We have talked at length about the HP TouchPad. I think we will all agree that the TouchPad was a miserable failure and there is no real future in the market for the OS on a tablet. Many people have been working to get Android up and running on the TouchPad. Yesterday, we talked about a new way to get Android on the TouchPad.
The HP TouchPad’s Troubled Journey
The HP TouchPad was launched with much fanfare, but it quickly became apparent that it was not going to be the iPad competitor that HP had hoped for. The device was powered by webOS, an operating system that, despite its innovative features, failed to gain traction in the highly competitive tablet market. The TouchPad’s failure was attributed to several factors, including poor app support, sluggish performance, and a lack of consumer interest. As a result, HP decided to discontinue the TouchPad just a few months after its release, leading to a massive fire sale where the tablets were sold at heavily discounted prices.
Despite its commercial failure, the TouchPad found a second life among tech enthusiasts and developers who saw potential in the hardware. Many of these individuals began working on porting Android to the TouchPad, hoping to breathe new life into the device by replacing webOS with a more popular and versatile operating system. This effort has led to various methods and tools being developed to install Android on the TouchPad, with varying degrees of success.
HP’s Investigation into Android-Loaded TouchPads
HP is reportedly investigating allegations made by some TouchPad buyers that the tablets arrived and had Android on them right out of the box. HP claims that it never approved Android to ship on the tablet and says that the tablets did not leave manufacturing with Android onboard. This situation has raised several questions about how these tablets ended up with Android pre-installed and who might be responsible for this unauthorized modification.
HP apparently suspects that the tablets were grabbed and Android was installed after they left the manufacturing facility. It seems odd since the TouchPad is dead that HP would go through an investigation. Still, I am sure the company wants to know who changed its products to be sure it happens nowhere else.
One possible explanation for this situation is that a third party, possibly a distributor or retailer, installed Android on the TouchPads before selling them to consumers. This could have been done to increase the appeal of the tablets, as Android is a more widely used and recognized operating system compared to webOS. Another possibility is that a group of enthusiasts or developers managed to get their hands on a batch of TouchPads and decided to experiment with installing Android on them before reselling them.
Regardless of how it happened, the presence of Android on these TouchPads has generated significant interest and discussion within the tech community. Some users have reported that the Android-loaded TouchPads perform better and offer a more enjoyable user experience compared to the original webOS version. This has led to increased demand for instructions and tools to help other TouchPad owners install Android on their devices.
In conclusion, while the HP TouchPad may have been a commercial failure, it has found a new lease on life thanks to the efforts of the tech community. The ongoing investigation by HP into the Android-loaded TouchPads highlights the continued interest in this device and the potential for repurposing older hardware with new software. As more people experiment with installing Android on the TouchPad, it will be interesting to see how this story develops and what new possibilities emerge for this once-forgotten tablet.
via PCWorld
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