# Running Android Through WebOS



## nevertells (Oct 29, 2011)

*Disclaimer: * I am just posting this to keep you all informed about Application Compatibility Layer(ACL) by Phoenix International Communications(PIC)and nothing more. I am not in any way related or associated with PIC. If fact I am quite skeptical that this software will ever see the light of day. But if it does and works as they claim it will, it could change the face of running Android apps on the TouchPad. I read somewhere that they took over after the company that originally developed ACL to make it possible to run Android on a variety of devices besides the TouchPad either dropped the TouchPad or ACL all together. Not sure which.

If you are not aware, they are developing ACL software for the TouchPad that they claim will run Android apps without having to even install Android on one's tablet. Earlier this summer they ran a Kickstarter campaign to raise $35,000 and ended up with over $45,000 pledged. They originally planned to release the software in July, but slipped the release date to the end of September. They continue to post updates of Android apps running on a TouchPad here: http://www.kickstart...ad/posts/556045.

There are 25 updates available to look at, so be sure to hit the "previous update" button to view the lot of them. You should check back from time to time and PIC continues to add new updates every few days.

You can also visit their Store which as of right now only has ACL for WebOS for preorder, Phoenix tshirts and keychains for sale. Unless you are one of the hundreds that committed Kickstarter money who are promised at least one copy of the software, I would not recommend you preorder anything. Until this software is released and has been reviewed by reputable sources, I would suggest you keep your wallet in your pocket.

http://store.phxdevices.com/index.php

Also, here is a link to another website they are maintaining. There is some interesting reading there: http://www.phxdevices.com/

You might want to scroll down the right side of the page and read about the one guy who pledged $7500 and see what he is getting for his money. Wish I had that kind of money to burn. Imagine how happy he is going to be if this turns out to be vaporware.

P.S. Here is a link to the company that is said to have developed ACL:

http://openmobileww.com/company.php


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## nevertells (Oct 29, 2011)

If any you have gone and watched some of the videos and read the updates that have been posted at the above links, I would be interested in hearing your thoughts and comments about what you read. The one thing I did pick up on in my reading, is that they are using Gingerbread as their version of Android for ACL. They said they hope to upgrade it later to either ICS or JB. The videos that they have posted in a lot of their updates, really look interesting. If this software does come to fruition, I really think I will have to give it a try. It's just a shame that HP support for WebOS is going away.


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## nevertells (Oct 29, 2011)

PIC continues to add updates of other apps running on the TouchPad through WebOS. Waiting to see what happens!


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## Raverrevolution (Feb 23, 2012)

I hope the final product has less lag than what they show in the videos otherwise it's pretty worthless to use. It was painful watching Cut the Rope run that slowly.


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## nevertells (Oct 29, 2011)

Raverrevolution said:


> I hope the final product has less lag than what they show in the videos otherwise it's pretty worthless to use. It was painful watching Cut the Rope run that slowly.


 We will just have to wait until the final release to see how well it works. Just imagine the number of TouchPads out there that have never had Android installed on them because the user is technically inept. This would give them the chance to try out Android.


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## nevertells (Oct 29, 2011)

Seriously guys, over 1400 views and only one comment, opinion? I know, I know, you are waiting for the release to happen. I really would like to hear what you are thinking based on what you have read and the videos you have watch. TIA!


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## JohnA2u (Jan 9, 2013)

OK I'll play. Its a cool idea. Webos has a generally nice feel to it. Running android apps within webos would expand its usefulness if it works seamlessly and with zero lag. It would be a fun novelty if it were free.	BUT......the clock is ticking on the Touchpad. With android on it, it is a great device for now. Pretty soon the hardware won't keep pace with current technology and we will all run out and buy a used Samsung. (Which I did last week, by the way, pretty darn nice too)

I love my Touchpad and use it every day. The siren song of something lighter cheaper and faster is hard to resist though.

Android through webos is dead out of the gate in my opinion.


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## nevertells (Oct 29, 2011)

In a way I agree with you John. The interesting fact is when they needed to raise the money for their project, they didn't have any trouble, in fact, they raised more than they needed. Who knows how many TouchPad owners are out there who don't know about installing Android or are not technically adept enough to do it. Close to a million TouchPads were sold and if this company is smart enough to properly market their product, they may have some success. We will see.

Anyone else?


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## nevertells (Oct 29, 2011)

Wow, 1754 views and no one else has a comment to make. Oh. well, guess I let this thread fade into the black hole on page 2.


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## Teejai (Aug 28, 2011)

The mum and dad user isn't about to go looking for this though are they. Do people even look in the webos any more? Everyone else with a vague idea on android should be already on it if they want to be. 

This would have been great at the start, but now I can't see it working. The touchpad is getting old as well.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4


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## nevertells (Oct 29, 2011)

Honestly Teejai, did you even read my post #8 to JohnA2u? You are making some assumptions that I don't know how you could back up.

Yes, the TouchPad is a little over two years old, but every time I visit a store with Android tablets for sale, I play around with them and honestly cannot see any reason to toss my trusty TouchPad aside for one of them plus $200 to $400 bucks too. I was even in an Apple store a while back and yes, the IPad was a little faster, but still does not have Flash or some of the other functionality my OLD TouchPad has.

There is about a month to go until they are supposed to release ALC for the TouchPad. Let's wait and see how things go.


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## Teejai (Aug 28, 2011)

Ummm okay sorry. I was just adding to the conversation like you asked? I didn't mean it as an attack, yes it was just my assumption and yes I have done zero studies to back it up. 


Edit: just wanted to add that I love my touchpad and I also can't find another tablet to replace. A nexus 10 with wireless charging would be ideal. Anyway our touchpad is getting old in lots of areas not just cpu. The battery is on the long slide down now, GPU and the screen. I compare the touchpad to my HTC One and wow what a difference. 

Best of luck to them, I do hope they succeed. 


Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4


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## nevertells (Oct 29, 2011)

Hey,sorry for coming down so hard. I'm hoping to get at least a couple more years of use out of my TouchPad. Maybe I'm a little OTC about the way I keep it charged up and how I take care of the screen so maybe it'll last. Battery Monitor Widget indicates that my batteries seem to be holding up rather well. Isn't the HTC One a phone? I have an SG 3, and if you really want to know the truth, I think my TouchPad keeps up with it rather nicely. I think at some point Google is going to issue a new version of Android that just won't work on the TouchPad. That will kill it for some people. But I'm quite happy with how well Android 4.2.2 works on my TouchPad. If that is as far as we get is just fine with me.

Have a great day, and don't mind this grumpy old man.


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## Colchiro (Aug 26, 2011)

nevertells said:


> Wow, 1754 views and no one else has a comment to make. Oh. well, guess I let this thread fade into the black hole on page 2. :tongue2:


Too little, too late. WebOS is dead and HP's servers are going offline last I heard.

The time for this app was 3 years ago. I can't see a market for it now.


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## nevertells (Oct 29, 2011)

Colchiro said:


> Too little, too late. WebOS is dead and HP's servers are going offline last I heard.
> 
> The time for this app was 3 years ago. I can't see a market for it now.


I would tend to agree. But one never knows how this will fare among the technically inept and WebOS fanbois. :goodcry: There are a few of them out there. The developer has got to find a way to reach those groups. I personally liked WebOS. Lack of apps is what killed it. :lame:

I miss the old Android style smiley's!


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## oldpapa49 (Sep 19, 2011)

Hey Nevertells,

I saw this sometime back and thought, well, good... Who was the Chinese kid that did this...

Be nice, but WebOS still takes time to boot.

And if the servers go off line, then what..

Old


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## nevertells (Oct 29, 2011)

Not aware that it was a Chinese kid that is doing this. Yeah, the boot is a bit long, but the battery life in WebOS is so much better than Android, I would be tempted to leave it on more. I don't think the WebOS servers will have much of an effect on how ACL works as one downloads apps from a different server.

Did you go look at any of the links in my OP?


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## Teejai (Aug 28, 2011)

I just watched a few of the YouTube videos and wow I was impressed, until I saw cut the rope and it looked like it was in slow motion. 

Seeing webos again made me remember how much I liked it's exchange email and box integration. 
Hmm maybe I should give it a try 

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4


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## nevertells (Oct 29, 2011)

There latest update says that they have released the program to beta testing, I believe to all those who pledged support. End of September is supposed to be release to the general public. Don't know how old the video you are speaking about, but one can't judge the final release by that. If WebOS would have had this two years ago, I doubt that there would have been CM for the TouchPad. And imagine the state of development of it after two years.


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## oldpapa49 (Sep 19, 2011)

Chomper was his name... here is a link I found:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-20116651-93/android-running-as-test-app-on-hp-touchpad/

I had looked at the start way back when when I was looking for development boards for work..


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## nevertells (Oct 29, 2011)

Hey papa, I'm not sure that's the same thing. The journalist makes no mention of ACL, PIC, or Open Mobile, just an .IPK which allows one to emulate Android on the TouchPad. Open Mobile was the company that developed ACL for other devices, and I believe they were trying to develop it for WebOS and the TouchPad. Then when they abandoned it, PIC picked it up and is continuing the development. I hope they release, it'll be fun to play with.


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## nevertells (Oct 29, 2011)

I just checked PIC's website and Twitter account and looks like they missed their 9/30/13 deadline for some kind of release of ACL for WebOS. They state they are really close and hope to have something out this week. Even folks that have donated via Kick Starter who were supposed to be first in line of a working version of ACL are starting to get a bit PO'ed over all the delays.

We all know how much everyone here save for for DrBond loves their Android and running it via WebOS would be a neat adventure. Every world has to have it's trolls. :lame:


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## Colchiro (Aug 26, 2011)




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## RolandDeschain79 (Feb 1, 2012)

nevertells said:


> I just checked PIC's website and Twitter account and looks like they missed their 9/30/13 deadline for some kind of release of ACL for WebOS. They state they are really close and hope to have something out this week. Even folks that have donated via Kick Starter who were supposed to be first in line of a working version of ACL are starting to get a bit PO'ed over all the delays.
> 
> We all know how much everyone here save for for DrBond loves their Android and running it via WebOS would be a neat adventure. Every world has to have it's trolls. :lame:


Things do not bode well for PIC. I was also hoping this would become a reality but it looks like its either too little too late or just not going to happen. I was watching their videos and they look very questionable. For one thing they're short and often don't show you them booting into a game or platform, just here you go runs great goodbye. If I did this with my Fallout for Android videos everyone would have said they were fakes. Some folks did fake stuff like this for bragging rights in the past. I just hope if it doesn't workout the people will be able to get their money back :gocry: (need android icons again)

Whats wrong with this video?

-Angry birds just starts and when they load it up there are no previous games. So this is the first time they are testing it? You can't show it loading and the video is super short? Is this a tech demo or sucker bait? Why is some random chick explaining things in a monotone voice? She doesn't seem to understand what she is saying and there is a lack of confidence in her voice that is unsettling. If you can run hundreds of thousands of Android apps, why are you playing angry birds and temple run for like 30-60sec? Games crash after 2min perhaps?






Here is another video where you can see them launching Angry birds but again there are is no game progress and its short. Strange that hes been demoing this all day and yet he hasn't passed the first level. Is that a Samsung phone running Android?






-Game just starts and ends no loading.

Notice when she tilts the TP there is a white cable plugged into the bottom, suspicious.






Actual Tech Demo of Android app development testing:

-Notice how bad the performance is sometimes. I don't tell you that it and everything works perfectly based on 60sec of gameplay.

[media]http://youtu.be/aAsFVUL0b_w


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## RolandDeschain79 (Feb 1, 2012)

The more I read about this the more doubts I have. Why don't they release a video of it running on a Touchpad at least. Checkout this video for their app store, its all kinds of fail. You can spot the girl reading a terrible script @ 1:55. The interface just repeats the same menus and images. You can see a quick shot of the devices library which only contains core android apps. I wonder if this store is functional or just a series of menus. Another thing that worries me is that Its supposed to be based on Android 2.3, so any apps requiring 3+ compatibility won't work :lame:. "Largest independent Android app one stop destination" :sayno:

My guess is that the actual amount of compatible apps will be comparable with the original WebOS app store and will receive about as much support. If all it can do is check news run facebook and play Angry birds, then people would have been better off donating their money to our talented Android developers. Imagine if we had $45 000 to handout for actual Android development... Nuff said :emoji_u1f629:






UPDATE - ACL for Touchpad public release delayed&#8230;again

Forum threads @ WebOS nation: 

PICS statement about delays:



Spoiler



"Thanks for all your patience with our delays over the past few weeks.

"We are currently in the process of implementing some fixes which should allow us to issue an ACL Preview version to our Pre-release and Early Access backers for testing next week.

"There will be some items outstanding at this stage, but it will be complete enough to allow you to really dive in and and experience most of the benefits of ACL right away, and will serve you well until we finish up the official release version.

"Those that have preordered the software through the kickstarter campaign may be eligible to receive this version if Phoenix feels the quality of the product is there; However, those who have purchased through the Phoenix Store will come next.

"We are placing the final release date on hold until everything is complete. As it is still to early to say just how long completing the final release will take, but we feel that once we get over this final hump everything will go smoothly.

"As always we appreciate all of you standing by our side, please continue to cheer us on as we are so close to completing this project."



Update: Then I found this video where you can clearly see that Google Play and the Amazon app store are installed. This video is more recent, I wonder if the visible apps represent all the ones that currently work hmmm..


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## nevertells (Oct 29, 2011)

RolandDeschain79 said:


> The more I read about this the more doubts I have. Why don't they release a video of it running on a Touchpad at least. Checkout this video for their app store, its all kinds of fail. You can spot the girl reading a terrible script @ 1:55. The interface just repeats the same menus and images. You can see a quick shot of the devices library which only contains core android apps. I wonder if this store is functional or just a series of menus. Another thing that worries me is that Its supposed to be based on Android 2.3, so any apps requiring 3+ compatibility won't work :lame:. "Largest independent Android app one stop destination" :sayno:
> 
> My guess is that the actual amount of compatible apps will be comparable with the original WebOS app store and will receive about as much support. If all it can do is check news run facebook and play Angry birds, then people would have been better off donating their money to our talented Android developers. Imagine if we had $45 000 to handout for actual Android development... Nuff said :emoji_u1f629:
> 
> ...


Since I don't understand how one goes about installing ACL on the TouchPad, will just have to wait until they release it or get sued for fraud. All the video updates at this link are Android apps running on the TouchPad via ACL: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1957339277/run-android-apps-in-webos-on-the-hp-touchpad/posts/556045

It's my understanding from what I have read that they are holding up release because they are having some difficulty getting video acceleration implemented for the purposes of running certain games. If that is the case, they are sure not garnering any good will by delaying for just that. Like one person said, release what you have and when acceleration is working, then update it.

After watching the video, did you notice that they had Slacker and Opera running concurrently? They must have something working or they couldn't be showing what they are. I believe that each app that is Android based is an icon on the WebOS desktop. So what you see there are all the app they have installed that work through ACL.


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## RolandDeschain79 (Feb 1, 2012)

nevertells said:


> Since I don't understand how one goes about installing ACL on the TouchPad, will just have to wait until they release it or get sued for fraud. All the video updates at this link are Android apps running on the TouchPad via ACL: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1957339277/run-android-apps-in-webos-on-the-hp-touchpad/posts/556045
> 
> It's my understanding from what I have read that they are holding up release because they are having some difficulty getting video acceleration implemented for the purposes of running certain games. If that is the case, they are sure not garnering any good will by delaying for just that. Like one person said, release what you have and when acceleration is working, then update it.
> 
> After watching the video, did you notice that they had Slacker and Opera running concurrently? They must have something working or they couldn't be showing what they are. I believe that each app that is Android based is an icon on the WebOS desktop. So what you see there are all the app they have installed that work through ACL.


I totally agree with the guy saying they should launch it now and wait for h/w video. This is after all something TP users should be getting used to with all our Android releases. My guess is that they have drastically oversold their product and can only run like 40+ apps and not hundreds of thousands. The performance is probably limited in these apps and even with h/w video games like GTA3 would be unplayable or not work at all. If only mundane apps work like Web browsers, news and angry birds works, then it won't take users long to feel the have been ripped off. 40+ apps limited to Android 2.3 builds for $45 000+  Once the word gets out on that no one would be interested in future purchases.

Personally I would want to use apps like wifi file transfer, ES file explorer, torrent managers, DosBox Turbo ect. If the apps provided can't do more than WebOS already does now then PIC has failed to deliver on its promises.


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## nevertells (Oct 29, 2011)

RolandDeschain79 said:


> I totally agree with the guy saying they should launch it now and wait for h/w video. This is after all something TP users should be getting used to with all our Android releases. My guess is that they have drastically oversold their product and can only run like 40+ apps and not hundreds of thousands. The performance is probably limited in these apps and even with h/w video games like GTA3 would be unplayable or not work at all. If only mundane apps work like Web browsers, news and angry birds works, then it won't take users long to feel the have been ripped off. 40+ apps limited to Android 2.3 builds for $45 000+  Once the word gets out on that no one would be interested in future purchases.
> 
> Personally I would want to use apps like wifi file transfer, ES file explorer, torrent managers, DosBox Turbo ect. If the apps provided can't do more than WebOS already does now then PIC has failed to deliver on its promises.


 If you check the Open Mobile link, you'll see they have an App Store they call the AppMall. They claim you will have access to hundreds of thousands of Android apps through their AppMall.


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## synchron (Jul 4, 2012)

Looks like it's finally happening with a 1.0 release slated for some time "next week". Currently $10 off promotion so it will be going for $19.95

http://www.openmobileww.com/#!acl-for-webos/ctog

I myself am interested but would rather wait until I get reviews. So far, from the beta testers, it doe not look too promising....


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## nevertells (Oct 29, 2011)

synchron said:


> Looks like it's finally happening with a 1.0 release slated for some time "next week". Currently $10 off promotion so it will be going for $19.95
> 
> http://www.openmobileww.com/#!acl-for-webos/ctog
> 
> I myself am interested but would rather wait until I get reviews. So far, from the beta testers, it doe not look too promising....


Thanks for keeping an eye on them. I've heard or read the same thing about some of their issues. Installing and activating seems to be a pain.

We'll see!


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## Mighty_Red (Nov 19, 2012)

It is an interesting project, but I am slightly cynical about the whole thing, it feels a little too "commercial"

If this company was serious about this and were big WebOS fans, why isn't there a beta available for testing? I think there would be more chance of people buying into the project. Without a proper proof of concept it seems a bit dodgy, with the only intention is to get money out of people.

When you think about how much time and effort that has been put in by everyone to get android onto the touchpad, no-one has tried to make money out of it, they have done it for the challenge and out of love for the platform. Any donations they may have got would've been well deserved.

If this was 18 months ago this would have a strong chance of doing well. Let's be honest, WebOS on the touchpad is now all but dead now mainly because HP's stupid decisions. The only chance it had of surviving was through openWebOS but since it didn't support the touchpad we were out of luck.Even preware has dried up. With the browser being so poor I'm not sure what we can still do on these going forward. I assume this software will work on the phones as well which might be useful for them.

It is Android that has realised the potential of our touchpads and that has made a massive effort by the likes of jcsullins and dougarry. Completely agree that all the mid-range devices hold no great advantage to our touchpads, and I won't be buying a new one for a long time.

PIC have a lot to live up to at the moment. I don't think they've done anything yet to earn our trust as yet.


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## nevertells (Oct 29, 2011)

Mighty_Red said:


> It is an interesting project, but I am slightly cynical about the whole thing, it feels a little too "commercial"
> 
> If this company was serious about this and were big WebOS fans, why isn't there a beta available for testing? I think there would be more chance of people buying into the project. Without a proper proof of concept it seems a bit dodgy, with the only intention is to get money out of people.
> 
> ...


There was a beta program, but one had to sign up and be accepted. PIC has been tweaking and beta testing since this summer. Proof of concept was a series of videos they posted showing different Android programs running on the TouchPad via ACL. You can also find them on YouTube.

What are you talking about trying to get money out of people? It started out as a Kick Starter project just like hundreds of other "Commercial" projects have done. So what do you call paid apps on the Play Store or WebOS Marketplace? PIC doesn't have the right to get paid for their efforts? I think you feel that because there are so many free apps, that every app should be free just for you! Sorry dude, there are paid apps too and ACL is one of them.

Have you even read the Open Mobile website? How about ACL for Tizen, Windows and Linux in addition to WebOS?

I will agree that they are late into the game and risk the project failing because of it. But my hat is off to them for giving it a try and to all the Kick Starter supporters for giving them a chance. I plan to give one of my TouchPads to a grand daughter for Christmas and if ACL works, may just install it instead of trying to teach her what dual booting Android on a TouchPad is all about.


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## Mighty_Red (Nov 19, 2012)

nevertells said:


> There was a beta program, but one had to sign up and be accepted. PIC has been tweaking and beta testing since this summer. Proof of concept was a series of videos they posted showing different Android programs running on the TouchPad via ACL. You can also find them on YouTube.
> 
> What are you talking about trying to get money out of people? It started out as a Kick Starter project just like hundreds of other "Commercial" projects have done. So what do you call paid apps on the Play Store or WebOS Marketplace? PIC doesn't have the right to get paid for their efforts? I think you feel that because there are so many free apps, that every app should be free just for you! Sorry dude, there are paid apps too and ACL is one of them.
> 
> ...


I'm not averse to paying for things but so far they have not proven anything at all and I'm comparing this directly to all the work that has been done by all the others in the Touchpad scene who are not asking for the same rewards.

If for example, Cyanagenmod, in their commercial guise, brought out 4.4 for the touchpad as a premium, paid service then it would definitely be something I would consider as I trust their work and I know that I would get value for money.

I dunno, looking at the site it just doesn't seem right, I'm not sure what it is, maybe the language being used has too much marketing spin on it. Maybe I'.m just being overly skeptical and they deserve the benefit of the doubt.

RolandD is not convinced at this stage and I trust his opinion (as I do yours).

There must be some guys on this site who are a bit closer to this project (maybe someone who has contributed to the kickstarter), can you give us your opinions/thoughts?


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## nevertells (Oct 29, 2011)

Mighty_Red said:


> I'm not averse to paying for things but so far they have not proven anything at all and I'm comparing this directly to all the work that has been done by all the others in the Touchpad scene who are not asking for the same rewards.
> 
> If for example, Cyanagenmod, in their commercial guise, brought out 4.4 for the touchpad as a premium, paid service then it would definitely be something I would consider as I trust their work and I know that I would get value for money.
> 
> ...


Like I said in the disclaimer in the OP:

" If fact I am quite skeptical that this software will ever see the light of day. But if it does and works as they claim it will, it could change the face of running Android apps on the TouchPad."

I remain skeptical and neither am I convinced that this software is nothing more than vaporware, but I am willing to wait and see what happens as I have stated previously. I think your criticisms are a bit off base. Any start up always presents an optimistic view of their efforts and company and I would expect nothing less from this one. Did you watch any of the videos in their updates or on YouTube? If they are running a scam, they are making it very elaborate. Let's not forget how many commercial ventures to produce new hardware and software have never made it out of the gate, like Microsoft!!

I don't have a clue what you are talking about Cyanogenmod and 4.4 for the TP as a premium paid service. I have read that they are developing some commercial ventures like a CyanogenMod phone and possibly collaborating with some phone vendors to use CM. So what are you talking about?


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## Fat Albert (Dec 4, 2011)

nevertells said:


> Like I said in the disclaimer in the OP:
> 
> " If fact I am quite skeptical that this software will ever see the light of day. But if it does and works as they claim it will, it could change the face of running Android apps on the TouchPad."
> 
> ...


All he's saying is we have something better to invest in, whether it be donating to our awesome developers for 4.4 on the Touchpad or going out to get a new device. Even if this project worked perfectly, $20 is a steep price for extra functionality for a dead OS. Only a hardcore WebOS junkie would buy into it now, and most of those backers undoubtedly feel cheated.

I was feeling nervous for the devolpmemt of Android on the Touchpad, I thought it would end after 4.1. If that happened, I would've given WebOS a second look. But here we are, KitKat on the way. Not only that, but the Touchpad still has enough horsepower to run most apps in the Play Store, including some Tegra 4 games. I'd feel more justified if I pitched $20 towards the devs working on KitKat and push to finally getting a RC for it, if I had $20. But because I don't, I leave you my 2 cents on the matter


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## nevertells (Oct 29, 2011)

Fat Albert said:


> All he's saying is we have something better to invest in, whether it be donating to our awesome developers for 4.4 on the Touchpad or going out to get a new device. Even if this project worked perfectly, $20 is a steep price for extra functionality for a dead OS. Only a hardcore WebOS junkie would buy into it now, and most of those backers undoubtedly feel cheated.
> 
> I was feeling nervous for the devolpmemt of Android on the Touchpad, I thought it would end after 4.1. If that happened, I would've given WebOS a second look. But here we are, KitKat on the way. Not only that, but the Touchpad still has enough horsepower to run most apps in the Play Store, including some Tegra 4 games. I'd feel more justified if I pitched $20 towards the devs working on KitKat and push to finally getting a RC for it, if I had $20. But because I don't, I leave you my 2 cents on the matter


Actually, I would call what he is saying borders on "Trolling". I find his comments more destructive rather than constructive.

Just wondering, why is $20 a steep price? True, most apps on the Play Store are $5 or less. But one can find apps that go for a lot more including $20. I would not call it a dead OS just yet, just because HP on longer owns it. The OS was purchased by LG. It is a decent operating system, it's just HP can't manage themselves out of a wet paper bag. They are still bungling along to this day.


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## synchron (Jul 4, 2012)

I am still hoping for ACL on WebOS to be a success. I run CM10 85% of the time and usually just use WebOS to watch long videos and play some games when I'm in the mood so by no means am I a WebOS junkie. The LunaCE/tweaks addition to WebOS has really enhanced the UI for me. Personally, I'm sold if ACL is released just for the convenience of not having to dual boot. To this day, I still prefer the WebOS UI over Android and a card app rarely freezes or FC's on me.

That said, I am critical about new software not breaking old software, therefore, the release hopefully will have all the beta bugs worked out (UberKernel, Kalemsoft media player, LunaCe, etc.) for me to even consider buying it.


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## nevertells (Oct 29, 2011)

synchron said:


> I am still hoping for ACL on WebOS to be a success. I run CM10 85% of the time and usually just use WebOS to watch long videos and play some games when I'm in the mood so by no means am I a WebOS junkie. The LunaCE/tweaks addition to WebOS has really enhanced the UI for me. Personally, I'm sold if ACL is released just for the convenience of not having to dual boot. To this day, I still prefer the WebOS UI over Android and a card app rarely freezes or FC's on me.
> 
> That said, I am critical about new software not breaking old software, therefore, the release hopefully will have all the beta bugs worked out (UberKernel, Kalemsoft media player, LunaCe, etc.) for me to even consider buying it.


IMHO, WebOS was ahead of it's time. It's a shame that HP drove it into the ground. If you are watching the blogs and forums that the ACL users frequent, please update us on any significant events that happen. So far, what I have read that it's still in pre-release and those using it are reporting issues with installing, activating and certain apps that don't work. I have also seen a couple of glowing reviews.


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## Fat Albert (Dec 4, 2011)

nevertells said:


> Actually, I would call what he is saying borders on "Trolling". I find his comments more destructive rather than constructive.
> 
> Just wondering, why is $20 a steep price? True, most apps on the Play Store are $5 or less. But one can find apps that go for a lot more including $20. I would not call it a dead OS just yet, just because HP on longer owns it. The OS was purchased by LG. It is a decent operating system, it's just HP can't manage themselves out of a wet paper bag. They are still bungling along to this day.


I bought my Touchpad for $99. $20 would be more than what most people would spend to get extra functionality for this tablet because most of us bought it for cheap. Add the fact that even after all the cash they got, and all the extra time they've had, the functionality of Android apps on WebOS isn't looking good. RolandD has a point, imagine if all that $45,000 went to CM development. We'd probably have a stable release for Android 4.3 by now with more devs on the case. So let's not waste money on a faulty app emulator for an OS that, although revolutionary, has zero support from devs, HP, and LG. I'd rather invest in something that's shown real, tangible results, and the CM team has been doing it for 2 years now, free of charge.


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## nevertells (Oct 29, 2011)

Fat Albert said:


> I bought my Touchpad for $99. $20 would be more than what most people would spend to get extra functionality for this tablet because most of us bought it for cheap. Add the fact that even after all the cash they got, and all the extra time they've had, the functionality of Android apps on WebOS isn't looking good. RolandD has a point, imagine if all that $45,000 went to CM development. We'd probably have a stable release for Android 4.3 by now with more devs on the case. So let's not waste money on a faulty app emulator for an OS that, although revolutionary, has zero support from devs, HP, and LG. I'd rather invest in something that's shown real, tangible results, and the CM team has been doing it for 2 years now, free of charge.


 Your idea would have merit except for one thing, android is open source and WebOS was a commercial venture. Android-developers work for the thrill of it, WebOS was a for-profit operation. We never got a stable release of Ice Cream Sandwich, what makes you think we would ever get one for Jelly Bean or KitKat?


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## nevertells (Oct 29, 2011)

For those of you who want to read what is currently being said on WebOS Nation about ACL for the TouchPad,

http://forums.webosnation.com/hp-touchpad/324645-pic-kick-starts-touchpad-open-mobile-acl-76.html

I grabbed the address for the second to last page(most recent comments) in that thread since there are 77 pages available.


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## Fat Albert (Dec 4, 2011)

nevertells said:


> Your idea would have merit except for one thing, android is open source and WebOS was a commercial venture. Android-developers work for the thrill of it, WebOS was a for-profit operation. We never got a stable release of Ice Cream Sandwich, what makes you think we would ever get one for Jelly Bean or KitKat?


We didn't get an official release because the developers moved on to a newer version of Android. And imo they left ICS and Jelly Bean (4.1) in pretty good shape.

Read the link you gave. Man, what those people did is criminal. A refund should be in order


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## nevertells (Oct 29, 2011)

Fat Albert said:


> We didn't get an official release because the developers moved on to a newer version of Android. And imo they left ICS and Jelly Bean (4.1) in pretty good shape.
> 
> Read the link you gave. Man, what those people did is criminal. A refund should be in order


Patience is a virtue pal, which you have little of.  Trying to start a business venture is criminal. Really! You would never make it as a venture capitalist.


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## MrPuddington (Oct 15, 2011)

nevertells said:


> Patience is a virtue pal, which you have little of.


As is punctuality... and when I have the choice, I would pick punctuality any day.


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## nevertells (Oct 29, 2011)

MrPuddington said:


> As is punctuality... and when I have the choice, I would pick punctuality any day.


I guess that means you're not too happy with Obamacare right now? :-(

I agree with you 100 percent, a company should try to stick to the scheduled roll out of their software if at all possible. I think in this case PIC was a little too ambitious in their deadline. And now they are paying the price for not meeting it. But you have to admit much bigger companies with a lot more resources have the same issues. Look at the number of announcements computer companies make every year about hardware and software that never makes the street. And I think you and I both know that punctuality is not a player in the software development business.

Until PIC officially declares this software dead, there is always the chance that they will put something out. I think their biggest problem is not keeping the public better informed. At least with the link I posted, we can get an idea what the people closest to ACL are thinking and maybe even testing. There is some form of pre release software out there and people are testing it and commenting about it.

Those folks who invested through the Kickstart program knew they were taking a risk. Venture capitalists do it everyday and some win and some lose. IMHO, that's what makes this country great.


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## nevertells (Oct 29, 2011)

Fat Albert said:


> We didn't get an official release because the developers moved on to a newer version of Android. And imo they left ICS and Jelly Bean (4.1) in pretty good shape.
> 
> Read the link you gave. Man, what those people did is criminal. A refund should be in order


OH, and BTW, for those who paid for a release copy of ACL, if a release is never produced, they *SHOULD *get a refund. Not doing so would be criminal. But not those who invested.


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## nevertells (Oct 29, 2011)

Here is an update on what is happening with ACL for WebOS. Apparently, Open Mobile and PIC tried to use one of the developers work products without attributing it to him. They went as far a to try to modify the program so it looked like he did not write it and in the process broke the program. If you want to read about it, go to this link and then scroll down to post #1744.

http://forums.webosnation.com/hp-touchpad/324645-pic-kick-starts-touchpad-open-mobile-acl-88.html


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## synchron (Jul 4, 2012)

As of last Monday, 2/24, ACL for WebOS has finally been released to the public at version 1.2.0.3. It is still discounted at $19.95: http://www.openmobileww.com/#!acl-for-webos/ctog.

More reviews/info at ACL-Release Thread. Weekly updates from OpenMobile are posted there as well.

I'll probably start playing with it next month after hearing more positive reviews. So far, a few people are giving it thumbs up but it's still just a few folk that mostly upgraded from their beta - kickstarter versions. I'd rather here from newbies installing/running the official release.

Time will tell if this is successful......


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## nevertells (Oct 29, 2011)

synchron said:


> As of last Monday, 2/24, ACL for WebOS has finally been released to the public at version 1.2.0.3. It is still discounted at $19.95: http://www.openmobileww.com/#!acl-for-webos/ctog.
> 
> More reviews/info at http://forums.webosnation.com/hp-touchpad/327366-acl-release-thread.html. Weekly updates from OpenMobile (Anita) are posted as well.
> 
> ...


Your second link is broken. Here is a link to the new ACL Release forum: http://forums.webosnation.com/hp-touchpad/327366-acl-release-thread.html


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## Mossy (Oct 29, 2011)

synchron said:


> As of last Monday, 2/24, ACL for WebOS has finally been released to the public at version 1.2.0.3. It is still discounted at $19.95: http://www.openmobileww.com/#!acl-for-webos/ctog.
> 
> More reviews/info at ACL-Release Thread. Weekly updates from OpenMobile are posted there as well.
> 
> ...


Always a sucker for a discount, I bought the public release version.
Been playing around for about a day to see what it looks like.
I wasn't part of the start-up group, so this was a new cold install.

Overall, its better than I expected, but having said that, it is definitely a beta, not ready for prime time or daily driver (IMO).

The purchase, receipt of registration code and install; all were quite smooth. That's compared to experiences with the various CM installs since CM7
There is always some tweaking and twisting to get things humming. Anyone who has played with Preware on the WebOS side and played with various custom ROMs from here or XDA should be OK. And the provided instructions are pretty good.

The install creates a familiar android file and operating apps system under WebOS, so no ready access between that file system and the CM side. And even though there is no root access, Internalz Pro can do everything necessary once the files are mounted for r/w through terminal app in WebOS.
I also side loaded Play Store to access more and better apps. I found the stock app store rather limited (just spoiled, I guess). However, the build.prop results in "not compatible" problems @Play store. Tried a tweak on the prop but result was failure (ACL android card would not load, just black screen), so I suggest the stock be tweaked carefully if at all. At the moment I have a functioning ADW EX launch system and have downloaded and run apps from the ACL stock and Play stores and successfully connected to my Google play account

Anyway, long story shorter - in no particular order:
It is a GingerBread build
Seems to operate OK switching between apps, although some app exits require closure (swiping) a separate WebOS card rather than just the home or back buttons of the launcher desktop
The ACL card seems to load automatically on WebOS startup, so needs to be minimized for access to stock WebOS apps or anything else
All stock WebOS apps are in tact and functional
Camera under ACL is borked (looks like an 8-bit video game, no image) but the WebOS camera is fine
No flash playback (I read that no hardware acceleration)
Browsers all seem OK (stock WebOS and android and Dolphin)
Reboots seem fine getting back and forth from WebOS/ACL and CM android
All functionality of the ADW launcher seemed OK
Looks, feels like other android mods, just no where near as smooth (I.e starting/ stopping apps)

That's about all for now
Be interesting to see how many/ often the updates come out. They are needed.


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## nevertells (Oct 29, 2011)

@Mossy,

Thanks for reporting your experience.


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## synchron (Jul 4, 2012)

Once installed, it appears ACL is not rooted so how does one sideload an APK? Can this be done as easily as Cynanogenmod? How does one manage to get ES File explorer working or can we sideload via Internalz pro?

I'm hoping this is very doable as the AppMall looks very limited in Android apps right now. :lame:

Why would they provide a stock camera app if the camera doesn't work yet?


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## Mossy (Oct 29, 2011)

synchron said:


> Once installed, it appears ACL is not rooted so how does one sideload an APK? Can this be done as easily as Cynanogenmod? How does one manage to get ES File explorer working or can we sideload via Internalz pro?
> 
> I'm hoping this is very doable as the AppMall looks very limited in Android apps right now. :lame:
> 
> Why would they provide a stock camera app if the camera doesn't work yet?


NOTE: This is probab;y a complete coincidence, but since side loading Play Store and signing into my goggle account under ACL, I have had two incidences of suspicious login/ change your password from Google. I live in Mississauga Canada, attempts made through Chicago. I know Chicago is a major hub for all my internet and mail communications, but still makes me go hmmm? I know Play store/ Google account is not an ACL issue seeing as I side loaded it. My bad if its permeable. Just putting it out there as an observation.

http://forums.webosnation.com/hp-touchpad/327366-acl-release-thread.html

Look for post #15 by cuspie. He appears to have done a more detailed critical assessment.
*** Note especially that there is currently no uninstall route for ACL except Doctoring the TP ***

I followed info posted in the webos forum for sideloading Play Store
The following is paraphrased from that forum

+++++++Try at your own risk+++++++

Basically you need to download a gingerbread gapps
Extract three files: vending, google one time initializer and Google play services
Place the three files on the sdcard somewhere convenient.( I put them in the download folder)
Boot to webos
Make sure developer mode is on
Install ACL (SENSELESS DOING ANY OF THIS UNLESS IT'S INSTALLED)

Mount the ACL android partition through webos terminal app (I use the Xecutah/Terminal)

su
mount -o remoumt,rw /media/omww/android/system

Use Internalz to move the three gapps files to the android system/app folder
Reboot to webos and you should have Play Store and Google account sign-in under ACL launcher and in your WebOS downloads area

I tried loading root file manager but its one of several that gave the 
"Not compatible with this device" errors
Didn't try ES Explorer
But once you have play store you can try what you like
Or you can try this procedure to side load another apk. Would need to place as system app or try to mount the /data/app partition No idea if that works.

The non functional camera under ACL is puzzling to me too given that the ACL interface works reasonably well and camera problems under gingerbread were solved long ago. Too complex for me.


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## synchron (Jul 4, 2012)

Thanks, Mossy for your assessment.

It sounds like ACL is already rooted when installed and APK's should just be recognizable under internalz pro app like Webos ipk's, correct? Or maybe I just download ES File Explorer from Amazon Market and then apk's can be sideloaded?

I'd rather not set up the playstore or gapps just yet, my goal is to just point to the existing CM10 apks locally and (attempt to) install the ones I like, although I expect many are not Gingerbread compatible.


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## lippy lipkowski (Mar 17, 2013)

Is there any chance you could actually boot Android from a shell on web os? DOES ORACLE VIRTUAL BOX COMPILE ON ARM??!!

8)


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## synchron (Jul 4, 2012)

Ok I installed ACL and I couldn't sideload via Internalz Pro but after installing an Android file manager from the Webmall, I could. I prefer ES Explorer so I sideloaded that but now I see that ACL is not rooted.

I would like to try some needed apps that need su priviledges like seeder (which numbers are hovering around 200) and Adaway. It seems that I can't just mount /media/omww/android/system for rw and copy su binary over. The SuperUser apk app still logs request as denied so how does one root this?


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