What are the best accessories/apps/tweaks/forums for a new HP Touchpad I just purchased in the firesale?

December 11, 2011 5:47 PM

I just purchased a refurb 32gb Touchpad for $180 (tax+shipping) in the firesale. Did I pay too much? Should I keep it as WebOS or install Android CM7 alpha on it?

I am suffering from instant buyer's remorse after paying so much for a device that is refurb and out of development (although there's nothing close to it in this price for the hardware). Do you think this was a good deal?

Also, now that I've bought it, please let me know about the following:

1. Which is the best case under $20 for the Touchpad? I was planning to go with the HP Custom Fit Case on Amazon for $18.

2. What are some good forums/sites for the Touchpad where I can become a pro about everything related to it?

3. Are there any must software tricks/tweaks that I should perform on it straight away once it arrives? Any must have apps?

Thank you mefi.

posted by libbrichus to Computers & Internet (10 answers total)

I briefly used a Touchpad and, for $180, it's a great device. It's very, very similar to a 1st-gen iPad, which is a complement and saying a lot for a non-Apple tablet (it's sin is that it arrived a year too late). You shouldn't have any buyer's remorse unless you put it on a credit card or something. As far as cases, the HP case is nice, but just make sure you give it some case—the back plastic is slippery and I'd expect some slip-and-falls if you kept it naked. I can't really comment on the other parts of the question (I only had mine for a week or so for work purposes), but even just using it as a web and email reader, I bet you'll really enjoy having it.
posted by The Michael The at 6:07 PM on December 11, 2011

I have one of the HP Custom fit cases. Love it.

http://www.webosnation.com/ (used to be called PreCentral) for things.

As soon as you unbox it, run Software Updates to get the newest version of webOS. You'll also want to learn how to install Preware to get some homebrew apps on there (it's on webosnation). There are plenty of good startup guides out there and app guides as well. (Here's one, skip all the webOS doctor stuff. Good reading, but no need to do it as it states unless something is way wrong)
posted by deezil at 6:13 PM on December 11, 2011

If you install CyanogenMod on it you can dual-boot Android and WebOS, there really isn't a downside. You might be able to brick it, but the chances are low. Android, while still a little buggy on the TouchPad, gives you the Android Market, which has a wider selection of apps than the WebOS app store. It's an ok tablet, and fine for browsing the web or playing Angry Birds on, especially if you have other Android devices. If you have an iPhone and have bought into the Apple ecosystem, $180 is a long way towards a refurb iPad 2.
posted by jeffkramer at 6:29 PM on December 11, 2011

I have 3 32 GB HP Touchpads- all bought during the original firesale or within a few weeks. I kept two of them, 1 with the original WebOS and the other installed with Android. I also installed Android on the last Touchpad and then gave it to a family member. I spent a while with WebOS (before the Android port came out) and I really loved it after overclocking the processor & tweaking the operating system. The operating system is the best that I've used on a tablet and I've used most of them. The card system, the e-mail client, the sliding panels, etc, are all really great. That being said, I rarely use my WebOS tablet now that Android is available, because of the lack of good WebOS apps, though I really miss WebOS as an operating system.

This is the thread that I used to install the original alpha build of Android, but there is a more recent thread for Alpha 3. Installing Android took a few minutes and was very easy. There are still issues with this build, but despite this still being in "alpha", none of these issues crop up often or are annoying enough to make me wish I had waited for a completely finished build. Plus, it's a dual-boot so you'll have access to both WebOS and Android.

I have a few cases, including the HP case and this one, which is an iPad case. The Touchpad and the original iPad are nearly identical in size and thickness, but the Touchpad has a camera whereas the iPad does not so iPad cases with corner straps are best and work fine with the Touchpad. I finally settled, however, on a sleeve, after realizing that I preferred holding the Touchpad itself. The HP case can be used as a stand, but I have a few separate stands for my Touchpads (one at work, one in the kitchen, etc), instead.

I also have a Touchstone charging device which is kind of magical and I would recommend buying one, though I'm waiting until the price drops to under $30 before I buy one more. The bluetooth keyboard is nice, but not necessary, though I have one. I use it with my HTPC, though, not my Touchpad.

In short, I love my Touchpad and I use it all of the time. You will not find a comparable tablet at that price. Also, HP made an announcement on Friday that WebOS will soon be open source. What that means in the long term is completely up in the air, however.
posted by eunoia at 7:15 PM on December 11, 2011

To be honest, porting WebOS to Android tablets will be the chic geek thing to do in a year's time... HP made the right move open-sourcing the platform. It's very slick and developer-friendly.
posted by Slap*Happy at 7:24 PM on December 11, 2011

The rubberized HP case is very, very nice.

For what it's worth on the overclocking front, the CPU in the 1.2 and 1.5Ghz versions is identical. They just wanted to differentiate the white 64G one a bit more, so they clocked it up- so there's no harm in going up to 1.5Ghz.

I've installed the CM7 alpha on mine, which is really quite good. If you're looking for something more tablet-oriented, you could wait for CM9 (ICS) but really, there's no reason to wait.

Run ACMEInstaller already!
posted by dunkadunc at 7:52 PM on December 11, 2011

If it's anything to go by, "Android port removes Touchpad's main selling point" was a headline I saw at one point regarding this. Odds are unless there's a specific app you wanted that you're better off with WebOS, especially now that it's gone open-source.
posted by DoctorFedora at 8:05 PM on December 11, 2011

I'm typing this from a touchpad running android. Don't bother with webos. It is actually well done but the lack of apps is a deal killer IMO. Android is technically alpha but is totally solid. Installing it changed my tablet from a cool but impractical toy to a useful tool and my laptop hasnt been touched since. I only boot into webos for Skype as the camera and mic aren't reliable yet. Everything else works like the tablet was designed for android. Seriously, it is that much better.

I have the official HP case from your link. Get it.

Rootzwiki and xda-developers are the only 2 sites you need, except maybe androidcentral once you install android.
posted by jtfowl0 at 8:24 PM on December 11, 2011

Congrats! I've held off on putting android on my touchpad, myself until cyanogen 9 comes out; but I can speak to webOS: I also have fallen completely in love with it. I had my brother's ipad for a few weeks thinking I would use it more than my touchpad and I suprised myself by not... the OS really does sneaks up on you.

Precentral / WebOSnation is a great forum and community of diehard webOS folks, and they really don't bite! Loading preware, and doing the recommended patches, plus getting slight overclocking going should be a first step too. Good guide here.

Despite complaints about the sheer number of available apps, there are a bunch of really great apps for webOS. Graphite is a gorgeous Twitter app, it just came out and it has some bugs, but its my favorite twitter app across platforms. Paper Mache is the instapaper equivalent for saving articles to read in a nice format later (get the Paper Mache browser patch if you end up buying into it). For ebooks there's pReader, but people seem to prefer sideloading their own books into the Kindle app (search the forums). Neato! is a great service that integrates sending links back and forth between your computer and your touchpad, its just awesome. Also if you're a star trek geek check out the LCARS-clock.
posted by stratastar at 1:25 AM on December 12, 2011

Here's the thing. The hardware alone is worth more than what you paid for (according to isuppli). Now there are factors that mean it may or may not be worth less (or more) to you, but in terms of the pieces inside, you got a great deal.
posted by fragmede at 7:11 AM on December 12, 2011