Comments on: TouchPad TouchStone Dock Review

-Failure to bring on color, multimedia, wireless connectivity in step with the competition (Sony, Dell and ironically Compaq).

-Failure to release a proper followup OS to 5.x

-Failure to produce a proper web browser and moderate UI facelift to keep Garnet semi-competitive until WebOS arrived

-What Gary said above

-Sprint exclusivity for the Pre

-No non-phone devices from 2005 until 2011

-Poor assortment of devices on various carriers. Case in point: no upgrade path for T-Mobile Palm OS users since the Treo 600, no upgrade path for Sprint users since the Pixi's release in 2009.

-No direction for WebOS (it's for phones only! it's a gaming platform! it's for tablets! it's for PCs and printers! It's Mojo! It's Enyo! )

-They treat their users as a cross between steadfastly loyal iSheep, utter idiots, and narrow-minded Rubinstein types (ie have never used a competing device or platform).

My prediction: The Pre3 will be released on AT&T in very limited quantities (either through indirect resellers only, or online only or at retail with zero marketing support). The Pre 2 will remain the final VZW WebOS device and Sprint will stay far, far away from HP.

The Veer, P2 and P3 will see drastic price reductions and various bundle promos & HP will go into a sort of WebOS smartphone dormancy period while they retool for a "unified" WebOS approach for smartphones, printers, tablets & PCs next year (like Google is doing with ICS Android 4.0 later this year). If THAT flops, then they swill swiftly and mercilessly pull the plug on WebOS.

Pilot 1000->Pilot 5000->PalmPilot Pro->IIIe->Vx->m505->T|T->T|T2->T|C->T|T3->T|T5->Zodiac 2->TX->Verizon Treo 700P->Verizon Treo 755p->Verizon Moto Droid + Verizon Palm Centro-> Verizon Moto Droid X + Palm TX

Can you at least comment on the spectacularly horrible timing of the announcement? I mean, the TP launched 6 weeks ago (with the "hard" launch a month ago, the 64GB TouchPad became available for sale today in France and the Pre 3 unofficially hit the UK, what, 2 days ago?

And the TouchPad 4G and 7" wi-fi and 4G TouchPads are likely sitting in a warehouse somewhere ready to go. You'd think HP would have just kept quiet until the end of the year or at least closer to the holidays to can anything. They stand ZERO chance to unload inventory at anything less than firesale prices now!

Speculation: Which device is destined to become a bigger collector's item: A Michael Jordan m100, a Claudia Schiffer Vx, a "Patriotic" m505, a 128MB Centro, a Treo 500V, an 8GB Pre 3, a 64GB TouchPad or a 7" TouchPad Go?
Pilot 1000->Pilot 5000->PalmPilot Pro->IIIe->Vx->m505->T|T->T|T2->T|C->T|T3->T|T5->Zodiac 2->TX->Verizon Treo 700P->Verizon Treo 755p->Verizon Moto Droid + Verizon Palm Centro-> Verizon Moto Droid X + Palm TX

1) Palm Foleo
2) Sony CLIE VZ90 (Japanese-only, but English localization works oh-so-sweet!)
3) Red Sony CLIE TH55
4) Palm Tungsten T3 running Cobalt
5) Pilot 1000

Guess how many of these I have? ;-)

First honorable mention goes to the overclocked Palm Pre that were demoed (Smoke & Mirrors Style!) at CES in January 2009. Way to pull the wool over the media's eyes, Eddie! Ethics? Wat dat?

Second honorable mention goes to Samsung SPH-i550.

And I suppose Tapwave Zodiac 2 deserves an "E" for "Effort". I got a few Zodiacs on clearance for $125 apiece back in 2005 or so - still have one unopened in the box. One of these days I'll set up a display for all my obscure hardware...

FJH