TouchPad App Catalog finally enables enlarged app previews 35
Mon, 15 Aug 2011 6:28 pm EDT 
It's been a month and a half since the HP TouchPad launched, and the app shopping experience is about to get a whole lot better. The App Catalog just received an update (gotta love how the Catalog is treated like any other app) that finally brings larger-sized previews to apps in the Catalog.
The previews center the full-size image on the screen, which works great for phone-sized 320x480 apps, but you'll notice an immediate issue when viewing tablet-sized apps in landscape: they don't fill the whole screen and they're off-center. That'd be because of some weirdness with the App Catalog, wherein landscape app screenshots in the Catalog are framed as if they're portrait (1024 tall and 768 wide) with transparent space above and below. It's something we hope HP will fix, because it's making for not-quite-full-size previews.
But it's bigger previews and we can actually tell what's going on in these screenshots now, so we'll take it! You can swipe left and right between the previews, and tapping anywhere will dismiss the image overlay and return you to the app's listing.
Your TouchPad should check soon enough for an update and notify you, but if you're feeling impatient, just fire up the Software Manager app and it'll check right now.
Via: PreCentral Forums
35 Comments
+1
Great addition to the App Catalog! With no return policy, I have passed by many apps because I could not see what the app actually looked like.
Any good app would've had a website with screenshots anyway, but nice to see them fixed in the catalog.
And you can move and re-size the app screen graphic.
Can't believe this took a month and a half, such an oversight. Either way, I updated the app store and I see the larger previews, woo hoo! Now all I need is my $50 early adopter credit so I can actually buy stuff!
I gotta tell ya...the HP App Catalog user interface and fluidity is much better than the App store on my iPad 2. Oh did i mention currently you can install more than 1 app at a time on webOS and iOS only allow 1 app install at a time...NICE!!!
The only drawback is having to see the Pivot cover every time.
I don't mind it starting up in Pivot mode. This month the dude on the horizontal cover looks ridiculous though. I can't believe that pic made the magazine.
Yeah that's why I don't want to see it every time.
I guess all the people that gave me thumbs down liked the guy.
hahah. good one
The only drawback with that, as I see it, is that I missed the July issue and can't get back to reading it.
It look like iam going to have to doctor to get it as my Software manger dose not work AT ALL
Just reboot it. I had the same problem and after a reboot, Software Manager detected it.
had to doctor! done the reboot many times no help! it working for now (for how long who knows)
There is a bug with the Software Manager. Many people have reported that it's not working properly (myself included)
they also changed the featured tab to recommend in the categories section
Derek, you can scroll down on the landscape photos to view the entire landscape picture so it's not cut off anymore. It's just inconvenient, but you make it sound like you can only see so much of it and you can see the whole thing scrolling down..
whoa. I can add a comment from the touchpad? That's new, isn't it?
Yes! Finally, although the forums now seem to be broken for the Touchpad...
I reset 3 times since after work and don't see it yet...
me neither - this a glaring bug w 3.0.2. Now i've metadoctored to 3.0.2 so some will say that is the problem, but i had problems with the regular installation as well. i reported it to HP but they said it was a "transient server issue" according to my logs. doesn't seem to be transient at all....more like permanent.
you can pinch zoom the images!
"But it's bigger previews and we can actually tell what's going on in these screenshots now, so we'll take it!"
NO! No we will NOT "take it". This can not be final. It is a HORRIBLE experience on the TouchPad no matter the orientation. In the vertical format it looks ridiculous butting up the the edges of the screen, and the horizontal view is just a joke.
Here's the way it should work:
Devs need to upload a minimum of 3 screen shots in horizontal and vertical format. When previewed the screenshot should take up either all of the screen or minimum 95% and should show the appropriate images based on the devices orientation.
A simple "rotate device for [horizontal/vertical] preview" message can be shown in preview mode.
Please make this happen, HP. It's the little things like this that help round out the user experience. These little touches MATTER!
yeah, good catch: commenting from the tp! I think I'm more excited about that than the preview pics in the app catalog. Ok maybe not. This is huge (although it shouldn't be ;-)
How do those of us, for whom the software manager reports any updates even when run manually, update to the new version of the app catalog? NOrmally when I restart the TouchPAd the software amanager will show show in notification that there are avaialable updates. But even that is not working right now and in any case updating from the notification never works either. SO are we stuck with the older version of the App catalog?
You could try doctoring your Touchpad.
They also fixed the display of the app icons, which are now no longer ugly and pixelated.
Oh hey, didn't notice that one. Nice!
Hi all,
Does anyone know the app count for the TouchPad?
Thanks and take care,
Jay
Now if we could just have the ability to sort app listings by name, price, # of reviews, best rating, etc.
+1
And all this time I thought it was a bug. I tried it put does the enlarge picture not centered, for you? On mine, it's centered but it's offset, 1/3 of the bottom is below the screen.
Still waiting for HP SERVER to be fix, since Saturday my TouchPad can not get a OTA version 3.0.2, not even via computer HPwebOS.com everything is "blocked", I am stuck in the middle with a new TouchPad using a "old version" 3.0.0, ....HELLO HP!
Fix your server, PLEASE!
The fact that HP cannot get the simplest things right does not instill much confidence. There is something called Quality Assurance. HP, check it out.
The "fix one thing, break another" problem quickly erodes customer confidence and satisfaction, which HP cannot afford right now. HP get your act together! Why is it taking so long to get the simplest things that even PalmOS devices offered years ago?
Many of us have given Palm a lot of slack because they were so small. HP does not have that excuse. After one year of ownership, HP has managed to release one phone on one carrier in the U.S.A.?
:-)Sent from my TouchPad