Tech

HP Touchpad The Best Tablet You’ll Never Own!

When HP came out with the Touchpad I was all excited because the commercials made it look so cool and different. It showed that I could put it on my desk and have it rotate through photos like an electronic photo collage, keeping me entertained while I worked. It also showed that I could be able to use it like a scheduler and also keep it on my desk and just refer to my calendar throughout the day. As a busy blogger I like to see what is coming up and since I am also a visual person I thought, that’s really cool. Not only could I use the HP as a tablet to watch movies, read email, and play games, I was going to be able to use it as a better business tool, unlike how I use my Apple iPad now. Those commercials had me sold and I wanted one as soon as possible.

Well, that was before HP decided to discontinue the Touchpad. The articles I read mentioned that the operating system was not compatible with a lot of apps or that there weren’t going to be a lot of apps for it and HP decided they couldn’t make money and ditched the whole thing – or something like that. I was like, what the heck? This thing looked so cool. Over before it was even tried in the public court of law? Let us decide I said. Well, I got the chance to win an HP Touchpad and I have it in my hot little hands waiting to test out.

What you will never be able to know is just how cool the HP Touchpad really is. I have the all powerful iPad 2 and had the iPad original when it came out too so I can compare the two. I even have an Android tablet that I tested the HP against. I am not a fan of the Android system and I fell in love with WebOS from HP.

Remember now, I’m not expert, I am just sharing with you what I like about the HP Touchpad.

First, the HP Touchpad is so much more intuitive and user friendly. The keyboard is wonderful! It looks and works just like a regular keyboard with the row of numbers at the top where they are supposed to be. With the iPad you have to remember to press the .?123 button on either side of the spacebar to bring up the numbers. Then, to get extra characters there is an additional key to press. Then you have to press the ABC key to go back to the regular keyboard. Very annoying.

iPad keyboard with letters showing

Pressing the .?123 key brings up the number panel.

The HP Touchpad keyboard layout.

You can see that the numbers are at the top just like any standard keyboard. THey were able to place them there by making all of the keys smaller but it doesn’t cause any problem with typing. Much better layout.

Press the +=[] key on the left of the spacebar to bring up extra character.

Another cool feature I really like is the Swipe feature. Just press on a window or app you have open and Swipe it up or to the side and it is gone and closed. So much fun and once again, intuitive. It even makes a cool swish sound when the application moves off the main screen.

The Welcome screen has the same Swipe feature. Just press the lock and Swipe it up and out of the way to start using your HP Touchpad. The Welcome screen also shows you notifications like if someone you were chatting with in Google chat left you a message, if you have new email and more. Yes, the iPad and Android have these same features but they just look way cooler on the HP for some reason.

The only thing so far that I found that the iPad does better is the weight and thickness. The HP Touchpad is definitely heavier and thicker.

iPad 2 on the left and HP Touchpad on the right (top of photo). The Touchpad is much thicker.

There are just too many cool features to mention all. Some of the things I really like are the menu at the top right that shows you the battery level and other things like Airplane mode, how you can zoom in and out of windows super fast and drag side to side much easier than on the iPad.

When you have new email or tweets you will get notified on the top right just to the left of the Settings. Press it to see what is new.

If you have lots of apps or windows open you will see them on the screen next to each other. You can drag them on top of each other to group them together – so cool.

I compared the iPad to the HP Touchpad because they are both about the same size and I happened to have one of each here to do a comparison with. Apple was the first out of the gate with the tablet but others are coming along to improve on that. I really don’t know why HP stopped production on the Touchpad but I’m sure it has something to do with money. Maybe they will bring it back once they find out how much the public likes it.

How to Install the Android System on the HP Touchpad

If HP stops supporting the WebOS operating system you can always try a crack to install the Cyanogen Mod on the Touchpad This will allow you to automatically pick whether to boot to WebOS or Android. Having Android on the HP opens up much more apps and possibilities. (Thanks to reader, Arena Thompson, for letting us know about this option).

Waterproof Smartphones and Tablets?

At CES we saw a cool display by Fujitsu with a fish tank of water and a demonstrator placing a phone or tablet in the tank. It was pretty neat to see them dunk the whole phone or tablet into the fish tank and then still have it work. Right now these phones are only available in Japan and only a concept for the US but it could happen soon enough I guess if there was enough of a demand for it. I can imagine people who work outside needing them the most or maybe the guy in the picture who likes to talk while taking a shower.

The demonstrator we talked to said these waterproof phones and tablets wouldn’t cost anymore either, which would really help to sell them here in the US.

We saw a bunch of waterproof cases coming to the market for Smartphones and tablets but only this one company working on making them completely waterproof.

We saw Smartphones moving into being more rugged in general. I guess phone makers are starting to realize they break easily and not everyone is careful with their phones so they need to start thinking about how people use them in various situations.

Sony Bloggie HD Live Camera Makes Sharing Easy

Recently, we had the opportunity to attend a private party co-sponsored by Sony while at the 2012 International Consumers Electronic Show. At this party, Sony gave us their new Sony Bloggie Live Camera to test out. In fact, Sony had just announced the release of this camera on January 9^th and we got it on January 10^th, fresh off the assembly line. We thought we let are readers know what we think about it.

First, let us tell you a little about the camera. Before I talk about the Bloggie Live camera, Sony also announced the release of their Bloggie Sport camera, which is a smaller, ruggedized version of the Bloggie Live camera, minus some of the Bloggie Live features.

The Bloggie Live is a mobile HD snap camera that shoots 1080p video, 12.8-megapixel stills, and offers live streaming using Wi-Fi. It uses a 3-inch touchscreen for controls and includes a small LED light, HDMI-out, and 8GB of internal memory.

While the camera shoots 1080p video, it will only live-stream at 480 x 270. The video is saved in the internal memory in full 1080p for direct upload over Wi-Fi to YouTube, Facebook, or Sony’s upcoming PlayMemories Online storage service. Images from the camera can be viewed on a smartphone or tablet that has the PlayMemories Mobile application.

Buy It Now

The Bloggie Live has an internal rechargeable that uses an USB connection for charging.

The name “Bloggie Live” fits the camera well; it offers immediate sharing of images to the Internet (as long as you have a Wi-Fi connection), which is something that a blogger likes to do. But, others who like sharing images can use it too. The camera is easy to use via the touchscreen controls and basic functionality. Sony states that: “8 GB of memory will record approximately 3 hours (1280×720 / 30 P).”

Share your videos directly to Facebook, YouTube, Picasa Web, Flickr and Dailymotion right from the camera. Using the touchscreen makes it easy and the touchscreen was super responsive too.

Buy It Now

Use the Qik Website to upload your videos for free. After the simple sign-up process, Qik will provide you with your own personal live streaming URL and you’re ready to begin streaming.

How to Use QIK:

Create an account at qik.com/basic/users/new
Turn on the Bloggie
Press the Menu button
Press the Live Stream button
Press the Qik button, and sign into your newly created Qik account
Press Okay
Press the record button to begin streaming
Visit the URL Qik provided and the video will be streaming live

Overall the Sony Bloggies Live is a good, little camera to shoot images and view them on different devices, as well as share them with your friends. The HD pictures and video were of good quality for a small device (it is smaller than most smartphones). Because of its size, it can easily be carried in a pocket or purse, thus allowing you to have an HD camera available for use wherever you are.

Disclaimer: We received the Sony Bloggie Live HD camera, model MHS-TS55, for review directly from Sony. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy here.

Win with the Old Navy Snappy App!

Do you have an Android, iPad, iPod Touch, or iPhone? Well rush on over to the App store on your device and install the Old Navy app for Free! Why you say? Just to do some shopping maybe? Nope! You can win prizes like boots, jeans, socks, and even discount coupons to save on your next Old Navy purchase.

Check out the Old Navy Snappy App in the iTune store online.

The Old Navy app is called the Snappy App. Once you install it you need to “snap” a picture of the Old Navy logo to activate the spinner. Once the app recognizes the Old Navy logo it will spin the wheel and you will find out what you won.

If you like what you won you can save it for later or discard it. You can play as much as you want and it seems you can keep winning over and over.

Try it! Once you have the Old Navy Snappy App installed come back here and use one of these Old Navy logos to “snap” a picture and play to win! You can keep using these logos to play because they don’t have to be different each time.

Jelly Jigsaw Turns Photos into Puzzle Fun – It’s Free!

If you have a digital camera you probably have a lot of digital photos stored on your computer. Wondering what to do with the oodles and oodles of photos you now have on your digital camera or computer?

Create fun puzzles with Fingertapps Jelly Jigsaw. Great software and great family fun. The full version is $4.99 but you can get the Lite version for Free. The full version has other puzzle features but the Lite version worked great when I tested it out.

It is great fun for kids and perfect for grandparents to have around when their grandkids come to visit. This program works great on a touchscreen computer (like the HP TouchSmart or Dell Inspiron One), but you can also use it on any computer and use the mouse to drag the pieces around.

System Requirements:

Operating System Windows 7
Memory: 1 GB RAM
Processor: 1.5 GHz
Direct X Version: 10 or 11 (if you don’t have this you will be prompted to install it when you install the program)

About Jelly Jigsaw

Jelly Jigsaw is a modern-day, digital twist on a classic toy that is fun for all the family. Puzzle pieces move and feel like real jelly, making completing the puzzle more enjoyable. Complete pre-designed puzzles or for even more fun, make puzzles from your own photos and the webcam. Easily change the puzzle’s difficulty for a challenge for all members of the family. Sit down with your children and make puzzles from photos you took from the day’s activities!

How to use Jelly Jigsaw

Watch the quick video produced by Fingertapps or read our instructions below.

[iframe: width=”500″ height=”284″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/Qm_JhqUs5YA” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen]

First, Download and install the program. With a high-speed Internet connection it will take about 3 minutes to download the 43 MG setup file. Download Jelly Jigsaw

Open Jelly Jigsaw and choose whether you want to use the pre-installed puzzles or pick a photo you have on your computer.

Choose whether you want Easy, Medium, or Hard

The puzzle will be presented to you. Look at the picture carefully before clicking on it. Once you click on the photo the pieces scatter to the outside of the board.

Use your finger or mouse and drag the pieces onto the board. When you have placed them into the proper position they will lock into place so you know they are where they are supposed to be.

If you get bored or want a different puzzle just click the Home icon at the top of the screen.

Jelly Jigsaw Includes:

Support for mouse, keyboard and touch (2-10 touch points)
6 predesigned fun puzzles for the children
Create puzzles with your own photos
Create puzzles with the webcam
Choose from 3 difficulty levels: easy (6 pieces), medium (12 pieces) or hard (24 pieces)
Hint and help buttons for clues