The first webOS update for TouchPad available
We started selling HP TouchPad about a month ago. Yesterday, we made the first OTA update available. Already, prior to that, we made a few important application updates, such as Kindle and HP Movie Store. And more and more apps are available every day. I think pretty good, eh?
In my previous blog post, I tried to explain some of the concerns raised by early reviewers. I'm happy to see that other people have reported what I explained. James Kendrick says: "Some speculate that the crashing reported by reviewers was likely due to the way webOS Synergy does a lot of background syncing with social networks. I don’t know if that is the case, but my experience with the TouchPad has been completely different after day one with the tablet, and it is a good difference." It is not speculation. I know. TouchPad didn't handle the first hour of sync, logging in, indexing, and other admisinstrative task well while reviewers were pushing the performance tests at the same time. But after things settle, TouchPad performs much better. And now the new update addresses also some of these concerns.
In our first OTA update, we have made several performance improvements, added functionality, fixed errors, and generally improved webOS. My team is working hard. We keep on improving webOS, work on the next software and hardware releases, and work closely with developers and partners. I do not have any news on timing yet. I know never fast enough for some of you. But as you can see, they keep on coming.
In my previous blog post, I tried to explain some of the concerns raised by early reviewers. I'm happy to see that other people have reported what I explained. James Kendrick says: "Some speculate that the crashing reported by reviewers was likely due to the way webOS Synergy does a lot of background syncing with social networks. I don’t know if that is the case, but my experience with the TouchPad has been completely different after day one with the tablet, and it is a good difference." It is not speculation. I know. TouchPad didn't handle the first hour of sync, logging in, indexing, and other admisinstrative task well while reviewers were pushing the performance tests at the same time. But after things settle, TouchPad performs much better. And now the new update addresses also some of these concerns.
In our first OTA update, we have made several performance improvements, added functionality, fixed errors, and generally improved webOS. My team is working hard. We keep on improving webOS, work on the next software and hardware releases, and work closely with developers and partners. I do not have any news on timing yet. I know never fast enough for some of you. But as you can see, they keep on coming.
And, by the way, thank you for your comments. They are helpful.
posted by Ari Jaaksi at 12:45 AM
45 Comments:
Very good. Well done.
+1
Congratulations on the update!
I know you have a 1000 people a day asking you a 1000 things to improve to the webOS, but I have a concern as well which is the quality of the browser. I know it is qualified as A-grade, but honestly, on the pre 2 (which wasn't released that long ago) the user experience is far from A-grade. Trying to view the demo pages from jQuery mobile or Sencha is nearly impossible, even the simple Google mobile search isn't rendering correctly.
Users and clients alike have grown accustomed to have desktop like expectations on mobile browsers. Things like great typography, rich graphic design, animations, the ability to swipe and to slide around, multiple user interaction, the ability to experience the web to its fullest (and this doesn't mean having flash onboard)... and there the browser remains wanting. That is a pity.
The web (technologies) is the core of the webOS, its is a great and unique vision. I've grown very fond of it, but I think it is time to bring the WEB back in the WEBos. I hope you can agree that the webOS deserves a next generation browser, and that a superb browser can very well be the backbone (the unique selling point if you want of) the OS.
Web applications are becoming more and more important in many domains, whether they be social or pure business. Those web apps are becoming more and more sophisticated, design wise, user experience wise, ... The webOS has it in its core to be the perfect host for these kinds of applications to let them run as if they were native applications. It is time to make that happen. Give it the browser, the offline environment, the ability to portrait a nice icon which it deserves. Bring the web back to the WEBos. Please.
Also for devices running 2.X
Well after commenting that I wouldn't get a Touchpad until Sprint confirmed it would carry a compatible WebOS phone, I broke down and bought one. The HP discount ($100), plus a sales tax free weekend did the trick. Haven't gotten too deep yet, but I haven't experienced any of the problems noted, such as lagging etc. I did load the newest update and allowed the other downloads and syncing to go through over night. I look forward to further improvements and....a WebOS phone on Sprint before my Pre- dies!!!
Hi Ari ... I heard that the London rioters had looted the Touchpad App Store and that's why there are so few apps left .... :-)
Where would you rate HP hardware build quality versus Nokia hardware build quality?
Reason for asking is that the only thing holding me back from buying a HP webOS device is tremendously bad previous experience with HP and Compaq laptops that were not cheapo releases.
3 HP´s and 1 Compaq caused me to reject every buying computers from this company again. The HP J6480´s that my company has bought also have endless driver problems, and the desktop software for those is basically malware causing errors in XP and Vista.
I know the webOS department is separate, but do you do better than the other departments at HP?
Well, the $100 discount, teamed with a matching one from Staples, persuaded me to buy the 32GB TouchPad.
The OTA upgrade worked smoothly.
The operating system is a joy, the integration with Google, etc. all worked like a charm. My experience with the built in software (even the browser) was positive.
The apps, those that are available, are fragile. Single-purpose ones, such as the Kindle beta, work well. I encountered no problems.
Others, RSS readers that needed to reach out to the browser to allow commenting on blog articles, seemed to run into resource constraints - and failed. And I was using paid apps.
This seemed to be the case with cross-functional, or multi-function, applications.
So, some maturing to be done.
I checked with a technology bookstore (Digital Guru in Sunnyvale) to see what books were available for WebOS development - it's my personal gauge of interest/lack thereof in a platform. None available. And none on the horizon as far as the storekeeper knew.
There was even a book on Symbian Qt development!
So, I returned the tablet this week.
Later, perhaps.
GOOD JOB :)
FAREWELL AND GOOD RIDDANCE
Ari. Ummm. Care to elaborate on HP's decision to discontinue all webOS hardware? Jesus.. and you actually thought I was silly for making a comment about HP lying to us. Good grief.
Maemo, now webOS. Any chance you could get a job with Microsoft on WP7? Please? You seem to know how to pick 'em.
Joking apart, hope you have some useful contacts for the future and that any disruption is only short term.
Great record Ari!!
First Meego
Then WebOS
What next for you my man?
I just bought my Pre3 hoping to write some nice apps for WebOS. I'm really saddened by the news.
Al good os'es seem to be dropped. :(
Ari
What are your thoughts on today's developments in the context of HP not pursuing WebOS?
http://h30261.www3.hp.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=71087&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1598005&highlight=
I hope that you will find your next job with Meego! N9 is a great product and someone must continue to make open software for smartphones too.
Pidä lippu korkealla!
YOU - ARE - SO - DEAD - WITH - YOUR - PRODUCT. BUHAHAHAHAAA !!!
Ari "Touch of Death" Jaaksi! :>
Are you still with HP after they kill the nonsense WebOS? Or do you want to go back to Espoo or Tampere?
hey Jaaksi!
Since I hate Microsoft and WP-Nokia, you should go back to Nokia and take over and lead WP development there because I want WP to be also dead! hehe
Ari, please take your act to Android and kill it as a platform also. Please !!!
or please join iOS and kill them!
well done you traitor!
Who are these retards who blame Ari for this? I hope that some wiser smart device manufacturers still keep developing alternative operating systems, this iOSAndroid-hegemony is no good for customers..
Since Ari started at HP they have released 2 products (Veer and Touchpad). Everybody likes the software. Good job. Mati is right. Shame on HP.
You retard s**t eating haters of the century! WebOS was great..it was f**kin technically viable ecosystem, against Android or iOS, same like MeeGo.
Why the F you go Anonymous when commenting, you s**t scared of something?
yeah, eat your own sh** all, fact is fact!
webOS was great? Are you day-dreaming? C'mon stay at reality dude! Check some numbers first!
just sent back the tablet today, due to heavy lagging issues, limited numbers of apps and death of platform lately...
what a waste, to be honest, it's even worst than Symbian or Meego story.
sorry man, it seems they took the right decision:
http://www.minyanville.com/dailyfeed/2011/08/19/apples-ipad-2-twice-as/
you should know this before you joined HP, an extensive platform investigation e.g. speed, feature, 3rd party, integration, scalability, deployment, etc.
or probably you were just a product manager kind of type who can only talk without any deep technical knowledge + high (Finnish) pride, the same as many Nokia executives who are causing the fall of Nokia.
Raj,
calm down dude, if you like webOS then it's fine. Go and sell webOS outside or keep develop webOS apps as your hobby!
Matti,
C'mon dude! Who else you mean? Consumers or users or operators or 3rd party developers?
Don't you think that someone in high level management or position something like: "Senior Vice President, webOS and Services at Hewlett-Packard" has to take the responsible for this?
He's a leader of the webOS team, gets special privileges and earns probably very good money. He got enough time and resources to make everything better but at the end he failed. That's all
I am very sorry for Ari, even he made so many mistakes...
I'm sure you complainers never tried TouchPad. I'm 100% sure. I can tell! Hardware is butt ugly. But software is so elegant and beautiful. I'm sad to see it die. I own a Touchpad, I hate HP, but i love webOS!
"or probably you were just a product manager kind of type who can only talk without any deep technical knowledge + high (Finnish) pride, the same as many Nokia executives who are causing the fall of Nokia."
Canadian and American idiots are destroyng Nokia! Before Eflop there was good roadmap (New Symbians and Meego). Look at Symbian Belle and Meego on N9! Fantastic, true multitasking, good hw, good battery life. Everything that WP7 won't offer. USA is not whole world!
Canadian and American idiots are destroyng Nokia! Before Eflop there was good roadmap (New Symbians and Meego). Look at Symbian Belle and Meego on N9! Fantastic, true multitasking, good hw, good battery life. Everything that WP7 won't offer. USA is not whole world!
What a stupid comment. OPK was the worst CEO!
Is it true that HP may consider making more TouchPads following the successful fire sale of 16GB models for $100 and 32GB models for $150?
Dear Ari, please release the WebOS 2.2 OTA for my Veer. I want to try Touch-to-Share with my Touchpad. Thousand thanks.
Dear Ari, please release WebOS 3.0.4 OTA for Touchpad. thanks.
Dear Ari, any regrets joining HPalm ?
Never regret! Since I came we
-re-built the team after HP merge
-created a tablet platform
-released 3 good products
I'm product of what we've done.
WebOS rocks. TouchPad is the hottest brand in HP's entire portfolio, gathering more interest than anything from HP in more than 10 years.
I am looking for Touchpad2 and Pre4coming up in the near future.
Have you ever consider a sales promotion like "Spend $xxx amount on HP Shopping, receive a Touchpad for FREE"?
It will boot up PC sales immediately.
Hi Ari,
I am not a user of webOS yet. I am a pc support & salesman in Hong Kong. I has been watching what is going on in HP ever since I received TouchPad's price book in mid August. Be fair, webOS looks good but TouchPad is nice but not for me yet. Leo seems to have the vision that I agree: WebOS can move on to work as the PC alternative and takes on as common computing platform. But HP has to find the mean to get there. I hesitate if webOS is controller ready (be the controller of printers or other equipment that has standard interface like CAN, VXI/VME, GPIB..etc).
Ari, after webOS 3.0.4, is there a road map for the next 5 years? I believe HP know where to go with webOS. May be just kind of lost. If I were you, I would take this time to work on optimizing the OS once again (a well optimized OS is better than dumping in expensive hardware), then find out how to use it on a notebook replacement, say for me, a common sales & support guy as the first step to success.
My live is simple. I has a mobile phone and I brings along a netbook for email, documents, worksheet, and presentations. I also has application like remote desktop (Microsoft) & pcAnywhere (Symantec) for remote diagnostic & files from my office via VPN. Sometimes I may need a map to find my way. I would like to listen to music or radio while I travels. Floppy, CD, SD and flash disk are common media I have to use to transfer data in & out of my netbook even my netbook has 500GB after upgrade. While traveling outside, I has to call back or receive call from Hong Kong via a VOIP service because it is a lot cheaper.
My 2 lb 10" netbook can only last for 4~5 hrs. With a mobile phone plus a USB dongle for 3G data I still can't do all these as I would like to. And I has to have desktop for remote file support. But this is how I works, work anywhere.
If what people say for Cloud computing is work anywhere then I has a simple Cloud for more than 10 years.
iPads are good too, but they just add weight to my gear and not helping me a lot. So does the TouchPad and Android pad.
WebOS doesn't need tons of App to success, just the right ones on the right devices for the right groups. For sure tons of soft content like ebooks, music, video and games do help.
One interesting question is that is there a way to turn on a computing device in seconds instead of hundreds of seconds?
Hope this kicks.
I am Guy Chan from Hong Kong. Let me know if this helps.
2011/11/02
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Hello, I am glad to read the whole content of this blog and am very excited and happy to say that the webmaster has done a very good job here to put all the information content and information at one place.
TouchPad became more and more popular! Respect!
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