HP TouchPad Kernel Released, Tinkerers Rejoice

Did you happen to pick up a HP TouchPad, but wish you’d been among the select few with the gadget running Android instead? Since the accidental Android drama, HP has decided to release the kernel and General Public License (GPL) for its tablet, much to the joy of the hacking community.

HP isn’t required to provide developers with the kernel, but hardware hackers see it as a gesture of goodwill. However, it’s also worth noting that this kernel code appears to be largely seperate from WebOS. HP last updared the kernel in March 2011, before the release of the TouchPad. The original forum post speculates that HP originally designed the TouchPad to ship with Android, but that HP scrapped those plans when it bought up Palm in mid-2010.

Reasoning for the decision aside, the only thing the RootzWiki developers have found is an issue with the Wi-Fi driver, which HP is looking into. The next step? Adding the kernel to the CyanogenMod 9 software, so you can expect some future Android hacks. After that, who knows?

To get hold of the files you will need to have a play around yourself, visit the RootzWiki forum.

[RootzWiki via Engadget]

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