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HP's new TouchPad tablet is good, but not good enough to beat the iPad [The Dallas Morning News](Dallas Morning News (TX) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Aug. 05--Hewlett-Packard's new tablet, the TouchPad, suffers from the same curse of boring competence as almost every touchscreen machine not named iPad. Namely, what does this admittedly functional device do that an iPad, with its refined user interface and mountain of apps, does not? The answer, at least with the TouchPad, and at least for now, is "not much." The TouchPad runs HP's new webOS software that the printer and computer maker got when it bought Palm. It's an elegant, intuitive interface. The software allows for true multitasking, where you can have multiple apps running and windows open at the same time, and swipe through all of them with a mere finger slash. Basic functions such as Web browsing and email work great, particularly after HP released a major software update this week, although the TouchPad's ability to run Flash is a minor bonus given how jerky and low-res every Flash video was that I tried to watch. Neither Apple's iOS nor Google's Android are as delightful to use or as efficient. But the operating system is less than half the game these days. Great apps and cutting-edge hardware are what people want. The TouchPad, as the newest kid on the block, obviously has a much smaller portfolio of apps than either of its competing platforms. HP clearly recognizes the importance of apps. When you open the "HP App Catalog," the first thing you see is a publication called "Pivot." Basically, it's a monthly magazine that highlights individual, noteworthy apps. The visual design is stylish and pleasant, although the writing does have a bit too much of that inoffensive, breezy, bland tone you usually find in in-flight magazines. It's advertising written as editorial content. But the featured apps are well-presented, and it's a nice touch that tapping an app doesn't kick you into the main app store, but downloads directly through the Pivot page so you can keep reading while your app installs. Unfortunately, you just can't ignore the scanty selection. Must-haves like Netflix video streaming aren't available, and while it's understandable why HP's app store is so far behind its competitors, ultimately, that's not the consumer's problem. It's HP's problem. The TouchPad also fails to distinguish on the hardware side. The TouchPad has a screen that's identical in size and resolution to that on both the iPad and iPad 2 (9.7 inches at 1024x768). So the TouchPad can't make the bigger or sharper screen boasts that, say, Samsung's Android-powered Galaxy Tab 10.1 can make. The TouchPad also needs to go on a diet. The iPad 2 weighs in at 1.33 pounds and the Galaxy Tab 10.1 tips the scale at a mere 1.25 pounds, but the TouchPad rolls in at a blubbery 1.6. That doesn't sound like much, but when you settle in for an hour or two of reading an ebook or watching a video, the extra weight is a burden. The TouchPad is slightly more affordable, though. The 16GB version starts at $449, while the 16GB iPad 2 costs $499. One hardware feature that a small number of TouchPad users might eventually enjoy is the ability to wirelessly sync a webOS phone with the webOS TouchPad. But Palm's webOS phones never sold in big enough numbers for the platform to be successful, and there's no sign yet HP has a plan to make its webOS phones more than a beautiful failure. "Good enough" just isn't good enough anymore in the tablet world. The TouchPad could have been the start of something great if it had come out a year and a half ago. Already, though, the bar is so much higher. Hewlett-Packard TouchPad Pros: WebOS is still the best mobile operating system ever devised. Cons: The TouchPad needed either mind-blowing apps or revolutionary hardware to stand out. It has neither. Bottom line: The TouchPad isn't terrible. The iPad is simply better. ___ To see more of The Dallas Morning News, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.dallasnews.com. Copyright (c) 2011, The Dallas Morning News Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com, e-mail [email protected], or call 866-280-5210 (outside the United States, call +1 312-222-4544) |