[DISCUSSION] Touchpad OTA Updates - TouchPad General

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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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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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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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...
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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.
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+ 1 trying to browse forums can be terrible. Constantly have to use the refresh button.
Sent from Gingerbread Speedy 4G

Related

Chrome OS and webtop functionality?

I was wondering about the possibilities of a chrome os replacing webtop on our photons. Since it is Linux based like webtop, could it be possible to relayed ubuntop with chrome os?(see ubuntop forum for elaboration) Either way I was just thinking it would be perfect since there's Eucharistic simple GUI for the os.
Sent from my Xoom using xda premium
I can't believe I didn't see this post til now, sorry. Your question is very valid and deserves an answer.
ChromeOS and Moto's Webtop are, at their core, a web based OS (think cloud computing) in functionality. Granted, ChromeOS would be much smaller and faster than Moto's Webtop but still has all the failings of cloud computing. Cloud (ChromeOS, Webtop and so on) are based on the premise that you will ALWAYS have a working internet connection. We (the world) all know that this is rarely ever that case. So the premise is flawed from the start. Let's look at a real world scenario.
You need to write a report for school or work and are using Cloud (ChromeOS, Webtop and so on). While working on the report your internet connection goes down. It's a cellular outage/ internet provider outage and you do not have an alternative connection. The webpages you have open are still there but with cloud you can no longer continue to write that report. Your document creation/editing is somewhere on that, now inaccessible, internet. I, on the other hand, am running a stand alone OS (webtop+/ubuntop). Like you, my webpages are still open but I can also continue to work on that report due to me not being tied to the internet for document creation/editing.
The argument could be made that you could always use an Android office suite to continue working which is true. Try doing any real document work in android, it's a real pain in the ass. I know, as almost all things related to the Evo Desktop PC project was done in android.
Lokifish Marz said:
I can't believe I didn't see this post til now, sorry. Your question is very valid and deserves an answer.
ChromeOS and Moto's Webtop are, at their core, a web based OS (think cloud computing) in functionality. Granted, ChromeOS would be much smaller and faster than Moto's Webtop but still has all the failings of cloud computing. Cloud (ChromeOS, Webtop and so on) are based on the premise that you will ALWAYS have a working internet connection. We (the world) all know that this is rarely ever that case. So the premise is flawed from the start. Let's look at a real world scenario.
You need to write a report for school or work and are using Cloud (ChromeOS, Webtop and so on). While working on the report your internet connection goes down. It's a cellular outage/ internet provider outage and you do not have an alternative connection. The webpages you have open are still there but with cloud you can no longer continue to write that report. Your document creation/editing is somewhere on that, now inaccessible, internet. I, on the other hand, am running a stand alone OS (webtop+/ubuntop). Like you, my webpages are still open but I can also continue to work on that report due to me not being tied to the internet for document creation/editing.
The argument could be made that you could always use an Android office suite to continue working which is true. Try doing any real document work in android, it's a real pain in the ass. I know, as almost all things related to the Evo Desktop PC project was done in android.
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Sorry to resurrect this. All of the above being said, would it be difficult to use the most current version of chromium OS for web top?
elessarelfstar said:
Sorry to resurrect this. All of the above being said, would it be difficult to use the most current version of chromium OS for web top?
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Even the latest Chrome OS is still mainly a cloud based system. For what programs that do have standalone functions they still fall short of what UbunTop offers. For example, GIMP and OpenOffice are long term "standards compliant" programs and supported on multiple platforms. ChromeOS also offers far less in the way of software choices when compared to UbunTop which can run most ARM compiled programs based on Debian.
The other factor that now has to be considered is the removal of Webtop support by Motorola. Support for Webtop and webtop replacements will disappear with the ICS update on all webtop enabled phones leaving the users with Android based tablet mirroring mode. Even if you were to replace Webtop with the latest ChromeOS, it will no longer function as soon as you move to ICS. In short Webtop OR ICS, can't have both. The same applies to ChromeOS as well.
Projects, like Ubuntu Installer, that use disk images and VNC will still function on ICS. The draw back to this is that you loose audio support and external device support like flashdrives. Another issue is how VNC interacts with the disk image. There is also the issue that using disk images on the Atrix and Photon have very limited support. A specific Kernel/ROM combination has to be used to even get it to function.

[Q] Look familiar? You decide.

So I've watched the ICS Motorola Webtop Beta 3.0 video and it may be me but it looks very similar to the Evo Desktop PC in concept and function. Considering that ICS wasn't even available this time last year this would have been the logical progression of the project. I'm not asking for Moto to send me a check but I'm waiting to see how the credits roll out. If the Sun here on Mars has baked my brain then feel free to say so.
Lokifish Marz said:
I'm not asking for Moto to send me a check but I'm waiting to see how the credits roll out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow
The check is in the mail.
CCallahan said:
The check is in the mail.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So are you going to send it on their behalf?
Actually I've been in contact with Moto since the videos surfaced and am getting the "hot potato" treatment. All I'm looking for is to have a civil dialog with them about it. All I'm getting is being told I need to contact Department A by Department B after just being directly referred to Department B by Department A. I have even gone so far as to include the direct referral and names in my communications. You probably have a good idea as to how well that's working.
The odd thing is that with 200+ views nobody has said I should have my head checked. Is everybody on XDA being nice?
Interesting question, locki. Definitely a fair one. If I understand correctly, from watching the video (I had the volume down - A cold and a headache coming down so I'm trying to minimize the noises). In any case, your version looks to me like phone mirroring with a keyboard and a mouse. Not sure how it's set up (you probably said it in the video). But I don't think the ICS demo is a complete demo. This looks like he just reviewed the phone mirroring version, but didn't do a complete webtop review. Also, webtop on the current system is also pretty limited. From that video, I don't see much difference between the ICS and what we have on our phone, except that this is a proof of concept. In any case, you could say the same thing about a comparable presentation from the webtop experience on the mopho if you only show the the phone window usage. could also say the same thing about your ubuntop if you only show a limited version of the capabilities. I guess my point is I don't think you have a fair comparison at this point. But my head is stuffy and I am on my way to an early bedtime, so maybe I'm missing something...
I replaced the video of webtop 3.0 with one that shows webtop3.0 in use. I also have a copy of the ICS RAZR leak and osh (or anything related to that partition) is nowhere to be found. Neflix is obviously Netflix for tablets. The desktop look of Chrome appears to be a ui switch for the mobile chrome browser. If the ICS leak is anywhere near what the official release is, then the tech/android reports are correct that the new webtop is nothing more than modified tablet mode mirroring.
I'm not saying it's not good work. Had HCL Launcher, Chrome mobile browser and Netflix for tablets been out when I released Evo Desktop you would be hard pressed to tell the difference.
My other concern is if the leak I have and the videos are correct this does not bode well for Webtop becoming a true desktop with ICS like many had hoped.
So If I am understanding things correctly, the new webtop is just tweaked phone mirroring, as opposed to now where there are 2 operating systems running side by side. I guess ubuntop won't work on that system then. very disappointing.
As nice as Evo Desktop was there were tons of drawbacks. So I can tell you from experience that this is going to be a serious step backwards for "Webtop". Open up a mobile browser and visit a page that has flash based chat embedded. You cannot leave that page (view another page in another tab) because as soon as you leave the chat page tab everything gets suspended. When you go back to the chat page tab you have to log back in and start over.
Document editing will also be an issue as you have to use cloud based editors like Google Docs because to my knowledge none of the current office apps have that tablet switch needed change how the ui is rendered. When you combine this with the browser tabs issue and that Google Docs puts a fairly heavy load on the browser, you can say goodbye to any real doc editing.
What it comes down to is that many app devs are going to have to add the needed ui switch and changes to keep the new webtop from being trash. This will not be easy. I fought for months to just get a browser with a "desktop ui" look with no success. Even with thousands of users on the Evo project nobody would touch it. I ended up having to modify an existing browser to give my users a desktop look. Multiply that by how many commonly used apps that would need a ui switch and Moto is just asking for failure.
My other concern is what happens to the, now wasted, 1.3GB osh partition? The leak has no mention of it in the install script. It looks like it will still present but only accessible via vnc which has it's own issues and drawbacks.

Google Chrome Froyo Port

Is someone somewhere on the planet working to port the ics only Google chrome beta to Froyo?
Sent from my painfully slow connection, so consider pressing thanks to provide some relief
From what I know, Chrome requires the framework from ICS to work. In order to port the required parts, there would probably be parts of the framework that would be required by those parts, and parts required by those parts, etc..
I could be wrong but I don't believe you'll be seeing Chrome on a pre-ICS ROM any time soon, if ever. I imagine more development time is spent on getting older devices onto ICS, rather than porting the software back.
Is it really much better than stock browser or something like Dolphin? I don't think there's a vast improvement, so that sort of makes it pointless in my mind.
If Kindle's Silk could be ported,which required the kindle fire framework previously,then it might be possible!
BTW,chrome is my best bet when I'm on my PC,so maybe it's nice on the phone too
Yes, I came here looking for Chrome for my SideKick4G (froyo only). Side-loading doesn't work
Chrome is better then dolphin, etc. because it syncs with computers. I run chrome on my HTPC, my desk, and my tablet. Now all 3 share the same browser history and I can open any page that is on any device, so I no longer need Chrome-to-Phone and Phone-to-Chrome. No browser alternative works the same.
Make your own
droidiser said:
Is someone somewhere on the planet working to port the ics only Google chrome beta to Froyo?
Sent from my painfully slow connection, so consider pressing thanks to provide some relief
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your best bet is to make your own on android studio (or eclipse or whatever) and just design it the same way, implementing API's from the chrome2phone and phone2chrome API's.
If you do do this i'll help! In my Web design class at school we have Adobe Fireworks, Flash, and other design software.
Really? Wow. I'm sure with your help, the OP will be able to make something that looks and works exactly like the Chrome android app, but on Froyo, using Adobe graphics programs no less.
...what?
Posting you are willing to help create something that no one was going to create in the first place, something that no one really could create (it would take a large organized team and a lot of time/effort to even come close to Chrome) is weird... but did you check the date on this thread? Why would you possibly think it was a good idea to post that nonsense over a year after the latest reply?

Aokp vs Cyanogenmod 9 vs WebOS vs others

i would like to see what is the most used rom for the touchpad and which is the least used. and the pros and cons of each one
I use Cyanogenmod purely because of the support & ongoing development behind it. I love AOKP's Rom Control but theres always something missing in theirs (my wifi never worked untill build 37, but build 37 has no music player/widget, so I removed it). I can always load better battery mods, etc on stock CM9 and go & from there.
Also, it looks like the camera & mic might come first on the official nightlies.
webos is better but the problème in applications so i cant use it . if they make a way to use android apps on webos i will use it
so i use build 37
Sent from my cm_tenderloin using XDA Premium HD app
I like CM9, AOKP's extra features i dont really use. I just need android, and to run my apps. AOKP always has bugs to.
Besides, AOKP is always just using CM as a base, so its always behind. Right now being up to date is more important as things are constantly being fixed and added to CM in terms of hardware support.
One thing i wish for is webos style multitasking in android. In webos i can play youtube videos or other media from a web browser card and it will play in the background if i switch tasks or open a different application. And i would love to have a working mic and camera in cm9. Other than that im always trying different roms currently on aokpcb.
i am starting to see that aokp is more buggy than cm9
I use CM9 and official Nightly.
For me, it's thé Best.
I use Go Luncher HD.
I use webos for browsing and email. Unless the web page doesn't load well on advanced browser. Other than that I'll use android to clear out my Zynga games and whatnot. Any apps that aren't on webos. I like webos's stability and cards. Hopefully cm9 will get there someday. I use the nighties btw.
I've not followed webos since CM7 was released. Has it made ANY advancements since then? Ironic that other than wifi, I always found Android more stable and snappy than webos. Maybe that has changed from updates or patches since then?
hdad2 said:
I've not followed webos since CM7 was released. Has it made ANY advancements since then? Ironic that other than wifi, I always found Android more stable and snappy than webos. Maybe that has changed from updates or patches since then?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
webOS is basically at a stand still until HP makes it fully open source. Probably around september. Then we might see some good stuff come out of it. Until then, I am using CM9 for the apps. I still switch to webOS a lot though just because I love the OS.
Aokp because of rom control with trebuchet launcher. So many ways to customize to my liking
Sent from my aokpcb_tenderloin using xda premium
ftmaniac948 said:
Aokp because of rom control with trebuchet launcher. So many ways to customize to my liking
Sent from my aokpcb_tenderloin using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what is rom control and how does it make your personel android experience better ?
Rom control is a set of tweaks and personalizations that include many that aren't in cm9 I believe. Little stuff like circlemod battery and startup tweaks just fit to my liking a bit more than cm9. But performance wise they are both excellent on the tp.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using xda premium
I use eyeballer and it is very up to date. An update is released every single day. In fact, you can just download the updates incrementally so you don't have to download the whole damn rom every time. Very smooth rom, no problems.
G2x
I used AOKP until it become ugly. Especially annoying were delayed and or cut sounds in games, and even while watching videos.
CM9 is good and stable (I use official). I only miss OC/UV kernel.
OaT's Light n Tasty
I've been using light ROMs since from my Captivate, Atrix 4G and TP.
OaT's Light n Tasty is based on CM9 with lesser size. It is like mini-fridge, you can have your basic needs and saves energy (battery). It has cornerstone version for multi-screen applications (yes up three applications running in your screen with divider only).
So any fixes in CM9 is being updated by O.A.T (the maker of ROM) and he answers questions within 24 hours...
He supports noobs and senior members.
Unfortunately I don't have light ROM for my skyrocket yet!
After using cm9 for quite a while I decided to go back to webOS for a bit and see what I would miss. Everyone talks about the number of apps. But that count is skewed by a lot of redundancy. So far here are the results.
Communities in webOS is superior to Tapatalk.
Zite sufficiently replaces Pulse.
E-notes fills the need for Evernote access.
Plenty of offline bible readers.
Android flightboard is cool but can get the same info from flightstats.com.
I have a couple books with Nook and Kobo but all the tech stuff is Amazon or in PDF format so all good.
I do miss the weather and calendar widgets but they aren't deal breakers.
Don't use office documents much but its there if needed.
Got Angry Birds and solitare.
Email, calendar and browsers all good.
WebOS is a cleaner user interface compared with Android (I know,matter of opinion).
Bottom line is, eliminate the redundancy and garbage apps, then look at what you really use and Android no longer stands that far out.
As starbukk says, webos offers most of the features I need for daily use. My only issue with webos is the lack of a good PDF viewer/editor. I am a purchasing officer for an export company and use my touch pad daily teathered to a palm pre plus. I find that, for business, webos provides everything I need to get things done. For games, I boot into android mainly because I enjoy Modern Combat 3 which is not offered in webos. Many games available in webos are very good and there is game loft and EA support for newer games in webos.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2
Android destroys webos imo...
I value customization, and I like choice. The single homescreen on webos gets boring quick. I do like the cards interface for multitasking though.
I would still choose android any day of the week
great thread
This is a great thread, thanks OP.
I mostly use cm9, it's excellent but:
- slightly buggy
- known missing features
- hate the way android handles/kills background processes
The cm guys are really great and the whole system is impressive
But from time to time i go back to webos, theres something really good about it. It feels robust and well designed, and it proper multitasks. Its smoother but slower. And everything works reliably about it.
Webos relaxes me somehow. Cm9 still has an edge of doubt.
Havent tried anything else but if moboot can handle adding them i will!

Question from a first time Android user

Hey guys, just got my new Asus ZenFone 2 today. I didnt think this was for Q&A because it seems like more of a question of opinion. But I've tried both the native and Chrome browser and the native one seems to work quickly and efficiently, memory wise. I know a lot of people prefer Chrome, but aside from a few tweaks and sync ability, I don't see much of a reason to not use the native browser. Ring in with your opinions and educate the newbie. What do you prefer and why? Btw, loving Android so far.
returned4good said:
Hey guys, just got my new Asus ZenFone 2 today. I didnt think this was for Q&A because it seems like more of a question of opinion. But I've tried both the native and Chrome browser and the native one seems to work quickly and efficiently, memory wise. I know a lot of people prefer Chrome, but aside from a few tweaks and sync ability, I don't see much of a reason to not use the native browser. Ring in with your opinions and educate the newbie. What do you prefer and why? Btw, loving Android so far.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the native one works well for you then stick with it, you can always import your bookmarks from chrome. Its also based off of chrome anyway so will be a solid browser while also having Asus's additional features and the benefit of being optimised by Asus for the ZF2 itself.
The handy thing about it (and other OEMs are also doing this) is that its on the Play store and so gets updates and fixes by Asus reasonably regularly, without the need for a full system/firmware update. If you look at the play store reviews its very well rated which shows that its well regarded.
I'm guessing you've already checked it out, but there is a full Zenfone 2 forum for all related development, information, Q&A's, etc.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/zenfone2
Good info, thanks.

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