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Android HP Handhelds Hardware Hacking Operating Systems Build Hardware

Installing Android On an HP TouchPad 96

Posted by timothy from the gets-ever-more-tantalizing dept.
Barence writes "PC Pro has published a comprehensive guide to installing Android on a HP TouchPad using CyanogenMod's alpha Android release. The mod, which is based on Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) instead of 3.0 (Honeycomb, the source code of which is yet to be released) 'performs similarly to the Tegra 2-based tablets we've seen from the likes of Asus and Samsung,' according to PC Pro. 'The only real problem we hit was some apps refusing to install from the Android Market because they didn't recognise the hardware,' although there are ways around it."
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Installing Android On an HP TouchPad More

Installing Android On an HP TouchPad

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  • WebOS is staying on my TouchPad (Score:5, Interesting)

    by LightStruk ( 228264 ) on Tuesday October 18, 2011 @10:32AM (#37749702)

    I won't be installing Android on my TouchPad for one simple reason - that would be a downgrade. WebOS is much more pleasant to use than Android; it's better thought through, easier to configure, and easier to manage open apps. If I ever have to install Android on my TouchPad, perhaps because of a glaring security hole in WebOS that won't get fixed, it will be a very, very sad day.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by gmuslera ( 3436 ) *

      My toughts exactly. Android is nice, have a lot of apps, but for the OS itself WebOS should be better (and probably the available apps are enough for your needs).

      For alternate OSs for that device, would go to Meego, or another linux distro (ubuntu?), or maybe in some time, Tizen.

    • Re:WebOS is staying on my TouchPad (Score:4, Informative)

      by Pollardito ( 781263 ) on Tuesday October 18, 2011 @10:41AM (#37749804)
      I would think with the death of WebOS you might want to install Android at some point just to get new apps

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by robmv ( 855035 )

        Or security updates, I am pretty sure HP will not care anymore about browser fixes

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Cinder6 ( 894572 )

          Actually, HP just released a big update today. 3.0.4 77. In my early testing, it is nearly as fast as the device was when I had it overclocked to 1.7GHz and a bunch of performance patches installed. A very pleasant surprise.

          Random link: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Precentralnet/~3/UVQV0BP2eHI/hands-on-webos-3-0-4-video [google.com]

        • But right now, HP is still supporting the OS, and I would assume they'll support it until the warranty's start running out. Also keep in mind that the only way HP would recoup some of the massive loss the fire sale did is through sales on the marketplace, so I don't see that getting canned (although I doubt they can keep their devs for much longer unless they start showing them that HP still is supporting WebOS even though the hardware is dead)

          Until then WebOS stays. It's just better for just about everythi

        • Re: (Score:1)

          by wick3t ( 787074 )
          Actually development is very active and a webOS update for the TouchPad was released just today [blogspot.com]. This is better support than most Android OEMs who seldomly release any OS updates.

        • HP still has an interest in keeping up some WebOS development, since they are looking for someone to buy the operating system. Shutting down everything would reduce the value too much, so a bit of investment is needed to maintain the software, plus keep some of the development team intact so any potential buyer can have that knowledge base transferred.

      • I agree...

        I quickly sold one of my two Tablets (the other one is going to family) due to the lack of apps available. Without software, the tablet is nothing but an video player, ebook reader, and over sized ipod.

        Granted that the above is not bad for $150, but I opted for the full suite of actions by getting an Asus Transformer - best decision I could have made. I immediately had access to quite large number of games, a proper word processor, apps for scanning and business, etc. These were missing or sub pa

    • Re:WebOS is staying on my TouchPad (Score:4, Informative)

      by TerminaMorte ( 729622 ) on Tuesday October 18, 2011 @10:41AM (#37749810) Homepage
      You realize that by default it will dual-boot?

      So you get the great multi-tasking of WebOS, but with the great app selection (and browser options...) of Android.

      Netflix, minecraft, Firefox.... I certainly don't consider it a downgrade. :P

      • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

        by fafaforza ( 248976 )

        So you then have to mirror all your settings and documents across two separate OSes. I'd pass too, as I passed on dual booting Linux with Windows. I just chose one over the other.

        • Many people have multiple devices between cell phones, tablets, laptops, desktops, etc. and I have never heard anyone seriously say they would give up the utility of the different devices just so they didn't have to sync their documents. Android offers a ton of functionality that just doesn't exist in WebOS and for me that far outweighs the small inconvenience of putting Android on a touchpad entails. Not to mention things like Dropbox and Google Docs alleviates much of the burden of synchronization anywa

          • Talking about different devices is irrelevant because the discussion is about dual booting on a single device.

    • Another AOL-style post from me. The only reason I'd downgrade to Android would be if WebOS became completely unsupported, contained known security holes, and there was no better alternative than Android.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by RonnyJ ( 651856 )
      I have installed Android on my TouchPad for one simple reason - application availability. The OS may be nice, but I use my devices primarily for the applications, not the OS.
    • heh well fortunately I really doubt you would ever have to worry about a glaring security hole on webos (even if there were some huge massive security hole that allowed someone to completely copy everything from as little as visiting a webpage, who would bother to exploit it, they might as well be looking for holes in BEOS or other operating systems that while technically great, died before ever reaching a noticeable userbase. That being said for most people this option is a great option, assuming some crit

    • I just got my Touchpad today. I can't wait to see how much friendlier it is... but I have to seriously ding HP on this one issue: I cannot run the tablet until I get it on a Wifi source to click agree on their Terms and Conditions. Boooo!

      Guess I'll find out when I get home what it's like. Apple's the same way, the iPad requires an iTunes sync. Actually.. I don't think I had to do anything like that at all with the Galaxy Tab. I want to play with my gadgets before I get home, dammit!

      • Yeah, and the T&C screen didn't allow wifi connections via captive portal or enterprise-wpa with certificates. (webos does allow these once you get past the initial screen). i ended up making my android phone a wifi hotspot to get past the initial screen

        • I got back to the hotel I'm staying at and... well when you get on wifi there, any web page you go to is replaced with their "Welcome to our Hotel!" with a 'Connect to internet" button on the upper right. The TouchPad did give me a little window peeking at that page, but it was cropped. No amount of scrolling would let me see the upper right portion of the page!! Then my girlfriend goes "try rotating the tablet..." I did as she said and a sliver of the button on the right was now visible, I clicked on i

    • You do realize it is a dual-boot scenario, right? Are you really that much of a curmudgeon?

    • If I ever have to install Android on my TouchPad, perhaps because of a glaring security hole in WebOS that won't get fixed, it will be a very, very sad day.

      We all know that day will come - it's just a balancing act of setting up a workflow now on a technology that's (unfortunately) a dead-end and getting to increased productivity today, vs. having to do that all again at an inopportune time.

      Or you get lucky, and you can use it until you dispose of it. Maybe the guy you sell it to installs Android. Maybe t

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by melted ( 227442 )

      I generally like it, but PDF reader really sucks ass in webOS. It renders PDFs at a single resolution and does not re-render as you zoom in. This alone is a good incentive for me to replace webOS with Gingerbread.

    • If HP were run by humans instead of destructive MBAbots, they'd open source WebOS and have a thousand flowers bloom - possibly all over Androids' grave.
    • You have the option of choosing your boot OS. I am enjoying my Android based Touchpad.

  • I have a real Android tablet in the Xoom, but scored a couple of Touchpads when they went fire-sale. I would keep WebOS on the Touchpad at least until HP releases another update to it which I believe they have already said they would.

    It runs very well and I hope Android moves in the direction of WebOS' interface. Tablets are coming down in price... I understand the hack cred of showing your Touchpad to your friends with a castrated-functionality Android deployment but I wouldn't do it unless I could put W

  • Fix for apps refusing to install (Score:3, Informative)

    by strikernl ( 2487836 ) on Tuesday October 18, 2011 @10:51AM (#37749938)
    Can be found here: http://code.google.com/p/cmtouchpad/issues/detail?id=65#c14 [google.com]
  • I had a really easy time installing Android on my touchpad. The only issue I have now is that if the touchpad sits idle for a while (around 10 mins or more) it will lock up and I have to hard-reset the touchpad. Otherwise, Android works pretty well. Just have to get a fix for the Facebook and Twitter apps, since Facebook locks because of the lack of a GPS locator in the Touchpad.
    • The sleep of death issue was (mostly) fixed for me by this: http://rootzwiki.com/showthread.php?8127-New-SLEEP-OF-DEATH-BUG-fix-for-CM7-that-works-for-some [rootzwiki.com]

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by jimicus ( 737525 )

      The only issue I have now is that if the touchpad sits idle for a while (around 10 mins or more) it will lock up and I have to hard-reset the touchpad. Otherwise, Android works pretty well.

      I keep hearing things like this and I remember why it is I don't like Android.

      That, and the Android phone I foolishly bought thinking "it's Android, it can't be that bad". (For those who've never tussled with Android: It's a fairly meaningless brand in terms of identifying quality. It's just as possible to build a terrible Android phone as it is to build a good one so really you want to find an Android phone that's got a reputation of being OK).

      • This makes no sense. I'm fairly certain that the lock up is because this software is in an ALPHA state, and not because it's Android. Way to generalize, there.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

        That, and the Android phone I foolishly bought thinking "it's Android, it can't be that bad". (For those who've never tussled with Android: It's a fairly meaningless brand in terms of identifying quality. It's just as possible to build a terrible Android phone as it is to build a good one so really you want to find an Android phone that's got a reputation of being OK).

        It's a lot easier if you think of it as being ONE Android phone and many Android-compatible phones out there.

        That is, right now, the Nexus S

  • I've never heard of this... is it a prerelease or something?

  • I installed this over the weekend. The install is relatively simple, and you can easily boot to WebOS, Android or recovery. For a first alpha release it is amazingly good. There are a number of documented bugs which will be fixed in due course, but none of them are show-stoppers.

    As others have mentioned, the great advantage is access to the Android Market and the myriad apps available there. Is this better than WebOS? It depends on how you use this tablet. What is a tablet for, anyway?

    In the long run,

  • How to ruin your $99 tablet.

    Why would you want to shit up a perfectly capable device with Android?

  • Why would you want to cripple your beautiful TouchPad with a version of Android not designed for a tablet? Unfortunately I wasn't able to snag one myself, but WebOS, despite it's faults, is a beautiful OS. Sure, you don't get some of the apps that you do with Android, but for most practical uses WebOS is going to blow Android 2.3 out of the water.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Aryden ( 1872756 )
      WebOS lasted all of about an hour on the one I pulled out of the box. I nearly threw the damn thing against the wall it infuriated me so much. I've left them sitting on a shelf waiting for the prices on ebay to go up till this weekend. I installed the ALPHA and I am loving it. Can't wait for the few, very minor, bugs to get knocked out and it will be superb.

      • WebOS isn't that bad. With the addition of preware and kalemsoft media player, it provides decent web browsing, video playback, kindle client, VPN suport, web proxy support, and an xterm with a shell, along with a reasonable selection of games. That's like 95% of my usage right there.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Aryden ( 1872756 )
          Of your usage. The Touchpad is not much more than a video player or ebook reader for alot of what I do. Though, now with android installed, I can actually use it on my corporate network which increases it's use to me.

        • Re: (Score:3)

          by ProppaT ( 557551 )

          You can complain about WebOS not having the SPECIFIC app you want, and you can complain about a few niggly things it doesn't support, but honestly...the OS just about does it all, and really well to boot. I miss the days of my WebOS phone where I had a device that didn't crash (Android crashes a lot more often), didn't have weird audio issues (Android seems to), and I could easily kill off tasks (still have to use Advanced Task Killer in Android). No one beats WebOS's multitasking/memory management and ab

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by Loopy ( 41728 )

            There are a raft of apps I use daily that aren't available on WebOS (Netflix, several games, my gas mileage app, etc.).

            Also, the last time I had a crash on my Android phone was me doing something I shouldn't have been a few weeks ago. And I've _never_ had any audio issues. Sounds like you bought shit hardware. That's on you and the OEM, not the OS.

            Of course, to be fair, I've never had any crashes or audio issues on WebOS OR Android. /shrug

  • I recently grabbed a touchpad instinctively after seeing the CM7 video on youtube, not thinking clearly (and having too much damn money, not enough patience)
    I'd forgotten about Gingerbread entirely, does anyone know googles plans for GB and Ice Cream sandwich? I'd really like to see the touchpad working well with an OS designed for a tablet.

    Anyone got any theories or information?

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