Hasta La Gadget!

Not like it matters much now, but hey — why not, right? HP’s TouchPad was tossed into the closeout bin just over 40 days after it initially went on sale, and it actually served to be a spark for the eventual webOS fire that still seems to be smoldering. When we tested it — and before we knew HP was about to demolish its operating system in the consumer realm — we found tons of promise. That said, we also found lackluster hardware and a relatively barren application store, but we held out hope that the latter would blossom. These days, our readers are using fire sale TouchPads for all manners of tasks, but if you had the chance, how would you change yours? Toss in a different CPU / GPU? Give webOS the overhaul HP never did? Swap Touchstone for Qi? Let us know in comments below — those who need to hear, will.

How would you change HP’s TouchPad? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 16 Oct 2011 22:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After a few TouchPads found their way into the hands of consumers loaded with Android 2.2, the devs working to port Google’s OS to HP’s hardware reached out to the company to get a look at the source code. Well, the request was denied since, according to open-source program director Phil Robb, HP had nothing to do with Froyo finding its way onto the slate. In fact, the company is going so far as to launch an investigation into how the OS wound up on the tablet and into retail channels. In an email Robb said, “we presently believe that some person or persons unknown may have facilitated the delivery of these Android-based units strictly against the policy and authorization of HP.” Of course, with TouchPad hardware discontinued we don’t expect the company to waste too much time or resources tracking down the culprits.

HP launching an investigation into TouchPads shipped with Android, suspects foul play originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Oct 2011 01:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Your smartphone and / or tablet is just begging to get updated. From time to time, these mobile devices are blessed with maintenance refreshes, bug fixes, custom ROMs and anything in between, and so many of them are floating around that it’s easy for a sizable chunk to get lost in the mix. To make sure they don’t escape without notice, we’ve gathered every possible update, hack, and other miscellaneous tomfoolery from the last week and crammed them into one convenient roundup. If you find something available for your device, please give us a shout at tips at engadget dawt com and let us know. Enjoy!

Official Android updates

• The top story this week revolves around the HTC Thunderbolt’s long-awaited Gingerbread OTA update. It was finally rolling out, which was exciting news for owners of the device — until it had to be pulled because of some rather significant bugs. The largest of them all was that voicemail notifications no longer worked properly; video chatting through Google Talk was also slightly messed up as well. No word on when we can expect to see it come back with those bugs fixed. [Droid-Life]
• Unfortunately, the Thunderbolt isn’t the only phone falling victim to pulled revamps; the LG Optimus S on Sprint had its Gingerbread update kiboshed, though users have had two weeks to get it — plenty of time for anyone to experience some of the bugs, which included the phone not charging, the SD card not being recognized when the phone’s connected to the computer, no access to data services, and predictive text on the virtual keyboard stopped working. It’s disappointing to see this happen so soon after the Kyocera Echo update went through a similar debacle. [SprintFeed]
• LG Optimus 3D: V10K firmware update, enables phone to convert OpenGL-capable 2D games into stereoscopic 3D. Note: this still runs Android 2.2.2, so we’re still waiting for Gingerbread. [AndroidCentral]
• Motorola Xoom WiFi: Android 3.2.1 is beginning to roll out. [AndroidCentral]
• Dell Streak 7: Honeycomb update rolling out now to unspecified regions [AndroidCentral]
• Asus Eee Pad Transformer: Revamped to Android 3.2.1, adds other bug fixes [AndroidCommunity]
• Casio G’Zone Commando: Gingerbread rolling out now [Droid-Life]
• Motorola Droid 3: Minor maintenance refresh; enhances Google Talk with video chat support, several other fixes. [PhoneDog]
• T-Mobile Samsung Nexus S: OTA install (with option to manually install) to Android 2.3.6; doesn’t appear to break tethering. [AndroidCentral]

Unofficial Android updates, custom ROMs and misc. hackery

• The Android 2.3.5 ROM for the global Samsung Galaxy S II leaked early this week. [Pocketnow, SamFirmware]
• You can now download the Android 2.3.4 SBF for the Motorola Droid X2, courtesy of XDA. [Droid-Life]
• If you have a Sony Ericsson Xperia-branded device from 2010 or 2011, CyanogenMod7 support will most likely come included as part of an upcoming update. Ten Xperia devices will be added, though a timeframe for release wasn’t announced. Check here to see if your device made the list. [XperiaBlog]

Other platforms

• Check here to see if your phone is ready to receive Windows Phone Mango.
• The ultra-rare AT&T HP Pre 3 just received an OTA update to 2.2.3.2207, right after a new webOS Doctor became available for the same refresh. [PreCentral]

Refreshes we covered this week

• Windows Phone 7.5 Mango update now rolling out
• How to force Mango to your phone right away
• Samsung Taylor receiving Mango?

Refresh Roundup: week of September 26, 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 02 Oct 2011 11:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There’s a burgeoning population of users who can’t live without Splashtop’s remote Windows app for Mac, iOS and Android. Now there’s a new version in the works that’ll let you telecompute from your TouchPad too. The official blog says the launch is “getting close” and it’s offering the app free if you manage to persuade a bunch of other TouchPad users to register their interest. In fact, we can’t help but notice that some guy called Tim has already signed up 2,508 of his mates. We don’t know who Tim is, but we want to be just like him when we grow up.

Update: Tim, the man with a commanding lead in the chart above, contacted us to say he asked Splashtop to remove him from the contest. He initially used the referral link in a post on PreCentral, not realizing that the company would be giving out the software to the top referrers. So, Tim is out, and now rawonthego is the man with the target on his back.

Splashtop will bring remote desktopping to your TouchPad originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Sep 2011 11:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP’s webOS-powered devices are riding off into the sunset and so too, apparently, are hundreds of jobs. Sources close to the company tell All Things Digital that upwards of 525 employees at HP’s Palm division are slated to lose their jobs in the near future, as part of a layoff process that began this week. In a statement, an HP spokesperson explained the decision thusly:

“As communicated on August 18, HP will discontinue the development of webOs devices within the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2011, which ends Oct 31 2011. As part of this decision, the webOS GBU is undergoing a reduction in workforce. Today’s actions are part of this initiative. During this time, we stand by our commitment to our webOS customers and will work to ensure that support and service for customers are not adversely affected.”

The company went on to say that it’s still “exploring ways to leverage webOS software,” but declined to specify the exact number of hardware-related jobs that would be cut.

Layoffs underway at HP’s webOS division, hundreds of employees may be in jeopardy originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Sep 2011 10:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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