While a $99 TouchPad running webOS is a pretty good deal on its own, some buyers shelled out for the discounted tablet in the hopes that hackers and developers would eventually figure out how to run Android on the HP device.
While PCMag's mobile analyst Sascha Segan warned against this, and efforts to put the popular Google mobile OS on the TouchPad have had mixed results, the developers behind CyanogenMod this week showed off a very early version of its software running Android 2.3.5 on a TouchPad (video below).
At this point, touch is not supported, but CyanogenMod said that in the last week, its build has been more "tabletized" and LVM support has been added. 2D hardware support should be added soon, and "the touchscreen driver issue is now the focus of our attention," CyanogenMod said in a statement provided to RootzWiki. "Our ultimate vision is to create a *multiboot* solution where the end user will be able to boot into WebOS, Cyanogenmod, and/or other OSes. This appears to be very possible, and we have discussed several potential implementations with our new friends in the WebOS development community to make it easy for an end-user to set up."
Why unveil it now? CyanogenMod said the move was a "blatant publicity stunt" intended to help it track down more TouchPads. The team said it needs at least four TouchPads because "we have talented and experienced developers who cannot contribute effectively due to a lack of hardware," CyanogenMod said.
HP, of course, discontinued the TouchPad earlier this month and kicked off fire sales of its remaining stock soon after. HP is currently sold out, but expects to have more tablets available for sale on its Web site in the coming days. If you'd like to donate your TouchPad to the CyanogenMod cause, you can respond in the comments of the RootzWiki post. Perhaps former Gizmodo editor Briam Lam can contribute?
If you do decide to donate, however, don't bug the Cyanogen team about when they will deliver a fully Android-ized TouchPad.
"For the uninitiated, this is the #1 rule for Cyanogenmod," they said. "It will certainly be a long while before our goals become reality. Our goals incidentally are not connected with any bounty—we are motivated to do it right, not do it fast."
For more, see Hands On with CyanogenMod 7 for Android.