Review: HP Pivot on TouchPad

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

One of the more interesting components of the HP TouchPad is an app-specific tablet-zine that helps users learn more about available applications and also gives an insight on the developer community. Accessible through the TouchPad's HP Touch Catalog, Pivot is a novel way to promote the new ecosystem.

The first thing that came to our mind when we checked out Pivot was the refreshing magazine-style layout. Pivot takes a lot of design clues from popular magazines like Wired, The New Yorker, Esquire, Vanity Fair and various in-flight magazines

Designed to complement the HP webOS App Catalog, Pivot will showcase a broad range of applications – and the developers who create them – by providing customers the freedom to explore based on their interests and lifestyles. So, as you read the features, there are actual links to featured apps that we feel differentiate it from the usual app store layout, rating and review set-up.

“Pivot brings app discovery to a new level for customers and developers alike,” said Richard Kerris, vice president, webOS Worldwide Developer Relations, HP. “We want our partners to experience webOS as the growing platform of opportunity, and we’re investing in new ways to help market their applications on our platform.”

Published on a monthly basis, Pivot is designed to broaden developer exposure and create a dynamic marketplace for the nascent webOS developer community.

Consisting of original content by journalists and photographers affiliated with leading publications, Pivot will include visually driven editorial pieces, columns from notable guest writers sharing their perspectives on digital culture, feature stories focused on applications around specific topics, and in-depth reviews – all accompanied by vibrant photos and illustrations on HP TouchPad’s brilliant screen. Content will be catered to the specific interests and requirements of a given region, appealing to a wide range of international customers.

Sounds great and expensive. We hope it is sustainable.

Pivot is initially  available for English, French, German and Spanish languages and will be updated over the air directly to all HP TouchPad customers. As big fans of the magazine format, we like where Pivot is going, it would be great if they could localize some content for the Canadian market as well.

Rating: 4 out of 5