PCR Tech and IT retail, distribution and vendor news
A team of Android enthusiasts have moved to create a port of Google’s mobile operating system for the HP TouchPad tablet following the recent sellout ‘fire sale’ of the tablets as HP exited the WebOS hardware business.
"So you’ve plunked down your $99/$149, and you’re staring at that WebOS screen," said a message on the TouchDroid Project Wiki. "Welcome to a grand effort to port Android to the HP TouchPad."
A five-person team is listed as behind the effort which will see Android Gingerbread arrive on the tablet bargains. The tablet-friendly Honeycomb is not an option as Google hasn’t made the source publicly available.
The team warned that the effort was likely to take some time and that in the mean time TouchPad owners should "for now enjoy WebOS."
The initial stock of TouchPads sold out in the US within a day, an estimated 270,000 units were said to be sold in Best Buy alone. Since then similar sales also sold out HP stock of the WebOS tablet in other countries around the world including the UK and Australia.