HP Touchpad: Consensus Reviews In, Full of Potentials Just Like Xoom And Playbook

Reviews of the new HP Touchpad based on Web OS, which it owned after the Palm buyout, are coming out.  So far, most of the reviews I've read have been pretty brutal.  

Here's one from Gizmodo about it.  Now, Gizmodo have very personal reasons to be biased against Apple's iPad being how they're been embargoed from Cupertino over the whole iPhone 4 theft issue.  So, Touchpad should come out of the review smelling like a rose and then some, right?  Not so…the recurring themes in all the reviews seems to indicate that this is a beta device at best.  Heavy, slow, and no apps.  

More at Gizmodo.  I  think Engadget's review has a pretty good review.  Macworld's review isn't bad either.  Macworld is Pro-Apple but they also know a good thing (or bad one) when they see it.

Keep in mind that the Xoom review was better compared to the Playbook and, now, Touchpad.  In reality, hitting it out of the park as far as tech gadgets go like Apple did with the iPad last year is pretty rare.  Because of this, Apple has pretty much own the lion's share of the tablet market.  

And these tablets operate in very different capacities as well as philosophies.  

Apple's iTunes ecosystem is something you have to accept if you want to use an iPad or any other iOS devices.  And yes, it's closed with Apple retainning 100% control. Then there is Google' Android on the other end.  Though not as open as advertised, Honeycomb tablets offer a choice vastly different from Apple closed system.  RIM, with its Playbook, sits somewhere in the middle and may not be around if RIM doesn't turn it business around.

And HP's Web OS and Playbook?  Until recent reports that HP is in talks with various interested companies like Samsung about licensing Web OS, it remains to be seen just how HP wants to shape the future of Touchpad.  And this uncertainty is just as important a factor as are the reviews out there.  HP has the deep pockets and patience to make Web OS into something that can challenge Android and iOS.  And I think given time, Web OS has the best chance to offer both an ecosystem with some openness and still manage to keep out the weeds (malware).