did not meet HP's expectations. On August 16, 2011, it was reported that Best Buy refused to pay HP for any more TouchPad stock.[31] In Europe, the TouchPad was estimated to have sold 12,000 in its first month of release with sales slowing significantly in August. Industry commentators suggested that the lack of apps for the platform and lackluster advertising was hindering sales.[32] On August 18, HP announced that it would discontinue all webOS devices and was considering spinning off its personal computer unit. HP stated that it would "continue to explore options for webOS".[33] HP CTO Shane Robison noted that the TouchPad "was half a generation or a generation behind the iPad and so that wasn't going to drive volume."[34]
On August 19, HP announced a substantial price drop for the devices, to quickly clear out inventory. In the USA, the price was $99 for the 16GB model and $149 for the 32GB model.[12] Large numbers of buyers acquired the TouchPad at these "firesale" prices.[35] Most brick-and-mortar retailers reportedly sold out their entire inventories within hours the morning of August 20.[36] Online retailers, including Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and Best Buy, took orders on August 22 which rapidly exceeded their inventory, and were forced to cancel many orders.[37] A similar sale was held in Australian Harvey Norman stores, with stores in several states selling out their inventory within an hour.[38][39] Similar sales took place the UK with several stores reducing prices (£89 for the 16GB and £115 for the 32GB) and the HP TouchPad became the tablet with the highest approval rating.[40] HP TouchPad stock immediately sold out domestically and overseas from consumers rushing to take advantage of the price promotion.
Following this successful sale,[41] and to clear out their component suppliers' inventories of touch panels, batteries, and chassis,[42] HP announced on August 30 that it would make another production run of the TouchPad.[43] These units were used to fulfill existing orders to businesses like Tiger Direct and Best Buy, in bundles with a set price of $249.99 and $299.99.[44]
HP leads all non-Apple tablets sold in US in 2011.[45] By December 2011, HP's TouchPad was the 2nd most desired tablet, with a 5 percent of share of tablet sales and an estimated 903,354 devices sold.[46][47]
In July 2011, HP announced their webOS hardware roadmap.[48][49] This included the "HP TouchPad 4G", with a faster 1.5GHz processor, 32 GB of flash memory, integrated A-GPS, and AT&T 3.5G HSPA+ wireless mobile broadband capabilities; demo models were displayed at a press show, but it was not released for sale.[48][50] In August, a white model with 64 GB of flash memory, a 1.5GHz processor and Wi-Fi – but without 3.5G – was built in small quantities and shipped.[4][48][51] A "TouchPad Go" model (codenamed "Opal") with a 7-inch display, 32 GB of flash memory, a 1.5-GHz processor, and cellular capabilities was found in the FCC certification database.[52][53][54]
Following Meg Whitman's appointment as new CEO of HP, in conjunction with an announcement of the company's plans to continue developing webOS as an open-source operating system, she said that the company would continue using the OS in devices, specifically resuming its use in tablets. She said this may not happen in 2012, but will probably take place in 2013.[55][56]
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