OK, you can buy that iPad 2 now.
That’s my message to those of you who’ve been holding back as a host of major companies unveiled their answers to Apple Inc.’s immensely popular tablet computer. Why would anyone have bought an iPad earlier in the year, when rivals like Motorola Corp. and BlackBerry creator Research In Motion LLC were rushing new products to market?
And then there’s Hewlett-Packard Co., the world’s biggest computer company. What about their new tablet, the TouchPad?
Well, the news from HP is pretty good. The TouchPad is the best iPad alternative so far, combining decent performance with an excellent user interface. It’s price-competitive with the iPad 2 as well - $499 with Wi-Fi Internet access and 16 gigabytes of memory, or $599 with 32 gigs. But as a new product, the TouchPad can’t begin to match the iPad’s huge library of apps and accessories, and there’s no reason to think the TouchPad will ever catch up.
For one thing, HP’s tablet doesn’t make a great first impression when set alongside an iPad 2. The iPad is thin and sleek, with a brushed-metal casing that hides fingerprints. By contrast, the TouchPad looks and feels plump, and even a little greasy. It’s thicker and heavier than the iPad, with a black plastic casing that smudges the moment you touch it.
The case supports an inductive charging system called Touchstone, which is available as an $80 option. Just drop the tablet onto the Touchstone cradle and it recharges right through the case, without the need to attach a wire. It’s a slightly more convenient charging option, but hardly worth the extra money.
I hated the iPad 2’s lousy rear-facing camera, but at least it’s got one. The only camera on the TouchPad is front-facing, for use in video calling. The tablet has built-in access to the popular Internet video calling service Skype. Setting up a video call was a lot more confusing than it should have been, but it finally came together. Video was the usual pixellated mess, but the voice clarity was quite good. Indeed, the TouchPad’s speakers are the best on any tablet, and excellent for listening to your favorite tunes.
The TouchPad’s computing performance is decent, but hardly impressive. No way should a tablet take a full minute to boot up, especially one with a muscular dual-core processor. And some apps can take rather longer to launch than they should. It’s not a make-or-break problem, but a little disappointing.