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Android vs Maemo 5 - what are your thoughts?

I have been a big fan of android since the pre cupcake days and have really enjoyed watching android grow becoming bigger and better all the time.
Its almost contract renewal time and im unsure what to do. the obvious choice would be the desire, but its lack of physical keyboard and complicated way to gain root are bad points. the other choice would be the nokia n900 running maemo 5. it has a physical keyboard and is very easy to gain root access.
So im stuck and thought i would ask the community to share their thoughts on both devices and systems to create a list of pros and cons.
Any comments you wish to share would be great. Thanks

hi, my friend has an n900 and to be honest as much as I hate Nokia that piece of hardware is solid. resistive touchsceeen is very responsive to touch. it really feels as capacitive plus you get the accuracy of the stylus. and obviously the hard keyboard.
but, talking about maemo... its ugly. I felt it wasn't finished and thought through. as a sense UI user I felt it was a tipical bold and ugly Nokia UI. I'd compare it as XP to Windows7.
on the other hand the guy is a programmer and the things he showed me he programmed for his Nokia were impressive. full Linux.
Sent from my HTC Hero using the XDA mobile application powered by Tapatalk

I understand what you mean about meamo seeming appearing unfinished. maybe it will grow as android has? but it doesnt have the popularity so perhaps its worth sticking with android. i dont know lol.
pros for maemo so far are; that root is simple, theme installation is easy, backups without entering recovery mode. hacking and programming appears to be closer to debian. (to be honest that doesnt effect me as im not a programmer but its obviously going to be usefull to alot of people)
cons; nokia , not android, confusing ui, ovi store has lack of good apps, no xda support.

I have no clue about Nokia but I know there's no big developer support. if Desire is too complicated to root, why don't you consider Nexus one? Besides that it's also the phone that will receive new OS updates FIRST.... see upcoming Android 2.2 - and if you want a QWERTY then wait for Nexus two. And there's also the QWERTY phone from Motorola (which btw are also doing the N2)
****! I can't believe I'm recommending Android devices. But I'm innocent... Microsoft made me do it!

Well having them both for a couple of days I've kept the Desire. I have it for almost a month and I still can't stop playing with it. It's so polished and so fast. The single best cellphone I've ever used. N900 has it's own advantages, but it's too unpolished and doesn't have enough developer support to be my primary phone. It's good as a secondary phone for experimenting, but as a main phone the desire is the one to beat.
And it took me 15-20 mins to root the desire and it is my first root. So not that complicated. Top tip: use paul's r3 root method (using a tinycore linux live cd) for minimal problems. Windows only method can be a little jerky from user to user.

I'd wait for a nice android phone with qwerty. infact that's exactly what I'm doing while having fun with Hero. )
Sent from my HTC Hero using the XDA mobile application powered by Tapatalk

I have no clue about Nokia but I know there's no big developer support. if Desire is too complicated to root, why don't you consider Nexus one? Besides that it's also the phone that will receive new OS updates FIRST.... see upcoming Android 2.2 - and if you want a QWERTY then wait for Nexus two. And there's also the QWERTY phone from Motorola (which btw are also doing the N2)
****! I can't believe I'm recommending Android devices. But I'm innocent... Microsoft made me do it!
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lol i would like to have the nexus one. but im in the uk so no nexus without paying alot for it. which is a damn shame. also no moto droid over here. will look into the nexus two though thanks for the tip

Well having them both for a couple of days I've kept the Desire. I have it for almost a month and I still can't stop playing with it. It's so polished and so fast. The single best cellphone I've ever used. N900 has it's own advantages, but it's too unpolished and doesn't have enough developer support to be my primary phone. It's good as a secondary phone for experimenting, but as a main phone the desire is the one to beat.
And it took me 15-20 mins to root the desire and it is my first root. So not that complicated. Top tip: use paul's r3 root method (using a tinycore linux live cd) for minimal problems. Windows only method can be a little jerky from user to user.
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i like the sound of this. i seem to be very mistaken about the desire being hard to root.

As the N900 was compared to a mobile computer by Nokia themselves i think it's self explanatory. You can't compare these two Operating Systems as Maemo focuses on open-ness and easyness to port stuff that's based on Qt for example. (I guess that's the reason why they chose to use resistive TS, easier to use desktop-like apps)
Android on the other hand, focuses on making use easier for the end-user, open-ness is just a nice side feature of it, but Apps should be based on the APIs google provides, however you are allowed to do anything with them

I also have a Desire and im finding it to be a really nice phone, there are a few niggles but most things can be sorted with an application or a bit of searching. It's better now i have rooted it as all my applications are now stored on my SD card instead of on the limited memory. I found the guide from Nimbu to be a very easy and quick guide to follow. You should be able to find it on google since i cant post the link from being a new user

will have a look for that guide when i have some spare time. thanks

bruce_wayne said:
I have been a big fan of android since the pre cupcake days and have really enjoyed watching android grow becoming bigger and better all the time.
Its almost contract renewal time and im unsure what to do. the obvious choice would be the desire, but its lack of physical keyboard and complicated way to gain root are bad points. the other choice would be the nokia n900 running maemo 5. it has a physical keyboard and is very easy to gain root access.
So im stuck and thought i would ask the community to share their thoughts on both devices and systems to create a list of pros and cons.
Any comments you wish to share would be great. Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had an N900 for about 4 weeks before the Nexus One was released. I really loved that device. Like others are saying, it feels solid. Screen is beautiful, and who can complain about 32 gigs built in, with another 8+ on the miniSD. Browsing = Awesome with full flash support. Stereo speakers sound great. QWERTY keyboard is a little bit of a bummer cause the top row is so close to the case. And the earbuds sound FANTASTIC! Better then some I've purchased from electronics stores.
Here's the real bummer. Nokia didn't capitalize on the N900 as much as they could have. Their shipping and support from NokiaUSA was abysmal. (I ordered when the site said 'IN STOCK' and after 3 weeks I cancelled the order and purchased one via eBay).
I wish I could say I was pleased with Maemo 5. The N900 comes with a few good apps, and more can be found through the Ovi store (when it was working).
I'd say stick with Android for this simple reason. It seems Nokia is letting the N900 die on the vine and has left everything about the device up to the Maemo community. They've even made statements regarding coming out with other smart mobile devices (Nokia N8) and is putting effort into a new version of Symbian.
If you are a Linux dev and would like to have fun coding for your own device, you can't ask for a better smartphone.
If you enjoy the Android platform, the variety of apps available in the market, and love the XDA forums then you'll be happier with an Android device.

I've stopped looking at non HTC devices for the sole reason of xda forums.
Sent from my HTC Hero using the XDA mobile application powered by Tapatalk

bruce_wayne said:
Its almost contract renewal time and im unsure what to do. the obvious choice would be the desire, but its lack of physical keyboard and complicated way to gain root are bad points.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In the last release, r4 rooting is very very easy.

I've stopped looking at non HTC devices for the sole reason of xda forums.
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i really dont blame you. theres alot of help in the xda forums

Maemo minus intel's x86 = the suck
with x86 and you could run linux programs and windows programs with wine. It would however be alot less phone like than Android.
Android is already growing fast every month. Problem is the Java layer and compiling for Arm.
Maemo's only real hope is x86 for phone. If that happens however I'd get it in a heart beat. Old games like Baldur's gate would be easy enough for anyone to get working. Otherwise it's just a me too operating system. Like BEOS.

Maemo minus intel's x86 = the suck
with x86 and you could run linux programs and windows programs with wine. It would however be alot less phone like than Android.
Android is already growing fast every month. Problem is the Java layer and compiling for Arm.
Maemo's only real hope is x86 for phone. If that happens however I'd get it in a heart beat. Old games like Baldur's gate would be easy enough for anyone to get working. Otherwise it's just a me too operating system. Like BEOS.
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It has a few ports of old games running well now. Transposrt tycoon runs well on the n900.
Just don't know if I can leave android. There's so much developer support that android constantly evolves. I love it
From what I have seen, Meamo doesn't seem to change. And app development appears to be very slow. On the ovi store, and other sources, new apps or updates don't often arrive.

Maemo
From comparisons and ability to customize things on the phone Maemo seems to be the best. I own an Omnia SCH-i910 with WM6 but am keeping an eye on Maemo OS phones hoping they take off.
What I want most from my phone besides features is open source program compatibility and ability to customize interface, ICS, and data access.

I have used the N900 for a while and just recently picked up the Vibrant (Galaxy S). There are many features I miss from the N900/Maemo. A huge one is universal, standard commands such as ctrl+c,x,v, etc. It was so easy to select text with the stylus then manipulate with keyboard shortcuts. Copying and pasting text on the Vibrant has been a bad experience in comparison.
Another major thing that the Maemo OS does better IMO is multitasking. It has true multitasking, and switching between and closing applications is intuitive and very well implemented. However, the way Android does things probably helps battery life, and after getting used to it I have no complaints.
For me, Android is an overall better choice due to its practicality for every day use. What I like more about the N900/Maemo is its multitasking and that it is literally a mini linux PC, yielding much more control and functionality for power users.
dvdivx said:
Maemo minus intel's x86 = the suck
with x86 and you could run linux programs and windows programs with wine. It would however be alot less phone like than Android.
Android is already growing fast every month. Problem is the Java layer and compiling for Arm.
Maemo's only real hope is x86 for phone. If that happens however I'd get it in a heart beat. Old games like Baldur's gate would be easy enough for anyone to get working. Otherwise it's just a me too operating system. Like BEOS.
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Click to collapse
Anyone can easily install "Easy Debian" from the maemo.org repository, granting access to many repositories containing countless Debian packages. Once installed, they be launched from within Maemo or an LXDE that runs as an application within Maemo, therefore allowing simultaneous phone functionality. So in my opinion wine isn't that important for the n900, unless there is something you absolutely need that won't run on ARM based architecture...

bruce_wayne...someone said ""The grass is green ot the other side".
I have N900 and Samsung Galaxy S.
Android and N900-Maemo5 have advantages and disatvantages. The right choise depend ot what you need from device.
I am user that don't have ability to make program, but I like to install and use.
For me phone must be like mini computer but still lightweight.
For me the necessary thing is:
Good phone with video player capable to play Standart Definition video and play internet stream(HTTP).TV-out is welcome
Software that I need is: Skype, ICQ and VNC client.
N900 disatvantages for me and my kind of work.
Weight!!!. Maemo5. Poor battery life-especially in 3G mode.
But.....N900 have nice contacts menager with Skype and ICQ accaunts.
Skype Video conversation. Diferent video player and codec pluging
In Galaxy S. Nimbuzz ( or other program) substitute N900 integrated chat client. Program WYSE is good VNC client.
The only thing that missing is video Player with HTTP capabilities. I really want to watch my VLC stream.
So....everything depend of what do you want from phone.
If you have question about N900. Just Ask..I'm not Maemo5(N900) fanboy neither Android(Galaxy S)

Android tablets need work--alot of work...

Just returned from Xmas shopping and thought I was going to get some tablets for family members but found them to be frustratingly slow when compared to the iPad--which is what people are going to do, even though they shouldn't, they're going to. Google did announced that Android <2.2 is simply not ready for tablets and I couldn't agree more.
I have an iPad at home and the cheapest iPad competes successfully with the best tablets Android has, the Dell Streak and Samsung tab. Those tablets are <$600, so's the iPad. Unless there's a specific reason why you'd rather use an Android tablet when the screen is smaller and the whole tablet is overall slower, the choice is easily iPad.
I heard a shopper try to use one and comment how slow Android is. I showed him my Evo to tell him that Android's still in progress, it'll get faster. Unless you don't mind paying for $300 or less for frustration, (inexpensive) Android tablets are just not ready. I hear Honeycomb will have a tabler-optimized system.
** mind you, I'm a Phandroid so...

Couldn't agree more. The galaxy tab is an embarrassment. I tried using one in a store the other day and got 3 force closes in ten minutes, plus a jerky UI and ****house resolution.

I liked the Tab a lot, thought it was really great. Didn't have any issues with it when I played it with it. But I agree to an extent. Problem is, most Android tablets are made poorly. Archos is about the only one that has made decent tablets aside from Dell and Samsung. It could be better though, I'll say that. Right now Android is suited for mobile phones. For a good reason, it's a phone OS.

More reason to look forward to honeycomb. The flagship Google tablet should set the standard for android tablets.

tknz said:
More reason to look forward to honeycomb. The flagship Google tablet should set the standard for android tablets.
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Yes! And they're going to kick butt. Apple optimized the iPhone's OS for three years before they brought out the iPad. Android is only about three years old, isn't it? I just hope that the crappy tablets out there now haven't damaged Android's rep.
Or Google should've just thrown ChromeOS on tablets. Chrome is basically what I use on my Ubuntu powered netbook. I rarely see the desktop anymore.

I have had a galaxy tab for about 27 days..I also have an ipad that i've had for awhile....I like the tab but it's going back tomarrow...Had 3 and all 3 had dead pixels..I think the screen is better than ipad and using the apps and playing with OS is peppy like my Vibrant but start browsing and it becomes sluggish...Some sites are much worst than others...The stock browser is by far the slowest thing ever..dolphin hd is better but still sluggish..I tried all browsers and disabling flash/plugins and different settings ...No matter what i try browsing is not smooth like my ipad...I hoped a fix came out or a ROM that would fix the laggy browsing but nothing yet....I really like the tab because of A: Android OS vs the boring basic ios4 and B: The screen is better than my ipad...While the ipad screen is very nice the tab is better and once samoled starts coming on them ohhh my!

Google had plenty of time to make the OS smooth, 2.3 is a big fail. I don't know what google has given to people but everyone believes that android will be the next big thing. Seems like we will never reach the promised land.
People had so much expectations about gingerbread, new UI, gpu accelerated graphics, the smoothness, new integration with social networking... Instead you get a 2.3 with a new keyboard and few little things people don't care.
After 2 yrs and some the OS still is not smooth, it lacks in visual appearance, the apps are crap. I don't know how much longer i'll stay with this OS. Everytime i get a new phone is always read the stickies, flash new roms rinse and repeat. I am so tired of this, i don't know how long is going to stay like this but is like google doesn't give two ****s about it.
I bought an ipad this past weekend, jailbroke it, and started installing apps and end of story. I have games that i have fun playing with and apps that doesn't look like crap. If iphone had 3g in tmobile i'd consider getting an iphone.

greenstuffs said:
After 2 yrs and some the OS still is not smooth, it lacks in visual appearance, the apps are crap. I don't know how much longer i'll stay with this OS. Everytime i get a new phone is always read the stickies, flash new roms rinse and repeat. I am so tired of this, i don't know how long is going to stay like this but google don't give two ****s about it.
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It seems like you're the type that just wants their computer to work..[period]. This is not a criticism, you must just not be interested in hacking and modding your phone and why should you have to? There are so many choices out there, you don't have to use an Android phone--unless you were forced into using one.
Some of the apps are crap and some are are not but the choice is yours. The good apps filter to the top and bad ones never surface. I only choose apps that are four stars or better so my apps aren't crap--not to me at least. Don't you think that sort of freedom is nice? I do!
I, for one am glad that Google doesn't give two-****s about it ( I think they do ), it's an open source project and what you do with "your" phone is up to "you". We've never had this sort of freedom and I'm grateful we finally have it. But you don't have to try new ROMs or read any stickies if you don't enjoy it. I know Android phone users who have absolutely no plans to ever root their phone because they're happy with the way the carrier set it up for them--great!
I came from the Blackberry world and the only thing I could do with that was change the wallpaper and the size of the fonts *yawn*. RIM did everything for me and I had no clue what they were doing. Also, I've had Apple products, they magically patch things for me--what's going on? I'd like to know... Apple says, "no you don't--just use it, m'kay?" Microsoft does the same... No... Let's keep this open, I'm having a blast!

semperlux said:
It seems like you're the type that just wants their computer to work..[period]. This is not a criticism, you must just not be interested in hacking and modding your phone and why should you have to? There are so many choices out there, you don't have to use an Android phone--unless you were forced into using one.
Some of the apps are crap and some are are not but the choice is yours. The good apps filter to the top and bad ones never surface. I only choose apps that are four stars or better so my apps aren't crap--not to me at least. Don't you think that sort of freedom is nice? I do!
I, for one am glad that Google doesn't give two-****s about it ( I think they do ), it's an open source project and what you do with "your" phone is up to "you". We've never had this sort of freedom and I'm grateful we finally have it. But you don't have to try new ROMs or read any stickies if you don't enjoy it. I know Android phone users who have absolutely no plans to ever root their phone because they're happy with the way the carrier set it up for them--great!
I came from the Blackberry world and the only thing I could do with that was change the wallpaper and the size of the fonts *yawn*. RIM did everything for me and I had no clue what they were doing. Also, I've had Apple products, they magically patch things for me--what's going on? I'd like to know... Apple says, "no you don't--just use it, m'kay?" Microsoft does the same... No... Let's keep this open, I'm having a blast!
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Wow, well said mate, agreed except for Microsoft phones (WinMo), you can also buy them with the idea of tweaking, hacking, configuring everything to your liking, etc. in mind, unlike blackberry and apple.

XtriFe said:
Wow, well said mate, agreed except for Microsoft phones (WinMo), you can also buy them with the idea of tweaking, hacking, configuring everything to your liking, etc. in mind, unlike blackberry and apple.
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Oh? I didn't know that about WinMO. I think that to a point you can hack and mod anything you want. I've seen OS 7 running on an iPhone and thought that was impressive but have no idea if that's difficult or not. But that's not Apple's corporate philosophy where as AOSP, by definition will lends itself to extensive modification and is almost encouraged--man, I've dreamed of this.

greenstuffs said:
Google had plenty of time to make the OS smooth, 2.3 is a big fail. I don't know what google has given to people but everyone believes that android will be the next big thing. Seems like we will never reach the promised land.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android is pretty big right now and still growing.
People had so much expectations about gingerbread, new UI, gpu accelerated graphics, the smoothness, new integration with social networking... Instead you get a 2.3 with a new keyboard and few little things people don't care.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The UI has different elements from previous versions, but this isn't the first time this happened. This happens with other platforms all the time. Windows Phone 7 for not having Copy and paste off the bat, or any decent homebrew support. Apple with the lack of multitasking, or Blackberry with something actually new and specs that can rival current Android phones!
After 2 yrs and some the OS still is not smooth, it lacks in visual appearance, the apps are crap. I don't know how much longer i'll stay with this OS. Everytime i get a new phone is always read the stickies, flash new roms rinse and repeat. I am so tired of this, i don't know how long is going to stay like this but is like google doesn't give two ****s about it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not just google mind you, Google can only do so much. If you're gonna blame Google, then you have to blame Qualcomm, Samsung, TI, HTC, etc etc for making the phone and some of the drivers. And I don't know about you, but I didn't flash a new rom every day now. I just get a rom that's best for me, and if it needs updated, I update it. Same thing with stock roms. If Google didn't give 2 ****s about it, then why is Google still supporting Android as much as they are? I like the UI of Android a lot. Easy to customize and change, where as for the longest time in Ios and mostly still now, black background? Windows Phone 7, black background or a different color? For the apps, it's open source. That's what the reviews in the Marketplace are for. I've have good experiences with the apps.
I bought an ipad this past weekend, jailbroke it, and started installing apps and end of story. I have games that i have fun playing with and apps that doesn't look like crap. If iphone had 3g in tmobile i'd consider getting an iphone.
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Ios is also completely locked down in terms of development. Iphone 3g is also nothing compared to current Android phones now. An Arm11 v6 cpu, versus say an Arm Cortex a8? About 400-440mhz underclocked from 600mhz or so, versus even the Droid only being clocked at 550mhz, but having a huge advantage of better instruction sets and Adreno gpu? You obviously haven't done much homework either, Tmobile will support Iphone on their network, and there's even unlock codes in Cydia available. All you need to do, setup a plan with Tmobile, and get a Tmobile Sim card for that plan. It might now have the 3g network enabled, but there's your Iphone for you.
I'm not bad mouthing Apple, Iphone, Windows, Microsoft, WP7, or anything like that. But Apple has complete control over the Iphone and Ios(There isn't even an AT&T logo on the Iphone), WP7 is still young so we'll see how it turns out, and Android is still growing.

I would agree that the iPad is much more advanced. But the Galaxy Tab is pretty decent and I actually love the color nook. It is great for what it does...

Once released, Honeycomb should have a positve major impact on new futere Tablets.

semperlux said:
Just returned from Xmas shopping and thought I was going to get some tablets for family members but found them to be frustratingly slow when compared to the iPad--which is what people are going to do, even though they shouldn't, they're going to. Google did announced that Android <2.2 is simply not ready for tablets and I couldn't agree more.
I have an iPad at home and the cheapest iPad competes successfully with the best tablets Android has, the Dell Streak and Samsung tab. Those tablets are <$600, so's the iPad. Unless there's a specific reason why you'd rather use an Android tablet when the screen is smaller and the whole tablet is overall slower, the choice is easily iPad.
I heard a shopper try to use one and comment how slow Android is. I showed him my Evo to tell him that Android's still in progress, it'll get faster. Unless you don't mind paying for $300 or less for frustration, (inexpensive) Android tablets are just not ready. I hear Honeycomb will have a tabler-optimized system.
** mind you, I'm a Phandroid so...
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Click to collapse
I completely disagree. You must not have done your homework well. Right now the best tablets are the tegra tablets. They own the ipad in every way possible and are receiving alot of development. As far as I know there are 4 out now: Toshiba Folio 100, Viewsonic G Tablet, Advent Vega, and the Elocity 7". I'm on the Viewsonic G Tablet, so far the rims developed by our Dev team are 1337! They can play flash, have full market, and are hella fast!

Should I buy a pre plus?

Hi all,
I am wondering whether to buy a plus to learn webOS development, does anyone thinks there will be a big market share of webOS phone?
Sent from my T-Mobile G1 using XDA App

I don't see why not. webOS is going to be big next year. I think every app in the market needs to be rewritten in order to work with the new Enyo framework. Now is the time to make apps

thereddog said:
I don't see why not. webOS is going to be big next year. I think every app in the market needs to be rewritten in order to work with the new Enyo framework. Now is the time to make apps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great.
But what is the official version of a Pre plus has? I am wondering whether I should buy a pre plus or considering newer model.

I have a Verizon Pre Plus. The most recent updated version on mine is Palm WebOS 1.4.5.
Of all of the phones I've owned, or played with, WebOS is the best and most intuitive - even better than iOS. However, Palm/HP needs to get over the clunky slider hardware.

I love my Pre. I was and still am a Win Mo diehard. Absolutely hated Android, Win7, iOS, and Blackberry. After picking up my pre I haven't looked elsewhere.
Even though it has many shortfalls, WebOS is SUPREMELY easy to use. It just feels so elegant and polished. Never once has my phone froze, stuttered, or slowed down during use. Multitasking is unrivalled.
With HP pushing new stuff out in the summer, and WebOS on PC shortly after. 2011 is going to be big with WebOS

Honestly... I don't think so
Look, I love webOS- I really do. It's a great mobile operating system and is really underrated and I want to see it thrive. But I've had a Pre Plus for year now, and while I love webOS, I can't stand the hardware. The screen is small, the processor is slow (but there's always overclocking ), the battery life is bad, and it's got a terrible build quality- I'm on my 5th Pre at least. It could be more, I've lost count. But when I went to Palm Developer Day in November 2010, I got a free Pre 2, as did everyone else who went. The Pre 2 was an awesome phone. I loved it, and I'd recommend you buy it if you're interested in webOS. It's got a much better build quality and is much faster than the Pre Plus, and it comes with webOS 2.0 out of the box. Unfortunately, my Pre 2 was run over (I'm kinda careless as you can tell) and no longer works, but for the 3 or so months that I had it, I loved it. It was a great phone, and I highly recommend it. You can get the unlocked GSM version and put whatever SIM you like in it (you'll get AT&T 3G, but not T-Mobile 3G, sorry) and you'll be good to go, or you can buy the Verizon version. Either way, the Pre2 is the way to go. Good luck!

Yes, I also would recommend you to buy a new Pre 2 as he is going to get the Update to newer WebOS-Versions which will support the new development modell (Enyo which uses Javascript, you can also mix C or only use C for development).
You can get a cheaper developer Pre 2 if you register.
Just look here to get started:
developer.palm.com
I don't think that WebOS will surpass Apple or Google very fast and in this year it will "only" establish and stabilise itself. The next year is when it is getting bigger. For now there is still some room for good Applications in WebOS.
We have good Twitter, Music and Notes-Apps... But I guess if you have an idea and you kick it your idea will work wherever you try^^
A third working eco-system, especially at the start, is a big chance for "new" guys or people who have a good App which now only is on the third, fourth or fifth place because the platform where he is now already isn't very "flexible" any more and has some big established players. In such an environment he could try to make himself a name on another platform before the big ones show up.

I am selling a LNIB pre 2 gsm unlocked. PM me if interested.

Wait for pre 3
Sent from Snarf phone

wait for the pre3

I think webos is promising, but still need a lot of work before it becomes perfect and mature as iOS and android. You can try pre plus.

wait for the Pre 3

buy a veer. it can open upto 30 apps and still run.

Is anyone else thinking about actually USING WebOS?

I am really starting to like WebOS a lot and since we know it is the tablets and not the OS that were scrapped, I have to wonder about a possible groundswell of new development for the native operating system.
I am not quite as excited as most about getting FroYo on this thing, I actually think it may be a downgrade, performance-wise. GingerBread struck me as slightly different than FroYo, but Honeycomb is sweet. I also have a Viewsonic Gtablet running the FlashBack Honeycomb ROM and it is pretty damn nice, but I find WebOS to be a little more elegant and refined feeling. Especially after installing PreWare and adding the performance patches and stuff.
I am not a developer, but there are a lot of them around here and quite a few of them either already got or will get a touchpad to play with. I am hoping that some of them will be impressed enough (or intrigued enough) to look at the WebOS SDK and PDK.
Since there are already drivers for full functionality within WebOS, I would think it would not be too arduous for some of these intrepid devs to port a few of the popular apps over for those sticking with it. There is also a web-based widget builder called Project Ares that looks interesting.
Anybody else? Bueller?

I would continue using WebOS if there's a way to use Android apps on it

Webos is probably my favorite tablet os now. The problem is there's no Apps for it. I bought the touchpad for my girlfriend yesterday and she said she loved it but after 10 minutes of just checking facebook and some websites she was like, ok what now?
They need more games optimized for it and better prices
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA App

With no apps just think how youll never exhaust its resources
Just read a site claiming to have an andriod dump from HP's tablet. There will be decent android roms in no time.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

i'm kind of torn about using android on my TP.
i quite like the way webOS works.
i honestly can't understand why HP gave up on this thing. it's brilliant.
sure it's a little slow out of the box, but so was my HTC magic. a new rom fixed that.
it has fantastic support from the preware community.
i'm loving gestures and cards.
a 3G modem would've been nice (or a usb port to allow a dongle), but again not a big deal given that most phones these days can do wireless hotspot and 99.9% of the time if i have my tablet, i also have my phone. therefore it's always able to connect.
i'll admit the build quality leaves a bit to be desired, but for a first up effort it's pretty good.
the touchstone dock is brilliant.
i'm tempted to buy a second one so i'll have one at home and one at work.
i love android. (i'm somewhat of a fanboy)
i recommend it to friends all of the time. but after experiencing webOS i'm starting to wonder why.
EDIT: maybe HP will sell or licence webOS off to google and we can get the best of both worlds?

Since WebOS was released on the Pre few years ago I always wanted to try this OS as I mostly heard good comments about it and it looked good.
I must say that WebOS on a tablet is WOW! I love it.
I really hope new apps will be developed and that I will be able to continue to use WebOS.
I like my Android phone, but I would be happy continuing having a WebOS tablet.

I have heard that the HP Touchpad has a 3G and 4G wan aready on the chip and just waiting for software to activate. Just like the Nook color bluetooth that it never came with but was activated within Gingerbread.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using xda premium

I really hope we will get the dual boot option. I would love to use that UbuntuChroot on it while enjoying Froyo or GB

I've always been interested in webOS ever playing witha mates palm pre. The cheap touchpads seemed like a great way of getting a webOS device.
I don't understand why people want to remove webOS, however I can understand trying to port android apps to it.
I'm still waiting delivery of my touchpad, cant wait to get playing around with it.
Does anyone know if I can mess with the browser so I can access chrome webapps?

I bought for two reasons, price and Android. For $149 you cant go wrong, I thought of buying more to try and sell for a small profit but decided against it. My local Arrons had one in their store, but had access to 6 more WebOS looks cool, but I am not familiar with it at all. I really dont care to learn it being WebOS is done. If worse comes to worse and only the Android market/APPS will work on it then I will be happy Heck, who am I kidding, at such a low price I am happy no matter what!

cordell12 said:
I bought for two reasons, price and Android. For $149 you cant go wrong, I thought of buying more to try and sell for a small profit but decided against it. My local Arrons had one in their store, but had access to 6 more WebOS looks cool, but I am not familiar with it at all. I really dont care to learn it being WebOS is done. If worse comes to worse and only the Android market/APPS will work on it then I will be happy Heck, who am I kidding, at such a low price I am happy no matter what!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The point is, WebOS is not "done." In fact, it sounds like HP is planning to put a lot more into it.
Here is what the VP of Developer Relations said: http://developer.palm.com/blog/2011/08/the-next-chapter-for-webos/

Hopefully the Palmdroid project produces results. Because I prefer the webOS experience.

nunjabusiness said:
The point is, WebOS is not "done." In fact, it sounds like HP is planning to put a lot more into it.
Here is what the VP of Developer Relations said: http://developer.palm.com/blog/2011/08/the-next-chapter-for-webos/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, WebOS development will continue.
I really don't understand the cry for Android either. Froyo is not that amazing, Gingerbread isn't that great either. Heck, I have owned quite a few Honeycomb tablets (Xoom, rooted Nook Color, Dell Streak 7) and none of them impressed me.
I get that people here overwhelmingly like Android. But the only merit I can see for putting Android on this guy is for the apps. And, lets be honest, anything besides Android 3.X isn't even optimized for a large display like the touchpad. The Gmail application for example is just a giant list of emails. The WebOS email interface is leagues ahead because it actually takes advantage of the screen size by layering slide-panels instead of just being a giant list of messages!
WebOS is an awesome operating system. The only things holding it back to this point have been total garbage hardware (the Pre was trash) and a lack of developer interest. With HP pushing out hundreds and hundreds of thousands of these tablets in days, its safe to say that development will speed up on the WebOS front. Applications will start to trickle in faster, and things will improve.
The desire to have Android, yet alone a non 3.0 Android, on this thing just seems silly. But whatever, each to his or her own. I for one can appreciate the qualities of WebOS and will keep using it since it is a polished, tablet friendly operating system. After the "oh wow look what I did" factor of having Android 2.X on a tablet wore off, I realized non-Honeycomb Android on a tablet really sucks.

I already have an Android Tablet...it's cool.
I bought this for a cheap price, to have as a "coffee table" device for cruising the net and checking email. Maybe a youtube video once in a while.
AND...when you register the device you still get 50GB of cloud storage through box.net. I'm looking forward to using mine and have no intentions of putting any other OS on it...

I am a huge android fan, but Ill admit that after using the TP for a few days, WebOS is hands down a better tablet OS. Its just so much more structured. Thats why Im looking forward to see what comes out of the Palmdroid project. From my understanding, theyre trying to port the Dalvik VM over to WebOS which will allow android apps to run in "cards".
Been checking this every day for the past week now
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1230723

aim1126 said:
Webos is probably my favorite tablet os now. The problem is there's no Apps for it. I bought the touchpad for my girlfriend yesterday and she said she loved it but after 10 minutes of just checking facebook and some websites she was like, ok what now?
They need more games optimized for it and better prices
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WebOS is dead Install Android 3.2 Honeycomb

Haha no, not at all. This is the worst OS I've ever touched. The OS is overall sluggish and not made for a fluid experience what so ever.
I just had mine fail to download a 30MB System update about 10 or so times.
Browsing the poor apps in the market takes a minute to load each individual apps page.
The pre-installed "apps" are a link to go download it on the market which takes the aforementioned minute load of the page.
The best app would have to be the youtube app that opens up the browser to Youtube.com, absolutely ingenious!
It has. . nothing. On it. I can't even find apps if there were good apps, you can't go to the top of free apps.. there is either top, paid, or free search tabs but not a top free.
Even the browser leaves me yearning for more as I sit there and watch the checkered white boarder all over.

Is anyone else thinking about actually USING WebOS?
Yes, me!
Im running psycho-f15c-kernel-touchpad_3.0.2-41 on my ToychPad at 1.9GHz 100% stable! This thing is faaaaaaaaaaaaaaast!
Best and fastest Tab ever and WebOS is simply extraordinary... what a loss that that the best Tab EVER is discontinued and the most elegant and accomplished OS for a tablet has been sentenced to death. I have an ipad2 that I really like and a Samsung Galaxy Tab 7" that I use as my phone running Android 2.3.
Nothing touches WebOS, nothing! And nothing touches the speed of the Touchpad at 1.9Ghz! Ill use and love the Touchpad for as long as I can can, even iwht limited apps and an OS that is frozen in time. What a great loss, this is just so amazingly great! If HP had launched this a year ago and seriousely wanting to make it a success, this would be for sure the ipad killer... my a million miles.. really sad, but happy I have one and that works so well.
Thank guys for making this thing work so well and fast. XDA is the best community on the internet, period!

I just got my touchpad in the mail and have been playing with it for the last couple of hours. Here is my first impression:
wow, webos is pretty impressive. I owned and used iphones, ipads, android phones and tablets extensively and I can say that webos has the simplicity and user friendliness of ios and the multitasking and openness of android. Kind of best of both worlds. If it had the dev support of ios and android, it would certainly be better than ios and a huge competitor to android.
it is such a shame that it is almost dead. HP should have sold these tabs at $250 at launch ($50 below manufacturing cost) just like they do with the consoles and build dev support. Once established, they would make a ton of money off of their app market by selling media and apps just like apple.
introducing this tab at the same price point as the already established and ridiculously popular ipad with no apps and dev support was a quick and sure way to failure.
Such a shame. I really would have liked to see a mature webos platform as a strong competitor.
ps. I am writing this comment on my touchpad 32gb while listening to grooveshark on another browser window. The speakers are pretty loud and have great audio quality. Too bad Hulu just blocked access.
ps2. I really like the usa today app a lot. Nice job with the design and the use of gestures. That is exactly what touchcreen apps should be like

Defiantly liking WebOS alot but until more development takes place atm I will move to android when it surfaces.
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App

Why webOS

Okay I'm currently running ICS on my evo 3d and know pretty much nothing about webOS could someone tell me the features of it.! Cuz ik a guy is working on an evo 3d webos rom now
Sent from my ICS-3VO

WebOS is what I know a mix between Palm OS, and iOS....
Other than that, I know almost nothing about it....
Google is your friend, so go ahead and use her... she is the only girl who won't mind you using her...
Sent from my Epic Touch running Blazer Rom via xda premium

Not worth flashing in my opinion, Android is superior in every way. It's just so far behind.
I can't think of any features of WebOS that Android doesn't already have.

ColdBlog said:
Not worth flashing in my opinion, Android is superior in every way. It's just so far behind.
I can't think of any features of WebOS that Android doesn't already have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Swipe!, The lovely calendar!, TRUE MULTITASKING, Really Apps that you can use to work (NOT MILLION APP OF FLASHLIGHTS!).
And WebOS is a lot powerful it doesn't use everything on the phone. For example I installed Ubuntu on my Pre with 1.00 Ghz (Not dual Core) and my Atrix 1.45 Ghz (Dual Core) and my Pre runs a lot better.
Now that WebOS is open source but not already all the files I will not have doubt or even think twice about install WebOS on my Android phone.
This is just my point of view.
*I like ICS but it lacks yet of a lot of features that I was waiting for...but I still like it *
Thanks for all and God bless you.

Easily hacking, great multitasking, webos internals. Id love to run it on my RAZR, though don't want to **** with doing it.
Sent from my DROID RAZR using XDA App

Funny question and answers.
I was talking to a friend 2 days ago, iOS developer... big Linux and Mac fan who preached to the 7 corners of the Universe that iOS was the way and that Windows was hell. He was then forced into Microsoft stuff because MS just created a partnership with his college and basically took over every IT division. Guess what? He's a MS technology convert. iOS now sucks and WP7 is the way... it took several months, several coding and MS visits, but he's a convert.
Conclusion: Most people have no clue what they're talking about when bashing on other technologies / Mobile OS's.
I can't talk about Symbian 'cause that one I haven't used but, out of every other mobile OS, WebOS is to me - with WP7 mango close behind - the best Mobile OS there is. iOS and Android have all caught up since Palm introduced it and it's sad the Pre was such a horrible hardware.. but for example, I have yet to find an e-mail app that compares just a bit to the native webOS email client. I have tried ALL of them... ALL, like every single one of them on my EVO (for almost 2 years now) and NONE compares or are capable of handling messages like webOS do. That is only one feature.
What's wrong about webOS for the general public? The lack of the thousand flashlight apps available. You'd be a fool, otherwise, not to try it...
And yes, I am a proud HTC EVO 4G user who still don't understand why Google with all the money in the world and engineers; and its proud developers can't do complex things pretty, easy and efficient as Palm managed to do in webOS; with almost $0 cash.
Just make sure everything works and that your favorite app is available in webOS
before jumping ship. Otherwise you'll be blaming webOS and not the developer who didn't ported said app.

I've used both operating systems. webos is true multitasking, making it is easier to jump between open programs. You can even group open windows/programs together in stacks if you want.
With HP releasing open source WebOS, it will be more universal than Andriod.

Wow, I love opinions . I have only used ios and android, so as stated above I will not bash what I haven't experienced. My only fear is that web OS won't have all the games/apps I want. It sounds like webOS is a multitasker's best friend however. And I agree. It blows my mind that with MILLIONS of developers android has, many being on XDA, we (because I am trying to learn developing also) can't perfect the OS. But yeah, I won't convert until ik that my favorite apps/games are available on web. Sounds amazing nonetheless though.!
Sent from my PG86100 using xda premium

ognimnella said:
Okay I'm currently running ICS on my evo 3d and know pretty much nothing about webOS could someone tell me the features of it.! Cuz ik a guy is working on an evo 3d webos rom now
Sent from my ICS-3VO
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
because of my veer 4g

I love Webos

The multitask on webos is awsome, Android multitask has nothing to with that, even the Ice Cream Sandwich multitask is not as goood as the webos one and the notification is also awsome on webos, i miss these on my Galaxy S.

You had to have actually used WebOS for a few days to understand its beauty (I had Pre 1 & 2).
You can toggle radio, Bluetooth, screen, flashlight directly from the pull down menu, which is always available. Frequently used apps (the bottom route odd home screen) can be brought up from any app/screen by dragging your finger up, instead of having to press home, then select (of course, you can do that too).
True multitasking, live background app previews (apps update their screens in the background; notice ICS background apps like music have old screen shots). 2 motions to close current app and choose another open app (ICS needs 5!), 1 sideways swipe to toggle between previous and next apps (2 taps on ICS, and I frequently select the wrong one of the last two),
WebOS internals made finding, installing, and updating hacks & kennels a no brainer (CWM is brain surgery on comparison). The list goes on.
The interface and interaction were just very smooth & efficient. It just seems like everything takes longer to accomplish on Android. I'm pretty happy with my Galaxy Nexus, but a merge of WebOS and Android would be the dream phone OS.

ColdBlog said:
Not worth flashing in my opinion, Android is superior in every way. It's just so far behind.
I can't think of any features of WebOS that Android doesn't already have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i agree with you , Android is a power !!!
---------- Post added at 12:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:39 PM ----------
Alexandre1545 said:
The multitask on webos is awsome, Android multitask has nothing to with that, even the Ice Cream Sandwich multitask is not as goood as the webos one and the notification is also awsome on webos, i miss these on my Galaxy S.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
absolutely with you in this !!

palmcrash said:
You had to have actually used WebOS for a few days to understand its beauty (I had Pre 1 & 2).
You can toggle radio, Bluetooth, screen, flashlight directly from the pull down menu, which is always available. Frequently used apps (the bottom route odd home screen) can be brought up from any app/screen by dragging your finger up, instead of having to press home, then select (of course, you can do that too).
True multitasking, live background app previews (apps update their screens in the background; notice ICS background apps like music have old screen shots). 2 motions to close current app and choose another open app (ICS needs 5!), 1 sideways swipe to toggle between previous and next apps (2 taps on ICS, and I frequently select the wrong one of the last two),
WebOS internals made finding, installing, and updating hacks & kennels a no brainer (CWM is brain surgery on comparison). The list goes on.
The interface and interaction were just very smooth & efficient. It just seems like everything takes longer to accomplish on Android. I'm pretty happy with my Galaxy Nexus, but a merge of WebOS and Android would be the dream phone OS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 I miss hacking my pre on the fly. Want a new Kernal, just pop open internalz, made it so.much easier.
Sent from my DROID RAZR using XDA

Palm is the grand daddy of the current smartphones IMO. Palm OS was a great OS with amnny apps (favorite was the player that let me open mkv videos).. WebOS is great follow up to it but was overtaken by android. To me webos is a polished easy(I mean real easy OS) to use it feels like something meant for a phone where as android is so complicated in comparison that half the people that have it don't even know its pontential and simply use it as a regulaar phone. Its sad to seea how webos has gone down it would have been an OS any one could usand not need a be a surngent to understand

Used android for years, rooted, latest roms, etc. Even swapped out radio image files. Got my touchpad after the firewall, and love webOS. As has been pointed out, everything is easier, love the multitasking.
Currently getting ready to triple boot with Ubuntu and Android simply because I need access to some very specific apps. Outside of those apps, I will still be using webOS as my daily. Still a cleaner and faster OS.
Sent from my very "non-stock" TP.

I have a Touchpad with cm9 ics and webOS for the original boot. I think webOS is smooth and fast. It's enjoyable to run it after being on android for so long.
Plus android cm9 ics has no front facing camera. So I jump into webOS to use Skype.
Best of both worlds.
Sent from my Droid Razr using XDA

android is getting better and better...
I also have a HP TP with CM9 now... the android versions getting better and better with every (nightly) version, but the main performance issues are too heavy. e.g. there is no dual core support, the 3D engine doesnt work at its possibilities and, maybe not as important as the over issues, the camera.
the really good thing on webOS is the awesome multitasking feature! webos also ist veery smooth an fast...very sad that there isnt (yet) a big community workin on it (but soucre seems to be published so..)
i work on both systems. but android is my main system for things like games and facebook. but for HD movies for example i switch to webos

Meego (what Intel and Nokia were working together) was open sourced and even it is not being developed on. The real problem is that there is no momentum and impact on WebOS, compared to iOS and Android. While it may have good ideas, a lot of the problems in contributing comes from hardware compatibility. The touchpad audience is kinda small, compared to what Android is being targeted at. I imagine porting it to other phone/tablet devices would bring it's own bag of problems, too.

shurane said:
Meego (what Intel and Nokia were working together) was open sourced and even it is not being developed on. The real problem is that there is no momentum and impact on WebOS, compared to iOS and Android. While it may have good ideas, a lot of the problems in contributing comes from hardware compatibility. The touchpad audience is kinda small, compared to what Android is being targeted at. I imagine porting it to other phone/tablet devices would bring it's own bag of problems, too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Meego never had a market. Only two devices were ever released. webOS felt like it had a chance to beat iOS when it first came out, and was a flagship phone for Sprint for a time.
webOS, on the other hand, has a lot of loyal users and developers ready to help deal with any hardware problems when we get started porting. There are a good number of developers hanging over on Sprint with their Pre-'s, or even better, FrankenPre 2's. People who are willing to do that for an OS are the kind that aren't leaving you any time soon.