Prince William and Kate demo the HP TouchPad in LA 42
At yesterday's Variety Capitol and New Media Summit yesterday in LA, it was the world's recently wed Royal couple, Prince William and Kate Middleton, that took some time to listen to various demonstrations of all of the products and concepts there. But a highlight of their tour around the event came when they stepped up to the HP Booth and took a look at the HP TouchPad.
They took a look at multi-tasking and flash capabilities on the TouchPad, as well as other major features of the device, like watching their wedding photos stream across the screen from the Photos app, and a quick look at the Aston Villa website, Prince William's favorite soccer team, from the JustType bar to show the couple just how easy it was to get into the webOS experience. According to HP's Michelle Price, they did enjoy the demonstration.
No word on if they'll be getting any webOS devices for themselves this time around, but they did accept an HP donation of two TouchPads to present to Inner-City Arts, an educational facility for struggling kids in LA, and that's something we can certainly appreciate. For HP, the royal couple is probably one of the highest on their list (on anyone's, for that matter) to impress with a device that they'll use on a regular basis. Then again, maybe the two are just waiting for those OTA updates to come through in the near future before they make the decision on what to buy.
Source: Palm Blog; Via: Los Angeles Times;
42 Comments
Tim, I think you forgot about Albert and Charlene of Monaco. Perhaps you meant the most recently happily wed royal couple.
The guy in the back taking a picture with his iPad made me laugh.
Everyone with a closed and locked iOS-thing makes me laugh.
Everyone who thinks a "closed and locked iOS-thing" is more restrictive than an "open and empty WebOS thing" makes ME laugh. We'd be lucky to have the kind of support Apple gets from developers, regardless of how closed or open the environment is.
If you look at all the apps we currently have available, we may not have as many apps, but it's not HORRIBLE. The only numbers that look bad are the "Touchpad specific" apps for WebOS 3.0.
Many developers have left, not because of the relatively low number of users of WebOS based devices, but because of the fragmentation in the userbase. Some carriers are still not even at WebOS 1.4.5, you have the Pre 2 that has WebOS 2.0.x, O2 in Europe provided WebOS 2.1 for the Pre Plus. Then you have 2.2 for the Veer. With that sort of fragmented user base, where you could have bugs that only apply to one WebOS version, that scares away developers.
If we saw WebOS 2.1 available for ALL carriers, with 1.4.5 for those who don't want to Doctor their phone, then we would see more interest in the platform as a whole.
i'd take their close over our open any day of the week. I don't care about closed or open. that's some tech geek thing. I just want the apps. i don't care how.
I care about not having to go homebrew to get VisualBoy Advance, for example. You'll never see that emulator in the closed Apple system.
If WebOS ever gains any traction, do you really think HP will continue to allow emulators in their app catalog? I know emulation is legal but it's easily subject to DMCA takedowns as Android users recently discovered.
I'm fine with that. VisualBoy Advance isn't something i'm looking for. I'd much rather have espn, espn radio, espn scorecenter, mint, netflix, etc. etc. etc.
no offense to homebrew people, i've used some of their apps. But that's not why i bought the phone. To have to do that. And when i'm looking for apps i'm looking more for stuff like Fidelity.com app then what i think is a video game emulator. to each his own. I'm not buying a phone to play games.
I dont know what apps your looking at but not only are there few WebOS apps but their quality does not outshine the same apps on iOS. Plus jailbreaking an iOS device never proved anymore difficult than setting up homebrew on WebOS with all its novacom BS. Jailbreaking is as easy as visiting a website now and to me seems to offer more "OPEN" functionality. Just waiting on that ip5 and a quad-core, 1GB RAM, retina display ipad in 2 years.
just another reason why people do want a decent camera on a tablet. Cause if it's what you have when overrated "newsworthy" people show up it's what you'll want to use to take a picture. The touchpad should have had a good rear facing camera. i'm sure it will in the future. well it's hp so i'll say i'm not sure but i'd guess.
Decent? I would love to see the photo result in that lighting.
What does the lighting matter. I said "people want a decent camera." I didn't say the the lighting was good for taking a picture. And i'm sure people would like to have a decent flash too.
The ipad2's camera isn't decent though and anyone that claims it is is lying. It's worse than the camera on older iphones or even the pre3. But again, it's not really made for taking photos but for web-resolution video and augmented reality.
Decent Camera? The iPad camera is so low resolution to be worthless for photos (it's meant for video). It's like what? 1.3 MP without an advanced lens system? It'd be like using an old generation cell phone, definitely a worse picture than what the pre3 is capable of or really any modern cell phone.
I suppose the rear camera is useful for augmented reality type stuff, however I will always be carrying a phone w/ a better camera or an actual camera (I have a micro four thirds system and with a fixed focal length lens/compact body the thing is very small) for taking actual pictures/video (the micro 4/3rds shoots awesome video). Which is one reason I don't rag on the ipads camera too much, it's not for taking photos.
From an enterprise perspective, I'd rather see better outward facing imaging, then video conference. Images of prototype, advertising, damage, inventory stockpile, worksight images....
Seeing some putz explain what he sees on a site visit is nothing compared to seeing it in high detail. A picture is worth a thousand words.
Save video conference for teen aged girls at the mall. Add it when the basics are covered and solid.
Since HP is not interested in selling phones, they better start making some compelling tablets and PC's to justify their $1,200,000,000 purchase of Palm.
Prince William is waiting on the Pre 3 to be released before he gets the TouchPad.
[Caption Contest]
sales person to Kate: "sooo...how big is it?"
Kate: "about 'this' big (giggles)"
William distracted by the multi-tasking abilities of WebOS: "hm? what? sorry honey, did you say something?"
[Caption Contest]
"Oh my gosh, that's bloody brilliant. So, is there an Apple store nearby
LOL
LOL!
> Everyone with a closed and locked iOS-thing makes me laugh.
Which makes it all the more upsetting that HP seems alright with just "meeting" the iPad and not beating it in every possible way. Why doesn't the touchpad have a microSD slot for future memory upgrades or a standard size USB hosting port so one can easily transfer content to and from thumb drives?
Fixed memory certainly helps HP's ability to have it's tiered pricing strategy and Apple-like built-in obsolescence. But wouldn't a little bold innovation be the mark of a truly future-oriented brand and product, and not one still playing catch-up?
I do say, quite spot on....
I agree... sad but true!
That's why I was doting more for HTC to acquire Palm. HP may have the distribution channels but they're not really one known to innovate or change the way people do things.
WebOS deserves better than to be 3yrs in yet be constantly excused as being in perpetual "beta 1.x" mode.
because SD memory management in Android and old PalmOS stinks. Some apps work, some don't. Some go to SD, some don't. My lowly Palm Pre runs more apps than my wife's Samdroid, because many of hers WONT go to SD, so her memory is "filled up" even though her SD card is barely used.
Meanwhile, I have, at last count, about 180 apps on my Pre2, and all my music, and over 3GB open still.
It's not the specs that make a device useful. It is how well it runs. webOS and iOS are so much better to use partly because of the lack of SD debacles.
You sound like every Apple fanboy trying to explain why less features and choice are better. Hey genius, if you can't figure out how to "manage" your SD card, THEN DON'T USE ONE. That's how choice works.
And you still ignored the no USB hosting problem. But I'd LOVE to hear you pontificate about how this is of course some sort of "feature" that benefits users. Let me guess, "managing" USB content is difficult / there's plenty of storage on-board / some unrelated story about how you never use all of the memory on your devices?
Make all of the excuses you'd like, these features would only help leapfrog the touchpad over the iPad - but obviously you seem pretty happy in the mediocre "copy Apple's every move" category. Way to innovate HP!
I have to agree with the point here. Choice is good. A bad implementation of a particular technology does not mean the technology itself is bad. Initially, webOS made a very poor choice in how internal memory was used when it came to storing apps. That does not mean internal memory is bad. Likewise, Android has a poor implementation of SD memory management when it comes to apps; which agagin, does not mean SD memory is a bad thing.
Given the choice, I'd choose large internal memory AND the ability to expand via SD or some other technology.
This is great to see!
I thought they said free iPads. Heads are going to roll!
Prince? THAT guy didn't look like Prince at all! Where's his purple brocaded jacket and stilletto boots?! His raspberry beret?! And what the heck happened to Apollonia?! She's all skinny and boney - was it the prison food?! She makes doves cry!
She's quite a beautiful woman. And fashion does tend to change with time. What would you think of him if he had his tights tucked into that stiletto boots?
Yay?
I can see hem waiting. I'm waiting on the OTA update too.
Just out of curiosity, do the royals have a last name? And if not, is that why the media keeps using her maiden name? And lastly, how would they make a new Palm Profile without a last name? Maybe use 'England'?
Wishing them all the best in their new life, which should include a TouchPad and Pre3 each! (or Veer if she wants compact)
Their "House" name was originally "Saxe-Coburg and Gotha", but was changed to "Windsor" in 1917 due to anti-German sentiment in the UK.
Royals don't really need a last name. The title is supposed to be sufficient.
wow. You can see Prince William's smirk thinking "$500? Is this a joke?"
Kate: "Can I play words with friends on this?"
HP Rep: No, but for another $80 you can have exhibition mode!
William: "Hmm not really quite interested in forking over another $80. I like to read, can I use my kindle books on this?"
HP Rep: "Not yet, but COMING SOON!"
Kate: Can I edit my documents?
HP Rep: "Not yet, but COMING SOON!"
William: "Can I watch Netflix Streaming on this?"
HP Rep: "Not yet, but COMING SOON!"
HP Rep: "Let me show you this touch to share feature ((Touches pre 3 to touchpad))
William: "Well that's quite impressive! I like the phone I think i'll take one of those."
HP Rep: "No you can't have one"
William: "But I am a prince"
HP Rep: "We at HP don't care"
Kate: "Come William, lets move on. I feel like we are being treated as Sprint Pre minus owners"
William: "yes yes, lets go get some tea. Cheerio"
HP Rep: "Dammit... another sale lost! Why!?"
" You can see Prince William's smirk thinking "$500? Is this a joke?" " "Hmm not really quite interested in forking over another $80."
They ARE the royal family, 500 bucks or 50000 bucks mean nothing to them.
"William: "Can I watch Netflix Streaming on this?"
No Netflix on the UK.
The privilege of being UK royalty is staying out of UK at the commoners expense. Cheers.
Hahaha. All kidding aside, I think I had this conversation with my wife when she asked about the touchpad. Most people don't care about the OS, they care about apps and ease of use. While the OS is very important to me, I think that WebOS has always been marketed wrong. But that's nothing new to many of us here.
WebOs is the OS2 of the 21st Century.
Better in every sense, it solves problems the client didn't know they had. But fails to do the day-to-day basics.
@mwr0707 Actually it's Mountbatten-Windsor
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