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Back in 2018, Google told us that it was planning on adding support for virtual desktops to Chrome OS, and following some teasing, we finally got them under the name "Virtual Desks." The only real issue with Google's implementation was with navigation: you had to enter the "Overview" mode then manually click around the list of desktops like some kind of laptop-wielding neanderthal. Thankfully, a recently spotted comment on the Chromium bug tracker (noticed by Chrome Unboxed) indicates we'll eventually get a "4-finger swipe and lift" gesture that should make using Virtual Desks much easier.
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- Some new info on Brydge's release plans has just trickled in, and much as we were expecting, you'll be waiting until spring to pick this hardware up, with a late-April/early-May target for release. Pricing might be a tad steeper than you were hoping for, though, and it sounds like shoppers will be shelling out just under $100 for each unit. Especially if you were hoping to snag both the keyboard and touchpad alike, that gets real expensive, real fast.
Historically, Brydge has released keyboards for iPads and Surface Pros, although we became more familiar with the company thanks to the 'Made for Google' Pixel Slate keyboard it recently produced. Brydge's Google intentions don't stop there, though, as it's now announced the first-ever wireless keyboard and touchpad designed exclusively for Chrome OS.
The AT&T Galaxy SII (i777) isn't the only Android device getting official CyanogenMod 9 nightly love today, as the first nightlies just went live for the HP TouchPad (codename tenderloin) and the LG Nitro HD (codename p930, also known as LG Optimus LTE on Bell Canada).
Remember back when an HP Touchpad was spotted running Android out of the box? Well, it would appear that after some cajoling, the CM team (in association with an attorney) have convinced HP to release the Touchpad's Android kernel source, along with a couple of other GPL components specifically modified for Android-powered Touchpads accidentally released to the wild. In addition to the kernel, HP released code to androidvncserver and i2c-tools. The only thing missing, according to Green (part of the CM team), is the Wi-Fi driver. Green explains this in an announcement on the RootzWiki forums:
The CyanogenMod team recently teased us with a video of CM9 running on the Touchpad and now it looks like their efforts have culminated in the first Alpha ("Alpha 0") release of CM9 for the WebOS tablet.
If you happen to own an HP TouchPad and have been waiting patiently for a proper Android port, you'll be overjoyed to see a sneak peek of what CM9 brings to the table. If you recall our announcements for the CM7 Alpha 1 and Alpha 2 builds, you probably remember an overwhelming indication that neither build was all too stable, and running them was not for the faint of heart. Alpha 3 is a bit better, but still has a laundry list of issues. A lot of things don't work, or only work intermittently, which makes it very difficult to use for the average consumer.
Just six days after The CyanogenMod (CM) team released the first alpha build for the TouchPad, they're back with alpha 2. Despite being bumped up a version, it's still an alpha, meaning there are many things that can (and likely will) go wrong. Still, it looks like they've made quite a few improvements with the update:
Soon after HP started their TouchPad fire sale, a version of the device running Android 2.2 appeared on eBay and went on to sell for almost $700. Hopes for an Android port were high and the developer community swung into action offering a 00 bounty for anyone who could load Android on the TouchPad. The CyanogenMod team, Android developers extraordinaire, did not disappoint and soon the news broke that they had managed to successfully get Android running on the TouchPad. Over the next few weeks the CM team made a number of tweaks to the various hardware and software components of the HP TouchPad, including GPU acceleration, Wi-Fi, Sound, Accelerometer, 3D Games, and video acceleration to ensure that CM7 worked smoothly.
The HP TouchPad Android port has been a fascinating journey to follow. Last we spoke of the device, Team CM showed off multitouch and GPU acceleration; and, since then, great strides have been made in the way of the port. Basically everything works as it should now, including Wi-Fi, sound, the accelerometer, 3D games, and video acceleration.
Since HP made its decision to -ahem- streamline their inventory of Touchpads via fire sale, Android users have been clamoring for the ability to run Google's mobile OS on the inexpensive (yet powerful) tablet.
Yesterday we saw a video of an HP TouchPad with full multitouch capabilities, and today Team CyanogenMod dropped a video not only showing off multitouch (which was apparently their work in the first place, but we'll stay out of that drama for now), but accurate color reproduction and full GPU acceleration as well.
Developers are making progress on the Android - TouchPad front almost daily, and the next major hurdle has been crossed(aside from getting Android to boot, of course) -- the touchscreen. For the past few weeks, devs have been spending countless hours trying to get the multitouch display to work properly with Android, and that feat was achieved earlier today.
Just last week we reported that a HP TouchPad running Android 2.2 was being sold on eBay for $700. The claim seemed a little dubious, especially considering the inflated price tag, but today news just broke that CM7 has finally made its way onto the HP TouchPad. The news comes from Rootzwiki, who included a video and a letter from the CM Team related to the project and its recent progress.
The HP TouchPad has become quite a hot topic in the Android community as of late, thanks to its ultra-low price tag and superb hardware specs. Several dev teams have already stepped forward to announce plans to port Android to the device, while at least two devices have already been sold with developer builds of Android intact right out of the box.
Last week, I traded my Google I/O Chromebook for an ASUS Eee Pad Transformer/keyboard dock combo and started exploring the fascinating laptop/tablet hybrid. Overall, my impressions so far are more positive than I thought they would be, and I'll most likely end up selling the 3G XOOM that has none of the features the Transformer with the dock have to offer. The only problem with the Transformer that I've experienced is a relatively poor battery life compared to both the XOOM and the Tab 10.1, which I can't explain yet... but I'm getting carried away.
HP's recently announced TouchPad is a genuinely exciting device - there's no question about that. In fact, with such features as a dual-core Qualcomm CPU and the fancy new "Tap to Share" technology, it might just be the most serious competition Honeycomb tablets will face in the first half of 2011, aside from a certain Apple product.