HP TouchPad Software/Hardware

[#1]

It irks me to be unable to use my own device without an account at some corporation! What are they thinking? I'll decide later whether I want their services enough to be tracked all over the place! Am I feeling grumpy? Why, yes, yes I am. I was super-excited to get this Touchpad. It's by far the most gorgeous and usable tablet out there. And the first thing I bump into is this piece of obnoxiousness. So, anyway, what should I do to simply start up webOS, without all this sign-in nonsense? Thanks for any help you folks can give me!

Post relates to: HP TouchPad (WiFi)

[#2]

You need an HP webOS Account to use your TouchPad.  That's how you get apps, make backups, and register your warranty.  What other tablet doesn't require you to have some sort of an account?

[#3]

Ah, but I don't have any other tablet. I'm a complete innocent. Seriously, I don't know that I want to get apps. I've never found warranties on electronics very useful. (HP may be different, but nicest will be if it just works for years.) I know how to make backups without the cloud. I've been around computers since 1978 and I'm fairly old school. Hence the desire to just familiarize myself with the machine before deciding whether I want to send all my logs off to HP.

How about this forum account? Will that work to register the touchpad? Or do I need yet another one?

In case it's useful to other readers, I did find a couple of links on the subject: HP's page for developers using an unactivated device, and similar instructions with screenshots on makeuseof.com. I haven't tried them yet, so wish me luck when I do .

[#4]

This forum is of the peer-to-peer design, and will not register your touchpad with HP.

It's hard for me to fathom buying a computer and not wanting to add software, but that's just my opinion!

WyreNut

[#5]

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quixote wrote:

Ah, but I don't have any other tablet. I'm a complete innocent. Seriously, I don't know that I want to get apps. I've never found warranties on electronics very useful. (HP may be different, but nicest will be if it just works for years.) I know how to make backups without the cloud. I've been around computers since 1978 and I'm fairly old school. Hence the desire to just familiarize myself with the machine before deciding whether I want to send all my logs off to HP.

How about this forum account? Will that work to register the touchpad? Or do I need yet another one?

In case it's useful to other readers, I did find a couple of links on the subject: HP's page for developers using an unactivated device, and similar instructions with screenshots on makeuseof.com. I haven't tried them yet, so wish me luck when I do .

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I see.  It's no problem, then.  Welcome to your first tablet!  Like WyreNut said, apps are pretty important to today's mobile devices.  I can't imagine not having at least a few apps on my TP or mobile phone.  Websites are not always designed to work well with mobile devices, thus making apps essential.  As far as the warranty goes, once you make your HP account your warranty is activated.  You don't have to sign and mail in any papers.

I don't know that the TP sends much, if any, logging to HP.  I know that it backs up your apps, various TouchPad settings, and placement of apps in the Launcher (sometimes).  Whenever HP has needed logs they've always requested we send logs to them via email, they've never been able to just grab the logs themselves.  But I completely, totally understand your wish for privacy.  It's not HP's business how you use your TP...I agree!

Good luck on the unactivated TP.  I just can't imagine using my TouchPad w/o apps, it would be a very restricted use device at that point.

[#6 · Accepted solution]

To answer your question specifically: there is no way to bypass the HP Account setup out of the box. If you don't mind a LOT of extra setup on your PC, can use something called the Meta-Doctor from webOS Internals (they are a open group of developers that work on webOS outside of official HP channels) then you can bypass that whole HP Account setup and just use your TouchPad.

However, you will be missing some important features if you this:

1. You will not be able to use the App Catalog. This is the service that lets you purchase and install 3rd party applications. Homebrew applications would still work, but all the official stuff that HP reviews would no longer be accessable.
2. You will no longer have backups. webOS automatically backs up your device each day. This servie only works if you have an HP webOS Account.
3. You will not receive device updates. The OTA update service is dependant on the HP webOS Account so you'll have to wait until HP releases a webOS Doctor tool to update your device.

If you can live with those 3 things, then go ahead and head over webos-internals.org and find the page about Meta Doctor. IMHO, it's much easier just to sign up for the HP webOS Account.

[#7]

Thanks for that, Ridius. I've seen the webos-internals people at a couple of Linux conventions and have a lot of respect for their work. I'll check them out, too.