HP is doing away with WebOS hardware, and that has put the TouchPad on sale for $99 (the Pre 3 is expected to go for $75 soon.) While many have bought a TouchPad, mainly for the discount at which it was/is selling, it is also very clear that TouchPad has no future and most likely software updates / apps won’t be very encouraging. So why would someone buy TouchPad expecting to get some utility out of it? Well as it turns, there are numerous projects going on to get Android running on the HP TouchPad and at least one TouchPad retailing on eBay has been spotted with Android on it.
The eBay listing with the TouchPad running Android has video evidence and last we checked it was going strong at $850. It might well cross $1000 over the next two days. But, the more interesting bit is the fact that RootWikiz has an Android 2.2.1 dump for the TouchPad, this is surely a shot in the arm to efforts like Touchdroid which aim to get Android working on the TouchPad.
While the plastic built and bulky design works against TouchPad, it features a 9.7″ multitouch display and a Dual-Core processor. It’s clear that this has the horsepower to run a current gen OS like Android Honeycomb. Sooner or later that would happen, and your $99 investment on the TouchPad would be much more fruitful. Though we would hope that WebOS thrives and some good updates come through, not for the sake of Palm’s legacy or TouchPad, but because the mobile industry needs innovative ideas like WebOS to flourish.
