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$149 for a Touchpad if you sign up as a developer
- bradleyland 15y agoGiven the indecision of the HP board as of late, how can they expect developers to make any significant effort to develop for their platform?
- tiles 15y agoAccording to Palm Developer relations, because there's money to be made on an uncrowded platform. There are plenty of existing TouchPad owners thanks to the firesale, and those that use their devices are willing to pay to improve their experience (since the experience won't likely be improved by HP themselves long-term). And you might have more success short-term by selling smaller apps on the Palm Marketplace than you would fighting for space in Android's.
- newman314 15y agoThere are at least 4 million devices.... https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0ApB67S7ETz4WdHd2R3J2XzhHYm12bEljdkcySVhpcUE#gid=0 https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0ApB67S7ETz4WdHd...
- staktrace 15y agoThis is actually not a bad plan on Palm's part. Probably the only last-ditch plan I've seen that has a shot of working.
- phillmv 15y agoAm I the only person to think that this is a patently ridiculous line of thinking?
- wazoox 15y agoI've talked in 2002 or 2003 to a guy who was still developing fro BeOS at the time. Better have a near monopoly on an uncommon OS than be some invisible me-too :)
- drivingmenuts 15y agoThe question is: is there a profitable long-term market in the Touchpad? Who actually bought the device? Corporations who will commit to long term usage (I doubt it) or tech nerds who will flash the device to run Android (leading to a different, well-populated market) or tech nerds who will use the device as is (and abandon it in a year or two)? Honestly, this sounds like very short-term thinking on the part of Palm.
- ralphc 15y agoSomeone at work bought two, one each for his under 6-year old sons so they wouldn't fight over them. Don't see that as a long-term market.
- ralphc 15y agoSomeone at work bought two, one each for his under 6-year old sons so they wouldn't fight over them. Don't see that as a long-term market.
- X-Istence 15y agoI bought the device because I honestly believe that WebOS is an interesting take on a tablet OS (and I like it much better over Android). However I will not be purchasing any apps on the device. I use it strictly as an eReader.
- deleted 15y ago[deleted]
- sliverstorm 15y agoWhen it comes to app sales, does it really have to be stable long-term? I thought app development was already generally a short-term gambit anyway.
- codedivine 15y agoNot necessarily. At least a couple of devs I personally know have made more money on WebOS than Android (none of them developed for iOS so no idea about that).
- rbanffy 15y agoAnd add to that how much more enjoyable it is to develop for WebOS and you get a winner. I'd bet US$150 on that.
- CWIZO 15y agoGreat ... I can't register for a developer account because I'm from Slovenia. Guess it's time to move to Somalia so I'll be able to register :\
- meric 15y agoDon't be too disappointed, but the page only mentions developers from North America and Europe can get a coupon. That means Somalia would be out, too. Now why can't Australian developers have coupons, too? US, UK, Canada, but not Australia?
- CWIZO 15y agoStill ... Slovenia is in Europe :)
- dpapathanasiou 15y agoOnly until the next referendum ;)
- CWIZO 15y agoEurope != EU
- officemonkey 15y agoYou're right. And Slovenia has been in the EU since 2004.
- deleted 15y ago[deleted]
- CWIZO 15y agoI'm replying here because I can't reply to your last comment ... I have no idea what you are on about, care to explain?
- wanorris 15y agoBlackberry gave away Playbooks to anyone who developed an app for it, which resulted in a lot of "developers" who produced low-quality, minimally useful apps. Is there some quality control that will limit who counts as a developer for the TouchPad? If not, I expect this will have a similar result. And really, even if they get real mobile developers, it may result in some half-hearted ports unless it becomes clear at some point that the platform has some kind of future.
- cgislason 15y agoThe difference between free and $150 might be enough to prevent a good chunk of those apps.
- tectonic 15y ago"So what does the TouchPad cost to build? The teardown by iSuppli pegs the cost of the components used in the 16 gigabyte version, which sells for $499 at retail, at $306.65. Meanwhile, the 32GB version, which sells for $599, costs $328.65 to build. (The difference, obviously, is memory.)" http://allthingsd.com/20110703/hps-touchpad-teardown-its-deepest-secrets-revealed/ http://allthingsd.com/20110703/hps-touchpad-teardown-its-dee...
- stfu 15y agoHP seems to have no mandatory development requirements, meaning a development such as with the Playbook is somewhat unlikely. Also I suspect that RIM wanted to push with this move more the market'ability of their devices in regards to to the availability of apps and developers than to have actually useful apps produced.
- firefoxman1 15y agoWell, there are a lot of crappy apps in the catalog already.
- joelhaasnoot 15y agoPalm and then HP has a very long history of giving cheap and heavily discounted devices to developers for development purposes. I've been registered as a developer since, 2003 or 4, and it was common practice with the Treos.
- Urgo 15y agoI already got my touchpad (running android now) during the fire sale but this is awesome for anyone who missed it. Anyone know much it costs to sign up as a developer though to get this deal? It says you need paypal so I'm guessing there is a cost but it doesn't actually list how much it is until you sign up.
- zerovox 15y agoFree at the moment, they say they have waved their fees for the time being, which is unsurprising given the state of WebOS
- firefoxman1 15y agoThere are 2 types of developer accounts. One is free and one is $99. I think you have to have the $99 account to put your apps in the catalog, but the other account gives you access to all the tools and dev resources. Side note, how is your touchpad's battery life? Mine surprisingly sucked.
- ryanwatkins 15y agoBoth account types are free, and have always been free for webOS. https://developer.palm.com/index.php?option=com_user&view=login&signup https://developer.palm.com/index.php?option=com_user&vie... There is no fee required to distribute in the catalog, for either a paid or free app.
- zerovox 15y agoThey seem to be sold out in UK and US online stores at the moment though.
- fernandose 15y agoYeah I'm interested to know how this works too. Because according to the link, HP give you a discount coupon, but where do we use the coupon?
- ambiate 15y agoTerms and conditions: "Coupon codes are not valid anywhere but the HP online store, and may not be used for any products intended for resale or OEM activity as defined by HP, on employee purchase programs, retroactively on previously purchased items, or for cash redemption."
- iletina 15y agoWhy do you need to give a company name in order to register as a developer? Does anyone know if the deal is available to people who have just signed up?
- aaront 15y agoI just put my name in there.
- crikli 15y agoMaybe I'm dumb. Well, I'm definitely dumb. But where the heck to I go to buy this thing? Can't find where on the HP site to do so.
- ambiate 15y agoI would assume the "coupon" is actually a private link to the HP store with a promo code associated with it. The promo code decays after it is used for a single purchase.
- crikli 15y agoThis seems like a really clunky way to do things. I have to a) create an account if I haven't already b) send an email and c) somehow redeem that coupon. They already have my PayPal info...why not set up the program to integrate with my developer account so that I can click a link there to make the purchase. I wonder if this inefficient process is indicative of how HP operates; if so it's pretty clear why they're on the ropes.
- chillin411 15y agoAlternatively, it just may be another barrier so that they get more committed developers rather than people that know the word developer and want a cheap Touchpad.
- jdhzzz 15y agoLike me.
- dpapathanasiou 15y agoThe fine print on that page says: "Coupon codes are not valid anywhere but the HP online store"
- crikli 15y agoRight. Read that. But where in the HP online store is there a "buy now" button? I can buy all kinds of accessories, but no touchpad. Remember, I'm dumb. I mean, I write PHP, fergawdsakes. I'm going to have to be led by the hand here.
- paulsilver 15y agoI had some hassle filling in the final part of the registration form with my company details, this might help if you're have the same problems: If you're in the UK and registering with your Limited company, you need to put your company name in the "Tax Identification Number" field, and your VAT number in the "Registration Number" field (if you're registered for VAT, obviously.) If you're not sure what your VAT number is internationally, you can check it here: http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/vies/vieshome.do?selectedLanguage=EN http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/vies/vieshome.do?select... For the UK, you have to put "GB " in front of your VAT number.
- 83457 15y ago"You will use your PayPal account to pay HP for things like PayPal Account update fees and annual developer membership fees (free for a limited time)." I'm signing up now but will likely cancel just to avoid any big charges in the future.
- brianbreslin 15y agoNow semi off topic, aren't they killing webos? Why would you still want to become a developer? The $150 price is a good deal though...
- morsch 15y agoSo are they still making a loss at that price? iSuppli seems to think so, they estimate about USD 300 in costs per Touchpad. But if that's true, why did they resume production in late August? And now a developer program for a EOL platform? It all seems sort of bizarre.
- X-Istence 15y agoThis is a musing of mine, so it may be completely wrong. HP most likely "resumed production" so that they could clear out any remaining stock. I can imagine that they had warehouses full of parts that were just not put together yet and had already paid suppliers for. These would have been written off and either sold back to the vendor or been destroyed. Also, it is entirely possible that HP had a contract with their manufacturer for a certain time period and if they broke that contract they would be out X where X is bigger than Y which is the amount it would cost to build and ship these devices at a loss. This isn't the first time that I've seen a company do a "last run" to clear out the remaining parts before shutting down a product for good.
- deleted 15y ago[deleted]
- endlessvoid94 15y agoI clicked the devmarketing@palm.com link, and it apparently executes some javascript to unencrypt the actual email address you're supposed to email. It didn't work, though. I tried Chrome, Safari, and Firefox. I just emailed devmarketing@palm.com directly -- anyone have any insight into this? I see no errors in my Javascript console, but when I paste the JS call in directly into the console, the return value is undefined.
- mgcross 15y agoIt seems to execute a mailto to the same email address with a subject of "Developer Device Program NA TouchPad"
- timothya 15y agoThe JavaScript turns it into the address "mailto:devmarketing@palm.com?subject=Developer%20Device%20Program%20NA%20TouchPad" (the same email address, but auto-sets the Subject line). It then immediately sets the page location to this link, and the function returns nothing (aka undefined) which should trigger the browser to do what it would ordinarily do when you click an email link but with the revised address.
- nvictor 15y agowhat? where is the promised $99 good?
- X-Istence 15y agoThis is for the 32 GB TouchPad which sold at the fire-sale for $150. The $99 one was for a 16 GB TouchPad which apparently they no longer have.
- clistctrl 15y agoi used to have a pre, i did web os dev for it, but it never took off. Today I have an android phone, and when Amazon ships my fire i'll have a tablet too. I feel too dedicated to the android platform to change back.
- aquark 15y agoMay be available to Canadians, but you appear to need a 'tax identification number' from the IRS to open the account. "Form W-8BEN should be completed by all Non-US developers planning to make their applications available for sale to US customers/end-users. The form and instructions may be found at the following IRS website ...." Fortunately the form accepted '-' as a 'valid' number ... we'll see if they try and validate it later.
- shaggyfrog 15y agoI'm a Canadian developer and it was no problem getting one of those from the IRS. In fact, I did it over the phone. It was surprisingly painless.
- aquark 15y agoMy concern is what I'd be signing up for by having one -- does it mean I need to file some US tax paperwork annually even if there is no income?
- shaggyfrog 15y agoGood question. I haven't filled out any paperwork in 2 years since I haven't had any US income to declare. I got it done for the iOS App Store -- not sure if Apple does that paperwork for devs (since it acts like a sales agent).
- weekendlogic 15y agosee: https://developer.palm.com/content/resources/develop/faq.html https://developer.palm.com/content/resources/develop/faq.htm... Q: I’m a non-US developer and trying to register for a Developer Account. Do I need a U.S. taxpayer ID? A: If you have a US taxpayer ID, please use this number. If you only have a foreign tax ID number you can enter your foreign tax ID number in the Tax Identification Number field. i.e. For a Canadian individual (like me), you can use your SIN, if you want. Or use gibberish and figure it out later if there are any problems.
- richtaur 15y agoGoing to be really difficult for Palm to compete in the tablet market given their industry instability. They contacted us about getting our game onto an HP TouchPad -- then promptly announced their discontinuation (???). Plus, Google has already given me a free Galaxy Tab (for attending Google I/O). Among that and my iPad, it's pretty easy to guess which I'll be hacking on.
- ra 15y agoRegistered developers in the US, Canada, and Europe will be able to purchase up to two TouchPads at a discount while supplies last. No love for developers in Australia, New Zealand
- kwamenum86 15y agoThis is, at the very least, and opportunity for arbitrage.
- chokma 15y agoHm, you can only register as a developer if you have a Paypal account - and the Paypal page you are directed to does not work. Well, perhaps it is for the best, given Paypal's history.
- chaostheory 15y agoThe thing that makes me hesitant about this is that it requires a paypal account.
- ImprovedSilence 15y agoHas anyone emailed them for a coupon? And if so, has anyone heard back from HP yet?
- Osiris 15y agoLooking at the page for the new TonidoPlug2, I wonder if the $150 HP Touchpad could be used as a server?
- mannicken 15y agoIt's funny how the title reads as: "[THEY WILL GIVE YOU] $149 for a Touchpad if you sign up as a developer [THAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY JUST TAKE IN CASH]." When the reality is: "This Touchpad costs $149 if you go through a bunch of complicated forms, give away your info.. oh, and in reality, it costs like a lot less than $149 even so we'll still be making a shitload of money from it."
- coldarchon 15y agoWhy is this a news article? In Europe you pay for the 32GB TouchPad 129 Euro and get the 64GB for 179 Euro. How is this a discount?
- tucosan 15y agoDid anybody actually receive a coupon for a device from hp? I sent a request with my developer account name in the email body, but haven't received a coupon yet. Or is this some kind of lottery again?