We first covered Soluto back in June 2010. A lot has changed since, and Soluto recently launched a new web-based version to great fanfare. In a nutshell, it’s a truly innovative tool that lets you help people remotely without taking control over their PCs, and without even having to wait for them to tell you something is wrong. Oh, and it’s free.

The new version came out on December 13th, and I was using it for a few days before that. Rather than be a part of the launch hoopla, we decided to give it some time and really use the new Soluto in real life, and come back with some in-depth observations. For the latest (if not the greatest, yet) in remote tech support, keep on reading. Oh, and I’ve stashed some invites further down the post, in case you need them.

So What’s This Soluto Thing, Anyway?

Soluto is a web app that lets you monitor up to five computers for free, keep them updated and secure, remove crud, and make their users happy. To do its magic, it does require each user to install an “agent” on their system. This agent sends data to the server, but also lets the user help themselves if they want to.

Meet the Soluto agent:

I won’t go too deep into the agent here, but you can see what it does above. It lets you uninstall or disable browser add-ons (for Firefox, Chrome and IE), remove or delay apps taking up previous boot time, and resolve common crashes. Near the bottom-left you see the new bit, the one that says “You’re taking care of this PC”. That’s because I took the screenshot on my own PC, and I manage it with Soluto. When one of my users sees this screen, it says “Erez Zukerman is taking care of this PC”. So, every one of your users has this thing installed.

I Thought You Said It’s A Web App?

I see you’ve been listening! Here’s the web-based part, where you’ll be managing your users:

Those girls under “people I help” are real people; names have been changed to protect the innocent. The part you see above lets you pick users to help, and is just a part of the UI. The full screen looks like this:

If I had to sum it up in two words, they would be “coming soon”. Soluto chose to release the product early, and the fact that most of the UI on the front page doesn’t work yet is just one sign of that decision. It’s not necessarily a bad decision, just one you should be aware of when you use Soluto right now.

Helping Your Fellow Users

Now let’s see what Soluto can tell us about a single computer. First, the overview:

I don’t actually have a luxuriant mop of curly hair, but I couldn’t find a way to change my avatar. The rest is true – you can see that this user (me) uses Chrome, searches with Google, has 89 apps running in the background, and even their motherboard, Windows version, and PC “strength”. But that’s only scratching the surface. For each user, Soluto lets you see Frustrations, Apps, Background Apps, Internet, Protection, and Hardware.

Let’s quickly run through these, starting with Frustrations:

This part of the app lets you see a beautiful timeline of “frustrations”. You can see when apps were non-responsive or crashed for the user. This is awesome because it lets you catch things before the user gets really upset – they’re not ready to call you just yet, but you already see lots of lags or crashes on their timeline.

Next, app management:

This is a part that is beautiful in theory. It’s a list of apps installed on the user’s machine that have more recent versions. Theoretically, you click the Update button, and Soluto pushes a remote update and installs the new version for the user, without them having to do anything. In real life, I couldn’t make this work. Hopefully, Soluto will fix this sometime soon.

Moving on, boot time and background apps:

The next part shows a beautiful list of apps that start on boot. Many apps have explanations (Soluto doesn’t expect you to know every app a user might install), and you can remove them from the boot process, or just delay them so they start once the computer is already up. This worked when I tried it.

Next up, Internet stats:

This part of the app lets you change the default browser, disable browser add-ons, and more. Note that it doesn’t let you access browsing history, or even see the user’s currently set homepage. Soluto is very careful about users’ privacy, and no part of the app lets you see screenshots, files, or any other personal data about the computer you’re monitoring. Slick.

Next, protection:

You can see if a user’s firewall is on or off, as well as their anti-virus and Windows Update status. You should be able to push a Windows update remotely, but this failed when I tried it.

Next, hardware:

You can see exactly what hardware a user is using, their hard drive status, and even temperatures of components. Mega-slick, and works.

Final Verdict

The bad: Soluto was made available very early. Many parts of the app haven’t been implemented, and many other parts just don’t work. As updates are not done in real-time, sometimes it can take days to realize that the Windows update you pushed just isn’t going to work.

The good: Soluto is a truly unique concept. The UI kicks ass (no Flash, no HTML5, and it’s gorgeous). The parts that work, work. And it’s free for up to 5 computers, and will stay that way.

Bottom line: I think Soluto will only get better in time. It has been getting better since it was released, and despite its currently raw state, it’s a product I believe in. I say, get in on the ground floor. This is going to be big.

Oh, and about those invites. The company told me they might open the service fully, but they’re not quite sure yet. So when you go to Soluto and it asks for an invite code, just tell them makeuseofsentme. Then once you’re in, test drive the service for yourself then let us know what you think of it in the comments below.

However, using just the basics of the software may make you miss out on some useful stuff that could make your life even easier. I know, I know, it’s hard to fathom the idea that life could get even better, but just listen (or to be more accurate, read).

Bandwidth Limits and Pausing

File synchronization is great, right? Well, not when it’s trying to update almost 2GB worth of data all at once and in the process sucks on all of your bandwidth, leaving you unable to do any kind of web surfing whatsoever. Worse yet, what if you need to do some time-sensitive work? Well, Dropbox gives you a solution to the said problem.

You can set bandwidth limits and even pause the synchronization. By default, the download portion of synchronization doesn’t have a limit while the upload portion is set to be limited “automatically”. If that doesn’t seem to be working for you, you can always manually set limits yourself, especially when it comes to downloading. This way, you can still be synchronizing while doing your precious work.

On the other hand, if you want to speed up synchronization, you can also enable LAN Sync, which will update information between computers on the same network. This should be plenty faster than going through Dropbox’s servers.

The pause feature also exists to, you know, pause the service. Technically you could also just exit Dropbox, but logically speaking you just want to pause it, not exit it, right?

Get More Space with .EDU Email Address

Are you lucky enough to be a student, faculty member, or more with an .edu email address? If so, Dropbox would like to make your educational experience even easier. While Dropbox lets you refer people to the service for a gift of 256MB of free space per referral up to a maximum of 8GB of extra space (10GB total for a free account), those who verify that they have an .edu email address can refer people to the service for a gift of 512MB of free space per referral up to a maximum of 16GB of extra space (18GB total for a free account).

If you have already referred people in the past before you verify your .edu email address, the previous referrals will be upgraded to the 512MB size.

You can verify your .edu email address by going to this page, entering in your email address, and clicking on the verification link that will be sent to that address.

Consolidate to a Local “Dropbox Server”

If you’re tired of having to update all your data on each computer, why not consolidate the number of computers that poll Dropbox for updates? You could easily dedicate one computer to synchronizing with Dropbox, and then connect from your other computers to that one via Shared Folders or any other method you prefer. This way, less computers need to be constantly updated, less computers need to run the software, and less computers will have to store the data that is being synchronized with Dropbox.

This is very helpful if say you have a Pro account that syncs 100GB of data, as you’ll take up 100GB on one computer, instead of 100GB on every single one. Imagine what you could put on those other computers with 100GB of free space!

Use Dropbox’s Web Interface

I know this may be a very simple tip that automatically brings out the “duh” response, but some people still need to be reminded about it. Dropbox offers very excellent web tools to upload and download files, as well as change anything else that you normally can without a browser. Just because you may be on a computer that doesn’t have Dropbox installed doesn’t mean that you can’t access your data. However, with the website, you can be anywhere in the world, on any computer, and get the exact files that you need.

Conclusion

Dropbox is still my number one synchronization tool and will stay that way for the foreseeable future. With these tips, you can make your Dropbox experience even better and love it that much more. However, things can get really interesting if you start using it in very unique ways.

How do you use Dropbox? Any other tips you’d like to add to this article? Let us know in the comments!

As an example, if the results from two different CPUs are pretty close to each other, you can say that real-world performance will be about the same. However, if the results are far apart, you’ll know that one is definitely better.

Why We Need A Better Solution

In benchmarking, a good measure to keep is the start up time of an application. This can be very useful for comparing the start up speed between two different products, or comparing the start up speed of the same software on two different computers to measure the performance of the hardware in each computer. A lot of people tend to still use timings done by hand, which can be catastrophic in terms of accuracy when most results will be mere seconds from each other. So we need a benchmarking tool that will be much more accurate than our hands could ever dream of being.

About AppTimer

AppTimer solves that exact problem. It can detect the exact moment when a command has been executed to start a program and when it has finally loaded. It has a couple of ways of doing this, along with some other useful options for benchmarkers.

AppTimer doesn’t need to be installed. Instead, you just download it and extract the .exe file from the zip folder, and there is the program. You can move it to whichever media you please and run it off any computer. As a benchmarking tool, it’s a great feature to have.

About The Window

The AppTimer window isn’t exactly friendly to beginners in the benchmarking world, but I’ll walk you through all the possible fields as there aren’t very many of them. The application field allows you to select which program you would like to time. You can browse through your folders by clicking the “…” to the right so that you won’t have to manually type in the entire path.

The Cmd Line lets you add in a command line that you want to time if you so choose, although this isn’t necessary.

The Log File will contain the timing information in a readable format. You’ll need to choose where you would like to have the log file saved.

The Window Name needs to be entered so that the program, when launched, can be detected as it is opened so that it can close it automatically. Looking at the title, you can see something like either just the name or something in addition to the name. For example, if your title says “Document 1 – Microsoft Word“, it will suffice to put in Microsoft Word as the window title.

The Executions box dictates how many times in a row AppTimer will try to launch the specified application or command. The Delay box tells AppTimer how long it should wait before it executes again. The Debug checkbox is for, well, debugging, and isn’t really needed unless you know what to do with the information it’ll spit out.

The Window Detection Method area offers a couple of different ways to detect if a window has been opened. If you don’t know which ones to choose, I recommend choosing “Input Idle”, “Window Detection“, and “Visible“, which together means that the window should be visible and ready for input to count as “open”.

The Window Close Method area offers multiple ways of closing a program once it’s open. If you’re not sure what to choose, I recommend “WM_CLOSE” and “Alt+F4“.

Running The Benchmark

If everything is entered in correctly, you can hit “Run App“, and AppTimer will do everything for you.

Then it should save a log file to your specified location, which contains the amount of time it took to start the application.

Conclusion

AppTimer is a surprisingly great benchmarking tool to get accurate results in a fashion that “just works”. With it, you can be sure that there is a much smaller margin of error and that much better comparisons can be made with other software or hardware configurations. It’s the perfect entry-level benchmarking tool. If you’re interested, you can also check out some other cool benchmarking tools.

What’s your favorite method of benchmarking? Why do you prefer it the most? Let us know in the comments!

Image Credit: Shutterstock

Auslogics have been helping users clean up and boost their computers for quite a while now, and have a whole line of products up their sleeve. BoostSpeed is a general speeding-up tool which will scan your computer for errors, junk, and crippling system settings, and offer fixes. As usual, you should keep an eye on what you erase and make sure not to delete anything important by mistake.

This week, we’re giving away 25 licenses for Auslogics BoostSpeed PRO 5. Stick around to read more about what BoostSpeed can do and to find out how you can win your own free license!

Finding Trouble And Fixing It

After installation, BoostSpeed will prompt you to perform a full system scan for problems.

If you want to save time, or make sure things are not deleted automatically, you can tweak BoostSpeed to scan just certain things and decide what actions it will perform after the scan.

The scan itself is surprisingly fast. Within several minutes, BoostSpeed will show you exactly how many errors it found, where it found them and how they affect your computer’s speed. The interface is well thought out and gives you a general idea of what’s going on at a glance.

When the scan is complete, you can choose to either trust the program and click “Repair Now”, but you can also view details, see exactly what the problems are and choose how you’d like to handle them. One thing I’d like to see added is the ability to choose individual problems and exclude them from the repair process.

System Advisor

While you’re running the scan, you can head over to the “System Advisor” tab. This tool analyzes your system’s settings and advises you what you can change in order to speed up your computer.

After it scans everything, you’ll get a list of recommendations along with explanations as to why you’re getting them. You can then check the ones you’d like to fix and have the program fix them for you.

Advanced Tools

BoostSpeed also comes with a bundle of advanced tools you can use to tweak, polish and speed up your computer.

Here you’ll find everything from disk and registry maintenance and ways to free up disk space to recovery tools and privacy settings. Each of these links leads to a whole different tool, and it would take a much longer article than this to go over them all. In short, almost anything you could wish for regarding system maintenance is right here within BoostSpeed.

Rescue Center

Using a tool which deletes files from your system is always a concern. No matter how safe it is, you’re always bound to be worried whether you’re really deleting junk, or if these files might be important after all. Well, BoostSpeed comes with its own rescue center for just those cases.

In the settings, you can control exactly what will be backed up by the program.

Auslogics BoostSpeed PRO 5 can be purchased from their online store for $49.95. The license supports up to 3 PCs in a household and offers a year’s worth of updates. There are 25 copies of BoostSpeed waiting for you. Here is how you can win one.

How do I win a copy?

It’s simple, just follow the instructions.

Step 1: Fill in the giveaway form

Please fill in the form with your real name and email address so that we can get in touch if you are chosen as a winner. Click here if you can’t view the form.

The giveaway code required to activate the form is available from our Facebook page.

Step 2: Share!

You’re almost done. Now, all that’s left to do is to share the post. There are 2 options to choose from or you can do both!

This giveaway begins now and ends Friday, November 25th. The winners will be selected at random and informed via email.

Spread the word to your friends and have fun!

MakeUseOf would like to thank Auslogics for their generosity while participating in this giveaway. Interested in sponsoring? We’d love to hear from you. Get in touch with us via email.

Over the last two years, CCleaner has changed quite a bit in terms of version numbers…up now to version 3.10 at the time of this writing. While visually the program actually hasn’t changed much (it’s good, why break something that’s not broken?), a lot of additional features have been included behind-the-scenes to make it more functional than ever.

About CCleaner and Installation

CCleaner is the most updated program out of all the Piriform offerings (CCleaner, Defraggler, and Recuva), and will ask you to update practically once every week or two. In case you haven’t installed CCleaner yet or want to check for updates without opening the program, you can head over to this page, download the setup file, and run it. During installation, I recommend that you actually look through the settings, as there may be a few preferences you may not want, such as menu options for the Recycle Bin.

Clean Out Temporary Files

CCleaner lives up to its name in a number of different ways. First, you can go through the usual temporary files of any supported applications. This includes the usual list of browsers, system, and some other lesser known options such as Java. With more and more updates, the amount of supported applications increases by a lot.

Clean Out Your Bloated Registry

The second way CCleaner lives up to its name is by its registry cleaning capabilities. CCleaner can look for a number of different registry keys that are irrelevant or unusable to the system which just clutter up the registry as a whole. As far as my experience has gone, CCleaner has been the only tool that doesn’t screw up your programs after sweeping through the registry. Updates ensure that the algorithms to find these unwanted registry keys are accurate and do not disturb anything on the system.

Even More System Maintenance Options

CCleaner continues on to include some other interesting options. In order to not have to switch between multiple applications, CCleaner also includes areas where you can remove installed programs.

You can also control the list of startup applications to lessen the strain on resources and increase boot/login time.

Deleting any old system restore points (except for the newest one to ensure you still have a point to go back to in case your system immediately breaks afterwards) helps a lot too.

Finally, you can wipe a drive’s free space (or even the whole thing) completely. For the wipe procedure, you’re offered multiple options for wiping, such as 1 pass, 3 passes, 7 passes, or an incredible (and time consuming) 35 passes.

Options

Finally, CCleaner does offer a decent amount of options to customize a few aspects of how the system maintenance tool operates. There are also specific things you can include or exclude, such as cookies and other directories.

Conclusion

CCleaner could possibly be named one of the 7 wonders of computer maintenance (don’t ask me what the other 6 are, it was just a play on words). It has been extremely easy to use, and it works. Every time. Simply on occasional runs, it often cleans out over half a gigabyte of data. While your results may not be that large, as I am a fairly heavy user, your computer will thank you for using CCleaner. So if you’re one of the very few that haven’t used it yet, I highly recommend you try it out! Don’t rely on just the Windows Disk Cleaner!

Even though CCleaner can do everything except make you sandwiches, what would you like to see added to it? Let us know in the comments! Maybe with the regular updates some will be included!

Diagnosing issues with your computer can now be done through a diagnose report, which is generated in the software and presents a list of parameters and potential issues. Alternatively, if you’re not keen on finding issues yourself, it could be a handy file to present to someone with more advanced knowledge.

The rest of the new features are less complex. One important addition is the ability to detect Steam games and add them to Game Booster’s “GameBox” launcher. I tested this functionality, and while users will still need to log into Steam, it is otherwise surprisingly smooth.  With Steam games now easy to launch, Game Booster makes a more competent argument for itself as a game launcher than ever before.

There’s a wealth of other minor improvements, as well, including interface changes and bug fixes. As before, Game Booster 3 is available free from developer IObit. As I summarized in my full look at Game Booster 2, it’s the launcher functionality, not the performance improvement (though that is nice, as well), which is this program’s best feature.

Source: IObit

If you’re still disappointed with performance and are looking to turbo-charge your TouchPad, then a 1.5GHz speed bump might just do the trick. Be warned that this might just void your warranty should things go wrong, but with software like WebOS Doctor on your side the process is fairly safe and above all easy. It is also possible to remove your modified kernel and restore to Palm defaults with just a few taps.

Warranty, Preware & Patches

Before we begin, make sure you have installed Preware, enabled Developer Mode and installed the patches I mentioned in my last article. You’ll be needing Preware in order to download and install the new kernel and governor application, Developer Mode, to alter the TouchPad’s existing kernel and the patches go a long way in the pursuit of a speedy tablet.

It must be said that HP is unlikely to bat an eyelid should you return a TouchPad that has been “bricked” due to an unclean reboot caused by messing with the kernel. Similarly, they won’t repair a unit damaged directly as a result of an overclock.

That said, the 1.5GHz bump is a fairly safe procedure which does not increase the processor’s voltage demands nor does it have a massive impact on battery life. It’s early days at the moment, and many are reporting around a 10% decrease in battery life, with the highest I’ve seen quoted at 20%. Similarly, operating temperatures aren’t that much higher either.

UberKernel & Experimental Alternatives

At present the only stable kernel that currently supports overclocking is called the UberKernel. There are plenty of others available, but these still reside in Preware’s testing feeds, unlike UberKernel which has been deemed fit for public consumption.

It is for this reason that we’re using UberKernel here. If you are interested in trying out some of the more experimental overclocks, with speeds of up to 1.9GHz available (though stability goes out of the window) then check out PsychoKernel at WebOS-Internals. As stability increases with each alpha version, features are implemented into the public UberKernel release – so it’s probably worth sticking to the public release unless you’re ready to play by the testing rules.

Install UberKernel & Govnah

Open up Preware and choose Available Packages followed by Kernels then All. At the time of writing only two are available – Palm Kernel (the default “recovery” kernel) and UberKernel.

Choose UberKernel, read the disclaimer then hit Install. The process should take around 10 minutes maximum, and once installed you will be prompted to restart your device (which you should do).

If all went well, your TouchPad started up as you’d normally expect it to (with an initial splash of information on boot from UberKernel). At present, your TouchPad is not overclocked – UberKernel simply allows for this. To increase your CPU frequency you’ll need a governor application, like Govnah.

Back to Preware and hit the magnifying glass (search) icon in the top right. Type “Govnah” (without quotes) and tap on the only result. Once you’ve read the app description, hit Install.

Exit Preware and open your app launcher. Navigate to Downloads and choose Govnah. Read and heed the text before tapping through to the main interface. Govnah should currently look like this:

To overclock, simply tap Profile then choose OnDemandTcl 1512. You will be returned to the Govnah home screen, where you can watch your CPU clock itself up to 1.5GHz. Congratulations, you’re overclocked – exit Govnah and try out your faster tablet.

You can of course create your own profiles where you specify the clock speed, though beware it is possible that you’ll encounter issues. To uninstall, simply select UberKernel in Preware from your Installed Packages list and uninstall then reboot. Easy!

The Doctor Will See You Now

If something went wrong, then all might not be lost. WebOS Doctor is program designed to restore your WebOS device back to an original firmware image. There is a lengthy guide on WebOS-Internals about restoring a device and solutions to a number of problems you might encounter.

Download: WebOS Doctor (Windows XP, Vista, 7 & Mac OS X 10.5+)
Documentation: Restoring A Device (WebOS Internals), Palm WebOS Doctor FAQ (HP/Palm)

Conclusion

After spending a day or two overclocked, I can say the difference is noticeable. Loading times for apps such as email and photos are much improved, as is scrolling through emails or sliding panes around in Facebook. The browsing experience is perkier too – and I haven’t really noticed an impact on battery life.

Let us know if you’ve noticed much of a speed boost from your TouchPad. Did you patch it up or go the whole hog and overclock? Do you like WebOS? Do you think HP will continue to provide updates or sell the OS? This is a hot topic right now, so leave your comment below.

The interface simply isn’t silky smooth. Launching apps and scrolling through lists can appear choppy at times, and if (like me) you’re used to Apple’s iOS on an iPhone or similar you’ll be left thinking: where did HP go wrong?

Luckily the homebrew community is here to patch up WebOS and get your TouchPad running faster, smoother and better than it did when it left the factory.

Update WebOS & Install Java

The first thing you should do (and should probably have already done by now) is update your HP TouchPad’s firmware to the latest release. At the time of writing, this is version 3.0.2 which aimed to fix a number of speed and stability issues. On your TouchPad bring up the app launcher and navigate to Settings.

Choose System Updates (the icon is a present) and follow the prompts to update your tablet. This shouldn’t take long as depending on your internet connection, the update will take about 15 minutes to apply during which point you’ll be unable to use it. Once this is done, you’ll probably notice things are a little more responsive (especially the Email app) but your tablet is still a bit jittery and slow.

Next you’ll need to grab Java for your PC, if you don’t already have it. Head over to the Java homepage and download the framework if necessary. Java is required as the program you will use to “homebrew” your TouchPad is a .JAR file. This file should work on any major OS, though you’ll need to sort out the correct drivers so your PC can talk to your tablet.

Note: This walkthrough uses Windows. Mac users should have fewer issues using a similar method as the TouchPad is Mac compatible, but Linux users may need to hunt around for drivers in order to use this method.

Install Preware

Now that Java is installed you can prepare your tablet for homebrew using Preware, a collection of repositories that contain applications, patches and other tweaks for any WebOS device. Download the WebOS Quick Installer from here and run it, without your tablet connected. You will be prompted to install the Novacom driver (which you need, so go ahead) and then warned there is no device connected to your PC – which is fine. Exit the program once you’re done.

Now pick up your tablet. In the “Just type…” box on your home screen type: 20090606. You will see an option pop up for Developer Mode. Tap it, enable it but leave the password field blank, hit Submit and then exit.

Note: This process won’t work without this step, so if you’re having trouble make sure you’ve done this properly.

Finally you can plug your TouchPad in to your PC. Do not put it into USB mass storage mode, simply dismiss the dialog and put it down. Now you’re ready to run WebOS Quick Install again – your device will appear in drop down box in the top right-hand corner of the application.

Next click the refresh button and wait for package information to download. When this has completed select the Applications tab, choose Preware and click install. It should take about 30 seconds. Once you’re done simply exit the program and safely remove your TouchPad.

Reduce Logging & Patch ‘em Up

Congratulations, you made it this far and you no longer need a PC – all homebrews can be installed directly to your device via the new Preware application you’ll find in the app launcher, under Downloads. But wait – first you’ll want to minimize logging, which your TouchPad does a lot of (and thus suffers performance-wise). Open the Phone & Video Calls app and bring up the dialer.

Note: To do this you’ll either need a WebOS phone (simply pair via Bluetooth, voila – a dialer) or Skype account. Skype is probably the only solution for a lot of people, so set up your account (or a dummy account if you don’t have one) that will allow you access to the dialer.

Into the dialer type: ##5647# then tap call. The logging window will launch, and you’ll want to choose Clear Logs first before tapping Change Logging Levels and setting logging to minimal. Once done, exit the app – your logging levels are now changed.

Launch the Preware app you installed earlier and allow the packages to update. Finally, you’re ready to install some patches. The app layout is simple, you’ll find apps in Applications, patches in Patches and plenty of other tools in other categories. Once you’ve chosen something, a tap of Install will action your request.

To speed up your TouchPad, the following homebrew tweaks are highly recommended, simply browse your way around or search for each from the Preware home screen using the magnifying glass icon in the top right:

• EOM Overlord Monitoring
• Muffle System Logging
• Remove Dropped Packet Logging
• Unset CFQ IQ Scheduler
• Unthrottle Download Manager
• Increase Touch Sensitivity and Smoothness 10
• Quiet Powerd Messages (sic)
• Faster Card Animations HYPER Version
• Ad Blocker OR Max Block – Do not install both.
• Private Browsing (adds an option to your browser)

Each patch you tap displays a description of what it does, with most designed to reduce logging and provide general speed enhancements. Some websites have issues with Ad Blocker or Max Block (such as CBS.com), but anything you install is easy to remove via the Installed Packages menu on the Preware homescreen.

Congratulations, now restart your device and enjoy a far more responsive TouchPad with a few extra tweaks and functions added for good measure. Feel free to peruse the Preware catalog, it’s very difficult to break your device this way though remember most of the content is designed for Pre phones (not 1024×768 tablets).

Conclusion

You now have access to hundreds of patches and homebrew creations, and hopefully a speedier tablet. If WebOS still seems to chug a bit then worry not, as next time I’ll be walking you through a far more exciting process: overclocking your HP TouchPad.

Don’t miss it!

Did you buy a cheap TouchPad? Disappointed? Pleased? Did the patches help? Any cool homebrew we need to be told about? Let it all out in the comments!