Hands-on with the AT&T TouchPad 4G [video] 60
by Phil Nickinson Tue, 12 Jul 2011 5:55 pm EDT
This fella look famliiar? It should. On the outside, it's the same ol' HP TouchPad. On the inside, however, it's a bit more beastly. This one's AT&T's version with HSPA+ data. But that's not all, folks. This puppy's got a 1.5GHz dual-core processor inside. And in our brief hands-on, it certainly flies.
Don't believe us? Look up.
Still no mention of pricing or release date, and we've been twisting arms up here. Believe us.
4
0
0
0
60 Comments
Or....the 1.5 Ghz processor has something to do with it?????
Or....the 1.5 Ghz processor has something to do with it?????
I like how the Connection Manager doesn't fire up ... that guy is really a sales person - he doesn't stop praising the new features while tapping three times (?) on the button ... :P
I see he "enjoys" the same level of ATT connectivity I was blessed with when I carried their little phones around.
Does HP think AT&T is the right choice because that is what Apple used to launch their iPhone? Or, is AT&T cutting them a deal because Apple is no longer exclusive to them and they need something to showcase? The fact of the matter is that this would rage on Sprint! Makes me feel sick to see it on a **** network that throttles speeds. Soon Verizon and their limited data plans will have it too I bet. Curse you Sprint! Curse you.
It's still only as good as it's app selection.
It's only as good as QUALITY app selection. I don't think we'll ever catch up to iPad's number of apps.
Just give me the apps I need, not the thousands of filler apps, and I'll take the TouchPad over the iPad
Again, the touchpad doesn't need apps to compete.
Which is why HP is spending so much money on swat teams to bring apps to the platform. /smh
HP is building apps for companies. The best way to more apps on webos is to create a fake company and have hp design the app for you.
SOLD!
Liked the slight dig at Android re: a single email application for your gmail and your work inbox :)
Uhm...there are email applications on Android that have unified inboxes.
Ha, but you need an app.
So the email client on the TouchPad is not an "app"?
How do people celebrate "we have a facebook app" and then turn around and proclaim "ha, you need an app for that? we can use our browser."
Funny stuff.
I think the point is that the functionality is in the default Touchpad email client. It seems like you admit that it might be an Android third party application.
Out of the box is good.
As for people celebrating the Facebook app for webOS, it's an added bonus for those that don't wish to use the browser.
You have a couple of options with Facebook. The default is as Facebook intended it and the mobile is optimized.
This shouldn't be compared to an email client as there is no universal intention/interface for it. Also, webOS gives you the optimized version... why complain?
*****
As for people celebrating the Facebook app for webOS, it's an added bonus for those that don't wish to use the browser.
*****
I see. So if the app (or a patch) exists in webOS, it's an added bonus. If an app exist on another platform somehow it's not a good thing? Perhaps if webOS actually had 3rd party support the fans would not have to set "default apps" and "yeah but I can do that in my browser so I don't need an app" artificial limits for the sake of comparison.
Anyway, the "default" email client on my Android device IS "a single email application for your gmail and your work inbox" AND I have the "added bonus" that is a choice of apps that do an even better job at that.
So I maintain that if the statement was indeed a "slight dig at Android" it was, at best, an uninformed one.
Don't generalize about apps.
The Facebook application hit many news outlets as unique on webOS and not available on iOS or Android. It wasn't just webOS fans "celebrating" it. It was a unique case, and it wasn't like iOS or Android were on TechCrunch for a similar thing.
That's very different from a generic "app" or a "patch."
As far having 3rd party support... that is based on a few of things other than webOS... A couple of those are: hardware and marketing.
In general the "yeah but I can do that in my browser so I don't need an app" is going to rule the mobile world. It's just like desktops and laptops... most people run their "apps" in a browser.
We should give credit to a company that realized it 2 years ago and built their operating system around the web.
I'm not against Android... I'm probably moving to it a couple of days due to the cheap Virgin Mobile plan. I just wanted to clarify the issue.
Bit defensive about Android much?
I like certain things about Android but the inability to manage my exchange and gmail and imap/pop3 emails and calendaring all using a single clean native app is one of my biggest complaints (aside from the lack of super-intuitive multitasking).
I don't want to have to use a 3rd party app for this because I want maximum functionality/tie-in to OS-level features.
Honeycomb's gmail implementation is so much better than anything available anywhere else that its ridiculous. So there is definitely a trade off here.
Does look a lot smoother than the current devices. Then again you didnt see a lot of apps demoed.
I bet it has an updated OS that they have been talking about.
I wish the display models of the launch devices that I played with at Best Buy were as snappy and responsive as this one.
Interesting point on the demo devices. Went to 2 BBs and an hhgreg store. The TP at the first BB was laggy. The ones at the other BB and hhgreg were snappy.
Oh, forgot to mention. My 32GB TP will arrive from Amazon tomorrow.
I spent an hour this past Saturday at a BB and played with various tablets. Most of my time dedicated to looking at the Touchpad. A salesperson was really trying to sell me on one, I didn't have the heart to tell her I'd just ordered mine and was only looking to get a feel for what it would be like.
Anyway, the demo model there worked great - I didn't see any lagging issues, although it did reset during one game. Bottom line, I'm sold on the thing and can't wait to get mine....
It looked very quick to me, but I, too, wish he had demo'd a number of apps, particularly ones we know had complaints from the reviewers on speed.
I know he is probably a hardware guy, but I wish the guy had asked him questions about editable files, netflix, etc. He may not have the answers, but then again he might.
BUT, after all that to waste a question at the end if it will be WiFi only or 3/4G...
I know. Couldn't he read the blog post on Palm's website? It was very clear to me...
Judging from the reviews I have watched of the WiFi only version, I reckon there is already some optimization of WebOS 3 inside of the demo unit above (along with the obligatory new bugs like the comms manager not launching). 1.2 to 1.5 Ghz is a significant 25% speed bump, but the way I saw apps launching themselves was much, much faster than just a 25% speed bump.
Yep it probably has a newer version of the OS on it.
You guys mean it has the same processor clocked at a higher speed, right?
I'm still a little fuzzy on this. Around 30 seconds in, he says, "still in that 8060 family, but we did a bump of the max cpu". Does this mean same processor, higher max speed? It kind of sounds like that.
Yeah, it sounds like some people aren't going to need homebrew to overclock their Touchpads to 1.5GHz.
They might have gotten a deal for the same chip clocked higher for the same price or close. Since it is a relatively new chip, they might have worked out manufacturing to produce more chips that are stable at that clock rate.
But people are still complaining.. BOOHOO HP WHY U BUMP SPEC ALREADY. U WILL LOSE 2 IPAD.
Hardware-wise the CPU in the WiFi TouchPad is identical to the one in this 4G model - they both have the 1.5Ghz part.
I would certainly expect something from the Homebrew folks to bring the WiFi TP up to the same 1.5Ghz.
It's hard to care when there is no news on the Pre3, when it is coming out and what networks will carry it.
THIS looks fast and smooth
who was the clueless interviewer completely unaware of the wifi versions already on the market?
That would be the Derek of Android Central and he is hardly "clueless". I thought his question, though poorly worded, was about a spec-bumped wifi-only version to match this new 3G/4G version.
Actually that wasn't Derek asking the question. It was Phil Nickinson from Android Central.
Sorry misread your post, I see you said "the Derek of Android Central". My eyes are playing tricks on me tonight been up for too long.
I said "the Derek of Android Central".
Sorry, had too many drinks tonight, my eyes are playing tricks on me, LOL.
No worries. Send me one of those drinks, would ya? :-)
Oh how I wish this tablet was complete.. Its fast and beautiful but the lack of HDMI, Doc Edits and a rear camera kills it for me. Its really a tablet that was thought of a manufactured a year ago. I mean geez you can't even utilize the front camera how you want to.. SMH
SD card slot.
I just want HDMI and an SD card slot.
That would make it a media consumption device for me. Isn't that one of the biggest selling points for tablets?
You need to buy a Toshiba Thrive in that case!
Toshiba Thrive needs to give me a webOS UI in that case.
People keep saying... "HTC or Samsung or Sony would make a great WebOS device!"... Just think if they made the HP Slate run on WebOS like it was rumored a year ago.
Its really a tablet that was thought of a manufactured a year ago. I mean geez you can't even utilize the front camera how you want to testhope.com ... i hope....
At least give credit to them putting a dual-core 1.5ghz processor on a tablet.
An alternative take on your comment is that everyone (excepting those who are stealing from webOS... like RIM Playbook...) has an UI that was thought of more than two years ago.
Over at engadget there is an interview of DeWitt. According to him the TP is great, and all the reviewers got it wrong. The TP is actually a great piece of hardware, who knew...
var regx = new RegExp('chick-goods', 'gim');
regx.compile(regx);
post.hide = regx.test(post.body);
//Just saying...
Very sad to say that I've just cancelled my pre-order for the TouchPad - the reviews have just been too negative for me to blindly shell out premium money on it.
I'm not saying I'm no longer buying one - but I'm going to wait a few weeks and check a TouchPad out in a store, beside the latest Android tablets, to see how it stacks up. I'll never buy anything from Apple so iPad is not a factor.
The negativity surrounding it - plus the re-jigging of the execs at HP and the price cuts - means it just seems prudent to wait and see.
Shame cause I was totally hyped about the TP up until a couple of weeks ago.. :-(
You are doing the right thing by trying it before you buy.
Head-to-head product comparison is also a good idea.
But don't compare on specs. Compare on the basis of how the appliance will work for you. What do you want to do with it, and how does the appliance work performing those tasks?
If the appliance works well for you, the variation in specs won't matter.
Finally - never, ever buy an appliance with the expectation of future updates. Not a home theater receiver, not a phone, and not a tablet computer.
Such great advice right there! ^^^
I mean, it's ok to expect support, but I never understood the "OMG! A newer version is available; mine no longer works!" mentality.
"Shame cause I was totally hyped about the TP up until a couple of weeks ago.. :-(:
Same here. I was a HUGE WebOS fan and tried to convince family and friends to switch over to it. In the end, as my Pre Plus was more and more outdated and frustrating to work with, I was the one who wound up switching to Android. I bought the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and it is absolutely fantastic! It boots up in less than 30 seconds. Depending on your needs, there are plenty of apps for it and the GMAIL app is great! Totally happy with it!
I saw in some article that it will be avialbe by back-to-school season.
Wow – how bad can a sales guy demo a TP – well here is one demo of that. So if one have never used the WebOS before, the flipping back and forth between cards, stack them and read my email will really impress me. Someone really needs to start making the TP and the WebOS cool by showing cool stuff. The change at HP maybe a good move, but timing really sucks. If I can predict then you will be able to get a TP for less than $300 later this year or you get TP+Pre3 for a flat $500 at ATT.
Anybody know if a gps antenna is included?
Wondering if it will make and receive phone calls and sms texts using its own sim card or will it still need to be paired with a webOS phone for that.