Design | |
| Form Factor: | Block (WebOS 3.0) |
| Dimensions: | 9.4 x 7.5 x 0.6 inches (240 x 190 x 14 mm) |
| Weight: | 1.6 pounds (740 g) |
Main Features | |
| Screen: | 9.7-inch (768 x 1024 px) TFT (Accelerometer / Proximity Sensor / Ambient Light Sensor) |
| Storage: | 32GB (or 16GB) |
| Processor: | 1.2-GHz (Qualcomm Snapdragon APQ8060 chip) |
| Battery: | 7.0 hours (6300 mAh mAh Li-Ion) |
Multimedia | |
| Camera: | 1.3 MP (Video Chat) |
| Music: | MP3 / AAC / AAC+ / eAAC+ / AMR / WAV |
| Video: | Beats Audio (MPEG-4 / H.263 / H.264) |
| Apps: | WebOS |
Connectivity | |
| Wi-Fi: | 802.11 b/g/n |
| Bluetooth: | 2.1 (A2DP / AVRCP / DUN / HFP / HSP) |
| PC Sync: | USB 2.0 |
HP's TouchPad is not only the first ever non-smartphone WebOS device, but also the first non-phone "Palm" device since 2005's TX and Z22. As such, ever since its February unveiling, the combined HP/Palm entity is placing a tremendous amount of faith that the the TouchPad will spearhead a rebirth of WebOS, now debuting in verion 3.0 form on this device.
Formfactor
As I stated previously, this tablet is almost exactly the same as a first-generation iPad in every dimension, outweighing that device by a few ounces. While I think 16:9 and 16:10 aspect ratios are delightful for LCD monitors, televisions, and smartphones, I truly feel that 4:3 tablets in the 9" category are by far the most comfortable and practical to use in both landscape and portrait modes, especially for extended usage. I still maintain that the ideal tablet formfactor is somewhere larger than 7" but smaller than 9.7" (such as the 8.9" offerings currently available from LG and forthcoming from Samsung). With the continued absence of Android Honeycomb and iOS from the 7" sector, I will be very curious to see how the upcoming 7" TouchPad variant fares against legacy Android Gingerbread offerings and RIM's potentially doomed Playbook.
As I stated previously, this tablet is almost exactly the same as a first-generation iPad in every dimension, outweighing that device by a few ounces. While I think 16:9 and 16:10 aspect ratios are delightful for LCD monitors, televisions, and smartphones, I truly feel that 4:3 tablets in the 9" category are by far the most comfortable and practical to use in both landscape and portrait modes, especially for extended usage. I still maintain that the ideal tablet formfactor is somewhere larger than 7" but smaller than 9.7" (such as the 8.9" offerings currently available from LG and forthcoming from Samsung). With the continued absence of Android Honeycomb and iOS from the 7" sector, I will be very curious to see how the upcoming 7" TouchPad variant fares against legacy Android Gingerbread offerings and RIM's potentially doomed Playbook.
Despite its 4:3 screen orientation, as nice as the TouchPad's aesthetics are, it simply isn't very comfortable to hold for extended periods of time. This is due to the combined bugaboos of weight, slipperiness, and thickness. Comparing the TouchPad to the two Android-based tablets I have yields some interesting results. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 has an all-plastic construction similar to the TouchPad, albeit with a superbly textured backside that affords the user a comfortable, secure grip at all times. My Acer Iconia A500, in contrast, weighs the same as the TouchPad and is much more unwieldy to use in portrait mode due to its large 10.1" 1280x800 16:9 LCD. However, the Acer has a nice brushed aluminum back that is easy to grip and is cool to the touch and also packs a plethora of expansion ports and slots (HDMI, fullsize USB, microSDHC) that the TouchPad lacks. Once again, both HP and the various Android licensees can stand to learn much from Apple and Samsung.
MicroUSB & Battery
While my biggest complaint with the Veer's design was the proprietary nature of its magnetic sync/charge/audio port, I am glad to say that the TouchPad has managed to trump nearly every other tablet on the market with its brilliant decision to use a conventional microUSB port for charging. Add to that the still-brilliant Touchstone dock concept and its integrated functionality into the Touchstone and you have quite a nice combo. As a result, I feel this merits its own section in this review.
While my biggest complaint with the Veer's design was the proprietary nature of its magnetic sync/charge/audio port, I am glad to say that the TouchPad has managed to trump nearly every other tablet on the market with its brilliant decision to use a conventional microUSB port for charging. Add to that the still-brilliant Touchstone dock concept and its integrated functionality into the Touchstone and you have quite a nice combo. As a result, I feel this merits its own section in this review.
One of the most mystifying design choices on the TouchPad is its lack of a rear-facing camera. While it is no secret that vast majority of tablet cameras fall far short of their smartphone siblings, an integrated camera is always a handy thing to have. The complete lack of even a VGA rear camera on the TouchPad limits its functionality compared to every other tablet on the market. WebOS has supported image capture since the launch of the original Pre, so I find the lack of a "primary" camera an inexcusable omission. With the extra breathing room afforded by the roomy TouchPad chassis and WebOS 3.0, this would have been an ideal opportunity to introduce autofocus camera capabilities to the WebOS line.
The sole camera present on the TouchPad is a front-facing 1.3mp model. I was again stunned to find no native image capture application whatsoever. Even a totally barebones image capture application tied to the front camera would have been better than nothing! On a brighter note, the TP's integrated speakers surpass anything else in the category. I previously considered the Dr.Dre-endorsed Beats audio technology from HP nothing more than Monster Cable-style marketing propaganda but I have to admit that they are quite impressive, especially at moderate volume levels. The way that the speakers are oriented (both are on the left panel of the device when it's in portrait mode) means that the optimal sound quality is achieved when the device is held in landscape mode or placed on a surface.
Screen
HP simply played it safe with their screen specifications and outfitted the TouchPad with a very similar LG IPS LCD to the one found on the iPad 1 & 2. The reduced number of pixels compared to the current crop of Android tablets isn't anything worth worrying about, though there are noticeable jaggies in Angry Birds and Robotek compared to the Android Honeycomb versions that run at a higher resolution. As always, Apple looks certain to crank up the pixel density in the next iteration of iPad so HP cannot rest on their XGA laurels for long, despite the TouchPad being the first WebOS device to break the 320x480 resolution barrier.
HP simply played it safe with their screen specifications and outfitted the TouchPad with a very similar LG IPS LCD to the one found on the iPad 1 & 2. The reduced number of pixels compared to the current crop of Android tablets isn't anything worth worrying about, though there are noticeable jaggies in Angry Birds and Robotek compared to the Android Honeycomb versions that run at a higher resolution. As always, Apple looks certain to crank up the pixel density in the next iteration of iPad so HP cannot rest on their XGA laurels for long, despite the TouchPad being the first WebOS device to break the 320x480 resolution barrier.
Notifications & Multitasking
WebOS still is best-in-class at handling notifications in a discreet, unobtrusive manner. Multiple notifications result in a simple stack that can be addressed immediately or ignored until later. I'd put its notification system slightly superior to the latest versions of Android (2.3.4 and 3.2) and definitely above what is found in iOS 4.x, though Apple is set to overhaul notifications and alerts with the pending release of iOS 5.
WebOS still is best-in-class at handling notifications in a discreet, unobtrusive manner. Multiple notifications result in a simple stack that can be addressed immediately or ignored until later. I'd put its notification system slightly superior to the latest versions of Android (2.3.4 and 3.2) and definitely above what is found in iOS 4.x, though Apple is set to overhaul notifications and alerts with the pending release of iOS 5.
My single favorite element of WebOS since CES '09 has been the card "throw away" upward flick. Ever since CES 2009 I have dreamed about how well the WebOS UI would scale to a larger screen, so I'm glad to say that it's indeed more fun to do on a device with a larger screen than the Pre. Newer additions such as stacks also far better on a larger-screen device such as the TouchPad than during my first encounter with them on the diminutive Veer. Again, it's not just screen real estate and pixel count; multitasking and moving between cards on a device with the CPU and RAM capacity to have dozens of simultaneously running tasks is a huge improvement.
OnScreen Keyboard
Not only is the TouchPad the first non-phone Palm device since 2005, it's the first one since the TX and Z22 to sport a virtual onscreen keyboard. One of the most pleasant surprises on the TouchPad was the quality of its onscreen keyboard. I went into the TouchPad experience with very low expectations but I am glad to say that HP has pulled off a delightful typing experience.
Not only is the TouchPad the first non-phone Palm device since 2005, it's the first one since the TX and Z22 to sport a virtual onscreen keyboard. One of the most pleasant surprises on the TouchPad was the quality of its onscreen keyboard. I went into the TouchPad experience with very low expectations but I am glad to say that HP has pulled off a delightful typing experience.
Web Browser
Perhaps most distressingly is the slow loading of web pages with the stock TouchPad browser. I initially had high hopes for the browser, which superficially most closely resembles Apple's mobile Safari browser.
Immediately, I noticed surprisingly slow page renderings speeds with the TouchPad browser, so I ran a series of page load tests between my Acer Iconia and the TouchPad. Both had fully-charged batteries, no background tasks running, and were connected to the same Netgear wireless access point. Time after time, the TouchPad took far longer to render both desktop and mobile-formatted sites than the Acer. For some complex, graphics-heavy sites such as Foxnews.com or the wallstreetjournal.com, the differences between the two devices in fully loading the page ranged from fifteen to nearly twenty seconds. Loading palminfocenter.com three times in a row resulted in an average difference of 14 seconds between when the Aver fully loaded the page and when the TouchPad finished loading. Even the feeble little Pixi Plus loaded palminfocenter.com in its entirety a few seconds faster than the TouchPad. While the TouchPad was almost always able to navigate through the partially-loaded pages, it was annoying to see this delay attributed to my device and not my connection speed. Perhaps most distressingly is the slow loading of web pages with the stock TouchPad browser. I initially had high hopes for the browser, which superficially most closely resembles Apple's mobile Safari browser.
Conclusion
The initial incarnation of the TouchPad takes a fundamentally superb mobile OS and mates it to solid hardware. But this pair is completely undermined by a poorly-performing implementation of the OS and a moribund ecosystem and app market.
I would not buy a TouchPad in its current form simply based on its sluggish performance. Even if the TouchPad was the fastest tablet on the market, I would not buy one due to the pitiful state of the WebOS ecosystem. These two major facets combine to make the TouchPad in its current form an device I simply cannot recommend purchasing, especially with its overly high MSRP relative to its more established competitors.
With all of that stated, I feel that the TouchPad is far and away the best available WebOS device on the market. It's also the best-ever take on WebOS and the first piece of hardware that has a chance to truly showcase the strengths of the platform to the public at large. If iOS and Android tablets were suddenly eliminated from the market, I would definitely take the plunge to migrate to the TouchPad instead of RIM's Playbook, as I do feel that in the short term WebOS has nowhere to go but up, quite possibly as soon as HP gets around to releasing the first of hopefully many OTA updates to the device.
Another reassuring sign is that the TouchPad and WebOS have (for the time being at least) the full support of the company's reinvigorated Personal Systems Group whereas RIM faces an uncertain future and rumors are already swirling of the wi-fi Playbook's possible discontinuation.
The sheer might of HP's marketing and technical prowess added to the rapidly-improving WebOS hardware SKUs are reason enough to take some of the trepidation out of electing to be an early TouchPad adopter. At the very least, HP's resources and apparent commitment to the platform are cause for a level of cautious optimism that the Palm faithful have not been accustomed to for the better part of a decade.
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