My TouchPad Today: webOS 3.0.4 - Good News/Bad News

I downloaded the latest webOS update (3.0.4) to my TouchPad a couple of days ago.

As with most things in life, there's good news and bad news, but on my TP there doesn't seem to be any of the cataclysmic problems some internet discussion/forum posters are finding on their devices.

Good News (... Or at least not bad news)

• Speed - My TP does seem to be a bit zippier after the update, just as HP stated it would be
• Sound - Does not appear to be having problems after the update
• Video - Video recording capability added with the update seems to be working as well as can be expected with the low-grade TP built-in camera
• Kindle - App appears to be working fine, unlike the situ reported by many Internet posters

Bad News

• Touchstone Charging - A definite loss here... Device will still charge with a cover on, but placement in the Touchstone must be absolutely precise and perfect for it to work
• Accelerometer - Somewhat amiss after the update... Tends to shift from landscape to portrait orientation at the slightest movement
• Preware patches disabled - Maybe not "bad news", but its a kink that should be fixed shortly

I think its safe to assume that I'll find more -- hopefully small -- issues in the coming days as I cruise through all of the apps and functions on my TP.




Follow me on Twitter... @rnolan1087

My TouchPad Today: The Brutality of TouchPad Copy and Paste - LikeThe Stone Age?

The Copy/Paste functionality on the current HP TouchPad can be readily summed up in three words.

• Brutal
• Brutal
• Brutal

This isn't a new discovery, but the release of Quickoffice HD (w/document editing) shines a whole new light on how badly this function was designed.

I think the cavemen could work faster with a chisel and stone!


Follow me on Twitter... @rnolan1087

My TouchPad Today: TouchPad Battery on Standby

My wife isn't really using her TouchPad yet, so I'm having to keep a bit of an eye on it...

Seems like the TouchPad drains about 20 - 25% of its battery power per day when turned off and not plugged into a Touchstone or conventional USB charger.

(Just a casual observation over several days this week.)


Follow me on Twitter... @rnolan1087

TouchPad Touchstone Charger - First Impressions

I received the Touchstone charger for my TouchPad yesterday via FedEx.

First impressions...

- Overall... Looks like a good investment (putting aside for the moment that HP really should be including a free Touchstone with every WebOS device)

- Size and Stability... My concerns, based on what I had seen in pictures and videos, were greatly reduced when I got the unit in my hands. It still appears to be on the smallish side, but it seems to hold the TouchPad securely and stabily.

- It works correctly.  Can't ask for more than that. (...well, it should be bundled for free with the purchase of the TouchPad!)

The Touchstone is HP's Pickle!

Strange way to title a post, huh?

Well, not really.  Hang in there and read on.

Several years ago I read a book called "Give 'em the Pickle!" when I was in the customer service training business.

If I'm remembering correctly, one of the things author Bob Farrell promotes is doing the easy things that will make loyal customers who keep coming back to you for more.

Farrell ran ice cream/sandwich shops and found that charging for the pickle on a sandwich plate made all the -- bad -- difference in the world.  He lost more by charging for the pickle (or not giving the pickle) than he "lost" by giving away the pickle. The free pickle made all the -- good -- difference in the world to his customers.

He urges people and businesses to find the "pickle" in their world and give it to customers for free.

The Touchstone charger is HP's pickle. Its one of the big things that differentiates WebOs devices from Apple's devices.

Hey, HP, give your Pre and TouchPad customers the pickle!

Wow!

In my post yesterday morning about the badly unexploited value of the Touchstone charger to HP Palm and how they should make an "addition by subtraction" move in the Palm ranks, I was wishing out loud for the departure of Jon Rubenstein.

Little did I know that several hours later HP would actually be making that move... Or least putting it in motion.

Great news, HP! Now keep things moving in the right direction.

The Touchstone Charger and There's an App for That...

The Touchstone charger is one of the things that clearly differentiates the TouchPad from Apple's iPad.

Is it an iPad-killer by itself?... No, but it is a big, big difference that isn't being well exploited by HP Palm.

What's not to like about dealing with one less wire every day (or whenever)?

I think it can ultimately be as valuable to HP as "there's an app for that" is to Apple.

HP Palm still seems to be stuck in a rut when it comes to both completing and promoting their WebOS devices. Both efforts have something dragging them down, holding them back.

At this point in the game, one has to wonder if HP needs to make a big "addition by subtraction" move in the Palm ranks to correct these problems.

Maybe there should be an app for that?