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HP's TouchPad running Ice Cream Sandwich? Mmmm, thanks CM9 (video)
Another smote at the hearts of those who failed to reach the fire sale in time: CyanogenMod 9 is bringing some ICS flavor to the TouchPad and it's apparently not far off. The video after the break gives us a glimpse of some remarkably stable operation, especially considering how tricky it was bringing CM7 to HP's slate. It looks like everything functions except the camera and video playback, and the team behind the port promises it'll give us "something to play with soon." [Thanks, Pedro]
webOS gets OTA update, delivers performance improvements and bug fixes
With so many of us performing funeral dirges in honor of webOS it's easy to forget that the tablet and smartphone platform is still officially supported HP. In fact, just today, the company issued yet another incremental update -- pushing TouchPads to version 3.0.5, while Pre 2 and Pre 3 handsets are moving on up to 2.2.4. Both form factors will be getting improvements in calendar and messaging, while the Pre2 gets better Skype support and MAP for Bluetooth. TouchPads are also adding support for HTTP live streaming and bringing the time-saving "double space equals period" typing shortcut to the table. For a complete change log and to download the SDK check out the source link.
Panasonic Viera touchpad controller prototype hands-on (video)
Looking for a more comfortable web browsing and app using experience on your Panasonic Viera Smart TV? The company is looking to lend a hand with upcoming peripherals like the Viera touchpad prototype that we took for a spin here in Vegas. Compatible with the 2012 line of televisions that share the same moniker, the controller enables you to peruse the web on your wall-mounted display via Panasonic's Webkit browser. We spent a few minutes browsing the Engadget site, so read on for our impressions. Using HTML5, the browser scrolled pages at a decent clip. Don't get your hopes up about Flash though, as in its absence you'll certainly be disappointed. Text wasn't as crisp as we'd like and a lack of font support made rendered pages look off. In terms of the prototype, we were able to navigate the web with ease despite the occasional hiccup with the touchpad's responsiveness -- a quirk you'd expect with a device still in beta. Some basic TV remote functions like volume and channel controls were also on the mouse-sized peripheral which can be paired with wired or wireless keyboards for some text-heavy couch surfing. We're hearing that it'll be included with a few models this spring and also offered as a solo option for those who may have already purchased a compatible HDTV. If you're itching for a look at the action, a short preview video awaits after the break.
Sony's second try at Google TV brings Blu-ray player, streaming box and a new remote (Update: hands-on!)
Interestingly, despite a Sony execs saying that its Google TV model was meeting sales expectations, for the second round it's focusing on two add-on boxes. The NSZ-GP9 Blu-ray player and NSZ-GS7 network media player (pictured above) will ship in North America and Europe in early summer, and are expect to roll out in other regions afterwards as Google TV expands its reach. Common to both boxes is a completely reimagined remote, featuring a backlit QWERTY keyboard, touchpad and motion control for gaming. We're not hearing anything about IR blasters up front this time around, but it can work as a universal remote to control other devices with "basic" control of Sony's 2012 HDTVs as well, while the Blu-ray player supports voice search as well. Unspecified at this time are the provenance of the internals, although the switch away from its Intel predecessors should yield cheaper, cooler running units. There's no price or expected ship date available currently, check back for more info and hands-on with these as well as the other new Sony hardware shortly. Update: We got our hands all over the new hardware and our first impression is: it's tiny. The network streamer is still bigger than a Roku, but compared to say, a Revue, the switch to ARM has clearly had a slimming effect on Google TV. The Blu-ray player is similarly shrunken, with its footprint down to merely what a normal player would occupy. The remote is conveniently backlit this time around, and dual sided. It certainly has an improved feel this time around, but is it good enough to satisfy the masses? We'll know better after we've spent more time with it. Check the pics in the gallery to see for yourself.
ASUS UX21 and UX31 laptops gain Elan Touchpad, new colors and improved resume / standby times
Not a lot new happening in the Zenbook world here at the 2012 edition of the Consumer Electronics Show, but for those thinking of splurging on a UX21 or UX31, we've a pinch of good news to share. ASUS has informed us that the UX series as a whole is now shipping with the Elan Touchpad, not to mention updated drivers that improve resume and standby times. Moreover, the range is available in Rose Gold and Hot Pink, neither of which should be possible to resist. In fact, let us know which hue's tickling your fancy in comments below.
Tech's biggest misfires of 2011
The past 12 months have been a boon of technological innovation, particularly in the world of mobile devices, where top companies have been waging an arms race for the top of the smartphone and tablet hills. Not everything has been smooth sailing, however -- 2011 has also been dotted by delays, false starts, security breeches and straight up technological turf outs. Check out some of the lowlights from the year that was after the break.
HP TouchPad Go gets reviewed, but remains already long gone (video)
While we already rode the white unicorns of HP's now disintegrated webOS series, there was one little filly we didn't get to saddle up. A developmental model of the seven-inch TouchPad Go has now made it into the hands of webOSnation and has been given a thorough going over. The major differences from its bigger brother? A rear-facing 5 megapixel camera and a smudge buffering matte finish on the back are the main signifiers. Aside from those (and an experimental build of the next firmware update), it's a tiny TouchPad. The Go matches the resolution of the original, also packing the same processor innards of the defunct white TouchPad. Those unwilling to accept the future of webOS can still absorb the full critique of what could have been in a video review after the break.
First FIFA Soccer trailer shows you how to kick with your fingers
The first trailer for PlayStation Vita's FIFA Soccer shows off the fancy fingerwork required for you to pretend that you're doing even fancier footwork. In typical Vita fashion, FIFA Soccer takes advantage of the device's tactile options -- players can tap the screen to pass, bonk the rear touch pad to shoot "with pin-point accuracy," and stroke the front screen to perform a free kick. If that doesn't turn you on to FIFA Soccer on Vita, we just don't think anything will.
HP TouchPad returns in TigerDirect bundle, if only for a moment
"We've got TouchPads!" That's the slogan, but even TigerDirect admits that it's expecting its latest batch of TouchPad slates to evaporate in a matter of minutes. Strangely enough, we've seen the zombie-like webOS tablet on sale in a variety of locations during the past few months, and if you're quick, you'll be able to buy yet another from yet another vendor at 2:30PM ET today. The company's not saying how many are in stock, but we're told to expect the entire batch to be claimed "by 2:32PM ET." The deal? $249.99 nets you a 32GB TouchPad, a 10.1-inch Belkin tablet case and Creative Labs' D80 Bluetooth speakers, while a $299.99 bundle replaces the speaker with a Photosmart printer. Oh, and don't even bother trying to order over the phone -- this one's online only, and it's one bundle per customer. We're telling you now so you've got time to memorize your credit card number. Feel free to talk about nerves, shaking limbs and tales of luck in comments below.[Thanks, Andrew]
Refresh Roundup: week of December 5, 2011
Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging to get updated. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it's easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don't escape without notice, we've gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery from the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!
Researcher brings modified Touchpad into the MRI room, breakthrough ensues
Yes, the Touchpad is officially dead, but that hasn't stopped Stanford researcher Andrew B. Holbrook from using HP's tablet in a somewhat unexpected setting: the MRI lab. Holbrook, it turns out, has been developing a new, webOS-based system that could make it a lot easier for doctors to conduct interventional MRI procedures. Unlike its diagnostic counterpart, this brand of MRI can only operate within highly magnetic fields, thereby posing a threat to many electronic devices. Holbrook, however, may have found a way around this barrier, thanks to a modified Touchpad. With the help of HP engineers, the researcher stripped his tablet of metallic components, including its speakers and vibration motor, resulting in what the manufacturer calls a "minimally metallic device that could be used almost anywhere within the magnet room." With his Touchpad primed and loaded with apps for data manipulation, Holbrook went on to successfully integrate the device within an MRI system. He also developed a series of apps that allow technicians to monitor and manipulate an MRI procedure on their devices, regardless of whether they're in the magnet room itself, or outside. Holbrook says he's already started applying the same approach to webOS phones, in the hopes of providing doctors and researchers with an even more compact way to keep track of their patients. For more details on the system and future developments, check out the source link below. [Thanks, Mina]
HP to launch another Touchpad fire sale this weekend, because it's cold outside (updated)
And really, it's no surprise. Considering the wild success it enjoyed with its first Touchpad fire sale, why wouldn't HP try to recreate that magic in time for the holiday shopping rush? According to a release the company sent out to employees this week, the redux will kick off on December 11th at 7 PM, on HP's eBay Store. There, consumers will be able to get their hands on a refurbished 16GB or 32GB model for $99 and $149, respectively. They'll also have the chance to get a case, charging dock and wireless keyboard as part of a $79 bundle, though the sale isn't entirely lawless, with each buyer limited to a maximum of two Touchpads. Interested parties should get their clicking fingers on the ready -- before the British invade. December 11, 2011 7:00 PM EST Update: The slates in question have curiously appeared on HP's eBay Store with their original $499 and $599 pricing. Still, there's roughly an hour to go before HP's self-imposed deadline. Update 2: And it's live! Did you make it all the way through? Let us know in comments. Update 3: Looks like they're gone. We're getting "Invalid item" errors on all four listings.
Remote Dictation Smackdown: Which app does the best sending Siri text to a Mac? (Updated)
Update: At the end of the original post, Erica mused about a single-purpose iPhone 4S dictation app; turns out, of course, that there already is one. The $0.99 Remote Dictate, from the makers of Mobile Mouse Pro, works with the same Mac-side server and offers only dictation with no remote mouse/keyboard. We'll grab it and test it out shortly. –Ed. Recently, TUAW posted about how Mobile Mouse could be used with Siri for iPhone-to-Mac remote dictation. While trying it out, I grew annoyed by transposition errors at the start of my text. So I decided to put several similar solutions to the test. What Mobile Mouse Pro ($1.99), RowMote Pro ($4.99), Edovia's TouchPad ($4.99), and Splashtop Touchpad (Free, normally $4.99) have in common is that each app provides a way to send mouse events and key strokes to your Mac. For this post, we decided not to test full screen sharing apps like iTeleport and LogMeIn due to the more extensive set-up involved. (iTeleport offers a similar $0.99 Touchpad Elite app, but we were unable to get a copy in time for this write-up.) To test them, I dictated the same text sample into TextEdit, courtesy of the iTunes Terms and Conditions. To do this, I connected each app to my Mac, opened a standard keyboard, and used the Siri dictation mic to speak this sentence: "You agree not to use or attempt to use the iTunes Store from outside of the available territory." I ran each app three times, and categorized the errors each app made. How did they stack up? Here are the results. Mobile Mouse Pro Setup: Very easy. Install and run the Mobile Mouse Server app, run Mobile Mouse from your iPhone 4S. App detects and announces active app. Dictate at will. Performance: Transcription transposition errors, no default uppercase entry at the start of each sentence. you agree not to use or attempt to use the iTunes store from outside of the available territory. oyu agree not to use or attempt to use the iTunes store from outside of the available territory. oyu agree not to use or attempt to use the iTunes store from outside of the available territory. TouchPad by Edovia Setup: Easy. Enable screen sharing on your Mac. Launch app, and set up VNC-style. Tap pad button, then tap keyboard button, and start dictating. Performance: No default uppercase entry at the start of each sentence. Other than that, it showed no errors with transposition through these tests. you agree not to use or attempt to use the iTunes store from outside of the available territory. you agree not to use or attempt to use the iTunes store from outside of the available territory. you agree not to use or attempt to use the iTunes store from outside of the available territory. Touchpad by Splashtop Setup: Overly difficult. First I had to google my way to find about the Splashtop Streaming app for Mac. That information should have been in the iTunes marketing text. Then I had to authenticate to install what should have been a simple tweak. After that, once I ran the app, I had to enter a security code of at least 8 characters including one letter and one number. Then it kept asking me to give it my Google credentials. C'mon. This isn't supposed to be that hard. Once I made it past that initial setup, I then had to have my iPhone find the service on my local LAN. Despite scanning and scanning, I never got that far. Finally, Mike Rose walked me through entering my system IP address by hand. After a few mismatches with the security code, I finally connected. This took about 20 minutes to get this far. Performance: No default uppercase entry at the start of each sentence. Worst sync performance of all apps tested -- see the first of the three trials in particular. ou agree not to usye or attempt to use the iTunes store from outside of the available territory. oyu agree not to use or attempt to use the iTunes store from outside of the available territory. oyu agree not to use or attempt to use the iTunes store from outside of the available territory. RowMote Pro Setup: Had to authenticate to install server app for the Mac, which runs by itself on login, without an easy to find control panel and uninstallation option. (The uninstall instructions once I found them here at the website were straightforward.) Nicely unintrusive pairing security -- you're shown a short pairing number, and type it in. Overly complex app selection menu on the iOS-side. Performance: Spaces at the start of some sentences, transposition, inappropriate capitalizations. you agree not to use or attempt to use the iTunes store from outside of the availabLe territory. You AGREE NOT TO usE OR ATTEMPT TO use the iTunes store from outSIDE OF THE AVAIlable territory. oyu agree not to use or attempt to use the iTunes store from outside of the available territory Discussion Keep in mind that none of these apps were designed for use with Siri Dictation. It's hard to ding any of them for not perfectly supporting a feature not in their original brief. That said, only Splashtop Touchpad gave us pause. All in all, Edovia's TouchPad performed best and is our current choice for Siri-to-Mac dictation. Although its initial setup took a little longer than some of the other products, native VNC transmission provided smooth uninterrupted text without transposition errors. Once set up, it was quick to re-establish connections on later use. None of these apps were designed specifically for dictation. Instead, their job is to transmit UI events like key presses and mouse movements. That's why none of them responded to the start of the sentence being capitalized. There's an opportunity here for anyone who wants to add "Siri dictation mode" to their existing apps or create a single-purpose app just for that reason. In that mode, you could imagine the app would provide more textfield-entry-style results, allowing toggles for such items as "Cap start of sentence," "Cap each word," and "Auto add end punctuation." I look forward to seeing that kind of functionality moving forward.
UK courts to introduce tablets, vow to cut back on tree killing ways
It may not be retiring the powdered wigs just yet, but according to The Guardian, the British government is ready to replace traditional paper documents with tablets in UK courtrooms. Starting in April, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) will give slates to Welsh and English prosecutors to store all forms and evidentiary items, later extending the offer to judges, jurors and defense lawyers. To start, administrators will give 35 Hewlett-Packard tablets to prosecutors in Norfolk as a test for the bigger roll out, which is estimated to save around £50 million (or around $78 million) in dead trees across the UK. There's no word yet which tablet HP has in mind, but chances are it will not be the discount rack TouchPad -- perhaps a Windows tablet is more in order in this court.
EFO turns its BlackBerry-like iPazzPort into a Skype handset (video)
We know what you've been thinking: "this iPazzPort is pretty sweet, but I wish I could talk into it." Well, for those of you who can't be bothered with owning an actual BlackBerry, EFO has added a microphone and speaker to its handheld keyboard and touchpad. Now, after you're done banging out a few emails you can use the iPazzPort as a Skype handset. EFO even claims the device is perfect for the "youngster" who we know is "always download[ing] music or songs for Karaoke." If you really need to know what else you're getting for your $50 hit up the source link and check out the video after the break.
NPD: Outside of the iPad, TouchPad's fire sales make it number one
Analysis firm NPD has released one last report on tablet computers before the holiday season officially kicks off, and something crazy is happening to that market. Outside of the iPad (which of course is currently dominating the space), the next big contender goes to ... the HP TouchPad, a device which has already been discontinued. Despite simply selling off its stock of tablets at discounted prices, HP has earned itself a 17% share in the market, enough to top the next manufacturer on the list, Samsung. That's kind of crazy, and it shows you just how quickly and powerfully Apple has leaped ahead in this market. I do think we're at a sort of weird crossroads in the tablet space, however. The Kindle Fire from Amazon just released recently, and it's not hard to guess that we'll see some nice sales of that tablet over the holidays. And as the HP news proves, while the iPad may be dominant in the space in terms of quality and features, price can still be a motivator to push tablet brands forward. NPD also says that "76% of consumers who purchased a non-Apple tablet didn't even consider the iPad," so clearly there's a large market of non-Apple buyers out there looking for a cheaper alternative. That said, we'll also see plenty of iPad sales over the holiday season, no doubt. The tablet market is just getting started, and already Apple has a very nice head start. [via MacRumors]
NPD: HP nabs spot as number two tablet maker... for the moment
You hear that Samsung? HP's number two. For now at least. The PC maker, which snuffed out its line of webOS devices not all that long ago, managed to grab the number two spot in the tablet race between January and October, according to analyst group, NPD. The news comes thanks in part, no doubt, to the bargain basement pricing on its discontinued TouchPad. According to NPD, the time frame saw the sale of more than 1.2 million non-iPad tablets. Apparently 76 percent of those who bought such devices didn't even consider picking up Apple's industry leading slate.
SMK-Link releases Wireless Ultra-Mini Touchpad Keyboard for your inner sloth
Exerting energy goes against the very fiber of our 21st century ethos -- which is why SMK-Link has come out with the Wireless Ultra-Mini Touchpad Keyboard. Available in both Mac- and PC-compatible versions, this little handheld allows users to surf the web, send texts, or control their home entertainment systems from up to 30 feet away. Featuring both a raised QWERTY keyboard and capacitive touchpad, SMK-Link's latest battery-powered creation boasts 20 function keys, seven hot keys and a dedicated Windows Media Center Start button (on the PC version, naturally). And, since it doesn't require any software drivers, all you have to do is plug in the RF receiver, sit back, and marinate your afternoon away. You can grab one now for $69 at the source link, below. Otherwise, swerve past the break for a drop of PR.
HP TouchPad pops up on TigerDirect, refuses to roll over and play dead (updated)
Time and rapid inventory sell outs might've quenched the fury of late summer's TouchPad firesale. But if you were left outside of the webOS mourning soiree and are still keen to call that HP tab your own, TigerDirect's got a slew of the slates ready for the taking. You won't find that seductive sub-$100 price here, however, the web retailer is offering a rebate that'll cut the 32GB slate down to a very attractive $150. The future may still be uncertain for the mobile OS that was once was and could've been, but at least dual booting Android's a sure thing.Update: Looks like you need to purchase an HP laptop or desktop to take advantage of that rebate, otherwise you'll have to fork over the full $300.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
HP TouchPad Go gets stopped for more close-up photography
We're unlikely to ever get our grubby mitts on a final model, but that hasn't stopped a developmental flavor of this seven-inch slab getting another going over in China. Unceremoniously revealed as the TouchPad Go in FCC filings earlier this year, this seven-inch tablet packs in 32GB of Sandisk storage alongside 1GB of RAM, plus 3G bells and GPS whistles. Palm Joy notes that the tiddly TouchPad is flatter than the original, with the physical button centered on the longer side and an additional rear-facing five megapixel camera. The back of this tablet also has a Pre-esque matte finish, nixing the fingertip-magnet gloss of its bigger brother. You can grab another shot after the break, but if that doesn't quench your thirst there's plenty more at the source link.
