# IS the TP ready for CM9



## urdrwho (Mar 6, 2012)

I have a Pandigital Supernova that I got for about $140, it's ok, I had to a few things to get the Pandigital to work with Android Market.
I see a TP that I want to buy that is new and selling for $240 which I feel is a bit high for a device that isn't being made anymore but ....????

So my plan is to root it and put IceCream on it. Is the TP ready for it and does everything work as it should?

There is a 9 inch Skypad Proto coming out in April that sounds good but I haven't seen a price indication.

Should I wait for the Skypad.

Oh yea, once the IceCream is put on the HP can you dual boot to WebOs and Android?


----------



## cobjones (Jun 21, 2011)

I wouldn't do it for 240, but most everything does work.

You can get major name Android refurbs for around 275 sometimes. Plus I hear of a 200 and 300 dollar Google tablet due out this year.

Edit: yes it dual boots, so if you really like webos I guess it's a good deal.


----------



## Jotokun (Sep 24, 2011)

I would do it if you can get one for $200 at the most. ICS on the Touchpad is very, very good. However, the battery life isnt anywhere near the level it is on webOS (A day or two of active use instead of a week) and there are still a few things not working (Microphone, camera).

There are a few reasons I say dont go over $200. As you've mentioned, the Touchpad is not being made anymore, so if something goes wrong it may be harder to fix if its not under warranty. Android is not a native OS for it, which means you're relying 100% on the community for not just the OS but proper drivers and with no guarantees of future versions of Android. Most Android tablets have either a 16:9 or 16:10 aspect ratio, which causes some apps to display oddly on the Touchpad's 4:3 display. Its heavier and thicker than most other tablets. Finally, you might be able to get a decent Android-native tablet secondhand in the $250+ price range.

I'm not trying to make the touchpad sound like a bad device, it really is amazing. But a lot of that is because of how cheap many of us bought it for. If you pay more than $200 you'll probably be disappointed even if it does fulfill your needs.

Edit: With that said, I think it would be better than that Skypad you're looking at. The Skypad is not made by a well known manufacture, is not likely to get software updates (either by the manufacture or by a custom rom) and does not have as good specs as the Touchpad.


----------



## phistyle (Aug 23, 2011)

I wouldn't pay anymore than $150 for a touchpad today....find something comparable with Android ICS already on the device which would be better.


----------



## Sebz4n (Oct 1, 2011)

I paid $450 for mine, and I am happy with it. WebOS is good for school work, Android is good for fun, and when we get Ubuntu completely running everything will be awesome! I am looking forward to HPs move in regards to WebOS!

Either way, if you can get a quality tablet (Asus, Samsung etc...) for $240 where you live, I'd get that instead. But here in Denmark, $450 is not bad for a tablet with those hardware specs (at the point of release)


----------



## Motoki (Dec 30, 2011)

I think most of us here are just spoiled because of how ridiculously cheap we got it for, but honestly even in the $200-$300 range I am struggling to come up with another device in the 9-10" size with the same or better hardware, well known brand with solid construction and the same level of community support that the TP has with an ICS ROM etc.

If you guys think over $200 is too much than what else do you suggest in that price range and size?


----------



## Jotokun (Sep 24, 2011)

Motoki said:


> If you guys think over $200 is too much than what else do you suggest in that price range and size?


You can get a Xoom (effectively a nexus tablet) for $300 used, an Archos 80 G9 (which has had an ICS update announced) for $250 new, and as mentioned above there'll soon be those cheap 7" quad-cores which will most likely drive down the price of 10" dual-cores.


----------



## phistyle (Aug 23, 2011)

Motoki said:


> I think most of us here are just spoiled because of how ridiculously cheap we got it for, but honestly even in the $200-$300 range I am struggling to come up with another device in the 9-10" size with the same or better hardware, well known brand with solid construction and the same level of community support that the TP has with an ICS ROM etc.
> 
> If you guys think over $200 is too much than what else do you suggest in that price range and size?


stop kidding yourself here? only reason the touchpad got any support in the first place is because of the touchpad fire sale from hp. Plus if you're talking about support meaning just trying to get ICS working correctly and stable on the touchpad? That's pretty much the only thing that's going on with the touchpad besides a few minor projects here and there. It's only worth it if you got the touchpad at the fire sale prices or a little bit over it and that's it. Just get a tablet with ICS fully working instead of going through the trouble of buying a touchpad with an "unstable" ICS build. Like I said....only worth it if you got your touchpad for a good price or if you like having a device with both WebOs and Android.


----------



## urdrwho (Mar 6, 2012)

Thanks for all the input. The thing is that I want a front and rear camera. Sometimes I need to take pictures, they don't need to be high quality but the tablet would mean I no longer need to carry a camera. Seven inch tablets are a bit too small, 8 inch is OK. With 8 inch I can show people things and the 7 inch is a bit too small.

The tablet is not a need but it is a little bit of joy making things a bit easier and $200 is my price point.

Ubuntu on a tablet would make my son salivate like a dog seeing his favorite bone.


----------



## bobloblaw1 (Jul 2, 2011)

Touchpad only has a front facing camera and even when it works (inWebOS of course) the quality is a bit.....grainy and disappointing. I wouldn't rely on the cam in the touchpad for anything more than Skype video. The microphone issue can be worked around with a bluetooth headset afaik,


----------



## Motoki (Dec 30, 2011)

phistyle said:


> stop kidding yourself here? only reason the touchpad got any support in the first place is because of the touchpad fire sale from hp. Plus if you're talking about support meaning just trying to get ICS working correctly and stable on the touchpad? That's pretty much the only thing that's going on with the touchpad besides a few minor projects here and there. It's only worth it if you got the touchpad at the fire sale prices or a little bit over it and that's it. Just get a tablet with ICS fully working instead of going through the trouble of buying a touchpad with an "unstable" ICS build. Like I said....only worth it if you got your touchpad for a good price or if you like having a device with both WebOs and Android.


ICS works just fine for me and yes that is a BIG deal because a lot of devices aren't getting it. This is more support than many Android devices are getting either officially or unofficially. I mean there were new tablets being shown at the CES this year with Gingerbread still. Yes. Gingerbread in a 2012 Android tablet. Good luck trying to get an upgrade to Honeycomb out of the manufacturer let alone ICS.

And yes of course all the support is because of the fire sale. It got the device out there into many hands. It's more than you can say for a lot of other Android tablets.

I'm not saying it's the holy grail or be all end all, but for the price is has done really well by me and I've been extremely pleased with the device and the support coming from the community.


----------



## Bernardo7 (Dec 9, 2011)

Motoki said:


> ICS works just fine for me and yes that is a BIG deal because a lot of devices aren't getting it. This is more support than many Android devices are getting either officially or unofficially. I mean there were new tablets being shown at the CES this year with Gingerbread still. Yes. Gingerbread in a 2012 Android tablet. Good luck trying to get an upgrade to Honeycomb out of the manufacturer let alone ICS.
> 
> And yes of course all the support is because of the fire sale. It got the device out there into many hands. It's more than you can say for a lot of other Android tablets.
> 
> I'm not saying it's the holy grail or be all end all, but for the price is has done really well by me and I've been extremely pleased with the device and the support coming from the community.


Amen, brother!


----------



## CarlH (Mar 12, 2012)

Just to add another perspective... be aware of what you are NOT getting in Touchpad hardware that most other 10" tablets have:

. Front facing 2 MP camera (TP is 1.3)
. Rear-facing high quality camera
. HDMI output
. built-in GPS
. expandable storage (no SD slot, no power to run a USB flash drive)

and with the current shipping Android ICS (Alpha2), you WON'T have:

. any camera
. built-in microphone
. built-in VPN client
. stable wi-fi (in many cases)

Some of the lost/missing items can be worked around. For example an external bluetooth GPS is fairly inexpensive. Add-on VPN client apps may work. A powered USB hub can be used to access flash drives. We're all crossing our fingers that a few of the ICS-related problems will be solved soon.

If the demerit list above puts you off, refurb 16GB Acer A500's go for $250 on a fairly regular basis and prices will continue to decline. While the A500 doesn't run ICS yet, it will provide all of the missing items noted above.

On the Touchpad plus side, you can stably overclock them to 1.5GHz without sacrificing much battery life, making it about 50% faster (on paper) than that A500.


----------

