TouchPad pops up in Vietnam, has SIM tray [video] 93
Mon, 07 Mar 2011 11:01 am EST
We may have gotten some fun eyes-on but hands-off time with the new HP TouchPad tablet, but it seems that Vietnam is the land where people get enough hands-on time with unreleased devices that they can take them back to the office and put them in a photo box to ensure good lighting.
The TouchPad got that treatment, in both video and photo form, and it’s confirmed what we pretty much already knew: the TouchPad is just about ready, at least on the hardware front. We got our first extended look at the back (bearing a sticker that indicates this is still a testing device), and it is indeed a glossy fingerprint magnet.
That sticker did give us a bit of new info: the display and memory (at least in this TouchPad) were both sourced from Samsung, Cypress provided the touch panel, and the 32GB memory chip came from Sandisk. We also got our first look at the TouchPad’s SIM card slot, compete with SIM card, allaying our fears that the TouchPad might not come in a 3G version.
Check out the video after the break (including a comparison to the first generation and soon-to-be-obsolete iPad), and hit the source link for more photos.
93 Comments
First!
And THIS is what I need some leaks to ease my mind! If I had them about once or twice a week... I could definitely wait!
Curious why they be never turned it on. Battery died?
Yep.
Hmm...
If memory serves, Pixi showed up on Tinhte back in October 2009, then it was available in November 2009.
Interesting, good memory :)
I still got a weird feeling that next Monday at whatever is happening through HP, they announce that the Pre 3 and TouchPad are available in April. The could have used the other event to show it off and piss us off that it would take forever to be released then be all, "Hey so you know that summer release we were talking about, we were just kidding, its available next week."
Yes, that's what a multi-billion dollar enterprise-oriented company like HP does - launch a product like your surprise birthday party.
Today is my Birthday, so I'd love an TouchPad, HP.
K THX BYE. :)
"Summer" may very well be a hedge. The big unknown has been webOS 3.0, and it'd be wise for HP to over-estimate how long that'll take to fix than to promise and fail to deliver.
HP has a lot of smart people. I don't put it past them to have ironed out the bugs in 3.0 in record time, thus pushing up the launch date.
Also consider that carrier negotiations are going on right now and they might have gone better than expected. Again, better to over-estimate time for contract negotiation than to suggest it'll be done quickly and put yourself in a poor bargaining position.
They don't need to worry about carrier negotiations for the wifi Touchpad.
That it, a month after it was announced and a month before it was available. I hope it applies also to the TouchPad.
haven't we seen a leaked pre from vietnam the other day in 2009?
Very nice! I can't wait to see the release and decide which tablet to get.
On a side note - I'm thinking the black tape on the back was to cover the serial number info so the creators of the video couldn't be tracked down.
I'd think they could track them down and do something since you can see his face pretty good towards the end in the reflection. lol. I dont care if its 3g, as long as its wifi & i can tether it with my pre's freeTether!
if you have flash on your pre minus 2.1webos you can watch that flash video just as I did in-page on this site (lets see the iphone do that) or Pre2 can too I'm sure
I'm sure it ran really well too...
Ran better than on an iPhone, iPad, or non-2.x webOS devices (which is not at all)......
Did he point to 2 ports on the left side? What were they...that ipad he had looked particulary ugly next to the Touchpad...
He said that they were speakers.
is this another omage to GuyFromNam???
homage too...
i like the glossy look, and think it looks **** as **** .. gonna b one nice addition to the quickly crowding tablet space
Why oh why can't we have a matte backing? That thing will be greasy and completely scuffed on the back within the first week.
for real...
Cases, dear, cases.
Look at anyone carrying around an ipad - they have nice cases to protect the corners and cover the back - this one needing one that can use the touchstone with.
I love when a company forces the need for accessories. And when they do that after bragging about thin the item is. Ignorant.
they should make it out of g-10 composite, the stuff found on benchmade knives. That would be awesome or just have it the same as the veer and pre 3 matte soft touch.
come on hp... Leak some release dates already!! Dying for this.
I hate glossy items, really hate them. A nice matte finish is my preference for all things in the electronic arena.
Not only do they show all fingerprints and dust but they reflect light which can be annoying.
yeah but I think they're just trying to have it fit in with everything else hp (3 laptops 17,15,netbook of mine all hp, all glossy back). It's not too bad.
My giant 27" hp monitor looks like a giant touchpad to me in front of me (I think I've been dreaming touchpad too long). Though I'd like to see webos on PC's and this 27" bad boy CAN be a webos device.
All hp's expensive products are matte. But tablets are always in cases, so the shine doesn't matter IMHO.
Looks like they will be using a next gen cutting edge theft and tracking mechanism using fingerprint scanning. All you gotta do is get CSI to ID the million fingerprints on the device and you have your man! Just touch it everywhere hehe. Maybe even lick it to activate the DNA tracker! Then all ya gotta do is call CSI and within 1 episode you have your suspect caught greasy handed!
seriously though, it sure does look sweet even when turned off.
Awww.....come on. I can't believe someone knock you down for this comment. That was funny.
BTW, I read somewhere that in Asia they considered matte finishes on items to be cheap looking. So glossy reins supreme.
I think he tried too hard for it to be funny.
I'm with all those who would prefer a matte back. This rubbery coating like the Pre has with the Touchstone-Back :)
+1 more!
Clearly,they're just trying to keep our interest piqued since the ipad2 is actually being released this week and there's no set date or pricing for this yet...
if you look at 32-35 second mark the battery charge icon shows in the middle of the screen. it looks like it ain't charged.
great spot!
i just hope the battery lasts as long as the ipad (or longer)... a great device isnt worth anything but a paper weight if it doesnt have any juice
that thing looked huge, then he put it next to the ipad1 and then not so much.
but next to ipad 2? eek!
you've seen one next to an ipad2?
dont have to to know that its way thicker. the ipad2 i just over 8 mm thick i think, while the TP is around 13 mm.
I personally don't care about 5 measly little millimeters.
its makes a big difference when our are holding it upright with one hand for reading, which is the advantage of a tab. some people (including me) would buy one tab over another simply because it is much thinner... 5 measly little millimeters in this case is almost 40%, which is quite significant, which isnt measly. so, u have no argument
sounds very 'plasticy' as he clatters it about, doesnt sound as solid as I would have expected
Its still a test build (supposedly), so hopefully the final builds of them are nice and sturdy
yep. i have an hp dv6500 laptop and it's totally plasticy and it has a similar finish. i had to take it appart to replace a bad screen. the plastic housings inside had decayed. many of the holes that **** went into had their housings just day and fall off. so that's what that rattling inside was. luckily the screen has like 10 screws so there were still enough good ones to hold the screen in place. But honestly i'm very skeptical about hp build quality. dead screen, bad plastic, and that's not all. but we'll see.
I call it a fake
so this is a production model? i think HP was being conservative when they gave us the release date for the pre3 and the TP. i'm thinking we will see them b4 summer or at the very beginning of it. they kinda have to get it out sooner than that to b competitive... a bit off topic; i have been struggling between which phone i want to buy next. i am a pre - user. after seeing the Galaxy s II i reallly wanted that phone cuz the hardware is simply stellar. i seemed to have convinced myself that i wanted the most powerful phone out there when i upgrade next. however this past weekend i was using, assessing, and just holding my friend's EVO to get a good feel for the size of the phone cuz the Galaxy S II is similar. Mannnn i was not feeling the size of it. it feels like a brink in my hand, not how a phone should feel at all. i have changed my mind since then. the pre3 will b for me. sry for the doubt guys!!
Fingerprint magnet is right! If you get one, first order of business is a Zagg Invisible shield! In other words, add another $30 or $40 to the purchase price!
try bestskinsever.com Ive been using them for years. You can get a Zagg-type sheild for the pre+/-, (with superior corner design) for $6. Winning!!
..haha!
don't they mean 4g instead of 3g?
I question this whole video...why did they tape off the back content/labelling? The guy had a hellofva time fitting in the Sim card slot. I was actually waiting for it to break. If memory serves me right, the HP logo on the opening day Touchpad is round and silver in colour.not the old blue and square.
I say it is a touchclonepad. He didn't want to turn it on becuz it is a clone. .
That would have been hilarious if he had snapped the SIM card tray off! Then watch his hands kinda stutter as he's thinking "$hit, what do I do now!"
Agreed; and let's hope so.
What did that guy say?
I dont get it, Made in china and Vietnam people has it?
Did anyone notice at the 2:07 mark when they pan out, there is a freaky anatomic model of a mouth at the left of the screen. Just startled me a bit. On a differnt note, the public will be able to buy the IP2 in 4 days and in this race, as it were, it will be really, really hard to catch up. No need to necessarily end up 1st but HP should strive to at least place in the top 4-ish?
That mouth is probably there to signify most of the precentral members and the way they love to suck on anything palm shoves in their mouths.
I'm not trying to be mean Jeff, but, any other hobbies? I think you should branch out from just writing negative comments here. You might try writing positive comments...if you can't do that here, feel free to look for another place. I do recommend you practice writing positive comments though, wherever that might be. It's good for the soul.
And don't respond with passive-aggressive pseudo compliments that are actually designed to be negative. Seriously, try a little kindness to your fellow man...woman...and child...don't forget dogs and cats...birds are ok...I once had a pet lizard...
i didnt know there was a rule saying all comments had to be positive.
now i know, thank you very for this insight, i love you.
I didn't know there was a rule allowing obscenities like that.
NOW YOU KNOW! And KNOWING is HALF THE BATTLE!!!
G.I. JOE :)
Rule? Did I say rule? Didn't I only suggest? I believe you misunderstood my intent. I only intended to suggest that positive comments are good for you and others...and don't forget the animals too! But thank you for the love. That is kind of you! Although I don't know you, I wish you well...but I'm already in love, so...how about brotherly love? :)
I will be mean Jeff, GET LOST. If yiou like other platforms then hang around their pages and leave us alone. Jerk. A**H***e!!
Is it made with the gorilla glass or just the Pres?
Also is this an instant on device or do you have to wait a long time to boot like the pre minus.
Who in here remembers Windows 3.1? If not restart your pre now and you'll be back after several breaks.
maybe it is a fake and maybe it is not. It may be a real prototype. Is it coincidence it pops up and we also have HP listing it on Amazon. Hopefully we see that page updated wit a release date soon and not be removed. How well it sells remains to be ssen. It should have been on sale before the announcement of Ipad 2. I know I want a Touchpad still though. Touchpad 2 needs to blow away the Ipad 3. Especially since Apple is mouthing off other manufacturers. HP also needs to be looking for the next great mobile product.
Ching dom dow (Very Nice) lol, jk
That iPad was in a case with an overlay on both the front and the back. The TouchPad is going to look like a smudgy thick glossy plastic brick next to the iPad 2. They could have at least tapered the edges to make it not seem so thick.
the Touchpad is a sumo wrestler next to even the ipad 1.
any1 else think its funny that HP named this thing the Touchpad while not designing it with one of WebOS's most identifying features; the touch area? hah
ironic, no. dumb, a little.
Did he say there was a mini-usb on this?
yup... it would have been nice if they designed the micro usb like the one in the Galaxy S II that goes from micro usb to HDMI. what is that called? MLH or something?
Very nice mirror. Which generation will be matt and comfortable to work with? :(
If this thing doesn't come out at $399 it is DOA.
Aluminum > Plastic
Hopefully HP releases a high-end model at some point. First impressions are everything, and the first impression here looks cheap and extremely greasy.
$399 wont happen, especially with carrier partnerships.
I would love it to be $399! I don't think that will happen though. I hope it will at least be competitively priced like $499 for a WiFi only 16GB model.
$499 is not competitively priced. This thing is nearly twice as thick as an iPad 2, made of plastic, lacking a rear-facing camera, and devoid of the thousands of applications that are available for iOS.
I love webOS, like crazy, but no one is going to choose this TouchPad 1.0 over an iPad 2 if they are the same price.
i have to agree. cuz honestly, i wouldnt and i really like WebOS... however, if they made a bundle with the pre3 and the TP for a nice price (especially since im a legacy user and they are suppose to give us a deal) i would buy it.
Read today's NYTimes piece on all the reasons Apple's tablets are coming in cheaper than everyone else's.
Because they had to foresight to invest billions of dollars in advance? These were not possibilities that somehow eluded HP, Motorola, etc. Apple isn't doing anything sneaky or mysterious here.
The reasons don't really matter. HP needs to be competitive in their pricing.
Anyone notice it is missing the round button at the bottom? The ones that HP showed had a round raised home button.
Such a fingerprint magnet. :X
April is possible since practically, April = Summer in Cali.
haha so true.
June Launch Date
Where's the "envy" lineup of webos devices HP?
I think that a month or so before it's released they should have a pre-order with some kind of discount. That could drive some developers to consider developing for webOS.
There sure was a lot of snickering going on. I wonder what was being said.