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I thought I'd start a review page for the Touchpad. I got my Touchpad on Tuesday and have spent a good bit of time with it. In general, I see a lot of potential. I am disappointed that it took so long and isn't better than it is.
Now I understand most of the poor reviews that the unit has gotten. Comparing a first generation product with a 2nd or 3rd generation product doesn't is not likely to be very positive. But, most of us thought, between HP and Palm, the unit would be a lot further along. Perhaps HP is too big to be creative and responsive enough for a fast moving market like phones and tablets. However, to be fair, the things the unit does well, it does very well. And, what it doesn't do well, it generally doesn't do at all.
First, the weight. Personally, I like the feel of it. A few ounces either way really doesn't make much difference. It has a good balance and feels solid.
Second, the WebOS. I am new to it, but so far, I am impressed. The multitasking is really well done. The setup on the unit was simple and logically organized. There is a somewhat intuitive feel to the interface, even though if I knew more, it might be even better.
I setup my Exchange client with no problems and it works well. I will try to add some more accounts later for testing.
Now for the items I am disappointed with. I know it sounds like I don't like the unit, but I do, and it is so close. But, unfortunately, close only counts in horseshoes and nuclear war.
First, as far as I can tell, whoever designed this either never used an iPad or Android tablet or didn't use it much. They don't understand the first rule of the smart device market: You have to have some key working software. Okay, there is some, but in general, it is a real disappointment. There will be lots of other things needed, but everyone wants video, music, news, and a way to move data around. A lot of people will want a time manager, too. If you missed that in the design, you missed the key items.
It plays MP3s well, but without Pandora, it doesn't really matter much.
The worst thing so far is that the video player is useless. Most of the videos I see and use are AVIs and they don't work at all. And only about half of the MP4's have worked so far. One of the top priorities needs to be a movie player that isn't useless. Something like VitalPlayer for the Android.
You also need a good news reader. If you have an Android you get News360 or Pulse. Where is the comparable product?
Oh, by the way, it isn't terribly easy to find anything in the Appstore. It doesn't give enough granularity. It is hard to find the diamonds amoung the trash.
The other item that is needed is a file manager. Something like ES File Explorer on the Android. It allows you to move files from the LAN to the Local file structure and to move files inside the unit. I know the idea is that WEBOS handles it. But as far as I can tell, I have to hook up to a PC to move files. There is a paid app in the app store, but it doesn't do enough.
I have used Android up to this point. A year ago, it was pretty bad. But, today it is a great competitor. WEBOS can be there, too, but it can't take very long or there won't be a market. If HP is counting on business users only, they are probably DOA. From what I have seen, other than e-mail, business use takes a back seat to personal applications on tablets.
What do you think?
7-25-2011 It is getting better
Today, I downloaded KalemSoft Media Player and Gemini File Manger. They each fill at least part of the gap in the functionality of the Touchpad. The KamelSoft Media Player has added considerable functionality to the media play including additional codecs for AVI, etc. And, the MP4s that didn't work with the built in player seem to work with it. It is a $6.99 item but, so far, it seems to be a good investment. I had to add an app to my Android 2.2 unit to get the same capabilities, so it is makes sense that I will have to do the same for a first generation WEBOS tablet, I guess.
The Gemini File Manager is a valuable addition, because it has a nice two column, full screen, interface and has networking capablities. Currently it only works with Dropbox. But it is a step in the right direction. I had to download a file manager, ES File Manager, with this functionality for my Android also, but it was free. ES File Manager allows local network connection, which is pretty useful. This is pretty inexpensive at $2.99 though.
Last week, I downloaded SpaZ HD Beta Preview 1 to use as a Twitter client. It is worth a look. I have enjoyed learning how to use it.
I have download several news readers, but so far nothing that is as good as Pulse or News 360. NewsRoom is a start, but it is still in the phone format.
Pandora works, but it is in the phone format. And, that doesn't really matter much to the functionality.
So things are coming along. With a few more apps, it will be almost as good as my Android for my daily use. Android and iPad have a lot of apps, but how many are of any real use?
There are a few things missing. A working RDP app is essential for small businesses. A solid time management package that interfaces with Quickbooks would be useful, also.
Agreed, thanks for that review
Sent from my Nexus S 4G using XDA Premium App
Well, I am wrong about at least one thing. There is a Pandora app. It works, but it is a phone app and takes a little getting used to. But, it seems to work well.
I bought Newroom hoping it will be like Pulse. It is also a phone app and will take some work to get used to. But it might do some of what I want until a better app comes along. I also bought TapNote for Touchpad which I think will be a good tool, and Internalz, so I can get to the file structure. It is a phone app, so it will be a little strange until it is upgraded.
I downloaded TED, which is a source for seminars that seem to be pretty diverse. The first one I watched was great. It showed off the video pretty well.
I'm still impressed.
I prefer to buy the Touchpad than iPad. Because Touchpad is a way better than other tablets but is a bit buggy yet, but with time and devs, all can be solved.
Good luck with devs and with OTAs touch pad FAIL and webOS phones are butt ugly with a nice OS
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App
I actually want to buy a touchpad....only if it doesn't become a dead system and gets reasonable support compared to android and iOS from developers
I would have to add that the font rendering is the ugliest since Windows 3.11. Seriously. The UI itself is beautiful, but reading web pages or mails hurts your eyes after a few minutes. The fonts look like they are smudged, like the screen is blurry. It is a huge fail and the biggest downside IMO. Sure, application load times are really bad, and there are no apps. But apps only need to be loaded once, and the number of apps might change. The incredibly distracting font rendering won't go away
Send an email to: Leo Apotheker, Sean Robison & Steve DeWitt. They need to hear from you.
First name.Last [email protected]
Think it's Stephen but will check. No hear back from me then it's that.
Sent from my Sapphire/dream using XDA App
Can only print to HP printers.
-1. My HP laptops can print to my Canon printer
Can't wait for Android on this thing
I bought one of the firesale units and starting playing with it. I have some questions:
1) It don't seem to support ad-hoc wireless networks. Is there any software I can add or configuration change I can make to change this? I have a Windows Mobile cell phone that can share its connection over wifi, but its ad-hoc only.
2) I put some pdfs and an m4v and flv video on the device, organized in folders. I go in acrobat reader and it seems to find the pdfs, but just puts them in a single list, rather than showing the file hierarchy. I would like to be able to browse the file hierarchy and touch a file and have it open in an appropriate player or reader. I have a lot of pdfs to put in the device and they need to be organized, not one big list.
3) Acrobat reader and Quick Office seem to be a little slow to load. I am wondering if there is an app that is quick loading that will show a file hierarchy and show or play pdf files and videos, similar to GoodReader for ipad?
4) Is there anything that will play .flv video files? The m4v video showed up in the photo viewer, but not the .flv
Thanks in advance.
guyandhisdog said:
Can only print to HP printers.
-1. My HP laptops can print to my Canon printer
Can't wait for Android on this thing
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Click to collapse
So can my Lenovo laptop.
But this isn't a HP laptop.
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e
I know its not a HP laptop. Just sayin, one HP product can and one (newer) can't. That = -1
anyone else notice that this thing seems to crash/freeze alot? have to reboot quite often.
treestump said:
anyone else notice that this thing seems to crash/freeze alot? have to reboot quite often.
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have u updated the pad? i've been playing with mine for 2 days and havent had a hang up or freeze yet.. u might have a faulty model
I haven't gotten my HP Touchpad yet. Heck, still listed as "shipping soon" from Amazon/eCost.
This may be useful for improving performance until we have Android running:
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/mobile-news/how-to-improve-the-performance-of-your-new-hp-touchpad/3866
hurrpancakes said:
So can my Lenovo laptop.
But this isn't a HP laptop.
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e
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Click to collapse
I read a review that said you can print to other printers but its a bit harder. Don't no the details sorry but at least you can. (supposedly)
starfcker69 said:
I haven't gotten my HP Touchpad yet. Heck, still listed as "shipping soon" from Amazon/eCost.
This may be useful for improving performance until we have Android running:
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/mobile-news/how-to-improve-the-performance-of-your-new-hp-touchpad/3866
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Picked mine up Saturday morning and found that article yesterday. By all means do what it says, helps a lot. The more I use my touchpad the more I like it. Great little $100 investment IMO. Really wish there was a Wordfeud or Words with Friends app for it though. Preware should be installed on every WebOS device.
starfcker69 said:
I haven't gotten my HP Touchpad yet. Heck, still listed as "shipping soon" from Amazon/eCost.
This may be useful for improving performance until we have Android running:
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/mobile-news/how-to-improve-the-performance-of-your-new-hp-touchpad/3866
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot for this link! I don't even have my touchpad yet but i look forward to being able to poke around with it and get every ounce of performance possible.
Are there any other good resources for WebOS tweaks or mods? Ultimately i'll probably put android on this thing (once the devs do all the hard work) but in the meantime, i'd like to see just how usable the device is as-is.
my gripes:
browser - not as good as Android's. some pages had minor render issues, some menus didn't work right. some flash videos would not play.
browser - only way to go "back" is the back arrow at the top left corner so you have to keep your thumb near it.. awkward to hold. why no left swipe or something?
lists, any - no scroll bars! i added like 100 bookmarks then it's a pain in the ass to get from top to bottom. have to swipe down like 10 times
camera - no app is included to use it other than skype.
video player - videos files are shown as group of big icons, no way to change that to a list view, and the space allocated for the name does not have enough characters
no way to change the icons on the taskbar?
serious lack of good apps that are designed for touchpad .. maybe a dozen that i ended up keeping.
no included rss reader, calc, notes, etc.
i don't believe the Bing navi app has 3D mapping or live rerouting (for use with tether) and i didn't see any in the market.
no voice to text function ?
doesn't support mkv or avi out of the box (same for Android, iOS) .. have to reencode videos from usenet. there is a (1) paid app that can play these apparently, haven't tried it yet
no video out, rear camera, back / search / menu buttons, low-res screen, heavy... but you know that going in.
App Store - no sorting options (ie, #downloads, #reviews)
.....
things i like:
hardware is solid, battery life is impressive, viewing angles excellent, and the GUI looks polished. OS is reasonably responsive and stable (after ota update). basic functions (wifi, web, email, IM, a/v playback) work as expected.
good deal for $100.
I like my 32GB Touchpad so far, I applied the improvements and it does seem better, I have to try the overclock. It's good for the price I paid, but not for it's starting one. I'd still like to see Android on it and I hope there's more development both on webOS and Android for it.
For your news reading needs you could try the Mosaic app, it's similar to Pulse with its own twist.
os10 said:
my gripes:
no way to change the icons on the taskbar?
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Click to collapse
You can by going into the Launcher and touching an app for a few seconds so you can move them around.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/30/hp-touchpad-will-receive-ota-udpate-for-added-functionality/
HP may have abandoned the TouchPad, but that apparently won't stop the company from issuing a post-mortem OTA update for its webOS tablet. Yesterday, an HP spokesperson confirmed to CNET that "HP TouchPad owners can look forward to an over-the-air update that will enhance the platform and add functionality and a growing applications catalog." The rep didn't offer any specifics, but reaffirmed that HP remains "fully committed to the ongoing support and service of customers who purchased webOS devices." The news comes on the heels of a Quickoffice HD update that dropped yesterday, and at a time when TouchPads are selling like hotcakes -- which probably explains HP's decision to issue a tweak. Indeed, the company went on to say that it's seen "huge spikes in activations and between 3-5X downloads of apps," since the TouchPad fire sale first launched.
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[Q] New Touchpad OTA update safe?
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-20099049-64/hp-update-to-boost-touchpad-functionality/
Doesn't say exactly when this update will be available. Is it safe to assume that we shouldn't accept the update, if given the option, if we're planning on eventually flashing Android port?
Good question.
I was also wondering if the folks who actually wanted to stay with web os, will the homebrew patches and kernel have to be re-written to work on the updated firmware?
Given that it just says "a future update" with not even a vague indication of *when* that might be, I don't think it's something that we should fret over for now
PiZauL said:
Good question.
I was also wondering if the folks who actually wanted to stay with web os, will the homebrew patches and kernel have to be re-written to work on the updated firmware?
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Click to collapse
it depends how drastic the changes are.. i have a feeling the update won't be anything major...
This isn't iOS. The updates don't ever do anything in theory to close down the OS, other than required security hole fixes. Anything you could do prior to the update, you can do after. The webOS doctor is what is probably going to become hijacked for allowing Android installations, and this in theory, will never stop working. Remember, we have always been able to recover a "bricked" device through the webOS Doctor; unlike the many other platforms available. Also, it has been close to 2 years since we had to remove all patches prior to updating. I'd suggest waiting 24 hours, if you can, to verify. Patches and homebrew should not be broken in the update.
One thing they should fix is the browser. Upgrade their libraries up to the level Honeycomb 3.2 or iOS 5 (all of which is open source) to improve the performance (especially JavaScript) and support more HTML5 standards (like SVG). They should also allow users to modify their user agent string to the iPad UA via a hack, so all tablet-oriented websites display as they are meant to.
Although the Touchpad browser is not horrible, it could do a lot better compared to the Android and iOS browsers which are based on WebKit as well. Having an awesome browser could give this tablet much more life while just running webOS with web apps!
DCKing said:
One thing they should fix is the browser. Upgrade their libraries up to the level Honeycomb 3.2 or iOS 5 (all of which is open source) to improve the performance (especially JavaScript) and support more HTML5 standards (like SVG). They should also allow users to modify their user agent string to the iPad UA via a hack, so all tablet-oriented websites display as they are meant to.
Although the Touchpad browser is not horrible, it could do a lot better compared to the Android and iOS browsers which are based on WebKit as well. Having an awesome browser could give this tablet much more life while just running webOS with web apps!
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Click to collapse
I feel this brower is just as good if not better than the android browser. I had issues with some links and pages on my android tablet but they work perfect on my touchpad
Sent from my T959 using xda premium
i imagine the update will bring things like a native ebook reader or an updated marketplace, nothing radical like a fully skinned version of honeycomb
I too hope for some improvements to the browser, there are a few issues with it, nothing tragic but irritating enough at times.
OTA Update = Android Honeycomb?
Maybe????
It could happen.
(I'm such a troll today)
maybe we will get more than a ota, maybe actual support for webos.
http://www.bgr.com/2011/08/30/hp-may-resurrect-touchpad-head-of-pc-business-says/
Basic first.
Sound loss and Wifi problems.
Now if we want to go Fancy.
Rotation while playing phone apps is always portrait.
Youtube full screen is up side down (if using a case)
speed up calendar.
speed up photo "fine" loading.
browser minor issues.
Cursor issues.
Do not accept. If they are designing the Android for 3.0.2 then leave it. It's only a matter of a Week before an Alpha is available from Cyanogen.
Android, that way they can collect the $1600. Hell, they have to make back the stock money they lost somehow
I'm thinking the OTA will just be Homebrew/Preware kind of stuff and maybe some new apps.
However, a tabbed browser and a VNC client that works would make me really happy.
Don't Know why people knock the browser. I feel that the WebOS browser is honestly the best mobile browser I have EVER used functionality wise... Never before on a tablet or tablet-like device have I not had to fiddle with user-agent settings and such to get where I need to go... So far only one site has failed on the Touchpad... Hulu, And we all know why that doesn't work...
Other Note: I would laugh if the OTA was just to pre-install preware and homebrew ability... (although it would be a BIG smack in the face of apple, Who leaves their old products to rot instead of supporting them like HP has so far.)
Then again, I find WebOS in general to be the best Mobile OS ever made, And also the best Mobile OS killed before its time...
c01e said:
Don't Know why people knock the browser. I feel that the WebOS browser is honestly the best mobile browser I have EVER used functionality wise... Never before on a tablet or tablet-like device have I not had to fiddle with user-agent settings and such to get where I need to go... So far only one site has failed on the Touchpad... Hulu, And we all know why that doesn't work...
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Click to collapse
The caching issues make browsing forums a nightmare.
Also, Gmail doesn't work in the browser.
c01e said:
Don't Know why people knock the browser. I feel that the WebOS browser is honestly the best mobile browser I have EVER used functionality wise... Never before on a tablet or tablet-like device have I not had to fiddle with user-agent settings and such to get where I need to go... So far only one site has failed on the Touchpad... Hulu, And we all know why that doesn't work...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to agree that functionally, it's an excellent browser. It's just that internally (performance en compatibility with technologies) it's not quite as great as Safari in iOS 4 or the Honeycomb browser. Check this link to see what I mean.
The reason why it's important is that by the end of the year all webOS support for native apps will have definitely dried up, which means that webOS users will have to rely on web apps. Web apps can be freaking amazing if the browser supports the latest technology and has good JavaScript performance. Although the Touchpad is not bad there, it should be doable for HP to update its performance and compatibility to the level of iOS 5.
Cube1701 said:
The caching issues make browsing forums a nightmare.
Also, Gmail doesn't work in the browser.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+ 1 trying to browse forums can be terrible. Constantly have to use the refresh button.
Sent from Gingerbread Speedy 4G
got my hp touchpad earlier this week, like webos a lot tbh, but decided to dual boot with alpha 3, being new to android on a tablet i dont know what apps are worth downloading and what works?
any tips on some good apps to make me use the android side of the dual boot?
sadly cm7 is android 2.3 which is a phone os and everything that i would want the tablet version of just runs a high pixel density version of the phone app. unlike honeycomb, ics is open sauce so maybe theres hope for a true android tablet yet.
Oh, there are plenty of apps that are tuned for a tablet display even under 2.3. Here's a list of some of the ones I have installed:
Browsers
Dolphin HD
Opera Mobile
Apps
Evernote
Kaiten (tablet-friendly SMTP/POP/IMAP client)
Business Calendar
Nook (offers two-page reading view in landscape orientation)
Zinio
Netflix
News Readers
Pulse
Taptu
gReader
feedly
YourVersion Tablet
News Republic
Additionally lots of games either have tablet-specific layouts or take advantage of the extra real-estate:
250+ Solitaire
Angry Birds HD/Seasons/Rio (pinch zoom to see the full level)
Cut the Rope
Peggle
Stupid Zombies
Dabble HD
Pocket Legends
Random Mahjong
Majesty
Pinball Ride
There are a few launchers that give a better tablet experience as well, in particular VTL and ADW EX. Both offer dock bars that rotate with the orientation to the bottom of the screen and can be fitted with more than just four or five icons.
Even though they don't have tablet-specific UIs, many other apps do scale up to the larger screen very nicely:
Facebook/Twitter/Google+
Quickoffice/Documents to Go/OfficeSuite
Kindle/Google Books (unlike Nook, landscape view is single page but still very crisp)
WebEx
Anyway, you get the idea. While there are many apps that use the new Android 3.0+ APIs and therefore won't be available to us until ICS, there are plenty of other apps that give the full tablet experience even on 2.3.
tragictramp said:
got my hp touchpad earlier this week, like webos a lot tbh, but decided to dual boot with alpha 3, being new to android on a tablet i dont know what apps are worth downloading and what works?
any tips on some good apps to make me use the android side of the dual boot?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Muffin knight and officesuite.
Sent from my SPH-D720 using Tapatalk
The Jack of Clubs said:
unlike honeycomb, ics is open sauce so maybe theres hope for a true android tablet yet.
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Click to collapse
but u do know, that HC sources were released along with ICS sources..?
Hi. Do any of you have the Facebook version with the slide out left pane like iOS devices?
- Sent from my HP TouchPad
nomadman said:
Hi. Do any of you have the Facebook version with the slide out left pane like iOS devices?
- Sent from my HP TouchPad
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Click to collapse
AFAIK there's not a tablet-specific version of Facebook for Android yet, even for 3.0+. There are alternative Facebook clients for Android that may offer a more tablet-like experience, but I think that webOS was the first to get a tablet Facebook app, and then recently they released one for iOS. Nothing for Android yet...
SCWells72 said:
AFAIK there's not a tablet-specific version of Facebook for Android yet, even for 3.0+. There are alternative Facebook clients for Android that may offer a more tablet-like experience, but I think that webOS was the first to get a tablet Facebook app, and then recently they released one for iOS. Nothing for Android yet...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I thought also. Until I got out my old china made hundred dollar tablet with Facebook installed. Sure enough it does have the sliding navigation pane on the left side just like the ios version. I copied the apk on the touchpad and I lost the left pane navigation. I think fb app see the touchpad as a phone, so it doesn't show the left nav pane.
- Sent from my HP TouchPad
Puenos said:
but u do know, that HC sources were released along with ICS sources..?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no i didnt. i thought it was still closed source.
i still want alot of tablet versions of apps that dont appear. such as swype and googles apps. honeycomb and ics also give better understanding to a tablet without home menus and back buttons.
Don't use facebook app, it's fat. Friend caster for facebook has a tablet view!
i did install netflix and evernote and both are running tablet versions different from the phone. the tablet version of evernote is actually quite impressive. its amazing that netflix is plays video so smooth compared to the strange laggyness of everything else.
Just got CM on my Touchpad and noticed Netflix has a tablet UI on the Touchpad different from the UI I get on my phone with the same version. The Touchpad has a nice working tablet UI. Pretty nice considering there is no Netflix support in WebOS.
Also Firefox just released an update with a new tablet UI. By default it goes to a phone UI, but any Firefox user knows its easy to change settings. Simply go to "about:config" in the address bar and change "browser.ui.layout.tablet" from "-1" (Auto) to 1 (Enabled). This will force Firefox to use the tablet UI even though it auto-detected a phone. Also useful is adding the string "general.useragent.override" with value "User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; rv:9.0.1) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/9.0.1" to spoof a desktop user agent.
Here's the story, I have a CM7 Nook Color and love the hell out of it. Its my main ereader, I use it 4-5 hours a day and you couldn't pry it out of my hands.
I bought my wife a Nook Tablet for Christmas because her old eBookWise reader was starting to die. All I want for her on her NT is the following:
1) Facebook (I can't believe this isn't even in the BN store. I didn't even consider this possible when I bought the NT)
2) Amazon Kindle (I have it side-loaded now but its got the white menu problem which is annoying. Lots of Kindle Content in our library.)
3) A decent browser, Dolphin or Opera Mobile. The BN Browser is an affront against webpages.
Is there any way to reasonably simply do this? I don't want to add complexity or instability. She doesn't have the patience to have the thing crashing or needing attention all the time. I don't mind that I have to reboot CM7 on my NC once in a while but that'll just peeve her off. She doesn't need the app store or to run the latest droid games, just those few things and she'll love her NT rather than grudgingly use it as a mildly annoying e-reader.
Is there a relatively easy way to get these things sideloaded? Trying to weed through the forums here seems to be mostly about full on hacking and CM type modification.
Thanks folks!
Adamoutler posted some links to basic apps that are needed for sideloading:
nook1.adamoutler.com
nook2.adamoutler.com
nook3.adamoutler.com
Other than that, search in the apps and themes section of the forum for other goodies (like a facebook apk), and I believe the general forum has some how-to guides. Good luck!
Edit: nooktabletapks.com is another good resource, the type i believe you are looking for. It doesn't have much that isn't already on xda, but it's still a pretty good reference.
Sent from my TARDIS.
I've dreamed of having this on a tablet ever since they came out. I cannot believe iOS got this before any Android implementation, Cornerstone is ok, but this beats it hands down!!!
http://thebigboss.org/quasar-a-window-manager-for-ipad?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=quasar-a-window-manager-for-ipad
that isnt even true multitasking. you see they dont have a video playing in one window while browsing in another. all it is is opening up different windows. the other windows stop loading or doing whatever as you open a new one.
i can do all of that and more easily on just a rooted prime with stickit floating media player and overskreeen floating browser. On android it will be true multitasking because all things are going at the same time , all on the screen at once. ex. i could open up overskreen browser to browse xda. then i can open up multiple movies or vids with stickit and have them playing. then i can open up Facebook app and browse the app. i can have all that on my screen going on at once. one doesn't pause for the other action. so ill have my movies playing and watching them in a resize able window while looking at Facebook while also looking at xda in the overskreen browser. this is all at the same time, on the same screen, in real time. no slowdown or anything what so ever. i can even open up multiple browser pages and have them in their own individual windows if i want.
plus thats not an ios feature. thats something developers from cydia implemented. cydia isnt even supported by apple. jailbreak(isnt supported by apple also) is required to get cydia. then this app is in cydia. it looks cool but more of an illusion of multitasking. id say cornerstone blows this away or even what i described i use because what android does is true multitasking. on ios its not.
demandarin said:
that isnt even true multitasking. you see they dont have a video playing in one window while browsing in another. all it is is opening up different windows. the other windows stop loading or doing whatever as you open a new one.
i can do all of that and more easily on just a rooted prime with stickit floating media player and overskreeen floating browser. On android it will be true multitasking because all things are going at the same time , all on the screen at once. ex. i could open up overskreen browser to browse xda. then i can open up multiple movies or vids with stickit and have them playing. then i can open up Facebook app and browse the app. i can have all that on my screen going on at once. one doesn't pause for the other action. so ill have my movies playing and watching them in a resize able window while looking at Facebook while also looking at xda in the overskreen browser. this is all at the same time, on the same screen, in real time. no slowdown or anything what so ever. i can even open up multiple browser pages and have them in their own individual windows if i want.
plus thats not an ios feature. thats something developers from cydia implemented. cydia isnt even supported by apple. jailbreak(isnt supported by apple also) is required to get cydia. then this app is in cydia. it looks cool but more of an illusion of multitasking. id say cornerstone blows this away or even what i described i use because what android does is true multitasking. on ios its not.
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I know this is a jailbreak tweak and not supported by Apple, this is a given with any tweaks like this. However, I will agree with you on the pausing of 'windowed' apps, not ideal at all. And using Overskreen, and / or airterm is great, but they are app specific. Cydias implementation, while not perfect, is still pretty nice to have any app windowed so you can have info displayed any where then just switch over to have it update, yes ideally they would keep running in windowed mode, but I feel this is still a nice feature to have as you can have info displayed in say Facebook, and then have twitter in another window if you want to use some FB info to post an update to twitter and need to see both at once.
I'm still waiting for Android to get a windowed implementation where you can, much like Overskreen or airterm, but have any app go into 'windowed' mode to fullscreen seemlessly, allowing you to choose what suits your needs at the time. For me this would pretty much seal the deal as Android being the clear winner for a tablet OS( in my mind it already is light years ahead of iOS in everything other than the 'polish' of apps being developed for iOS, but that's just an issue with sheer number of 'established' devs giving iOS more priority over Android, and the fact that it's easier to develop for a known set of hardware Vs. the array of HW available for Android ) ... Even with that Android is obviously better, especially if you're a power user.
Anyways, this post wasn't a supposed to be a dis on Android, just more of a "I want, I want.." kinda post.
Yeah, come back when iPad can do this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9S65h7cT0bo
luminus69 said:
Yeah, come back when iPad can do this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9S65h7cT0bo
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Like I stated, I know the Prime is a much better device, and can handle a ton more, just a feature "wish we had it" post.
RubenRybnik said:
I know this is a jailbreak tweak and not supported by Apple, this is a given with any tweaks like this. However, I will agree with you on the pausing of 'windowed' apps, not ideal at all. And using Overskreen, and / or airterm is great, but they are app specific. Cydias implementation, while not perfect, is still pretty nice to have any app windowed so you can have info displayed any where then just switch over to have it update, yes ideally they would keep running in windowed mode, but I feel this is still a nice feature to have as you can have info displayed in say Facebook, and then have twitter in another window if you want to use some FB info to post an update to twitter and need to see both at once.
I'm still waiting for Android to get a windowed implementation where you can, much like Overskreen or airterm, but have any app go into 'windowed' mode to fullscreen seemlessly, allowing you to choose what suits your needs at the time. For me this would pretty much seal the deal as Android being the clear winner for a tablet OS( in my mind it already is light years ahead of iOS in everything other than the 'polish' of apps being developed for iOS, but that's just an issue with sheer number of 'established' devs giving iOS more priority over Android, and the fact that it's easier to develop for a known set of hardware Vs. the array of HW available for Android ) ... Even with that Android is obviously better, especially if you're a power user.
Anyways, this post wasn't a supposed to be a dis on Android, just more of a "I want, I want.." kinda post.
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i agree. i want any app to be able to be windowed. Maybe those developers will make something that can do that. they seem to be the only developers, creators of stickit & overskreen, that seem to be going in that direction. the people from tablified app also created a floating messaging client. so its only a matter of time before more n more apps will be able to be windowed just like on a PC. thats why i love overskreen, stickit, aircalc, & floating air terminal so much.
Oh god here we go. ****storm imminent. Massive buttrage incoming. FLAME WAR HAS BEEN IGNITED I REPEAT FLAMEWAR HAS BEEN IGNITED.
But, the ipad's gonna have a monster log load of compatibility problems with that because apple locks down their stuff so it's going to be insanely hard to adapt screen sizes especially because there is little variation in resolution for ios devices. For android, this is much easier because you've got devices from 320x240 all the way to the upcoming 1920x1200 tablets.
Sent from my tf9001 with XDA XD.
They make this operating system called "Windows". I suggest you check it out.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201
Cydia is a nice touch to ios. Makes my iPhone somwhat bearable.
Sent from my Incredible using XDA
/me really hopes they can get this to work in all apps.
lol are they just now getting widgets???
Add more ram to the Android tablet realm then this would be more advantageous. Sure for simple tasks like Facebook, twitter, one tab browser, just small stuff, the prime would be able to handle all at once. But add in YouTube, more tabs in browser, a game, then bam, where's my ram?
$1 gets you a reply
Kailkti said:
Add more ram to the Android tablet realm then this would be more advantageous. Sure for simple tasks like Facebook, twitter, one tab browser, just small stuff, the prime would be able to handle all at once. But add in YouTube, more tabs in browser, a game, then bam, where's my ram?
$1 gets you a reply
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I'm not sure how you have missed this as it was posted ~5198298 times, but how about 15 vids at once on the ram it has now?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9S65h7cT0bo
Screwedupsmitty said:
I'm not sure how you have missed this as it was posted ~5198298 times, but how about 15 vids at once on the ram it has now?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9S65h7cT0bo
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This is what I'm talking about, 15 vids at once. I believe we have enough ram to make a feasible implementation, I personally am not looking to have even 4 or 5 intensive apps running windowed, but having my RSS reader, a terminal, a video and a 'casual' game def. seems doable to me.
I stand corrected. Just tried leaving real racing 2, browser and YouTube in memory but I still have roughly over 100mb free.
With 6 tabs open on all flash intensive sites did I start to near the limit. (+ the real racing &, youtube)
$1 gets you a reply
we already have the source code for android for windowed apps. it just needs to be included into roms. but that is no easy task. so apple is actually late in the game.
i for one would like to see tiling window-managers on android, since i am a tfp+dock user.
So you guys really want development to spiral in the direction of "windowed" apps? Didn't you purchase Android products for an alternative for Windows? Honestly, if it heads in that direction, you're going to just eventually have a slow bulky java app and you'll be begging for the next Tech powerhouse to design another OS as an alternative...
Jeesh...
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201
Ever heard of Linux
Many flavors of Linux all have window based desktops available for years. Why would having this function on Android be any different.
rorytmeadows said:
So you guys really want development to spiral in the direction of "windowed" apps? Didn't you purchase Android products for an alternative for Windows? Honestly, if it heads in that direction, you're going to just eventually have a slow bulky java app and you'll be begging for the next Tech powerhouse to design another OS as an alternative...
Jeesh...
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201
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In what world is Android an alternative for Windows? You could say Mac, Linux, Unix, hell even Chrome desktop, but Android? I don't think so. Android is an alternative to iOS, Palm, Windows -Phone-, Blackberry OS, etc... but don't compare a mobile( phone and tablet ) OS as an alternative to a Desktop OS. And yes, if you added Windowing and a couple other features to Android, then, maybe, you could make that comparison, but saying that "you'll eventually have a slow bulky java app" just by adding a Window manager is not logical. Hell, if I run 2 instances of Crysis, while watching a move, torrenting and compiling a project Windows will get slow also, it's on the owner( or limiting number of windows apps, or some other preventitive method ) to keep your system running smooth.
That being said, Android as is, is great for most people, hell just keep using it that way, but isn't Android all about options and customizability? Why not allow people another option for those who know how to manage their systems and wont go loading 10 intensive apps at the same time, what the hell would you do with that many apps open anyways on such a small screen? Guess you could video out, but the resolution wouldn't be great anyways. I'd imagine this to be a very light weight window manager, for lightweight multitasking, not for playing a tegra 3 game while listening to music and having 2 videos playing, lol.