My TouchPad Today: Cracked!

Several months ago, when reports surfaced of TouchPads showing cracks in the area of the speaker ports, I checked my TP and my wife's... No cracks found!

A similar inspection in just the past few days turned up something a little bit different on my TP, but not terribly dramatic...

It's been in a case since it was about three weeks old.  Before that it was in a neoprene sleeve for protection.

What's a fella to do?

For right now, probably nuttin' but "watchful waiting" since it doesn't seem to be growing and doesn't seem to be affecting anything.

If it spreads, I might delicately apply a wee bit of super glue.

Will I return it to HP for repair or replacement under warranty?

Probably not for this crack... I have enough real problems in my life to deal with already without getting into a sparring match with another (alleged) customer service organization.  The TP ended up only having a net cost of $100 and there's little to gain in trying to get "Leo's Legacy" fixed or replaced.

Gee, thanks, Uncle Leo!

Follow me on Twitter... @rnolan1087

My TouchPad Today: The HP CEO Shuffle - Good News/Bad News

Alas, the ouster of Leo Apotheker as HP CEO is one of those classic good news/bad news scenarios...


The Good News -- Meg Whitman is the new HP CEO, meaning that Leo Apothecary is out.

The Bad News -- Meg Whitman is the new HP CEO. Feels like an "any port in a storm" move on the part of the HP board.



Some other thoughts on the matter...

• The Good News -- (Insert any name here) is the new HP CEO, meaning that Leo Apotheker is out.

• If Pee Wee Herman, like Meg Whitman, were sitting on the HP board since January, could he have been the new CEO today?

I'm not seeing Whitman as the fix to what ails HP.

Anyone have Pee Wee Herman's phone number handy?




Follow me on Twitter... @rnolan1087

My TouchPad Today: A Slow Day While Waiting on Leo's Fate

It was another slow day for me in the world of TouchPad.

Other than waiting on HP's board to decide the fate of beleaguered CEO Leo Apotheker, I twiddled a bit with a couple of apps...

• Tea Reader -- Had to delete and reinstall the app this morning after it couldn't load my Google Reader feeds. Spent a goodly amount of time futzing around with getting it to re-access the correct one -- the one with news feeds -- of my two Google accounts.  Some user error, some app stubbornness.

• Spaz HD Beta Preview 2 -- Downloaded this app last night and took it out for its first real spin today. I like the fact that it displays a full list of the tweets that I follow, unlike the truncated list provided in the app I've been using.  Beyond that... Meh.

Follow me on Twitter... @rnolan1087

My TouchPad Today: HP - Fire, Ready, Aim?

The New York Times reviews HP's uncanny ability in recent times to shoot itself in the foot...

For Seamless Transitions, Don't Look to Hewlett


Follow me on Twitter... @rnolan1087

My TouchPad Today: OTA Update and Other Thoughts

No posting yesterday... busy, plus the OTA update was released fairly late in the day.

A few thoughts about the OTA here shortly, but a few other small things first...


E-mail to Leo Apotheker

Over the weekend, I sent an e-mail message to Mr. Apotheker containing a copy of my Saturday blog post concerning the OTA update delay and the lack of communication and accountability that HP execs displayed to TouchPad customers during July.

Yesterday afternoon I received a phone message from the unlucky fella who was designated to respond to my e-mail. Obviously, he acknowledged receipt of the e-mail, but did not respond to the meat of the posting, which was about the HP communication and accountability problems. He focused on the info that the OTA update was "in the pipeline"... something reported about 5 hours earlier on PreCentral.net.

On a positive note, he did thank me for being a HP customer.


TouchPad Leather Case from Amazon

I'm now using a CE Compass leather TP case ($10.99 + shipping) delivered over the weekend by Amazon.

First impression... Adequate. This case quite economically does the basic job of protecting your TP from the bumps, bruises and backside fingerprints of daily life, but leaves something to be desired in other regards, mainly "fit". The TP sloshes around a bit more in it than I like, losing alignment with the cutouts for the on/off button, the home button, the volume control and the video camera. (I wonder if this case is really generic, not TP-specific?)

All in all, considering the modest price, a good purchase to give your TP some basic protection.


OTA Update

In my part of the world, the update became available somewhere shortly after 5:00 PM.

First impressions...

A good start toward getting the TP where it should have been on July 1, but still "miles to go".

Autotext fixes, clock and calculator -- Why did HP have trouble with making you appear on July 1? You're basic to this type of device and it befuddles me as to how and why you could have been omitted.

Smoother scrolling and (as I hear it) Overclocking -- Once again, why did HP have trouble with you? You're not half as tough as HP thinks you are.

Keyboard Access for Mojo Apps -- I know why you weren't here for July 1... you overslept, yeah, that's the ticket!



Now let's get the updates for...



Hey, HP, keep the updates coming. Get the TP back to where it should have been on July 1... and, by the way, there's really no need to keep fibbing to your customers and then hiding for weeks at a time. You're better than that... Or at least you used to be.