$99 HP TouchPad Sale: Tech Experts Evaluate the Bargain Tablet's Real Value (VIDEO)
Hewlett Packard is expected to have another sale of its discontinued tablet, the TouchPad, with 200,000 more devices selling for the bargain price of $99 for the 16 GB and $149 for the 32 GB tablet.
The HP TouchPad was launched on July 1, 2011, in the United States and July 15 in Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. It has received mixed reviews from most influential tech blogbers and experts.
The Christian Post has gathered up a summation of what the tech know-it-alls say about whether the attractively priced device is still worth your money.
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PC Magazine praised the "top-notch" intuitive user interface and fast performance of the tablet. The magazine emphasized that the screen is excellent for video and photos, and that TouchPad is social networks friendly.
The magazine also liked the broad range of apps and the operating system which it described as very user-friendly.
"HP TouchPad is the best non-Apple tablet we've tested," PC Magazine stated.
AOL's famous tech blog, which evaluated the tablet's characteristics from all angles – from weight to packaging, was a little less enthusiastic. It weighs in at 1.65 pounds, which is heavier than the 1.3 pound iPad 2, the 1.26 pound Galaxy Tab 10.1, and the 1.6 pound Motorola Xoom, Engadget evaluated.
The blog described TochPad’s browsing abilities as "reasonably snappy most of the time," adding that some pages, especially Gmail, do take a while to load.
Most apps are quick to load and responsive. Flipping between tasks is quick and snappy, but changing from landscape to portrait is "occasionally sluggish."
PC World liked the fact that it is possible to open multiple applications at the same time on TouchPad. It is easy to view flash-heavy website, the magazine wrote, because the HP device supports Adobe Flash. No trouble with watching YouTube then.
However, PC World noticed that the TouchPad suffers from fewer webOS apps available than on the Android Market or the Apple App Store.
Wired noticed the front-facing camera for videoconferencing and a dual-core 1.2GHz processor, as well as stereo speakers, gyroscope and accelerometer sensors. It also emphasized that the device runs on the smartphone operating system developed by Palm, webOS, which has been repurposed to suit a bigger screen.
Mashable were also happy with the operating system, emphasizing that that HPs TouchPad is the only multi-touch, capacitive touchscreen tablet that runs the webOS. The blog has also appreciated the drop down notification system for emails, alerts, or updates.
As CP reported earlier, many of the reviews were majorly negative with many critics saying the device struggles from both hardware and software issues. Some technology gurus argued that although HP significantly reduced the price of its TouchPad, the devise is not worth purchasing at any price. They argue that the technology is "crippled" and that there is no future for the product.
Nevertheless, experts working for most estimated tech blogs and magazines risk encouraging their readers to try the device.
