HP Supports The Porting Of Android To The TouchPad, Also Investigating How Some Units Shipped With Android Pre-Installed

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Things seem to be heating up lately in terms of Android on the TouchPad. Over the past few weeks we have seen an update in terms of the progress that CyanogenMod has been making as well as a video showing what that installation process will be once it reaches public availability.

In addition, we saw the more recent method of running Android, as an app. Though, there is still plenty of support lacking in that method and although it is available for anyone to try right now — it may not be worth your time. But coming back to the present day, it looks like a recently made public email from HP to an HP TouchPad user has revealed some interesting tidbits.

More specifically, the email comes from Phil Robb who (according to the signature in the email) is the Director of the Open Source Program Office for Hewlett Packard. That aside though, this email does arrive with a few goodies including how HP supports the porting of Android to the TouchPad and how they are planning to investigate how some units managed to ship with Android pre-installed.

But not to confuse the term support in regards to getting Android up and running. According to the details, HP supports the user in doing so, but they are not actively helping anyone achieve the goal.

“For those of you in the development community actively working to port Android to the Touchpad, we applaud your efforts. HP has a strong commitment to your freedoms as a developer and technology enthusiast. It is your device and you can do with it what you want. If you want to put Android on your Touchpad, or Meego, or one of the altered webOS kernels from webOSInternals.org, you are welcome to do so (at your own risk of course). While HP supports your freedom to do this, we are not part of the community behind such efforts.”

Of course, from there he goes on to state what how they believe that the “version of webOS that we [they] deliver on the Touchpad is a superior user experience for our customers, and the best development platform for today’s and tomorrow’s mobile applications and services.”

As far as those units that shipped with Android pre-installed, here is what was said on that matter.

“As for the Touchpad units that have been allegedly purchased with a version of Android on them, we have begun an internal investigation on this within HP. We have confirmed that HP never authorized the distribution of any version of Android on the HP Touchpad.”

Notice the term allegedly though, because here it goes on to note that they believe that “no Touchpad units were shipped with Android, even by mistake.”