The good folks at HP were nice enough to give me a TouchPad Tablet PC, and I'm finally getting around to seeing what she's made of.
I didn't already own a tablet PC. I alternate between a desktop running Ubuntu Linux and my work issued laptop which still runs Windows XP. Already, I find the tablet more accessible. It's like an always current issue of your favourite magazine just sitting on the table waiting for you to pick it up and absorb.
This HP TouchPad runs on webOS, which is new to me. It looks good, is easy to multi-task and seems pretty quick. I've spent some time with an iPad, and I own an iPod Touch, so I understand the importance of apps to a device like this. The TouchPad is still missing a number of apps you'd get with an iPad, but I did find an app called Spaz for Twitter.
Here's a shot of how the muliti-tasking works. A flick of the finger and I can toggle open activities.
And yes, this tablet plays Flash. Here I am listening to some new Kanye and Jay-Z.
On the app front, I've found a good one for Twitter and Facebook. I'm still using Google Reader and Google+ in the browser. The email app works fine, but I'd like a good Gmail app for that.
I have noticed that the tablet is great for reading, listening and watching, but when it comes to writing, I'm still reaching for my laptop. I could have written this entry on the TouchPad, but I didn't. My typing speed on a keyboard is still way faster, so I'm only using the TouchPad for single sentence email replies and tweets.
I'll touch base (no pun intended) later to let you all know how it's going. I still need more time with this thing, but so far so good. We just need more apps.
