Bounty Grows for Android Port to TouchPad

The bounty for whatsoever developer who manages to port Android to the TouchPad is growing, reaching more than US$2,100 on Thursday, just as one effort to execute the port struggles to get off the ground.

Hack n Mod, a internet site about hacking and modifying game consoles and other electronics, on Monday began offering Johnny Cash rewards to developers who could port all or parts of Mechanical man to the TouchPad. Advertisers and Cut n Mod are putt up the cash.

The total feasible reward initially was $1,500, with rewards impaired up based on functionality. For example, a basic Humanoid port presently gets $950 and peerless including Wi-Fi capabilities adds other $350.

But the website is instantly allowing individuals to donate to the reward. With those contributions, the total possible award is now adequate to $2,150.

Interest in running Android happening the TouchPad has grown popular since Hewlett-Packard announced last week that it would stop consonant fashioning the tablets. It subsequently dropped the price to $99; the tablets ab initio retailed for $499.

While webOS, the operating system continual the TouchPad, has been widely praised, many buyers may headache that HP North Korean won't continue to support information technology. Loading Android onto a $99 TouchPad makes it one of the best-prize Android tablets available.

One group of developers functioning on the port generated a lot of buzz initially but some national disputes may be slowing the project land. While a wiki page and assembly almost the TouchDroid project are still up, a website related to it is no more comprehendible and the related HPTouchDroid Twitter chronicle appears to have been deleted. Some of the developers are individually offering updates along the jut via their own Twitter accounts, however.

Nancy Gohring covers mobile phones and cloud computing for The IDG News Service. Follow Nancy happening Twitter at @idgnancy. Nancy's e-mail handle is Nancy_Gohring@idg.com