Archive for: pre
And just like that the smartphone arena became a 4-way battle between Android, BlackBerry, iOS and Windows Phone. Today via press release HP dropped a bombshell: they are discontinuing development of webOS hardware, specifically webOS phones and TouchPad tablets.
In similar news, HP confirmed previous rumors that they are in fact looking at possible acquisition options for Autonomy Group as well as voicing interest in spinning off their PC business.
As for webOS — to say this is shocking is an understatement. As tech enthusiasts we’re greatly saddened. WebOS is a fantastic OS. Unfortunately thus far, neither Palm nor HP have been able to do much of anything exciting in regards to hardware. The fact we’re still looking for any U.S. release details for the Pre3 is pretty telling. Add to that the high profile departure of Jon Rubenstein as well as abysmal TouchPad sales and one could say “the writing is on the wall”.
So what now? HP will no doubt look to sell the fledging webOS platform and rights, unless of course they’re thinking of licensing the platform to third parties — a smart move. Given the recent announcement that Google is looking to purchase Motorola, we’d have to say some hardware manufacturer not happy with Googlerola’s new affair will make a move.
WebOS users: worried about your platform’s furture
Pre-centric…PreCentral managed to snag a few screenshots of the Palm Pads tablet version of webOS 3.0. In all, Bing Maps, Music, and a couple other core apps are documented. While iOS is generally regarded as the prettiest mobile OS because of its sheer popularity, we have quite the soft spot for webOS in our hearts. Hop inside for more images…
If you’re totally into the Pre 3 but could do without the keyboard, perhaps the unnamed mystery phone above will suit your needs best. As of writing, hard specs, pricing, carriers, and release date are nothing more than pure speculation. But if we must — 1+GHz single-core processor, 480 x 800 display, 1GB RAM. See, not hard. Considering Palm/HP likes to play it safe regarding hardware specs, we’d say we’re pretty spot on. Of course, we’d love for HP to set the record straight with something a bit more official.
- February 11, 2011 7:45 pm
In the race to become the thinnest phone, sacrifices are often made. Sometimes, it’s done with little fanfare and clever engineering. Other times however, the reduction in size comes at too great a cost. Such is our view of the HP Veer — a miniature Palm Pre/HP Pre3 of sorts. Because of the overall thin design of the veer combined with sliding keyboard, HP simply didn’t have room to cram a 3.5mm audio port and micro-USB port. The end result is nobodies favorite outcome — proprietary adapter.
While some may say it’s not a big deal to need a small adapter to hook up, the reality of the situation is that it is. Lose the adapter and you’re left having to pay for another adapter just to charge/sync your device — all things that should be handled by your standard mini/micro-USB cable.
Yes, we’re saddened a bit that HP’s miniature Veer comes with a little extra baggage. But we’re also curious — how will the new law mandating one standard charging cable (micro-USB) effect future iterations of this phone and others of similar size? At some point, the generic charging standard will have to change as phones do. Sound off in the comments…
**A couple more pictures after the jump.
Well well well. The HP/Palm Topaz. PreCentral managed to snag a huge assortment of internal documentation and diagrams detailing the upcoming webOS-powered tablet. Everything from the 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon processors to 9.7″ WXGA (1024 x 768) display to support for the revamped Touchstone charger complete with wireless gaming support are included. HP and Palm are said to be targeting Apple’s iPad with the Topaz, and for good reason. The iPad is the hands down most successful and popular tablet of 2010. And with the iPad 2 a sure thing for 2011, HP needs to get their foot in the door now if they ever plan to compete.
Of course, with 512MB of RAM, the 1024 x 768 display, and many other common features, we have to ask exactly which iPad HP is competing with — the old and outdated original iPad or new and certainly more advanced iPad 2? Nonetheless, the Topaz appears to be one of the better tablets we’ve seen (on paper at least). Thankfully we haven’t too much longer to wait.
Perhaps more exciting, however, is the detailed information regarding the revamped Touchstone wireless charging accessory. It will be bigger and support more than just charging. According to the slides (more after the jump), everything from syncing to gaming will be possible over the Touchstone’s wireless connection. Sounds pretty sweet to us.
What do you think of the Topaz so far?
Looks like Palm (and Verizon) are beginning to start the process of preparing for a new device launch. The device? No idea. From the outside, it looks exactly like the same Pre-esque design we’ve seen for many, many months now. But on the inside, this mystery device is rumored to pack LTE.
As for the source of the information, it resides on Verizon Wireless’ own website under a “testman” subdomain with the names “Palm Voice Test” and “Palm LTE Voice”. Further adding to the confusion, the device ID buried in the URL is different from past Pre and Pre Plus devices signaling this is in fact a completely new device.
Keep checking back as the mystery unravels.
- October 19, 2010 10:09 am
And just like that, webOS and the Palm Pre 2 are official. Palm has finally broken the silence and released a device for the first time in many, many months. Speaking of the new device, the Palm Pre 2 is still shrouded in a veil of secrecy concerning actual hardware components save for the 5-megapixel camera and 1GHz processor. Unfortunately, the screen appears to be the same size/resolution and the case is a carbon copy of the now 2-year old style. Not exactly a winner in 2010 I’d say. But hey, it’s good to see Palm doing something.
The real interesting part is whether or not Palm has spit polished the hell out of webOS 2.0. Reports have Verizon as the first US-based carrier with a UMTS (GSM) variant to follow. France is the lucky dog of the group — they get the Palm Pre 2 this coming Monday Friday.
Are you wooed? Press release inside.
Fresh off the heels of an announcement by HP’s Jon Rubenstein, we now can expect webOS 2.0 by the end of this year. No details were given unfortunately, so we’ll have to resort to good ‘ol fashioned guestimating and hypothesizing for now. Though after having a brief stint with a Palm Pre Plus a few months back as well as listening to tons of consumer feedback, I’d hope speed and stability are high up on the list. Speed, especially speed. Coming from iOS and Android, webOS was a dog. A few extra features wouldn’t hurt either. Hey, Palm HP has to earn that 2.0 badge, right?
Speaking of HP, at the same conference today, HP made it pretty clear that Palm is probably going to be more of a sub-brand of HP than a standalone brand. After seeing the HP acquisition monster consume several other companies over the last few years, turning them into respective sub-brands, HP’s move with Palm isn’t really all that surprising. How do the Palm die-hards feel about this?
Leave a few comments inside. I like to talk…
Waiting to pick up a Pre Plus or Pixi Plus on the cheap has never been better. Looks like Palm’s once saving grace can now be had from your pick-o-the-litter of American cellular carriers (as long as you choose AT&T or Verizon) without so much as the universally common 2-year contract. 2-years is quite a long time in the tech world to sign your life away for allegiance to any particular carrier. But if Palm’s webOS devices happen to tickle your fancy, lust has no boundaries, right?
Before you get too carried away, it’s worth pointing out this deal is only valid through HP’s online store. Though, doing the tango with Palm’s new owner will net you three additional accessories at checkout: a car charger, leather case and Bluetooth headset. While a carrier may be your more preferred method of contractual obligations, you can’t help but admit HP is mighty convincing. What will you do?
